ON THIS DAY: 30 May 1971 – Norman Wilkinson, the British inventor of dazzle camouflage for ships during World War I, died on this day. During World War I, German submarines (U-boats) posed a severe threat to Allied shipping. Traditional camouflage – making ships blend into the sea – proved ineffective, because ships were still … Read more
ON THIS DAY: 22 May 1762 – The magnificent Trevi Fountain in Rome was officially inaugurated, marking the completion of what would become one of the most famous fountains in the world. The ambitious project took 30 years to complete. Construction was finished under architect Giuseppe Pannini, but the fountain itself was originally designed by … Read more
ON THIS DAY: 5 May 1795 – England introduced a tax on hair powder—an essential part of wig-wearing at the time. The fee was set at one guinea per year. Interestingly, the new law did not tax the powder itself; instead, it taxed the right to use hair powder. Wigs had first become fashionable among … Read more
ON THIS DAY: 29 May 1991 – The Port Authority operating John F. Kennedy Airport in New York commenced the slaughter of 15,000 gulls at JFK. Sharpshooters were hired to kill gulls from May to August. Between 1979 and 1993, bird strikes at JFK caused 45 aborted takeoffs and 41 damaged or destroyed aircraft engines. … Read more
ON THIS DAY: 18 May 1812 – John Bellingham was hanged for assassinating British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval. Perceval is the only British Prime Minister to have been assassinated. On 11 May 1812, the 40-year-old Bellingham walked into the lobby of Parliament and waited for Perceval. As Perceval approached, Bellingham took out two pistols he … Read more
ON THIS DAY: 1 May 1851 – The first public flushing toilets, known as ‘Monkey Closets,’ were unveiled at the Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park in London. Designed by sanitary engineer and plumber Josiah George Jennings, they caused great excitement. For the cost of one penny, visitors were provided with a … Read more
The Great Bell, known as ‘Big Ben’ in the Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster, started ticking for the first time. The clock, designed by Edmund Beckett Denison and constructed by John Dent, chimed for the first time on July 11, 1859. A clock tower is thought to have been on the present site … Read more
Bank robbers Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut ‘Champion’ Barrow were gunned down on State Highway 154 south of Gibsland, Louisiana. Bonnie was 23 years old, and Clyde was 25. Six officers hiding in the bushes fired 130 rounds into the car that Bonnie and Clyde had slowed down to assist a decoy car parked … Read more
As reported in Lloyd’s Evening Post, ‘Yesterday a Gentlewoman going along Cheapside trod upon a bit of orange peel, by which accident she fell down and sprained her ankle. The like accident happened to a Gentleman in Fleet Street the same day. As many accidents of this kind daily happen, oranges being plenty, it is … Read more