ON THIS DAY: 22 November 1906 – The SOS, or International Morse code distress call, became standard worldwide. The SOS Morse code distress signal is represented by the sequence (. . . _ _ _ . . .), which equates to three dots, three dashes, and three dots. Popular belief suggests that SOS stands for … Read more
ON THIS DAY: 17 November 1950 – 15-year-old Tenzin Gyatso officially became the 14th Dalai Lama. Tibetan Buddhists believe that the Dalai Lamas are manifestations of Avalokiteshvara, also known as Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and the patron saint of Tibet. Amongst many Buddhists, there is the belief that Avalokiteśvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, intervenes … Read more
A Scottish fleet of five ships put ashore on the Darién Gap, on the Isthmus of Panama, with 1,200 people. Bent on establishing a Scottish colony, New Caledonia, in the impenetrable rainforest, the settlers christened their capital New Edinburgh. In the seventeenth century, Scotland’s economy was small, its exports were limited, and the nation was … Read more