John Bacon Curtis from Hampden, Maine, USA, produced the first commercially available chewing gum, calling it ‘The State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum’. Chewing gum has been enjoyed in Central and North America for thousands of years. The Mayans and Aztecs used chicle, a natural tree gum, and the Native Americans chewed on a resin … Read more
Britain adopted the Gregorian calendar, which had first been introduced 170 years earlier by Pope Gregory XIII in February 1582. As a result of this change, Britain lost 11 days from the calendar as the country fast-forwarded from early to mid-September in a matter of hours. Prior to this, Britain had been using the Julian … Read more
Michelangelo’s magnificent sculpture of David was unveiled in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence. Sculpted from a massive block of marble, it took Michelangelo nearly three years to complete—at which point he was still only 29 years old. Intended as an image of the boy who defeated the giant Goliath, it has become a symbol … Read more