(1933) Szilárd’s stroll sets off a nuclear chain reactionHungarian physicist Leó Szilárd has been puzzling over using atoms as a form of energy, and as he strolls London’s streets, he suddenly conceives the idea of a nuclear chain reaction, which will lead to his work in the atom bomb’s formation and the harnessing of nuclear energy.Leo Szilard was a Hungarian-born physicist and inventor. He conceived the nuclear chain reaction in 1933, patented the idea of a nuclear reactor with Enrico Fermi in 1934, and in late 1939 wrote the letter for Albert Einstein’s signature that resulted in the Manhattan Project that built the atomic bomb.
Lived: Feb 11, 1898 – May 30, 1964 (age 66) Spouse: Gertrud Weiss Szilard (m. 1951) Academic advisors: Albert Einstein · Max von Laue Inventions: Einstein refrigerator Education: Budapest University of Technology and Economics · Technical University of Berlin · Humboldt University of Berlin Awards: Albert Einstein Award (1960)
Highlights
1922: His doctoral dissertation on thermodynamics Über die thermodynamischen Schwankungserscheinungen (On The Manifestation of Thermodynamic Fluctuations), praised by Einstein, won top honors in 1922.
1938: Foreseeing another war in Europe, Szilard moved to the United States in 1938, where he worked with Enrico Fermi and Walter Zinn on means of creating a nuclear chain reaction.
1950: He publicly sounded the alarm against the possible development of salted thermonuclear bombs, explaining in radio talk on February 26, 1950, that sufficiently big thermonuclear bomb rigged with specific but common materials, might annihilate mankind.
1951: Leó Szilárd married Gertrud Weiss Szilard in 1951.
1961: The Voice of the Dolphins, and Other Stories written by Leó Szilárd was first published in 1961.
1964: On May 30, 1964, he died in his sleep of a heart attack; when Trude awoke, she was unable to revive him.
An image from the Fermi–Szilard “neutronic reactor” patent
(1844) Young Men’s Christian Association offers London refugeGeorge Williams, formerly of rural Somerset, England, and now working as a draper in London, is shocked by the decadence of city life and so opens the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) to give other Industrial Revolution laborers a wholesome alternative to taverns and brothels.The Young Men’s Christian Association is a worldwide organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 57 million beneficiaries from 125 national associations. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London and aims to put Christian principles into practice by developing a healthy “body, mind, and spirit.” These three angles are reflected by the different sides of the triangle—part of all YMCA logos.
Website: www.ymca.int Founded: Jun 06, 1844 Headquarters: Geneva Founder: George Williams Phone number: +1 8008729622
wiki/YMCA(1933) America’s car and movie mania meet in New JerseyRichard Hollingshead opens his “automobile movie theatre” in Camden County, New Jersey, featuring 400 car slots, a 40-x-50-foot screen, and three 6-foot speakers. The feature at the first US drive-in theater is ‘Wives Beware,’ with admission costing a quarter per car and customer.A drive-in theater or drive-in cinema is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars. Some drive-ins have small playgrounds for children and a few picnic tables or benches.
Inventor: Richard Hollingshead
wiki/Drive-in_theater(1944) Allied invasion of Europe beginsFour years and two days after Allied forces evacuated from the European mainland, they return in the Normandy landings, the largest amphibious military assault in history. By the end of the day, 5,000 vessels land 160,000 troops on the French coastline, launching the push to defeat Germany.The Normandy landings were the landing operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. The largest seaborne invasion in history, the operation began the liberation of German-occupied northwestern Europe from Nazi control, and contributed to the Allied victory on the Western Front.
Date: Jun 06, 1944
wiki/Normandy_landings(1971) ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ signs off after 22 yearsTruly a ‘really big show,’ Ed Sullivan’s CBS variety hour ends after reigning as perhaps the most widely seen show biz showcase in US history. The Sunday evening staple helped launch the biggest stars of the era, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elvis, and The Supremes.Ed Sullivan’s show was straight out of old vaudeville; brief acts of every description, from slapstick comedy to operatic arias. At least once, he showed a film, the only known film of Anna Pavlova (doing her Swan Dance). The Muppets’ first TV appearance was on Ed Sullivan. Stiff and expressionless, with a peculiar voice and a talent for mispronunciation, Sullivan was at least as recognizable as Cronkite to early 60’s viewers.
First episode: Jun 20, 1948 Episode duration: 60 minutes Creators: Ed Sullivan · Marlo Lewis Theme song: Toast Producer: Chester Feldman Awards: Peabody Award · Primetime Emmy Award for Best Variety Series · Golden Globe Award for Television Achievement
(1930) Gandhi begins 240-mile ‘Salt March’ With 80 of his followers, Mahatma Gandhi, leader of a nonviolent civil disobedience movement in India, begins a march to the coast to gather sea salt in defiance of British colonial rule. The action will prove a turning point in the Indian independence movement and influence civil rights activists around the world.The Salt March, also known as the Dandi March and the Dandi Satyagraha, was an act of nonviolent civil disobedience in colonial India initiated by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to produce salt from the seawater in the coastal village of Dandi, as was the practice of the local populace until British officials introduced taxation on salt production, deemed their sea-salt reclamation activities illegal, and then repeatedly used force to stop it. The 24-day march began from 12 March 1930 and continued till 5 April 1930 as a direct action campaign of tax resistance and nonviolent protest against the British salt monopoly, and it gained worldwide attention which gave impetus to the Indian independence movement and started the nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement.
Start date: Mar 12, 1930 End date: Apr 06, 1930
wiki/Salt_March(1933) FDR gives his first ‘fireside chat’ to American publicAfter being elected in the midst of the Great Depression, President Franklin Roosevelt makes the first in what will be a series of radio broadcast to inform, warn, and encourage his fellow citizens.
Fireside chats is the term used to describe a series of 30 evening radio conversations (chats) given by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1933 and 1944. Roosevelt spoke with familiarity to millions of Americans about the promulgation of the Emergency Banking Act in response to the banking crisis, the recession, New Deal initiatives, and the course of World War II. On radio, he was able to quell rumors and explain his policies. His tone and demeanor communicated self-assurance during times of despair and uncertainty. Roosevelt was a great communicator on radio, and the fireside chats kept him in high public regard throughout his presidency.
The series of fireside chats was among the first 50 recordings made part of the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress, which noted it as “an influential series of radio broadcasts in which Roosevelt utilized the media to present his programs and ideas directly to the public and thereby redefined the relationship between President Roosevelt and the American people in 1933.”
wiki/Fireside_chats(1938) Hitler absorbs his homeland, Austria, into GermanyThe nation of Austria is no more, as the Third Reich annexes it into Germany and Wehrmacht troops dismantle border crossings. The invasion and forced incorporation violates the Treaty of Versailles, but most criticism will be mild.Anschluss is the term used to describe the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in March 1938. German spelling, until the German orthography reform of 1996, was Anschluß and it was also known as the Anschluss Österreichs.
Date: Mar 12, 1938
wiki/Anschluss(1994) Church of England ordains their first women priestsFor the first time in its 460-year existence, the Church of England allows females to enter into the priesthood, ordaining 32 women in Bristol Cathedral in Bristol, England. Six years later the church will pass another milestone, as more women than men will be ordained as priests.The Church of England is the Anglican Christian state church of England. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the most senior cleric, although the monarch is the supreme governor. The Church of England is also the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. Its formal establishment as a national church is dated to the 6th-century Gregorian mission in Kent led by Augustine of Canterbury, with considerable features introduced and established during and following the English Reformation in the 16th century.
(1791) The semaphore machine boosts long-distance messagingThe Chappe brothers demonstrate their new communications machine by sending a coded message via pivoting metal shutters set atop tall towers. This will be the precursor of the electric telegraph.A semaphore telegraph is a system of conveying information by means of visual signals, using towers with pivoting shutters, also known as blades or paddles. wiki/Exeter_railway_station,_Adelaide(1933) ‘King Kong’ debuts on silver screenAn epic take on the tale of beauty and the beast, and a special effects extravaganza, ‘King Kong’ premieres at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall. Box office and critical reception will both be boffo.A film crew goes to a tropical island for an exotic location shoot and discovers a colossal giant gorilla who takes a shine to their female blonde star. He is then captured and brought back to New York City for public exhibition.
Release date: Apr 07, 1933 (United States) Directors: Merian C. Cooper · Ernest B. Schoedsack Gross revenue: $2.80 million USD Music by: Max Steiner Sequel: Son of Kong Screenwriters: Merian C. Cooper · Edgar Wallace · Ruth Rose · James Ashmore Creelman
wiki/King_Kong_(1933_film)(1972) NASA launches first manmade object to leave solar systemThe Pioneer 10 space probe lifts off from the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida, heading for a rendezvous with Jupiter and other outer planets, then onward past the farthest reaches of our galaxy.Pioneer 10 is an American space probe, launched in 1972 and weighing 258 kilograms, that completed the first mission to the planet Jupiter. Thereafter, Pioneer 10 became the first spacecraft to achieve escape velocity from the Solar System. This space exploration project was conducted by the NASA Ames Research Center in California, and the space probe was manufactured by TRW Inc.
Orbital speed: 7.48 miles/s (12.04 km/s) Manufacturer: TRW Inc.
wiki/Pioneer_10(1983) Digital audio revolution hits the US and Europe The first compact discs go on sale in the US, Europe, and other locales. The format will eclipse vinyl before being eclipsed itself less than two decades later by solid-state digital audio players.Compact disc is a digital optical disc data storage format released in 1982 and co-developed by Philips and Sony. The format was originally developed to store and play only sound recordings but was later adapted for storage of data. Several other formats were further derived from these, including write-once audio and data storage, rewritable media, Video Compact Disc, Super Video Compact Disc, Photo CD, PictureCD, CD-i, and Enhanced Music CD. Audio CD players have been commercially available since October 1982, when the first commercially available CD player was released in Japan.
(1898) USS Maine blows up in Havana harbor Over 260 US crewmembers are killed when their battleship, the USS Maine, explodes after anchoring in Havana Harbor, off the coast of Cuba. The suspicion that Spain mined the vessel will kindle support for the Spanish-American War.USS Maine (ACR-1) is an American naval ship that sank in Havana Harbor during the Cuban revolt against Spain, an event that became a major political issue in the United States. Commissioned in 1895, this was the first United States Navy ship to be named after the state of Maine. Originally classified as an armored cruiser, she was built in response to the Brazilian battleship Riachuelo and the increase of naval forces in Latin America. Maine and her near-sister ship Texas reflected the latest European naval developments, with the layout of her main armament resembling that of the British ironclad Inflexible and comparable Italian ships. Her two gun turrets were staggered en échelon, rather than on the centerline, with the fore gun sponsoned out on the starboard side of the ship and the aft gun on the port side, with cutaways in the superstructure to allow both to fire ahead, astern or across her deck. She dispensed with full masts thanks to the increased reliability of steam engines by the time of her construction.
Keel laid: Oct 17, 1888 Launched: Nov 18, 1889
wiki/USS_Maine_(ACR-1)(1933) Franklin Roosevelt survives assassination attemptSpeaking from the back of an open car near Miami, Florida, President-elect Roosevelt is missed by Giuseppe Zangara’s bullets, but they bring down five others, including Chicago’s mayor, Anton Cermak, who will die 19 days later.Giuseppe “Joe” Zangara was the assassin of Anton Cermak. Zangara was an Italian American anarchist who shot Cermak and four others in Miami, Florida on February 15, 1933, during a speech by United States President–elect Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt himself may have been the intended target, but was unharmed.
Born: Sep 07, 1900 · Ferruzzano, Italy Died: Mar 20, 1933 · Raiford, FL Height: 5′ 1″ (1.55 m)
Highlights
1900: Zangara was born on September 7, 1900 in Ferruzzano, Calabria, Italy.
1923: After serving in the Tyrolean Alps in World War I, he did a variety of menial jobs in his home village before emigrating with his uncle to the United States in 1923.
1929: He settled in Paterson, New Jersey and became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1929.
1933: Zangara was an Italian American anarchist who shot Cermak and four others in Miami, Florida on February 15, 1933, during a speech by United States President–elect Franklin D. Roosevelt.
1933: On March 20, 1933, after spending only 10 days on death row, Zangara was executed in Old Sparky, the electric chair at Florida State Prison in Raiford.
wiki/Giuseppe_Zangara(1946) ENIAC unveiled as the first general-purpose computerThe University of Pennsylvania formally dedicates their room-filling computer that the press has dubbed a ‘Giant Brain.’ The six main programmers, all women, have initially programmed ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer) to run computations on the feasibility of the hydrogen bomb.ENIAC was amongst the earliest electronic general-purpose computers made. It was Turing-complete, digital, and could solve “a large class of numerical problems” through reprogramming.
Inventors: John Mauchly · J. Presper Eckert
wiki/ENIAC(1989) Soviet forces leave Afghanistan After almost a decade of fierce fighting against the Mujahideen, the Soviet Union announces that the last of its troops has left Afghanistan. In the West, the war is deemed ‘the Soviet’s Vietnam.’The Soviet–Afghan War lasted over nine years from December 1979 to February 1989. Insurgent groups known as the mujahideen fought against the Soviet Army and the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. Between 850,000–2 million civilians were killed and millions of Afghans fled the country as refugees, mostly to Pakistan and Iran. The war is considered part of the Cold War.
(1933) Szilárd’s stroll sets off a nuclear chain reaction
