Today in History ^08/16 (Solar Flares)

August 16, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

Energy leaving the sun's surface photographed at the National Solar Observatory east of Alamogordo in Sunspot, NM (© National Solar Observatory/AP)

(1989) Space storms crash a stock market’s computers

All trading is halted on the Toronto Stock Exchange as three disc drives fail and computers crash. Scientists trace the failure to microchip interference from a geomagnetic storm caused by a massive solar flare, even larger than the one that took down Quebec’s power grid months earlier.

A geomagnetic storm is a temporary disturbance of the Earth’s magnetosphere caused by a solar wind shock wave and/or cloud of magnetic field that interacts with the Earth’s magnetic field. The increase in the solar wind pressure initially compresses the magnetosphere. The solar wind’s magnetic field interacts with the Earth’s magnetic field and transfers an increased energy into the magnetosphere.

Artist’s depiction of solar wind particles interacting with Earth’s magnetosphere. Sizes are not to scale.
wiki/Geomagnetic_storm

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(1989) Space storms crash a stock market’s computers.
Also on this day,

1812 | The British score an easy win against America

Recognizing that his enemy is massing forces he can’t take on, and fearing for his family, General William Hull surrenders Fort Detroit to the British. The action will result in a death penalty, but Hull’s sentence will be pardoned due to his previous Revolutionary War heroism.

1898 | The vertical loop roller coaster is patented

Edwin Prescott is awarded a patent for an improved roller coaster design using a teardrop-shaped loop. The Loop the Loop will open in Coney Island in 1901, but the trend of looping roller coasters won’t really catch on until decades later.

1974 | Four ‘brothers’ from Queens take the stage in downtown NYC

Johnny, Tommy, Dee Dee, and Joey Ramone play the Bowery’s CBGB club in matching leather jackets, jeans, and attitudes, belting out their set of blistering songs in a style soon to be dubbed ‘punk.’ Rocketing from this first gig, the Ramones will change the course of rock ‘n’ roll.

Today in History ^08/16/17

Illustration depicting US General William Hull, surrendering Fort Detroit to British general Sir Isaac Brock during the War of 1812 (© Kean Collection/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

(1812) The British score an easy win against America

Recognizing that his enemy is massing forces he can't take on, and fearing for his family, General William Hull surrenders Fort Detroit to the British. The action will result in a death penalty, but Hull's sentence will be pardoned due to his previous Revolutionary War heroism.

The Siege of Detroit, also known as the Surrender of Detroit, or the Battle of Fort Detroit, was an early engagement in the Anglo-American War of 1812. A British force under Major General Isaac Brock with Native American allies under the Shawnee leader, Tecumseh, used bluff and deception to intimidate the American Brigadier General William Hull into surrendering the fort and town of Detroit, Michigan, and a dispirited army which nevertheless outnumbered the victorious British and Native Americans.

Start date: Aug 15, 1812
End date: Aug 16, 1812

Plan of Detroit and its fort, 1792

wiki/Siege_of_Detroit

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Today in History ^07/31 (Daniel Defoe)

July 31, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

Wood engraving depicting Daniel Defoe in a pillory in London in 1703 (© Getty Images)

(1703) Writer Daniel Defoe pelted with flowers for libel crime

A pamphlet satirizing England’s High Church has gotten its author, Daniel Defoe, into trouble and leads to his arrest for seditious libel. Legend has it that his popularity provokes folks to toss blooms instead of brickbats as he’s locked in a London pillory for three days.

Daniel Defoe, born Daniel Foe, was an English trader, writer, journalist, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe, which is second only to the Bible in its number of translations. Defoe is noted for being one of the earliest proponents of the novel, as he helped to popularise the form in Britain with others such as Aphra Behn and Samuel Richardson, and is among the founders of the English novel. Defoe wrote many political tracts and often was in trouble with the authorities, including prison time. Intellectuals and political leaders paid attention to his fresh ideas and sometimes consulted with him.

Lived: Sep 13, 1660 – Apr 24, 1731 (age 70)
Nationality: British
Spouse: Mary Tuffley (m. 1684 – 1731)
Children: Sophia Baker (Daughter) · ?? 5th Daughter of Daniel Defoe (Daughter) · ?? 1st Daughter of Daniel Defoe (Daughter) · ?? 2nd Daughter of Daniel Defoe (Daughter) · ?? 3rd Daughter of Daniel Defoe (Daughter) · ?? 2nd Son of Daniel Defoe (Son) · ?? 1st son of Daniel Defoe (Son) · ?? 4th Daughter of Daniel Defoe (Daughter)
Parents: James Foe (Father) · Annie Defoe (Mother)
Buried: Bunhill Fields
Highlights
1684: On 1 January 1684, Defoe married Mary Tuffley at St Botolph’s Aldgate.

1697: Defoe’s first notable publication was An essay upon projects, a series of proposals for social and economic improvement, published in 1697.

1706: By September 1706, Harley ordered Defoe to Edinburgh as a secret agent to do everything possible to help secure acquiescence in the Treaty of Union.

1708: When Harley was ousted from the ministry in 1708, Defoe continued writing the Review to support Godolphin, then again to support Harley and the Tories in the Tory ministry of 1710–14.

1726: Published in 1726, The Complete English Tradesman is an example of Defoe’s political works.

1731: Daniel Defoe died on 24 April 1731, probably while in hiding from his creditors.

Portrait of Daniel Defoe, National Maritime Museum, London
wiki/Daniel_Defoe

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(1703) Writer Daniel Defoe pelted with flowers for libel crime.
Also on this day,

1715 | Spanish fleet packed with treasures founders off Florida

Gold and silver coins worth 14 million pesos, miles of gold chains, precious jewels, and other priceless treasures bound for Europe are sent to the bottom of the briny sea when a hurricane hits off the Florida coast, sinking 11 of the dozen ships in the Spanish Treasure fleet.

1930 | Evil lurking in the hearts of men no longer unknowable as ‘The Shadow’ airs

A pulp novel vigilante armed with an ability to cloud men’s minds, ‘The Shadow debuts on the ‘Detective Story Hour,’ a popular radio program. His appeal will grow until he gets his own radio serial, which will run for 24 years, spawning one of the most well-known catchphrases in American radio history.

1989 | North America gets its hands on Game Boy

Nintendo releases the black-and-white handheld console, letting gamers play ‘Super Mario Land,’ ‘Tetris’ and other titles on the go. The Game Boy (and subsequent color version) will go on to sell more than 100 million units.

Today in History ^07/31/17

Painting depicting the Spanish Treasure Fleet sinking off the Florida coast in a hurricane on July 31, 1731 (© National Geographic Image Collection/Alamy)

(1715) Spanish fleet packed with treasures founders off Florida

Gold and silver coins worth 14 million pesos, miles of gold chains, precious jewels, and other priceless treasures bound for Europe are sent to the bottom of the briny sea when a hurricane hits off the Florida coast, sinking 11 of the dozen ships in the Spanish Treasure fleet.

The 1715 Treasure Fleet was a Spanish treasure fleet returning from the New World to Spain. At two in the morning on Wednesday, July 31, 1715, seven days after departing from Havana, Cuba, eleven of the twelve ships of this fleet were lost in a hurricane near present-day Vero Beach, Florida. Because the fleet was carrying silver, it is also known as the 1715 Plate Fleet. Some artifacts and even coins still wash up on Florida beaches from time to time.

Date: 31 Jul 1715

wiki/1715_Treasure_Fleet

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Today in History ^07/21 (Wild Bill Hickok)

July 21, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

Wild Bill Hickok as he appeared when performing in New York in one of Bill Cody's shows (© Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

(1865) Wild West’s first ‘quick draw’ duel

Gamblers and former friends, Wild Bill Hickok and Davis Tutt face each other in Springfield, Missouri’s town square, draw their pistols, and fire. Tutt misses but Hickok hits his rival, killing him. The scene will be reported in Harper’s Magazine, lifting Wild Bill to legend.

The Wild Bill Hickok – Davis Tutt shootout was a gunfight that occurred on July 21, 1865 in the town square of Springfield, Missouri between Wild Bill Hickok and gambler Davis Tutt. It is one of the few recorded instances in the Old West of a one-on-one pistol quick-draw duel in a public place, in the manner later made iconic by countless dime novels, radio dramas, and Western films such as High Noon. The first story of the shootout was detailed in an article in Harper’s Magazine in 1867, making Hickok a household name and folk hero.

Date: Jul 21, 1865

Wild Bill Hickok in 1869
wiki/Wild_Bill_Hickok_–_Davis_Tutt_shootout

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(1865) Wild West’s first ‘quick draw’ duel.
Also on this day,

1861 | Untested troops meet in Civil War’s first big conflict

Near Manassas, Virginia, American Civil War foes meet in their first major battle, and while both sides, each around 18,000 strong, are untried and their commands chaotic, a Union delay in positioning proves ultimately deadly as Confederate forces take the advantage.

1983 | Antarctica station achieves big freeze with lowest recorded temp

Scientists at the Vostok Research Station, located at the ‘Pole of Cold’ on the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, log the coldest temperature ever recorded at an inhabited location when the mercury falls to -128.6 F below zero. Reports of hot toddies all around have not been confirmed.

1989 | Spike Lee examines race relations in ‘Do the Right Thing’

Lee’s film about urban-neighborhood racial tensions his theaters. It will become a commercial and critical success, receiving two Academy Award nominations, though not without some controversy around the subject matter and ending.

Today in History ^07/21/17

Painting depicting the First Battle of Bull Run, also known as First Manassas (the name used by Confederate forces) near the city of Manassas, Virginia (© Universal History Archive/UIG/Getty images)

(1861) Untested troops meet in Civil War's first big conflict

Near Manassas, Virginia, American Civil War foes meet in their first major battle, and while both sides, each around 18,000 strong, are untried and their commands chaotic, a Union delay in positioning proves ultimately deadly as Confederate forces take the advantage.

The First Battle of Bull Run, also known as Battle of First Manassas, was fought on July 21, 1861 in Prince William County, Virginia, just north of the city of Manassas and about 25 miles west-southwest of Washington, D.C. It was the first major battle of the American Civil War. The Union's forces were slow in positioning themselves, allowing Confederate reinforcements time to arrive by rail. Each side had about 18,000 poorly trained and poorly led troops in their first battle. It was a Confederate victory, followed by a disorganized retreat of the Union forces.

Date: Jul 21, 1861

wiki/First_Battle_of_Bull_Run

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Today in History ^07/20 (Apollo 11 / Moon Landing)

July 20, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

In this July 20, 1969 file photo, Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong, right, trudges across the surface of the moon (© AP)

(1969) One giant leap for mankind as Armstrong walks on moon

NASA’s Apollo 11 Lunar Module lands 238,855 miles from Earth in the Sea of Tranquility and six hours later astronaut Neil Armstrong exits the vehicle, descends a short ladder, and becomes the first human to walk on the moon. Minutes later, astronaut Buzz Aldrin will join Armstrong on the surface. Millions back home tune in to the historic event.

Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that landed the first two people on the Moon. Mission commander Neil Armstrong and pilot Buzz Aldrin, both American, landed the lunar module Eagle on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC. Armstrong became the first person to step onto the lunar surface six hours after landing on July 21 at 02:56:15 UTC; Aldrin joined him about 20 minutes later. They spent about two and a quarter hours together outside the spacecraft, and collected 47.5 pounds of lunar material to bring back to Earth. Michael Collins piloted the command module Columbia alone in lunar orbit while they were on the Moon’s surface. Armstrong and Aldrin spent 21.5 hours on the lunar surface before rejoining Columbia in lunar orbit.

Mission start: Jul 16, 1969
Mission end: Jul 24, 1969
Astronauts: Neil Armstrong · Buzz Aldrin · Michael Collins
Space program: Apollo program
Destination: Moon

Buzz Aldrin salutes the U.S flag on the Moon (mission time: 110:10:33). His fingertips are visible on the far side of his faceplate. Note the well-defined footprints in the foreground. Buzz is facing up-Sun. There is a reflection of the Sun in his visor. At the bottom of Buzz’s faceplate, note the white ‘rim’ which is slightly separated from his neckring. This ‘rim’ is the bottom of his gold visor, which he has pulled down. We can see the LEC straps hanging down inside of the ladder strut. In the foreground, we can see the foot-grabbing loops in the TV cable. The double crater under Neil’s LM window is just beyond the LM shadow.
wiki/Apollo_11

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(1969) One giant leap for mankind as Armstrong walks on moon.
Also on this day,

1944 | German conspirators target Hitler in ’20 July Plot’ and fail

Adolf Hitler is only slightly injured with a concussion and mild burns when a briefcase bomb detonates at the ‘Wolf’s Lair,’ his Eastern Front command post in Prussia. Conspirators in the assassination plot, most of them high-level German Army officers, will be captured and executed.

1976 | Mars receives its first successful manmade visitor, Viking 1

Exactly seven years to the day that humans first walked on the moon, NASA’s Viking 1 becomes the first manmade object to land on another planet and complete its mission. Just hours after touchdown, the lander got to work, capturing the first clear image of the Martian surface.

1989 | Aung San Suu Kyi, a force for Burmese democracy becomes a political prisoner

Having helped form the National League for Democracy the previous year, Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi is put under house arrest by her country’s ruling military junta, and will remain confined to her home on-and-off for 21 years. She will receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.

Today in History ^07/20/17

The first color photograph taken on the surface of Mars, by the Viking 1 probe, July 20, 1976 (© MPI/Getty Images)

(1976) Mars receives its first successful manmade visitor

Exactly seven years to the day that humans first walked on the moon, NASA's Viking 1 becomes the first manmade object to land on another planet and complete its mission. Just hours after touchdown, the lander got to work, capturing the first clear image of the Martian surface.

Viking 1 was the first of two spacecraft sent to Mars as part of NASA's Viking program. On July 20, 1976, it became the first spacecraft to land successfully on Mars and perform its mission. Viking 1 held the record for the longest Mars surface mission of 2307 days or 2245 sols until that record was broken by Opportunity on May 19, 2010.

Website: nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/viking.html
Manufacturer: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

wiki/Viking_1

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Today in History ^06/04/18 (Tiananmen Square Massacre)

June 4, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ

A Chinese man stands alone to block a line of tanks heading east on Beijing's Cangan Boulevard in Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989 (© Jeff Widener/AP )

(1989) A brutal crackdown in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square

The People’s Liberation Army arrives in Tiananmen Square with assault weapons and tank columns to forcibly remove pro-democracy student demonstrators after seven weeks of protests. The government crackdown escalates, and thousands are killed as the Chinese military fires into the crowds.

The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, commonly known in mainland China as the June Fourth Incident, were student-led demonstrations in Beijing, the capital of the People’s Republic of China, in 1989. More broadly, it refers to the popular national movement inspired by the Beijing protests during that period, sometimes called the ’89 Democracy Movement. The protests were forcibly suppressed after Chinese Premier Li Peng declared martial law. In what became known in the West as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, troops with automatic rifles and tanks killed at least several hundred demonstrators trying to block the military’s advance towards Tiananmen Square. The number of civilian deaths has been estimated variously from 180 to 10,454.

Start date: Apr 15, 1989
End date: Jun 04, 1989

Live in May 1988. Tiananmen Square, Beijing, China. On the wall: Long live the People’s Republic of China, Long live the unity of the people of the world”. I had to travel to China, then to North Korea. One day – just relaxing in Budapest – next day on a jet over the gulf. We saw the cannon firing beneath (Iran-Iraq war, 1980-1988. China was a mystery, another planet at the time. Flying homebound I read the Chinese newspaper: János Kádár is gone.
wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989

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(1989) A brutal crackdown in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.
Also on this day,
1896 | Henry Ford’s Quadricycle
1917 | First Pulitzers awarded
1984 | Springsteen’s hit parade