Today in History

[LizzieMaine]

Hard core right from the beginning.

 

[scotrace]

File under "This Cannot Be a Coincidence."

Today is the birthday of Rene Descartes, philosopher, writer, mathematician.
"Cogito Ergo Sum"
"I think, therefore I am."

And on this day thirty years ago, 1999: The Matrix is released. "I think... I am?"

Jesse Owens, 4 time olympic god medalist in track & field, dies on this day in 1980 at 66.

The 14th Dalai Lama seeks asylum in India on this day in 1959. He has never returned to Tibet.

In 1889, the Eiffel Tower opens to the public.
In 1909, the construction of the Titanic begins.

 

[Peacoat]

Today in 1931 Virne "Jackie" Mitchell became the first woman to play baseball for an all-male pro team, the Chattanooga Lookouts, an AA team. In an exhibition game against the New York Yankees, she struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in succession. Babe Ruth took a called third strike and verbally abused the umpire, among other things, for being blind (what else). Lou Gehrig swung through the first three pitches, thus assuring 17 year old Jackie's place in history.

Jackie Mitchell died in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, on January 7, 1987, and was buried in Forest Hills Cemetery in Chattanooga, TN.

 

[LizzieMaine]

On this date in 1932, under cover of darkness at St. Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx, Col. Charles A. Lindbergh and "go-between" Dr. John F. Condon passed an intricately-constructed wooden box containing $50,000 in cash to a furtive man with a distinct German accent, as ransom for the return of Lindbergh's kidnapped son. They were given a note indicating that the child was being cared for aboard a boat named "Nelly," off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. No such boat was ever found.

On May 12th, a truck driver pausing in the woods near Hopewell, NJ to relieve himself discovered the decomposing body of Charles A. Lindbergh Jr.

On September 18, 1934, acting on a tip from a Manhattan gas station manager who had received a $10 ransom bill from a customer, police arrested German-born Bronx carpenter Bruno Richard Hauptmann. A search of his garage discovered approximately $14,000 in ransom money buried under the floor and stowed in secret compartments in the walls. An audit of Hauptmann's finances documented another $6000 which Hauptman could not explain.

Hauptman was tried, convicted, and executed for the murder of the child.

Approximately $30,000 in ransom money remains unaccounted for.

 

[Fading Fast]

On this date in 1932, under cover of darkness at St. Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx, Col. Charles A. Lindbergh and "go-between" Dr. John F. Condon passed an intricately-constructed wooden box containing $50,000 in cash to a furtive man with a distinct German accent, as ransom for the return of Lindbergh's kidnapped son. They were given a note indicating that the child was being cared for aboard a boat named "Nelly," off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. No such boat was ever found.

On May 12th, a truck driver pausing in the woods near Hopewell, NJ to relieve himself discovered the decomposing body of Charles A. Lindbergh Jr.

On September 18, 1934, acting on a tip from a Manhattan gas station manager who had received a $10 ransom bill from a customer, police arrested German-born Bronx carpenter Bruno Richard Hauptmann. A search of his garage discovered approximately $14,000 in ransom money buried under the floor and stowed in secret compartments in the walls. An audit of Hauptmann's finances documented another $6000 which Hauptman could not explain.

Hauptman was tried, convicted, and executed for the murder of the child.

Approximately $30,000 in ransom money remains unaccounted for.

Using an inflation calculator, the $50,000 ransom in '34 is the equivalent of $943,000 today - let's round to one million.

At that time, when there were $1000 bills, the ransom could have been paid with just 50 bills, but clearly, based on the $10 bill being a clue, he either requested or was just paid in small denominations.

Using today's largest still-printed bill, the $100 bill, he'd have to be paid with ten thousand $100 bills to get to a million dollars (the same value today as his '34 ransom).

That said, today, he'd probably want to be paid in crypto to try to make it untraceable.

 

[GHT]

That said, today, he'd probably want to be paid in crypto to try to make it untraceable.

And there's no need for counting if the coins are Bitcoins.

Today, in 1873 almost 14 years after the United States, British trains were fitted with toilets, but only for sleeping cars. Day carriages were fitted in 1881. Third class passengers weren’t able to 'spend a penny' until 1886.


On this day in 1877 the first Human Cannonball Act was performed at London's Amphitheatre when acrobat Lady Zazal, attached by elastic springs, was fired into a safety net.

Today, in 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, a British possession for 149 years. The British government dispatched a naval task force to engage the Argentine Navy and Air Force. The resulting conflict lasted 74 days and ended with the Argentine surrender on 14th June 1982, which returned the islands to British control. During the Falklands conflict the Royal Navy requisitioned more vessels registered in Hull than from any other British port.

 

[LizzieMaine]

By his demand, the ransom was broken down into $5s $10s and $20s to make them more difficult to trace -- but a substantial number of the 10s and 20s were gold certificates, which tended to be easier to trace because there were fewer of them in circulation. And after FDR took us off the gold standard in March 1933, those notes were recalled -- making it a rare event to come across one in circulation. The bill that led to Hauptmann's arrest was a $10 gold note.

 

[Tiki Tom]

80 years ago, on 1 April 1939, the Spanish Civil War came to an end.

https://www.thelocal.es/20190401/on-this-day-80-years-ago-spanish-civil-war-declared-over

 

[Rmccamey]

On this day, 141 years ago on April 1, 1878, Sheriff William Brady is gunned down in the streets of Lincoln, NM and killed starting what is now known as the Lincoln County War. Regulators, Jim French, Fred Waite, Frank MacNab, Henry Brown, John Middleton and Billy the Kid were hidden behind Tunstall's Corral when they opened fire at Sheriff Brady as he and his deputies walked past the Tunstall Store on their way to the Courthouse. As the Regulators saw it, it was their revenge against Brady who sent the Posse that killed Tunstall.

 

[Peacoat]

This is a big one: Today in 1968 Reverend Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis.

This date in 1974 Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth's home run record of 714. He would break that record a few days later. And he did this without the use of steroids, which, in my opinion, negates the record set by juiced up players such as Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Sammy Sousa.

 

[LizzieMaine]

CBS-TV covers the King assassination.

 

[Peacoat]

What a tumultuous time that was.

 

[MissMittens]

Today in 1841, Harrison became the first POTUS to die whilst in office.

On this day in 1917, the US officially entered The Great War, although it would be months before men and materiel arrived in Europe, and even longer before they became a fighting force.

 

[Peacoat]

Today in 1841, Harrison became the first POTUS to die whilst in office.

On this day in 1917, the US officially entered The Great War, although it would be months before men and materiel arrived in Europe, and even longer before they became a fighting force.

Yes, and if I remember my history correctly, he was only in office for a few months. Don't remember how he died, though.

 

[LizzieMaine]

He caught pneumonia from walking around in the rain without a coat or hat on, and it spiraled out of control. They think now, beyond the pneumonia, he was infected with typhoid by the unsanitary doctors who were treating him. Germ theory wasn't a thing yet. Of course, there are those even today for whom it isn't a thing yet.

 

[GHT]

On this day, in 1934, Percy Shaw, inventor of the reflective lane marker, laid the first "cats' eyes" along the centre of the road at an accident black spot near Bradford. His "Cat's Eyes" invention was inspired by the sight of his car headlamps reflected in the eyes of a cat. The devices rely on reflecting back the headlights of vehicles at night.

"Cat's Eyes," one of the greatest inventions in accident prevention, are coming to the end of the road.
The familiar reflectors are to be replaced by a brighter, safer and cheaper alternative - solar-powered studs designed by former London fireman, Martin Dicks. The Solarlites need just two hours of sunlight to power them for up to ten days, can be seen from ten times further away than cat's eyes and are as cheap to buy.

 

[MissMittens]

On this day, in 1934, Percy Shaw, inventor of the reflective lane marker, laid the first "cats' eyes" along the centre of the road at an accident black spot near Bradford. His "Cat's Eyes" invention was inspired by the sight of his car headlamps reflected in the eyes of a cat. The devices rely on reflecting back the headlights of vehicles at night.

"Cat's Eyes," one of the greatest inventions in accident prevention, are coming to the end of the road.
The familiar reflectors are to be replaced by a brighter, safer and cheaper alternative - solar-powered studs designed by former London fireman, Martin Dicks. The Solarlites need just two hours of sunlight to power them for up to ten days, can be seen from ten times further away than cat's eyes and are as cheap to buy.

Something we don't have over here, sadly. We could sure do with them on our roads

 

[GHT]

Something we don't have over here, sadly. We could sure do with them on our roads

If you Google Percy Shaw & Cat's Eyes, you will see the clever reflective stud that Shaw produced. It's successor, the solar powered stud is incredible for lighting a dark area, like a road at night. For what it's worth, there's many a country interested in them, including the US. They are still being tested and this is the only picture that I could find.

 

[LizzieMaine]

This date in 1974 Hank Aaron tied Babe Ruth's home run record of 714. He would break that record a few days later. And he did this without the use of steroids, which, in my opinion, negates the record set by juiced up players such as Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds and Sammy Sousa.

#714, called by Braves announcer Milo Hamilton. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn was conspicuous by his absence from both this game and the one in which Aaron broke the record, an absence Aaron bitterly resented at the time. Who would blame him?

 

[MisterCairo]

On this day, in 1934, Percy Shaw, inventor of the reflective lane marker, laid the first "cats' eyes" along the centre of the road at an accident black spot near Bradford. His "Cat's Eyes" invention was inspired by the sight of his car headlamps reflected in the eyes of a cat. The devices rely on reflecting back the headlights of vehicles at night.

"Cat's Eyes," one of the greatest inventions in accident prevention, are coming to the end of the road.
The familiar reflectors are to be replaced by a brighter, safer and cheaper alternative - solar-powered studs designed by former London fireman, Martin Dicks. The Solarlites need just two hours of sunlight to power them for up to ten days, can be seen from ten times further away than cat's eyes and are as cheap to buy.

For years my father said Canada should adopt similar things as the cats eyes/equivalents. We have very rare stretches in some areas with them, but I have not come across them in years.