Browsing: April 12

A Brief History On April 12, 1955, the Polio vaccine developed by Dr. Jonas Salk was declared safe and effective for use in the United States, ending the epidemic that killed or crippled mass numbers of children in the 19th and 20th Centuries.  An earlier Polio vaccine in 1950 was not approved in the US, and in 1961, an oral vaccine became available. Digging Deeper Many diseases have been tamed or eliminated by vaccines, and today we ask, which vaccine is the greatest?  Here are some contenders: The smallpox vaccine, saving millions of lives, goes back to as long ago…

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on April 12th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On April 12, 1012, Jaromir, Duke of Bohemia, was deposed by the Duke Oldřich of Bohemia. On April 12, 1807, the so called Froberg Mutiny came to a spectacular end on the island of Malta when the mutineers blew up the powder magazine. On April 12, 1831, 74 British soldiers got the surprise of their lives when the “new fangled” suspension bridge…

A Brief History On April 12, 2009, the East African nation of Zimbabwe gave up entirely on its troubled currency, the Zimbabwean Dollar, using various foreign currencies in place of the worthless national money.  Many countries have come and gone, and their forms of currency with them, while other nations have changed their national currency for a variety of reasons.  Today we take a look at some of the interesting monetary changes that have occurred in recent history.  What currency would you add to this list? Digging Deeper Zimbabwean Dollar replaced with Real Time Gross Settlement Zimbabwe Dollar (2019) Africa…

A Brief History On April 12, 1012, Jaromir, Duke of Bohemia, was deposed by the Duke Oldřich of Bohemia.  Of course, merely deposing a royal leader is not good enough, so the Duke Oldřich also had Jaromir blinded before the unlucky now former Duke was forced to flee to Poland.  But it gets worse! Digging Deeper Oldřich was the brother of Jaromir, and both of them had been exiled by their other brother, Duke Boleslaus III in 1002.  It seems Jaromir had rebelled against Boleslaus III, and the irritated Duke had Jaromir castrated (his own brother!) before banishing both brothers…

A Brief History On April 12, 1807, the so called Froberg Mutiny came to a spectacular end on the island of Malta when the mutineers blew up the powder magazine.  A person calling himself Count Froberg from Germany (really a Frenchman named Gustave de Montjoie, a Royalist and a foe of Napoleonic regime in France) was granted the right to raise a regiment to be stationed at Fort Ricasoli on Malta.  The faux Count went about a most irregular way of recruiting his regiment, tapping men from Germany, Wallachia, Poland, Greece, Switzerland, Russia, Albania, and even Christians from the Ottoman…