Browsing: August 10

A Brief History On August 10, 1901, Charlotte Anne Moberly (1846–1937) and Eleanor Jourdain (1863–1924) traveled by train to Versailles to visit the Royal Palace and grounds located there about 12 miles from the city center of Paris. Little did they realize their sight seeing trip would be a trip into the supernatural, a trip they would never forget. Digging Deeper Moberly was born in 1846 in Winchester, England, and had become an academician, working as Principal of St. Hugh’s College, in Oxford. Previously she had served as her father’s secretary, her father serving as the Bishop of Salisbury. Jourdain…

A Brief History On August 10, 1977, David Berkowitz, known popularly as “Son of Sam,” a serial killer in New York, was arrested for murders in the New York area over the past year.  It so happens that Berkowitz was a Postal worker, an occupation that has become synonymous in the United States with frustration and exploding rage.  Here we list 5 Times People “Went Postal!” with those “people” being postal employees.  (There have been at least 23 Postal and parcel service related shootings since 1975 in the US, not including Berkowitz.) Digging Deeper 1. David Berkowitz, 1977.  This serial killer…

A Brief History On August 10, 1904, during the Russo-Japanese War history observed the first battle between modern steel battleships in the Battle of the Yellow Sea.  (A minor battle had taken place a few months prior that lasted only 20 minutes that trapped the Russians at Port Arthur.) Digging Deeper The Battle of the Yellow Sea took place between what is referred to as Pre-Dreadnought type battleships, which were being built during this time.  Still, the all steel Pre-Dreadnoughts were heavily armed with a main battery of 12 inch guns that could shoot to an unprecedented range of 8…

A Brief History On August 10, 1628, the brand new Swedish warship, the Vasa, set sail for the first and last time, sinking all by herself with no help from any enemy after traveling less than a mile!  She was not the largest ship in the world at the time, nor did she carry the most guns, but because she had the most shot, she was the most powerful. Digging Deeper History and Headlines has featured stories about military disasters and “Naval Oops Moments,” and the sinking of the Vasa ranks right up near the top of those blunders.  Built at a time when naval…

A Brief History On August 10, 1978, 3 members of a family died in a fiery crash when their Ford Pinto was rear-ended.  The bolts on the differential were positioned in such a manner that in the case of a rear-end collision, the bolts would pierce the gas tank.  Ford had known about the problem but chose not to correct it, electing to pay off lawsuits instead.  This goof is just one of the many really bad design features on of cars over the years.  The following article lists the 10 worst features, as based on the author’s opinion.  Digging…