Browsing: August

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on August 2nd.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On August 2, 216 BC, the Carthaginian army of Hannibal defeated the larger Roman Army at Cannae, a major battle during the Second Punic War. On August 2, 1343, Olivier Clisson, a French nobleman from Brittany, was convicted of treason in Paris and beheaded. On August 2, 1798, during the French Revolutionary Wars, the French fleet supporting then General Napoleon Bonaparte’s invasion…

A Brief History On August 2, 1870, the Tower Subway opened for passenger traffic in London, England, the first ever underground tube type railway commonly called a “subway” in the US and “the tube” in the UK. Digging Deeper Not to be confused with a fast food store, a subway is a rail train for carrying passengers in underground tunnels.   Using coal or wood powered steam engines, or even gasoline or diesel engines to power the train would be problematic underground.  The Tower Subway was propelled by a cable system with no onboard propulsive power. Most subways today are electric…

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on August 1st.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On August 1, 1620, the British ship, Speedwell, sailed from Delfshaven along with the Mayflower to bring separatists known as Pilgrims to the New World. On August 1, 1714, the British people dug deep, really deep, in order to select their next King when Queen Anne died. On August 1, 1831, the new London bridge spanning the River Thames in central London,…

A Brief History On August 1, 1977, former USAF and CIA pilot, Francis Gary Powers, died when his news helicopter crashed in Encino, California.  Powers became famous worldwide when his U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960, causing a scandal and sensation during the Cold War.  Other pilots have achieved high levels of fame, and today we ask, “Which pilot is the most famous?” Digging Deeper Some nominees include: Orville Wright, the first powered flight in 1903. Manfred von Richthofen, aka, The Red Baron, leading World War I (WWI) fighter Ace, serving in the Luftstreitkräfte…

A Brief History On August 31, 2006, the Norwegian police announced the recovery of Edvard Munch’s famous painting, The Scream, which had been stolen in 2004.  A reward equal to around $313,000 US probably helped them catch the thieves, but many other crimes go unsolved.  How many crimes?  Read the list below to get a sobering idea about how many crimes in the US go unsolved. (Note: Data varies with source.) Digging Deeper Murder-   50% Rape-       30% Robbery-  27% Burglary-  14% Car theft-  12% Arson-      21% Do any of these meager solving percentages surprise you?  Which one surprises you the…