Browsing: Lists

A Brief History On May 16, 1770, the 14 year old Marie Antoinette, future Queen of France, married 15 year old Louis, the future King Louis XVI of France. Although the marriage and the reign were failures, Marie is remembered today as one of the most famous queens in history, but (unjustly perhaps) not in a good way. Here we list 10 famous queens that come to mind when one thinks of the word queen. Digging Deeper 10. Queen Latifah, present day. Rapper and actress, frequently seen on television shows, producer of records and television and even a comedienne, although…

A Brief History On May 15, 1718, Mr. Puckle patented what could be considered the first machine gun. With “innovative” ideas like a version with square bullets, it was a military and financial flop. This happens, weapons that seem like a good idea that real life proves are not so good. Here are 10 examples of such failures. Digging Deeper 10. T-64/T-72/T-80 Tank, USSR, debut 1960‘s. Mobile, tough armor, and a huge 125 mm gun (when US and allied main tank guns were 105 mm) with an automatic loader, allowing the crew to be reduced by 1 (no need for…

A Brief History On May 14, 1973, the United States launched Skylab, America’s first space station. During the era of space exploration there have been significant milestones reached by the US, Russia, and other countries. We list 10 of those here, hopefully the most interesting ones if not the most important. So many milestones! The list to cover them all would be huge. Digging Deeper 10. First Dog in Space, First Animal to Orbit the Earth, Laika, 1957. If the Soviets were insensitive to killing millions of their own people, it is no surprise that they sent a dog into…

A Brief History On May 13, 1985, the MOVE headquarters in Philadelphia was the scene of a chaotic and tragic ending for the cult led by John Africa. The headquarters was bombed by a helicopter killing 11 people and 60 other houses were burned down. Every so often an organization dies an unhappy death, so for those interested in bizarre or pathetic endings we list 10 of them for you. Digging Deeper 10. League of Nations, 1946. Founded in 1919 at the conclusion of World War I with the encouragement of US president Woodrow Wilson, the US never even joined…

A Brief History On May 13, 1958, George de Mestral, a Swiss engineer trademarked Velcro, and the company called Velcro is based in the United Kingdom. Did you think Velcro was American invented and made? Many products or inventions that “seem” as is they should be American are not necessarily so. Here is a list of 10 such items. Digging Deeper 10. Baseball and Football, circa 1344, 1400. Baseball is really a variant of Cricket, and forms of it have been played since 14th Century France. Football is a form of Rugby, which started around the beginning of the 15th…