Browsing: March 30

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on March 30th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On March 30, 1296, King Edward I of England, often better known as Edward Longshanks, sacked the Scottish town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, part of the ongoing war of England trying to maintain suzerainty over Scotland. On March 30, 1842, Dr. Crawford Long, an American surgeon, made the first known use of ether as a general anesthetic. On March 30, 1855, pro-slavery raiders called…

A Brief History On March 30, 1296, King Edward I of England, often better known as Edward Longshanks, sacked the Scottish town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, part of the ongoing war of England trying to maintain suzerainty over Scotland.  (Which means control of the direction and foreign policy of another nation without total ceding of local control.  Or something like that.)  As Scotland chafed under the English thumb, patriots such as William Wallace, a knight of murky origins, arose to fight the English during the struggle for total independence for Scotland. Digging Deeper Why “Longshanks?”  Meaning “Long Legs,” Edward was quite tall…

A Brief History On March 30, 1987, renowned American film actor and philanthropist Paul Newman finally won his long awaited Oscar.  Before this momentous occasion, he had an unusual relationship with the Academy Awards. Before he won his first Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1987, he was nominated for the same award six times prior while never taking home the prized little statue.  His first nomination for Best Actor was in 1959 for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Newman had to wait almost 30 years for his first Oscar. Digging Deeper The result of this…

A Brief History On March 30, 1939, the Heinkel 100 single engine piston powered fighter prototype set a new World Speed Record at 463 mph (745 kph). Incredibly, although then the fastest plane in the world, the He 100 was not put into production! Reasons given for not producing this potential super-fighter plane vary with the source, but the bottom line is that the fortunate Allies did not have to face a German fighter 4 years ahead of other fighter types. Digging Deeper German planners knew that war would be starting soon, and in an effort to streamline wartime weapons…

A Brief History On March 30, 1842, Dr. Crawford Long, an American surgeon, made the first known use of ether as a general anesthetic.  Previous attempts at general anesthesia were not effective, and now for the first time major surgery could be accomplished without pain. Digging Deeper Before ether, people had used a variety of natural plant based poisons and drugs to dull pain, including Opium derived from the Opium Poppy.  Alcohol was another popular attempt at easing the pain caused by surgery, but alcohol resulted in excessive bleeding and had minimal pain killing properties.  Opium may have been used…