A Brief History On May 8, 2019, a British teenager became the first patient to receive bacteriophage therapy to treat an antibiotic resistant infection. The use of bacteriophages, which are viruses that attack bacteria cells, to treat bacterial infections was an idea that went back many decades but was superseded by the widespread use of antibiotic drugs. Digging Deeper Those same antibiotics, while highly successful, have caused mutations in bacteria that make those pathogens resistant to the antibiotics and difficult to treat with normal methods. The use of genetically altered bacteriophages results in fewer side effects and less chance of…
Browsing: May 8
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A Brief History On March 8, 1950, Volkswagen of Wolfsburg, Germany, began production on their second motor vehicle after the iconic Beetle, this time called Bus, Kombi, or Transporter, but known in the US as the VW Bus, the VW Microbus, or later, the Hippie-mobile. Digging Deeper One of the first van type vehicles, the Bus was originally intended as a light cargo van. Powered by engines making 24 to 54 horsepower in the 1st generation, the Bus was not meant for racing! Built until 1967 in Germany and until 1975 in Brazil, the 1st Generation was a versatile platform…
A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on May 8th. For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On May 8, 1794, Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier, the man generally regarded as the Father of Modern Chemistry, was put to death on the guillotine during the Reign of Terror period of the French Revolution. On May 8, 1877, the first of what has become perhaps the best known dog show in the world took place in New York City’s Gilmore Garden (later…
A Brief History On May 8, 1970, the Fab Four, the Mop Tops, or simply, The Beatles, released what would be their final album, Let it Be. Incredibly, the 35 minute and 10 second album was only the 12th album produced by the arguably greatest Rock and Roll band of all time. Digging Deeper Side 1 featured the songs: “Two of Us” “Dig a Pony” “Across the Universe” “I Me Mine” “Dig It” “Let It Be” “Maggie Mae” and Side 2 featured: “I’ve Got a Feeling” “One After 909” “The Long and Winding Road” “For You Blue” “Get Back” The…
A Brief History On May 8, 1945, the French territory of Algeria, a colony incorporated into greater France since 1830, was the scene of one of the great massacres of protesters against colonial rule in European colonial history. The native Algerian, almost exclusively Muslim, population of Algeria had long chafed under French colonial rule, and although most in France now considered Algeria as an integral part of France proper, World War II brought a new wave of national fervor to the Algerians wishing for independence. Digging Deeper During the German occupation of France (1940-1944), the Free French had established a…
