Browsing: October 18

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on October 18th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On October 18, 1356, Basel, Switzerland was destroyed by what may have been the most significant historic earthquake ever to occur north of the Alps. On October 18, 1851, the Herman Melville classic, Moby Dick, was first published under its original or alternate title, The Whale. On October 18, 1945, the Soviet nuclear program received American atomic bomb (plutonium implosion type) plans…

A Brief History On October 18, 2012, Marvin Lambert, known in professional wrestling as Brain Damage, was only 34 years old when he was found dead, his death believed to have been self-caused.  While his passing was of course tragic, his ring name remains quite memorable as is the case with many pro wrestlers who have iconic professional names, and today we take a look at some of our favorites. Digging Deeper Andre the Giant, born André René Roussimoff, at 7 feet 4 inches and 520 pounds, he really lived up to his name by being simple, direct, and intimidating…

A Brief History On October 18, 2021, we take the time to offer our review of another historical account by Stephen Dando-Collins, an Australian writer who has written extensively on the subject of Ancient Rome (at least 44 books of all types so far).  Obviously, with publishers willing to print such a huge volume of work, there must be some kind of quality and talent at work in Dando-Collins’ writing, and we find this to be true.  Previously we reviewed Conquering Jerusalem (2021) by the same author and found the book to be particularly engaging.  Constantine at the Bridge is…

A Brief History On October 18, 1851, the Herman Melville classic, Moby Dick, was first published under its original or alternate title, The Whale.  Not surprisingly, a particular enormous Sperm Whale, that happens to be white in color, is the star of the story, never mind the human drama that interferes with the exciting whale parts!  People have often written books and stories about animals, whether those critters are loved pets, feared predators of humans, or just focusing on the animal as an individual persona.  Some of the stories are scary, some sad, some fictional and some really happened.  These…

A Brief History On October 18, 1979, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) of the United States first began allowing private citizens to receive satellite television signals in their own homes, making television available to people living outside of the range of broadcast television and giving the public an alternative to cable television.  Ever since, fierce competition between cable and satellite television providers has raged over television customers, and those customers likewise have debated the relative merits of each type of television service. Digging Deeper For those people that lived outside of the areas serviced by cable television providers or those…