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 This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on July 31st.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On July 31, 1715, one of those events that leads to dreams occurred, when a storm off the coast of Florida sank all 11 Spanish treasure ships heading to Spain from Cuba. On July 31, 1948, the battleship USS Nevada (BB-36) was sunk by a torpedo from a Navy bomber, ending the career of possibly the most battered ship in history. On…