Fact of the Day
It is reckoned that 5,000 Britons died each year in shipwrecks between 1793 and 1815.
Quote of the Day
"I have offended God and mankind in not having laboured at my art as I ought to have done
"
~ Leonardo da Vinci, speaking during his final illness to Francis I
On This Day
1483 Richard III became king of England after declaring his nephews Edward (V) and Richard illegitimate.
1498 The toothbrush, with boar bristles, was invented in China.
1830 George IV died, weighing in at a huge 20 stone (130kg). The autopsy revealed he had died from upper gastrointestinal bleeding after a blood vessel in his stomach ruptured. A tumour the size of an orange was found attached to his bladder, and he had an enlarged heart surrounded by large fatty deposits. He was succeeded by his brother, William IV.
1945 The United Nations Charter was signed by 50 nations in San Francisco, USA. It came into force in October 1945.
1948 The Berlin airlift began in response to the Soviet blockade of supplies into West Berlin. In one year, the United States Air Force, the British Royal Air Force, the French Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and the South African Air Force flew over 200,000 flights to deliver 8,000+ tons of necessities each day to those living in West Berlin.
1963 JFK gave his 'Ich bin ein Berliner' speech. Contrary to popular myth, this did not mean he was a doughnut.
1977 Elvis Presley gave his final concert in Indianapolis, Indiana. He died two months later.
1997 The publishing sensation 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' was first published, with an initial print-run of 500 copies. J.K. Rowling, who was allegedly advised that children's authors never make much money, has since become the world's first billionaire author.