Entrance to the Tower of London used to be free if you took a cat or dog to feed the lions.
Fact of the Day
Quote of the Day
"We took risks, we knew we took them; things have come out against us, and therefore we have no cause for complaint.
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~ Robert Falcon Scott's last message
On This Day
1814 Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, the doctor who gave his name to the guillotine but who didn't invent it, died aged seventy-five. His family were so embarrassed by the connection that they ended up changing their name.
1827 One of the greatest composers of all time, Ludwig van Beethoven, died during a thunderstorm, aged fifty-six. The autopsy showed severe liver damage, probably caused by excessive drinking.
1945 After a month of fighting, American forces captured the strategically-important island of Iwo Jima from the Japanese.
1971 Bangladesh declared its independence from Pakistan.
1973 Women were first allowed on the floor of the London Stock Exchange.