On This Day In History
6 October 2018. Spanish operatic soprano, Montserrat Caballé, died (aged 85). She became popular to non-classical music audiences for her duet with Freddie Mercury on the song Barcelona, which was the official theme song for 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. pic.twitter.com/Y80gM7nWe8
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 6, 2022
6 October 2019. Peter (“Ginger”) Baker, the legendary drummer of the rock group Cream, died (aged 80). In 2016, he was ranked 3rd on Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Drummers of All Time” behind Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham and The Who’s Keith Moon. pic.twitter.com/zqzGGIUSep
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 6, 2022
6 October 2020. Rock legend, Eddie Van Halen, died (aged 65). He was the main songwriter and guitarist for the rock band, Van Halen, and is regarded as one of the greatest rock guitar players. pic.twitter.com/aBrEmP9nkM
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 6, 2022
6 October 1980. Hattie Jacques died (aged 58). From 1958 to 1974, she appeared in 14 Carry On films, playing various roles. Her best known TV role was in the long-running BBC1 sitcom series, Sykes, with Eric Sykes. She was married to actor John Le Mesurier from 1949 to 1965. pic.twitter.com/ZWeXpqeVN5
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 6, 2022
October 7th
1571 Battle of Lepanto: Holy League of southern European nations destroy Ottoman fleet in significant loss off Western Greece
1737 A cyclone causes 40 foot waves that are believed to have killed 300,000 in Calcutta, India
1763 George III of Great Britain issues Proclamation of 1763, closing lands in North America north and west of Alleghenies to white settlement
1919 KLM, Royal Dutch Airlines, established (oldest existing airline)
2001 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan starts with an air assault and covert operations on the ground
Did You Know?
Far side of Moon seen for the 1st time, courtesy of USSR's Luna 3 space probe
Today in History in 1959
Would You Believe?
Georgia Tech, coached by John Heisman, defeats Cumberland, 222-0; most lopsided score in the history of US college football
Today in History in 1916
This day 80 years ago - 7 October 1939 - Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger moved to Dublin, having been invited by Éamon de Valera to teach theoretical physics in the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.
He remained there for 17 years, becoming an Irish citizen in 1948. pic.twitter.com/kArT8tU75V
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) October 7, 2019
This day 10 years ago – 7 October 2008 – the first asteroid was discovered in Ireland for 160 years.
Astronomer Dave McDonald spotted it from his observatory in Celbridge, Co. Kildare.
He named it '215016 Catherinegriffin', for his mother, who died of cancer five years before. pic.twitter.com/4dHHs7JQGR
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) October 7, 2018
#OTD in 1927, Mercedes Gleitze swam the English Channel, the first British woman to do so. In 1932 she set a record for endurance swimming of 46 hours. In 1928, during the Depression, she founded The Mercedes Gleitze Homes for Destitute Men and Women. https://t.co/RzCucyOdod pic.twitter.com/dnivR7LiRS
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) October 7, 2022
On this day in 1963, 350 Black Selma residents attempting to register to vote faced officials using violence, stalling, and intimidation to deny them that right. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/guASS5G5RH
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) October 7, 2022
7 October 1849. US mystery writer, Edgar Allan Poe, died (aged 40). He was found lying in a gutter in Baltimore, outside a bar, by a passing journalist, 4 days earlier, reportedly “barely coherent” and was taken to a local hospital, and died there of “swelling of the brain”. pic.twitter.com/ksLc2UKVNi
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 7, 2022
7 October 1919. The Netherlands airline company, Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM), was founded. It’s the oldest airline company in the world, and is still operating under its original name. pic.twitter.com/ZOyUW3ubyZ
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 7, 2022
7 October 1920. The first women were admitted to study for full undergraduate degrees at Oxford University. pic.twitter.com/RT1aRZAArd
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 7, 2022
7 October 1922. Music hall star, Marie Lloyd, died (aged 52). She’s best known for her popular songs such as, My Old Man (Said Follow The Van), and her use of innuendo and double entendres during her performances. She was affectionately called the “Queen of the Music Hall”. pic.twitter.com/LsEb5FTMyU
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 7, 2022
7 October 1943. Author and poet, Radclyffe Hall, died (aged 63). She’s best known for the novel, The Well of Loneliness, a groundbreaking work in Lesbian literature. She died of colon cancer, and is buried in Highgate Cemetery in North London. pic.twitter.com/2ZGIKFNJh7
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 7, 2022
7 October 1944. Jewish members of the Sonderkommando burned down, Crematorium IV in the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, and rose up in revolt. The German SS quickly crushed the revolt, and 250 prisoners were killed during the fighting and the SS guards shot another 200 after the mutiny. pic.twitter.com/oLTRxUC1LP
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 7, 2022
7 October 1949. The communist German Democratic Republic (East Germany), was established. It would later build the Berlin Wall. pic.twitter.com/wpffqgkJnV
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 7, 2022
7 October 1959. Legendary singer and film star, Mario Lanza, died (aged 38). The cause of his death was a sudden pulmonary embolism. At the time of his death, he was the most popular tenor in the world. His wife Betty was devastated, and died 5 months later of a drug overdose. pic.twitter.com/56xI31sDXL
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 7, 2022
7 October 1959. The USSR space probe, Luna 3, transmitted the first ever photograph of the far side of the Moon. pic.twitter.com/vihyeYWyXf
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 7, 2022
7 October 1966. Rock ‘n’ Roll star, Johnny Kidd (aged 30), was killed in a car accident in Bolton. The car in which Kidd was travelling as a passenger had a head-on collision. His best known hit was the 1960 UK No.1 Shakin’ All Over, with his group, The Pirates. pic.twitter.com/01KxN0wkIe
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 7, 2022