On This Day In History
17 October 1662. Charles II sold Dunkirk to Louis XIV of France for £40,000 pounds (£7.3 million today). The sale was far from popular. Samuel Pepys noted in his diary: “The news of the selling of Dunkirk is taken so generally ill, as I find it is among the merchants”. pic.twitter.com/yhIc5o4Kqt
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 17, 2022
17 October 1849. Polish composer and virtuoso pianist, Frédéric Chopin, died (aged 39). He gave his last performance in London for the Friends of Poland. Upon his instructions, his heart was pickled in an amber jar of cognac. pic.twitter.com/cmUVQlfinm
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 17, 2022
17 October 1860. The first Open Championship was held at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. The winner was Willie Park. The Open is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the 4 major annual golf tournaments. The trophy for the competition is called The Claret Jug. pic.twitter.com/NYj8wkn9Xf
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 17, 2022
17 October 1905. In response to a spate of public demonstrations in Russia, Tsar Nicholas II, issued The October Manifesto, which pledged to grant enhanced civil liberties and democratic reforms to Russian citizens. pic.twitter.com/4rhyRq0zeE
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 17, 2022
17 October 1943. The Burma–Thailand Railway was completed, including the famous Bridge on the River Kwai. The building of the bridge featured in the classic Hollywood film, Bridge on the River Kwai, starring Alec Guinness. pic.twitter.com/d0xzrgc93U
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 17, 2022
17 October 1973. Arab oil producing states (OPEC), increased prices by 70 per cent, beginning a major world oil crisis. pic.twitter.com/clM74fVxLX
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 17, 2022
17 October 1979. Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The announcement read: “This year, the world has turned its attention to the plight of children and refugees, and these are precisely the categories for whom Mother Teresa has for many years worked so selflessly.” pic.twitter.com/dlWOcKXZLb
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 17, 2022
17 October 1997. The remains of the Communist revolutionary, Ernesto “Che” Guevara, were laid to rest in Cuba, as part of a huge memorial, 30 years after his execution in Bolivia. pic.twitter.com/9JLrk37PAF
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 17, 2022
17 October 2015. Everton legend, Howard Kendall, died (aged 69). He played 229 league games for Everton from 1967 to 1974, and was Everton’s most successful manager, winning 2 Top division League titles, an FA Cup, 3 Charity Shields and the 1985 European Cup Winners’ Cup. pic.twitter.com/AQ2RAYvqZa
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 17, 2022
PHOTO OF THE DAY: Ham, the chimpanzee, after he returned safely from a US space flight (1961). pic.twitter.com/n3VgT8Xg9F
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 17, 2022
October 18th
1009 The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is destroyed by the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, who hacks the Church's foundations down to bedrock
1685 French King Louis XIV revokes Edict of Nantes cancelling rights of French Protestants
1867 Alaska Purchase: US takes formal possession of Alaska from Russia, having paid $7.2 million
1931 American gangster Al Capone convicted of tax evasion
1962 James Watson (US), Francis Crick (UK) and Maurice Wilkins (UK) win the Nobel Prize for Medicine for their work in determining the structure of DNA [1]
Did You Know?
In a bar decorated with bird tail in Elmsford, New York, a customer requests a glassful of “those cock tails” from bartender Betsy Flanagan
Today in History in 1776
Would You Believe?
Count Bernard von Bulow becomes Chancellor of Germany, famous for first referring to Germany's need for 'place in the sun' and global empire
Today in History in 1900
This day 229 years ago - 18 October 1791 - the inaugural meeting of the Society of United Irishmen was held in Belfast.
It called for “the promotion of constitutional knowledge, the abolition of bigotry in religion and politics, and the equal distribution of the rights of man.” pic.twitter.com/YN7Ck6wZFX
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) October 18, 2020
This day 138 years ago - 18 October 1881 - a 'No Rent Manifesto' was issued from Kilmainham Gaol, signed by the executive of the National Land League.
It called for tenant farmers to pay no further rents until the government “restores the constitutional rights of the people.” pic.twitter.com/3q0v3YdW2H
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) October 18, 2019
In 1886, goldmining millionaire industrialist Alice Cornwell floated her Midas Mine on the London Stock Exchange and created the British & Australian Mining Trust & Investment Company. In 1887, she bought the Sunday Times and installed her lover as editor. https://t.co/X4MXFXwGpx pic.twitter.com/x3sipcxA5a
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) October 18, 2022
On this day in 1933, a white mob of at least 2,000 in Princess Anne, MD, burned George Armwood to death. Four white men were ultimately tried for the lynching and acquitted by all-white juries. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/BRcThVg9b6
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) October 18, 2022
18 October 1867. The USA took possession of Alaska, after buying it from Russia for $7.2 million ($126.4 billion on today’s value). The days is celebrated annually as Alaska Day. pic.twitter.com/03UN9KQEiy
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 18, 2022
18 October 1871. Charles Babbage died (aged 79). On 14 June 1822, he proposed an “automatic mechanical calculator”, which is considered to be the first mechanical programmable computer. pic.twitter.com/slC2Tb6owO
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 18, 2022
18 October 1910. The trial of Dr Hawley Crippen for the murder of his actress wife, Cora, whose stage name was Bella Elmore, began at the Old Bailey in London. The trial lasted 4 days, but the jury took only 27 minutes to find him guilty. He was sentenced to death and hanged. pic.twitter.com/jPrCoHNSqT
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 18, 2022
18 October 1922. The British Broadcasting Company (BBC), was officially formed by a group of leading wireless manufacturers, including the Italian radio inventor, Guglielmo Marconi. Daily broadcasting by the BBC began in Marconi’s London studio, 2LO, on 14 November 1922. pic.twitter.com/XG841YwrMH
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 18, 2022