Scott Allsop's Blog, page 128

3rd November 1957: Laika the dog becomes the first animal to enter orbit around the Earth

Laika was never intended to return to Earth as the technology to re-enter the atmosphere had not yet been ...

2nd November 1795: The Directory established in France following the Thermidorian Reaction

This Constitution of the Year III established a bicameral legislature and a five-man Directory that wielded executive ...

30th October 1938: The War of the Worlds radio play, directed by Orson Welles, terrifies listeners in America

Announcements were made before, during and after the radio broadcast that the events in War of the Worlds were fictitious, but it was clear that these warnings went unheeded by ...

29th October 1956: Suez Crisis begins as Israel invades Egyptian Sinai

The invasion was met with international condemnation that pressured British Prime Minister Anthony Eden into calling a ceasefire just a day ...

28th October 1962: End of the Cuban Missile Crisis as Khrushchev agrees to remove nuclear missiles from Cuba

Because America’s part of the agreement was kept secret, Khrushchev appeared to have ‘lost’. The reality is that both sides made ...

26th October 1860: Garibaldi hands control of southern Italy to Victor Emmanuel II

Giuseppe Garibaldi met with Victor Emmanuel II, the King of Sardinia, at Teano and handed him control of southern ...

24th October 1929: Black Thursday marks the start of the Wall Street Crash

Although the scale of panic selling did slow down, the market continued its downward trajectory for over 2 ...

23rd October 1739: The War of Jenkins’ Ear begins when England declare war on Spain

The writer Thomas Carlyle is credited with giving the conflict its name in his 1858 biography of the Prussian King Friedrich ...

21st October 1805: The Battle of Trafalgar sees the British Navy under the command of Nelson defeat the combined fleets of France and Spain

The Battle of Trafalgar secured British supremacy of the seas and saw the victorious fleet sail away without having lost a single ...

20th October 1740: Maria Theresa inherits the Austrian throne, prompting the War of the Austrian Succession

Maria Theresa inherited the Austrian throne, prompting the War of the Austrian ...