Scott Allsop's Blog, page 213

20th July 1969: Apollo 11 lands on the moon

On the 20th July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin successfully landed the Eagle, the Lunar Module of Apollo 11, on the surface of the moon. The words, "Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed" confirmed the safe touchdown at around 8:17pm UTC. Just over 6 hours later Neil Armstrong opened the hatch of the lander and descended the ladder to become the first person to walk on the moon. Apollo 11 was launched using a Saturn V rocket on the 16th July, meaning the crew travelled f...

19th July 1870: The Franco-Prussian War begins

The Franco-Prussian War began with a declaration of war by the French emperor, Napoleon III. The Franco-Prussian War marked the culmination of a long period of declining relations between France and the German state of Prussia. Prussia had defeated Austria in the Seven Weeks’ War three years previously, and France was concerned that the established balance of power within Europe was at risk. In June 1870 Prince Leopold of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, a relative of King Wilhelm I of Prussia, was...

18th July 1925: Hitler publishes first volume of Mein Kampf

On the 18th July 1925, the first volume of Adolf Hitler’s rambling racist manifesto Mein Kampf – which translates as My Struggle or My Battle – was first published. Dictated to his assistant Rudolf Hess whilst imprisoned in surprisingly luxurious conditions at Landsberg Prison, Mein Kampf laid out the blueprint for Hitler’s future plans for Germany, although when it was first published it gained little following outside the ranks of the Nationalist Socialist faithful. In 1923, Hitler launched...

17th July 1453: The Battle of Castillon, widely accepted as last conflict of the Hundred Years’ War

The Battle of Castillon, considered to be the last battle of the Hundred Years’ War, was fought between France and England. After more than a century of conflict, by the end of 1451 the French under King Charles VII had captured almost all the remaining English possessions in France. Charles’ army had driven the English out of the remaining regions of Guyenne and Gascony but the locals, who had been English subjects for almost three centuries, requested liberation by Henry VI. The English kin...

16th July 1945: USA tests the first ever nuclear bomb

The 16th July 1945 marked the start of the atomic age when the USA detonated the first nuclear bomb under the codename ‘Trinity’. Nicknamed ‘the gadget’ by the people working on it, the plutonium-based weapon was detonated at the Alamogordo Test Range in New Mexico. The explosion was equivalent to about 20 kilotons of TNT, and the blast-wave was felt by civilians up to 160 miles away. To maintain secrecy, a press release was issued shortly after the successful detonation that claimed a large...

15th July 1815: Napoleon Bonaparte voluntarily surrenders to the British

Napoleon Bonaparte voluntarily surrendered to British Captain Maitland on board the Royal Navy ship HMS Bellerophon. Napoleon’s return from exile on the island of Elba in March 1815 heralded the start of the Hundred Days which saw Napoleon seek to re-establish his position as Emperor of the French. On 18 June his army was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo by British and Prussian armies of the Seventh Coalition, prompting Napoleon to abdicate two days later. Having been warned to leave Paris,...

14th July 1789: Storming of the Bastille

The morning of the 14th July 1789 saw the beginning of the French Revolution when Parisian revolutionaries stormed the Bastille, a large fortress, prison and ammunition store that symbolised everything that was wrong with the monarchy. Despite having earlier legalised the National Assembly following the Tennis Court Oath, King Louis XVI had ordered royal troops to surround Paris and had dismissed his popular finance minister, Jacques Necker. These actions led the Parisian crowd to believe tha...

13th July 1793: Jean-Paul Marat attacked in his bathtub by Charlotte Corday

The radical French journalist Jean-Paul Marat was stabbed to death in his bathtub by Charlotte Corday. Marat was a well-respected doctor who, despite his wealth and privilege, had a passion for social justice. In the late 1780s he put his career on hold and dedicated his time to writing in favour of political, economic and social reform in his own radical newspaper. This soon adopted the name L'Ami du Peuple (“The People's Friend”). Marat’s writings often called for violence against the upper...

12th July 927: Earliest foundation of England under Æthelstan

July 12th 927 is the closest we have to a foundation date for England, when all the kings of Britain met at Eamont Bridge, near Penrith in Cumbria, to swear an oath of peace under the overlordship of Æthelstan. Having previously been king of the Anglo-Saxons, Æthelstan’s key success in 927 was conquering Viking York which placed the kingdom of Northumbria under his control and secured the submission of the northern kings. Æthelstan was the son of Edward the Elder, and grandson of Alfred the G...

11th July 1922: The Hollywood Bowl opens in Los Angeles

The Hollywood Bowl opened in Bolton Canyon near Los Angeles. The natural amphitheatre that later became home to the Hollywood Bowl was originally a Cahuenga Indian ceremonial ground. Nestled in the Hollywood Hills, by 1919 it had become known as Daisy Dell and was a popular picnic spot with Los Angeles families. That year it was bought as part of a 59 acre purchase of land by the newly-formed Theatre Arts Alliance, who were keen to find a location to stage outdoor productions. Alliance member...