Scott Allsop's Blog, page 240
October 14, 2017
15th October 1764: Edward Gibbon first considers The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Gibbon’s six volume history traces the collapse of the Roman Empire from the rule of the Five Good Emperors until the end of Byzantium. Gibbon, like Machiavelli who had coined the term over two centuries...
October 13, 2017
14th October 1066: Battle of Hastings fought on Senlac Hill
On the 14th October 1066, the Battle of Hastings was fought between Duke William II of Normandy and the Anglo-Saxon king Harold Godwinson. Harold’s defeat triggered the Norman conquest of England and the beginning of...
October 12, 2017
13th October 1792: Cornerstone laid for the White House
On the 13th October 1792 the cornerstone of the White House, which at the time was to be known as the United States Executive Mansion, was laid. Construction took 8 years, with John Adams being...
October 11, 2017
12th October 1810: First Oktoberfest held in Munich
On the 12th October 1810, the first Oktoberfest took place in Munich. First established to celebrate the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, the most important part of the festivities was...
October 10, 2017
11th October 1975: Saturday Night Live is broadcast for the first time
Saturday Night Live was originally known as NBC’s Saturday Night to avoid any confusion with the ABC show Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell. Having been developed to fill the gap left by the Johnny...
October 9, 2017
10th October 1903: Foundation of Women’s Social & Political Union
On the 10th October 1903 the Women’s Social and Political Union, whose members came to be known as suffragettes, was founded at the Manchester home of Sylvia and Emmeline Pankhurst. Frustrated by the lack of...
October 8, 2017
9th October 1410: The Prague Astronomical Clock first noted in a medieval document
Known as the Orloj, the astronomical clock was designed and built by the Imperial clockmaker Mikuláš of Kadaň and Charles University professor Jan Šindel. Consisting of three main components, the astronomical dial and the mechanical...
October 7, 2017
8th October 1829: Robert Stephenson’s locomotive Rocket wins the Rainhill Trials
On the 8th October 1829, Robert Stephenson’s steam locomotive The Rocket won the Rainhill Trials and secured a prize of £500 and the contract for Robert Stephenson and Company to produce locomotives for the new...
October 6, 2017
7th October 1879: Germany and Austria Hungary form the Dual Alliance
A series of three wars in less than a decade had seen the creation of a unified Germany directed by the Realpolitik of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. Keen to consolidate the newly-united country, he turned...
October 5, 2017
6th October 1981: Egyptian President Anwar Sadat assassinated by terrorists
On the 6th October 1981 Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was assassinated by members of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, a terrorist group that was enraged by the peace treaty he had negotiated with Israel. His assassins...
