Scott Allsop's Blog, page 247
August 5, 2017
6th August 1945: The USA drops an atomic bomb on Hiroshima
On the 6th August 1945, the USA dropped an atomic bomb nicknamed “Little Boy” on the Japanese city of Hiroshima from the B-29 aircraft Enola Gay. 70,000 people were killed instantly, of whom 20,000 were...
August 4, 2017
5th August 1962: Nelson Mandela arrested and jailed
On the 5th August 1962, Nelson Mandela was arrested near the South African town of Howick and imprisoned facing charges of inciting workers’ strikes and leaving the country without a passport. He wasn’t released for...
August 3, 2017
4th August 1944: First Allied jet pilot to achieve a combat victory by ‘tipping’ a V-1 doodlebug
RAF Flight Officer T. D. Dean became the first Allied jet pilot to achieve a combat victory when he ‘tipped’ a Nazi German V-1 ‘doodlebug’ flying bomb with his Gloster Meteor jet fighter. The V-1...
August 2, 2017
3rd August 1492: Christopher Columbus sets sail from Spain
At 8am on the 3rd August 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail from the Spanish port of Palos de la Frontera on the voyage that would take him to the Americas. While Columbus captained the Santa...
August 1, 2017
2nd August 1934: Hitler becomes Führer after Hindenburg dies
On the 2nd August 1934, the 86 year old German Reichspräsident Paul von Hindenburg died of lung cancer and Adolf Hitler became both the Führer and Reich Chancellor of the German People. It effectively merged...
July 31, 2017
1st August 1834: Slavery Abolition Act comes in to force
On the 1st August 1834, the Slavery Abolition Act came into force in the United Kingdom, although it had received royal assent a year earlier. The Act outlawed slavery throughout the British Empire, although there...
July 30, 2017
31st July 1970: Black Tot Day ends the Royal Navy’s daily rum ration
On the 31st July 1970, the British Royal Navy issued the last daily rum ration, or “tot”, to sailors. The end of the daily ration became known as “Black Tot Day”. A daily ration of...
July 29, 2017
30th July 1792: La Marseillaise first sung in Paris
On the 30th July 1792, a group of volunteer soldiers from the city of Marseille were the first to introduce and sing “La Marseillaise” in Paris. Written by the French army officer Claude Joseph Rouget...
July 28, 2017
29th July 1567: James VI crowned King of Scotland aged 13 months
On the 29th July 1567, James VI was crowned king of Scotland when he was just 13 months old. As the great-great-grandson of Henry VII, King of England and Lord of Ireland, he succeeded Elizabeth...
July 27, 2017
28th July 1858: First use of fingerprints as a means of identification
On the 28th July 1858 William Herschel, a British Magistrate in West Bengal in India, made the first modern use of fingerprints for identification. Although records of finger and palm prints being used as early...
