Scott Allsop's Blog, page 248
June 20, 2017
21st June 1919: The German fleet is scuttled at Scapa Flow
On the 21st June 1919, Admiral Ludwig von Reuter ordered the scuttling of the German High Seas naval fleet in Scapa Flow, a large natural harbor in the Orkney Islands in Scotland. The ships had...
June 19, 2017
20th June 1756: British prisoners locked in the ‘Black Hole of Calcutta’
British prisoners of war were imprisoned in the ‘Black Hole of Calcutta’ after the Bengali army captured Fort William from the East India Company. The East India Company had built Fort William to guard their...
June 18, 2017
19th June 1978: Garfield cartoon strip first published
On the 19th June 1978, the Garfield comic strip was first published. It has since grown to hold the Guinness World Record for the world’s most widely syndicated comic strip, being printed in just under...
June 17, 2017
18th June 1887: Germany and Russia sign the secret Reinsurance Treaty
Germany and Russia signed the secret Reinsurance Treaty that ensured they would each remain neutral if the other went to war with a third European power. Germany, Russia and Austria-Hungary had entered into a second...
June 16, 2017
17th June 1885: Statue of Liberty arrives in New York from France
On the 17th June 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbour on board the French steam ship Isère. It arrived disassembled, and remained in its 210 separate crates for 10 months while...
June 15, 2017
16th June 1846: Pope Pius IX begins the longest ever reign of a Catholic Pope
Born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, Pius IX’s election by the Papal conclave of 1846 came at a time of significant political unrest across Europe. A particular issue facing the 50 members of the College of Cardinals...
June 14, 2017
15th June 1215: King John agrees to Magna Carta by adding his seal
On the 15th June 1215, Magna Carta – one of the most famous documents in the world – was approved by King John when he added his seal to it in a field at Runnymede...
June 13, 2017
14th June 1645: The Battle of Naseby fought in the English Civil War
The Battle of Naseby, a decisive engagement of the English Civil War, was fought between the Royalist army of King Charles I and the Parliamentarian New Model Army. The New Model Army was formed as...
June 12, 2017
13th June 1944: First V-1 ‘Doodlebug’ flying bomb attack on London
On the 13th June 1944 the first German attack on Britain using the V-1 flying bomb, otherwise known as the ‘doodlebug’, took place. The bomb was specifically designed for terror bombing civilians, since its launch...
June 11, 2017
12th June 1987: Ronald Reagan calls on Mikhail Gorbachev to ‘Tear down this wall!’
US President Ronald Reagan made a speech in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin in which he called on the USSR’s leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, to ‘Tear down this wall!’ Reagan was in Berlin to...
