Scott Allsop's Blog, page 250
July 7, 2017
8th July 1947: Roswell Army Air Base reports ‘flying disc’ debris
Walter Haut, the public information officer of the Roswell Army Air Field, issued a press release saying that the military had recovered the remains of a ‘flying disc.’ On 14 June, J.B. Foster ranch foreman...
July 6, 2017
7th July 1928: Sliced bread goes on sale for the first time
If you ever claimed that something was the greatest thing since sliced bread, you’re referring to a very particular date – the 7th July 1928. That was the day that pre-sliced and wrapped bread was...
July 5, 2017
6th July 1947: The Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle goes into production in the USSR
The Kalashnikov AK-47 assault rifle went into production in the Soviet Union. The AK-47 was designed by Soviet tank commander-turned inventor Mikhail Kalashnikov. Having been injured in the Battle of Bryansk in October 1941, he...
July 4, 2017
5th July 1948: National Health Service launched in the UK
On the 5th July 1948, healthcare provision in the UK was nationalized when the National Health Service was launched. The idea was to bring together everyone involved in healthcare provision into one organisation that would...
July 3, 2017
4th July 1862: Charles Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll) first tells the story of Alice in Wonderland
Charles Dodgson, better known as the author Lewis Carroll, told a story to the sisters Alice, Lorina and Edith Liddell that was to develop into Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Dodgson was a lecturer in mathematics...
July 2, 2017
3rd July 1938: Mallard sets world speed record for steam locomotives
The world speed record for locomotives – steam trains – was set on the 3rd July 1938 by Number 4468 Mallard. Built at the Doncaster railway works of the London and North Eastern Railway in...
July 1, 2017
2nd July 1881: American President James A. Garfield shot by Charles J. Guiteau
James A. Garfield, the 20th President of the United States, was shot by Charles J. Guiteau at the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station in Washington, D.C. Guiteau had attempted various types of employment before turning...
June 30, 2017
1st July 1903: First Tour de France cycling race takes place
On the 1st July 1903 the first Tour de France cycling race took place over 19 days and six stages. Each stage was more than double the length of today’s equivalents, although the majority of...
June 29, 2017
30th June 1937: World’s first emergency telephone number began operating in London
On 10 November 1935 a resident of Wimpole Street called the local Welbeck telephone exchange to report a fire that had broken out in the house opposite. This was the established way of seeking the...
June 28, 2017
29th June 2008: Apple release the iPhone
The 29th June 2008 shaped the technological landscape we live in today, when Apple released the very first iPhone. Regular listeners may wonder why I’m dedicating an episode of HistoryPod to an event that only...
