Scott Allsop's Blog, page 3

8th August 1786: Mont Blanc was successfully climbed for the first time by Jacques Balmat and Michel-Gabriel Paccard

Jacques Balmat, a local mountaineer and crystal hunter, and Dr Michel-Gabriel Paccard, a physician from Chamonix, set out on the evening of 7 August 1786 and made their way up Mont Blanc via what is now known as the Grands Mulets ...

5th August 1914: The Battle of Liège begins, marking the first major engagement of the First World War

The bombardment of the city's ring of forts by Germany's 'Big Bertha' howitzer caused extensive damage, and one by one, the forts were rendered inoperable. By 16 August, the forts had ...

4th August 1789: The August Decrees result in the National Constituent Assembly of France voting to abolish the feudal system

The decision to end the privileges enjoyed by the nobility and clergy came in the early stages of the French Revolution, during a special session of the National Constituent Assembly of France and resulted in the August ...

2nd August 1940: No. 303 Squadron, one of two Polish RAF squadrons in the Battle of Britain, formed at RAF Northolt

No. 303 Squadron, which was composed primarily of Polish airmen who had escaped to Britain after the defeat of Poland, claimed the largest number of aircraft shot down of any RAF squadron during the Battle of ...

1st August 1944: Warsaw Uprising begins in German-occupied Poland during the Second World War

The operation, codenamed "W Hour," was launched by the Polish underground resistance movement, primarily the Home Army (Armia Krajowa), with the objective of liberating Warsaw from Nazi occupation before the arrival of Soviet ...

31st July 1790: The first U.S. patent was awarded to Samuel Hopkins

The first U.S. patent was awarded to Samuel Hopkins for an improvement ‘in making Pot ash and Pearl ash by a new Apparatus and ...

30th July 1916: German agents trigger a major explosion at the Black Tom munitions depot in New Jersey to stop supplies to the Allies

It was later revealed that German agents had infiltrated the site and deliberately ignited the munitions to prevent them from reaching the Allies as part of a broader German campaign of espionage and sabotage on American soil before the U.S. entered the war in ...

29th July 1976: David Berkowitz, known as the Son of Sam, committed his first known murder in the Bronx, New York City

David Berkowitz was responsible for a series of attacks often involving young women with dark hair, and usually while they were in parked cars late at ...

28th July 1939: Ornate Anglo-Saxon helmet uncovered at the Sutton Hoo burial site in Suffolk, England

The Sutton Hoo helmet featured a distinctive full-face design, including a nose, eyebrows, and moustache, as well as decorative panels showing scenes of warriors and ...

26th July 1945: Britain, the USA, and China issue the Potsdam Declaration demanding the unconditional surrender of Japan

The Japanese government did not immediately respond formally to the declaration. As a result, the United States proceeded with plans to use atomic ...