Scott Allsop's Blog, page 3

3rd October 1990: East and West Germany reunified when the German Democratic Republic joins with the Federal Republic of Germany

At midnight on 3 October the black, red and gold flag of West Germany was raised above the Brandenburg Gate which had previously divided the two ...

2nd October 1766: Nottingham Cheese Riot takes place at the city’s Goose Fair, triggered by rising food prices

Clashes between troops and rioters during the Nottingham Cheese Riot led to one man being killed while the mayor himself was knocked down by a rolling cheese ...

1st October 1928: The USSR introduces the first five-year plan under Joseph Stalin

Although the targets were constantly revised to the point where they could never be achieved, the first five-year plan firmly set the USSR on the road to becoming a world ...

30th September 737: Umayyad Caliphate defeated in the Battle of the Baggage

The Battle of the Baggage saw the defeat of an army from the powerful Umayyad Caliphate by Turgesh ...

29th September 1916: John D. Rockefeller becomes the first billionaire according to newspapers in the USA

Rockefeller held shares in numerous companies after the breakup of Standard Oil, and as their value increased his wealth was reported to have surpassed $1 ...

28th September 1066: William of Normandy lands in England

William, duke of Normandy, landed in England to begin the Norman ...

26th September 1687: An explosion rips through the Parthenon in Athens while it’s being used as a gunpowder magazine

A mortar shell fired by Venetian troops at their Ottoman enemy struck the Parthenon directly, igniting the powder stored ...

23rd September 1862: Otto von Bismarck appointed Minister-President of Prussia by King Wilhelm I

In the early 1860s, with Prussia facing a crisis over King Wilhelm I's attempts to expand and modernize the Prussian army, he appointed Otto von Bismarck as Minister-President in an attempt to break a budgetary ...

20th September 1378: Western Schism divides the Catholic Church after the contested election of Antipope Clement VII

Clement established his court in Avignon, supported by France, Scotland, and several other European states. Urban VI, meanwhile, retained control of Rome and was recognized by England, much of Germany, and parts of ...

17th September 1908: Lieutenant Thomas E. Selfridge of the U.S. Army becomes the first person to die in an airplane crash

Whilst circling the parade ground of Fort Myer, a propeller blade split and broke apart. This struck one of the wires that controlled the rudder, pitching the aircraft forward sharply after which it crashed nose-first into the ...