Scott Allsop's Blog, page 36

21st June 1877: Ten Irish immigrants hanged for murder, having been accused of membership of the Molly Maguires secret society

Historians have since questioned the convictions, which saw ten men hanged for murder – six in the prison at Pottsville, and four at Mauch Chunk in Carbon ...

20th June 1945: The United States approves the transfer of Nazi rocket scientist Wernher von Braun to America

Wernher von Braun initially developed rockets for the United States Army, but was later made director of the Marshall Space Flight Center where he oversaw the design of the Saturn V rocket that launched the Apollo spacecraft to the ...

19th June 1865: Juneteenth is established when enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, are informed of their freedom

On June 19, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and issued General Order No. 3 which informed the enslaved African Americans of their ...

18th June 1812: The War of 1812 began when President James Madison signed a declaration of war against Great Britain

Madison signed the declaration of war against Great Britain, marking the first time that the United States declared war on another ...

17th June 1775: Battle of Bunker Hill fought during the early stages of the American Revolutionary War

While the Battle of Bunker Hill resulted in a British victory and the successful capture of the hill, it came the cost of 1,000 casualties that included many ...

16th June 1884: The Switchback Railway, America’s first purpose-built roller coaster, opened at Coney Island in New York City

Having opened on 16 June 1884, passengers paid 5 cents to ride the Switchback Railways and achieved speeds of up to 6 miles per ...

14th June 1900: Anglo-German naval arms race triggered by the Second German Naval Law to double the size of the fleet

The enactment of the Second Naval Law represented an ambitious plan to double the size of the German fleet, but with the British Royal Navy having long been the world’s dominant maritime force Germany’s naval expansion was perceived as a direct challenge to British ...

12th June 1817: Karl Drais makes the first recorded journey on the forerunner of the bicycle, known as the Laufmaschine or ‘dandy horse’

Drais’ Laufmaschine, which translates as ‘running machine’ featured two wheels mounted on a wooden frame and a steering mechanism controlled by ...

11th June 1962: Three inmates escape from the maximum-security Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary and are never seen again

Once outside the prison walls, the three men inflated a homemade raft with a modified accordion and launched it into San Francisco ...

10th June 1935: Alcoholics Anonymous was founded by Bill Wilson and Robert Smith

Alcoholics Anonymous, which operates through local groups that follow a 12-step rehabilitation program to help people overcome alcoholism, is now estimated have around two million members ...