Scott Allsop's Blog, page 51

5th December 1848: President James K. Polk sparks the California Gold Rush as a result of his State of the Union Address

Polk’s speech was intended to warn Congress about the risks of inflation, labor shortages, and the potential for disorder on the West Coast, but only served to fuel the Gold ...

4th December 1971: A fire during a concert at the Montreux Casino inspires the song “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple

The burning Montreux Casino was to leave an indelible mark on music history thanks to Deep Purple, who watched from their hotel as the smoke from the fire spread over Lake ...

3rd December 1775: The first national US Grand Union Flag flown for the first time on the ship ‘Alfred’

Also known as the Continental Colors, the Grand Union Flag remained in use until the Flag Resolution of 14 June ...

2nd December 1805: The Battle of Austerlitz sees Napoleon Bonaparte’s Grande Armée defeat Russia and Austria

The vast Moravian plains near the town of Austerlitz became the battleground for one of Napoleon’s finest ...

1st December 1919: Lady Nancy Astor becomes the first female Member of Parliament to take her seat in the House of Commons

After a short campaign in which she won the election with 51.9% of the vote she entered the House of Commons on December 1, 1919, as a Unionist or Tory Member of ...

30th November 1803: Balmis Expedition sets sail to vaccinate inhabitants of Spanish colonies against smallpox

The expedition systematically infected orphaned boys with cowpox throughout the duration of the voyage so that the live vaccine survived all the way to the ...

29th November 1929: Richard E. Byrd completes the first flight over the South Pole

The four-man crew boarded a Ford Trimotor airplane, and at 1am on 29 November reached the South Pole where they flew beyond and to the left and right in case of any navigational ...

28th November 1925: The Grand Ole Opry, the longest-running radio show in the USA, broadcast for the first time

The Grand Ole Opry moved to its current home at the 4,000-seater Grand Ole Opry House in ...

27th November 1978: San Francisco politicians George Moscone and Harvey Milk shot dead by former Supervisor Dan White

White was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter after pleading a state of mental diminished capacity, and the lenient sentence sparked the White Night riots of 21 May ...

26th November 1789: The first formal National Day of Thanksgiving in the United States

Public celebrations were held throughout the country, while President George Washington gave thanks in New York ...