Scott Allsop's Blog, page 55

26th October 1776: Benjamin Franklin departs America for France to secure a formal alliance and treaty

On February 6, 1778, France formally allied with the American colonies when they signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the Treaty of Alliance that brought much-needed military aid including troops, naval support, and ...

25th October 1854: Charge of the Light Brigade undertaken by British forces during the Battle of Balaclava in the Crimean War

Due to miscommunication and a lack of clear orders Lord Cardigan led the Light Brigade, a cavalry unit consisting of approximately 670 horsemen, in a frontal assault against a fortified Russian artillery position at the end of the ...

24th October 1648: Peace of Westphalia ends the Thirty Years’ War that ravaged Europe

The Peace of Westphalia confirmed the autonomy of states with the Holy Roman Empire and redefined the borders and sovereignty of numerous European ...

23rd October 1910: Blanche Stuart Scott becomes the first American woman to pilot an aircraft in public

She continued making exhibition flights until 1916, earning her the nickname the ‘Tomboy of the ...

22nd October 1884: The International Meridian Conference in Washington, D.C. adopts Greenwich as the prime meridian

The Greenwich Meridian became the international standard for zero degrees longitude, ensuring continuity with most existing nautical ...

21st October 1921: U.S. President Warren G. Harding publicly condemns lynching in a speech in Alabama

In October 1921 Harding travelled to Alabama. Here he expressed his support for anti-lynching laws that would hold counties responsible for the illegal hangings, and lodge federal murder cases against the ...

20th October 1977: Lynyrd Skynyrd’s plane crashes during an emergency landing, killing three members of the band

Lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and backing singer Cassie Gaines were all killed in the ...

19th October 1953: Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 first published

Set in the distant future where books are outlawed, the story focuses on Guy Montag whose job as a fireman sees him burn houses that are found to contain ...

18th October 1867: The Alaska Purchase completed with the formal transfer from Russia to the United States

Although ridiculed shortly afterwards as ‘Seward’s Folly’, the Alaska Purchase has since been reinterpreted as one of President Andrew Johnson’s greatest ...

17th October 1860: Oldest golf tournament in the world begins with The Open at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland

The Open was initially restricted to professional golfers, with a prize of a red Moroccan leather belt with a silver buckle awaiting the ...