Scott Allsop's Blog, page 9

10th May 1869: The ‘Golden Spike’ completes the first transcontinental railroad in the United States at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory

The ‘Golden Spike’ symbolised the joining of the Central Pacific Railroad, which had built eastward from California, and the Union Pacific Railroad, which had built westward from Nebraska to form a continuous rail link between the east and west coasts of the ...

9th May 1671: Colonel Thomas Blood attempts to steal the Crown Jewels

Colonel Thomas Blood attempted to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of ...

8th May 1950: The Tollund Man, who lived in the 5th century BC, discovered in a peat bog near Silkeborg in Denmark

The Tollund Man was remarkably well-preserved thanks to the cold, acidic, and low oxygen conditions of the peat bog, which slowed ...

5th May 1789: The Estates General meets at Versailles, near Paris, for the first time in 175 years

When the Estates General opened on 5 May many hoped that it would provide a platform for reform, but in practice it acted as a precursor to the French ...

3rd May 1921: Partition of Ireland divides Ireland into two separate political entities

The Government of Ireland Act established one parliament in Belfast for Northern Ireland and another in Dublin for Southern Ireland. While both remained under the authority of the United Kingdom, each was granted a degree of self-governance and the border remains today as the boundary between the Republic of Ireland and Northern ...

2nd May 1670: Hudson’s Bay Company established with a royal charter from King Charles II of England

The Hudson's Bay Company maintained a monopoly over trade in the area for over 200 years, ensuring it had a lasting impact on the economic and political development of what would later become ...

1st May 1776: The forerunner of the Bavarian Illuminati was founded by Adam Weishaupt

The Covenant of Perfectibility, the forerunner of the original Bavarian Illuminati, was founded by Adam Weishaupt in ...

29th April 1587: Singeing the King of Spain’s Beard

Sir Francis Drake entered the Bay of Cádiz and attacked the Spanish naval fleet in an event known as ‘Singeing the King of Spain's ...

28th April 1967: Muhammad Ali, the reigning world heavyweight boxing champion, refuses induction into the United States Army

Ali's refusal to be inducted led to him being stripped of his boxing titles and later convicted of draft evasion for which he was sentenced to five years in prison, a $10,000 fine, and a ban from boxing. He remained free on bail while the case was under ...

27th April 1945: Benito Mussolini, the former Fascist dictator of Italy, captured by Italian partisans in northern Italy

Mussolini was captured by Italian partisans near the village of Dongo whilst attempting to flee to Switzerland, and was executed the next ...