This Day in History

[Captain Hornblower]

The Munich air disaster took place on 6 February 1958, when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at the Munich-Riem airport in Munich, West Germany. On board the plane was the Manchester United football team, nicknamed the Busby Babes, along with a number of supporters and journalists. Twenty-three of the 44 passengers on board the aircraft died in the disaster.

The flight was operated by British European Airways (BEA) as an "Elizabethan" class Airspeed Ambassador charter aircraft G-ALZU Lord Burghley.

The European Cup had been contested since 1955, although no English club took part in the very first tournament on account of Football League rules. Manchester United entered the 1956-57 tournament and reached the semi-finals, being knocked out by eventual winners Real Madrid; they were thus one of the favourites for the 1957-58 tournament. Domestic league matches were played on Saturdays and European matches were played midweek, so although air travel was risky at the time, it was the only practical choice if United were to fulfil their league fixtures. Their team was known as the Busby Babes, a reference to their manager Matt Busby and to the average age of the players, which was unusually young.

The club had chartered an aeroplane to fly them home from their European Cup match against the Yugoslavian team Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade), which ended in a 3-3 draw (United won the tie 5-4 on aggregate). The takeoff from Belgrade was delayed for an hour as the United player Johnny Berry had lost his passport, then the plane made a scheduled stop in Munich to refuel.

Captain James Thain, the pilot, tried to take off twice, but both attempts were aborted due to engine surging. When a third take off was attempted, at 3:04 pm, the plane failed to gain adequate height and crashed into the fence surrounding the airport, then into a house, which was unoccupied at the time.

Although the crash was originally blamed on pilot error, it was subsequently found to have been caused by the build-up of slush towards the ends of the runway, causing deceleration of the aircraft and preventing safe flying speed from being attained. During the take off, the aircraft had attained a speed of 117 kt (217 km/h) but on entering the slush speed dropped to 105 kt (194 km/h), too slow for flight, with not enough runway remaining to abort the take off. Aircraft with tail-wheel undercarriages had not been greatly affected by slush, due to the geometry of these undercarriages in relation to the aircraft's centre of gravity, but newer types, such as the Ambassador, with nose wheel landing-gear and the main wheels behind the centre of gravity, were found to be vulnerable. The accident resulted in the instigation of operating limits for the amount of slush build-up permitted on runways.

Despite this conclusion, the German airport authorities (who were legally responsible for the state of the airport's runways, but generally not aware of the then unknown danger of slush on runways for aircraft like the Ambassador) took legal action against Captain Thain, who had survived the crash, claiming he had taken off without deicing the wings and that responsibility for the accident was his alone, despite several witnesses stating that this was not so. The basis of the German authorities' case relied on a photograph of the aircraft (published in several newspapers) taken shortly before take off, that appeared to show snow on the upper wing surfaces. When the original negative was examined, however, no snow or ice could be seen, the 'snow' having been due to the published pictures being produced from a copy negative. The witnesses were not called to the German inquiry and proceedings against Thain dragged on until 1968, when he was finally cleared of any responsibility for the crash. As the official cause, British authorities recorded a build-up of melting snow on the runway which prevented the Elizabethan from reaching the required take-off speed. Thain, having been dismissed by BEA shortly after the accident and never reengaged, retired and returned to run his poultry farm in Berkshire. He died of a heart attack at the age of 53, in 1975.

Fatalities

Manchester United players

* Geoff Bent
* Roger Byrne
* Eddie Colman
* Duncan Edwards (survived the crash but died in hospital 15 days later)
* Mark Jones
* David Pegg
* Tommy Taylor
* Liam 'Billy' Whelan

Others

* Walter Crickmer - Club Secretary
* Bert Whalley - Chief Coach
* Tom Curry - Trainer
* Alf Clarke - journalist, Manchester Evening Chronicle
* Don Davies - journalist, Manchester Guardian
* George Follows - journalist, Daily Herald
* Tom Jackson - journalist, Manchester Evening News
* Archie Ledbrooke - journalist, Daily Mirror
* Henry Rose - journalist, Daily Express
* Eric Thompson - journalist, Daily Mail
* Frank Swift - journalist, News of the World (also former England and Manchester City goalkeeper)
* Captain Kenneth "Ken" Rayment - British co-pilot who survived the crash but suffered multiple injuries and died three weeks later as a result of brain damage. He was one of two people who died in hospital after being injured in the crash.
* Bela Miklos - travel agent
* Willie Satinoff - supporter, racecourse owner and close friend of Matt Busby
* Tom Cable - steward

Survivors

Manchester United players
* Johnny Berry (died in 1994)
* Jackie Blanchflower (died in 1998)
* Dennis Viollet (died in 1999)
* Ray Wood (died in 2002)

Still alive:

* Bobby Charlton
* Bill Foulkes
* Harry Gregg
* Kenny Morgans
* Albert Scanlon

Other survivors

* Matt Busby - team manager (died in 1994)
* Frank Taylor - journalist (died in 2002)
* James Thain - captain (died in 1975)
* George (Bill) Rodgers - radio officer (death date unknown)
* Peter Howard - photographer (died in 1996)
* Margaret Bellis - stewardess (died in 1990s)

Still alive:

* Ted Ellyard - photographer
* Vera Lukić and baby daughter Venona - passengers saved by Manchester United player Harry Gregg. In addition, at the time of the accident, Vera Lukić was pregnant with her later-born son Zoran.[3]
* Mrs Miklos - wife of Bela Miklos, the travel agent that arranged trip and died in the crash
* Nebojsa Bato Tomašević - passenger

A memorial was erected here (http://www.gearthhacks.com/dlfile29017/Memorial-of-Manchester-United-disaster-of-1958.htm)

Source: Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_air_disaster)

[Gandolf]

On this day in 1989 the first of 24 satellites of the Global Positioning System are placed into orbit

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is the only fully functional Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Utilizing a constellation of at least 24 Medium Earth Orbit satellites that transmit precise microwave signals, the system enables a GPS receiver to determine its location, speed, direction, and time. Other similar systems are the Russian GLONASS (incomplete as of 2007), the upcoming European Galileo positioning system, the proposed COMPASS navigation system of China, and IRNSS of India.

Developed by the United States Department of Defense, GPS is officially named NAVSTAR GPS (Contrary to popular belief, NAVSTAR is not an acronym, but simply a name given by John Walsh, a key decision maker when it came to the budget for the GPS program).[1] The satellite constellation is managed by the United States Air Force 50th Space Wing. The cost of maintaining the system is approximately US$750 million per year,[2] including the replacement of aging satellites, and research and development.

Following the shootdown of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 in 1983, President Ronald Reagan issued a directive making the system available for free for civilian use as a common good.[3] Since then, GPS has become a widely used aid to navigation worldwide, and a useful tool for map-making, land surveying, commerce, and scientific uses. GPS also provides a precise time reference used in many applications including scientific study of earthquakes, and synchronization of telecommunications networks.

[Gandolf]

1923 – English archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter unsealed the burial chamber of Tutankhamun (mummy mask pictured), an Egyptian Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty.



http://www.gearthhacks.com/dlfile20945/Howard-Carter-Discovered-Tutankhamun.htm

[sladys]

E-mail spam, also known as "bulk e-mail" or "junk e-mail," is a subset of spam that involves nearly identical messages sent to numerous recipients by e-mail. A common synonym for spam is unsolicited bulk e-mail (UBE). Definitions of spam usually include the aspects that email is unsolicited and sent in bulk. "UCE" refers specifically to "unsolicited commercial e-mail."

E-mail spam slowly but exponentially grew for several decades to several billion messages a day. Spam has frustrated, confused, and annoyed e-mail users. Laws against spam have been sporadically implemented, with some being opt-out and others requiring opt in e-mail. The total volume of spam (over 100 billion emails per day as of April 2008) has leveled off slightly in recent years, and is no longer growing exponentially. The amount received by most e-mail users has decreased, mostly because of better filtering. About 80% of all spam is sent by fewer than 200 spammers. Botnets, networks of virus-infected computers, send about 80% of spam. The cost of spam is borne mostly by the recipient, so it is a form of postage due advertising.

E-mail addresses are collected from chatrooms, websites, newsgroups, and viruses which harvest users' address books, and are sold to other spammers. Much of spam is sent to invalid e-mail addresses. ISPs have attempted to recover the cost of spam through lawsuits against spammers, although they have been mostly unsuccessful in collecting damages despite winning in court.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-mail_spam#Origin_of_spam

First e-mail spam:
http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainn ameatlonglast.com/first96.html

[Captain Hornblower]

On 24.06.1948 the Soviets started the blockade of Berlin after the Allies replaced the old crurrency (Reichsmark) by a new one. The Soviets felt interfered by their intention to occupy the whole Soviet zone (including Berlin) as their new satellite state.

All roads and railway tracks were closed ("for repairs" or "technical difficulties";)). The Western powers had never negotiated a pact with the Soviets guaranteeing these passage rights, just three air routes were still open. At the time, Berlin had thirty-five days' worth of food, and forty-five days' worth of coal. Militarily, the Americans and British were greatly outnumbered due to the post-war scaling-back of their armies, which the Soviets had resisted doing (for several reasons). If a war had started, the West would have certainly lost Berlin. General Lucius D. Clay, in charge of the U.S. occupation zone in Germany, summed up the reasons for not retreating in a cable to Washington, D.C. on June 13, 1948: "There is no practicability in maintaining our position in Berlin and it must not be evaluated on that basis... We are convinced that our remaining in Berlin is essential to our prestige in Germany and in Europe. Whether for good or bad, it has become a symbol of the American intent." Forcing this decision would require the airlift to actually work, however. If the supplies could not be flown in fast enough, Soviet help would eventually be needed in order to prevent starvation. Clay was told to take advice from General Curtis LeMay, commander of United States Air Forces in Europe, to see if an airlift was possible. LeMay replied "We can haul anything."

On June 24, 1948, LeMay appointed Brigadier General Joseph Smith, commander of the Wiesbaden Military Post, as the Task Force Commander of the airlift. On June 25, 1948, Clay gave the order to launch Operation Vittles. The next day thirty-two C-47 cargo planes lifted off for Berlin hauling 80 tons of cargo including milk, flour, and medicine. The first British aircraft flew on June 28. At that time, the airlift was expected to last three weeks. By July 1 the system was starting to come into action. C-54s were starting to arrive in quantity, and the Rhein-Main Air Base was made exclusive C-54 depot, while Wiesbaden retained a mix of C-54s and C-47s. Aircraft flew east-northeast into Tempelhof Airport on one of the three air corridors, then returned due west flying out on a second. After reaching the British Zone, they turned south to return to their bases.

The British ran a similar system, flying roughly south-southeast from a variety of airports in the Hamburg area into Gatow Airport in the British Sector, and then returning out on the same air corridor as the U.S., turning for home or landing at Hanover. On July 5, the Yorks and Dakotas were joined by ten Short Sunderlands and, later, by Short Hythe flying boats. Flying from Finkenwerder on the Elbe near Hamburg to the Havel river next to Gatow, their corrosion-resistant hulls lent them to the particular task of delivering table salt into the city. Alongside the British and U.S. personnel were aircrews from Australia,Canada, New Zealand and South Africa.

In order to accommodate the large number of flights, required maintenance schedules, and cargo loading times, Smith developed a complex schedule and pattern for arranging flights. Aircraft were scheduled to take off every three minutes, flying 500 feet higher than the previous flight. This pattern began at 5,000 feet and was repeated five times.

The continued success of the Airlift humiliated the Soviets, and the Easter Parade was "the last straw". On April 25, 1949 the Russian news agency TASS reported a willingness by the Soviets to lift the blockade. The next day, the U.S. State Department stated the "way appears clear" for the blockade to end. Soon after, the four powers began serious negotiations, and a settlement was made on Allied terms. On May 4 the Allies announced that an agreement to end the blockade, in eight days, had been reached.

The Soviet blockade Berlin was lifted at one minute after midnight, on May 12, 1949. A British convoy immediately drove through to Berlin, and the first train from the West reached Berlin at 5:32A.M.. Later that day, an enormous crowd celebrated the end of the blockade. General Clay, whose retirement had been announced by U.S. President Truman on May 3rd, was saluted by 11,000 U.S. soldiers and dozens of airplanes. Once home, Clay would receive a ticker-tape parade in New York City, get to address the U.S. Congress, and be honoured with a medal from Truman.

Flights continued for some time, though, to build a comfortable surplus. By July 24, 1949 a three-month surplus was built-up, ensuring that the airlift could be re-started with ease if needed. The Berlin Airlift officially ended on September 30, 1949, after fifteen months. In total, the U.S.A. delivered 1,783,573 tons, while 541,937 tons were delivered by the RAF, totaling 2,326,406 tons of food and supplies on 278,228 total flights to Berlin. The C-47s and C-54s together flew over 92 million miles in the process, nearly the same distance as the earth is from the sun.

A total of 101 fatalities were recorded as a result of the operation, including 39 Britons and 31 Americans, mostly due to crashes. Seventeen American and eight British aircraft crashed during the operation.

The cost of the Airlift operations were approximately $224 million ($2 billion in inflation-adjusted 2008 dollars)

Operation Little Vittles

Gail Halvorsen, one of the many Airlift pilots, decided to use his offtime to fly into Berlin and make movies with his handheld camera. He arrived at Tempelhof on July 17 after hitching a ride on one of the C-54s, and walked over to a crowd of children who had gathered at the end of the runway to watch the planes coming in. He introduced himself and they started to ask him questions about the aircraft and their flights. As a goodwill gesture, he handed out his only two sticks of Wrigley's Doublemint Gum, and promised that if they did not fight over them, the next time he returned he would drop off more. The children quickly divided up the pieces as best they could. Before he left them, a child asked him how they would know it was him flying over, and he replied, "I'll wiggle my wings." The very next day, on approach to Berlin, he rocked the airplane and dropped some chocolate bars attached to a handkerchief parachute to the children waiting below. Every day after that the number of children would increase and he made several more drops. Soon there was a stack of mail in Base Ops addressed to "Uncle Wiggly Wings", "The Chocolate Uncle" and "The Chocolate Flier". His commanding officer was upset when the story appeared in the news, but when Tunner heard about it he thought it was great and immediately christened it "Operation Little Vittles". Other pilots joined the fun, and when news reached the U.S., children all over the country sent in their own candy to help out. Soon the major candy companies joined in as well. In the end, over three tons of candy were dropped over Berlin, and the "operation" became a major propaganda success. The candy-dropping aircraft were quickly christened "Rosinenbomber" (raisin bombers) by the German children.




Just three years ago a bloody war ended. A war started in Germany with Berlin as its capitol. Many millions of casualties - fathers, sons, brothers, mothers, daughters and sisters. And suddenly the world had to fear another thread - the Soviet dictatorship. And suddenly a city became a symbol the free world, the same city where the war started 3 years ago. The victors had to feed the former enemy in an outstanding operation. Like an incredible conveyor belt many pilots risked their life to fly to Berlin; not to drop bombs like 3 years ago. They hauled food, coal, good of needs - they hauled life. Those brave man kept a whole city alive; and some of them lost theirs.

And one day one of those pilots, First Lieutenant Gail Halvorsen, started to drop candy where a few years ago bombs where dropped - and made children happy in a world of ruins. Others followed. Unbelievable: former enemies became friends, a friendship that still lasts!

In memory of the brave pilots who risked their lifes and those who lost it...

[Captain Hornblower]

"Ich bin ein Berliner" ("I am a Berliner") is a quotation from a June 26, 1963 speech by U.S. President John F. Kennedy in Bonn. He was underlining the support of the United States for democratic West Germany shortly after the Soviet-supported Communist state of East Germany erected the Berlin Wall as a barrier to prevent movement between East and West.

The speech is considered one of Kennedy's best, and a notable moment of the Cold War. It was a great morale boost for West Berliners, who lived in an enclave deep inside East Germany and feared a possible East German occupation. Speaking from the balcony of Rathaus Schöneberg, Kennedy said,

Two thousand years ago the proudest boast was civis Romanus sum [I am a Roman citizen]. Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is 'Ich bin ein Berliner'… All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words 'Ich bin ein Berliner!'

Kennedy came up with the phrase at the last moment, as well as the idea to say it in German. Kennedy asked his interpreter Robert H. Lochner to translate "I am a Berliner" only as they walked up the stairs at the Rathaus (City Hall). With Lochner's help, Kennedy practiced the phrase in the office of then-Mayor Willy Brandt, and in his own hand made a cue card with phonetic spelling.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/de/thumb/1/19/JFK_Ich_bin_ein_Berliner_-_civis_Romanus_sum.png/180px-JFK_Ich_bin_ein_Berliner_-_civis_Romanus_sum.png

According to Lochner, Kennedy's National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy felt the speech had gone "a little too far", and the two revised the text for a softer stance before repeating the speech at the Free University later that day.

This message of defiance was aimed as much at the Soviets as it was at Berliners, and was a clear statement of U.S. policy in the wake of the construction of the Berlin Wall. However, Kennedy was criticized for making a speech that acknowledged Berlin's status quo as reality.

No 5 month later Kennedy was shot.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ich_bin_ein_Berliner

[Appletom]

26.06.1948 - Berlin airlift began
You know Captain, I guess I wasn't paying attention in history class, because even though I've heard the phrases "Berlin Blockade" and "Berlin Airlift", I had no clue as to what happened and why.

Until today.

Thanks for posting. I find it fascinating and highly recommend reading the entire Wikipedia article - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Blockade#Berlin_Airlift

[Captain Hornblower]

Apart from the political consequences, this was an giant afford to keep such a big city like half Berlin alive for 15 month - just from air. Imagine, just three years ago Germans and Allies were enemies, tried to kill each other. And then, those guys risked their lifes to save the former enemies lifes - also to keep a little spot in the world free of another dictator.

Those kids who waited for some candy dropped by pilots are now our parents or grandparents. In Berlin the spirit of the airlift is still present. And some of us descandants can assume what went on that days and keep that in mind.

http://www.germany.info/relaunch/politics/new/pol_lutjens2002a.html
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl-luetjens.htm
http://www.marine.de/portal/a/marine/kcxml/04_Sj9SPykssy0xPLMnMz0vM0Y_QjzKLNzKOD_R1A8mB2d5mIf qRcNGglFR9X4_83FR9b_0A_YLciHJHR0VFAMAcXxY!/delta/base64xml/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS80SVVFLzZfMjNfSzdB?yw_contentURL=%2F 02DB070000000001%2FW26TJEM4311INFODE%2Fcontent.jsp
http://www.andrewcusack.com/blog/2006/09/we_stand_by_you.php

[sladys]

King Christian VIII opened the second railway-line in Denmark between Copenhagen and Roskilde. It took 40 minutes for the trip.

To the opening the danish composer Hans Christian Lumbye, Conductor in Tivoli Amusementpark, composed the Copenhagen Raailway Gallopp:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv2Y9iZTCBI
(Lean back, close your eyes and you can see the ride for you)

The first opened on september 16th. 1844, on King Christian VIII birthday, between Hamburg-Altona and Lübeck. Altona and Lübeck was danish untill the danish defeat of the second Schleswig war.

http://www.vhm.dk/archive/Vhm_Dansk/Billeder/Billeder%20-%20Arkiv/Hjørring%20historier/Hjoerringhist-15-stor.jpg

[sladys]

You know Captain, I guess I wasn't paying attention in history class, because even though I've heard the phrases "Berlin Blockade" and "Berlin Airlift", I had no clue as to what happened and why.

Until today.

Thanks for posting. I find it fascinating and highly recommend reading the entire Wikipedia article - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Blockade#Berlin_Airlift

Here are more about the Berlin Blockade on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgqS9nfo0L8

[muertos]

...on June 30, 1908 the earth was impacted by something from space, most likely a fragment of a comet. It struck in the Siberian wilderness. Had it hit a populated area it would no doubt have been the most horrific natural disaster of all time.

You can still see the impact crater, and if you turn on Panoramio you can see some interesting photos of the area. I'd love to visit it someday, but it's so remote that few people have ever seen it.

I just thought I'd mention it, considering the 100th anniversary is coming up tomorrow. ;)

[Appletom]

Yep - it was three years ago today when Mickey made the first post on this forum.

http://www.gearthhacks.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1#post1

Congratulations Mickey! And thanks for three wonderful years. Here's to many more.

[Smoldering Ember]

The history part is true enough, Captain Hornblower, but there's an amusing linguistic detail missing from this thread. Jack Kennedy was not fluent in German (as evidenced by the story). If the facts of the story are true, that he asked his interpreter to translate the line (and I have no reason to dispute your report), then Mr. Lochner was also less than totally fluent in German because in normal speech, Germans do not use the article in front of the place name noun. A native speaker of German would have said "Ich bin Berliner."

By contrast, you or I might say "I am American" or "I am an American," but the German does not use the article.

But there is another meaning to the word Berliner that has nothing to do with a person. It refers to a type of pastry, and if one wants to order one, one would say "Ein Berliner, bitte." So in effect, what Jack Kennedy actually said was "I am a jelly donut." ;)

The whole world, of course, understood what he was attempting to say, but those of us who are language purists get a kick out of his unintended faux pas.

[sladys]

But there is another meaning to the word Berliner that has nothing to do with a person. It refers to a type of pastry, and if one wants to order one, one would say "Ein Berliner, bitte." So in effect, what Jack Kennedy actually said was "I am a jelly donut." ;)

The whole world, of course, understood what he was attempting to say, but those of us who are language purists get a kick out of his unintended faux pas.

Of cause the Captain knows that, he is german. :)

And you could read all what you wrote in your post in the Wikipedia article. :yep:

Anyway, welcome to GEH.

[Captain Hornblower]

Please read this about the "jelly doughnut legend": :yep:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ich_bin_ein_Berliner#Jelly_doughnut_urban_legend

or basically:

In fact, the opposite is true: The citizens of Berlin do refer to themselves as Berliner; what they do not refer to as Berliner are jelly doughnuts. While these are known as "Berliner" in other areas of Germany, they are simply called Pfannkuchen (pancakes) in and around Berlin. Thus the merely theoretical ambiguity went unnoticed by Kennedy's audience, as it did in Germany at large. In sum, "Ich bin ein Berliner" was the appropriate way to express in German what Kennedy meant to say.

[sladys]

The danish Governor Peter von Scholten freed slaves on the danish Virgin Islands (danish Vest Indies).

Peter von Scholten:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_von_Scholten

Danish Vest Indies:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_West_Indies

[sladys]

The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1 – July 3, 1863), fought in, and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign, was the battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War[3] and is frequently cited as the war's turning point.[4] Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac defeated attacks by Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, ending Lee's invasion of the North.

Following his success at Chancellorsville in May 1863, Lee led his army through the Shenandoah Valley for his second invasion of the North, hoping to reach as far as Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, or even Philadelphia, and to influence Northern politicians to give up their prosecution of the war. Prodded by President Abraham Lincoln, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker moved his army in pursuit, but was relieved just three days before the battle and replaced by Meade.

The two armies began to collide at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, as Lee urgently concentrated his forces there. Low ridges to the northwest of town were defended initially by a Union cavalry division, which was soon reinforced with two corps of Union infantry. However, two large Confederate corps assaulted them from the northwest and north, collapsing the hastily developed Union lines, sending the defenders retreating through the streets of town to the hills just to the south.

On the second day of battle, most of both armies had assembled. The Union line was laid out in a defensive formation resembling a fishhook. Lee launched a heavy assault on the Union left flank, and fierce fighting raged at Little Round Top, the Wheatfield, Devil's Den, and the Peach Orchard. On the Union right, demonstrations escalated into full-scale assaults on Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill. Across the battlefield, despite significant losses, the Union defenders held their lines.

On the third day of battle, July 3, fighting resumed on Culp's Hill, and cavalry battles raged to the east and south, but the main event was a dramatic infantry assault by 12,500 Confederates against the center of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge. Pickett's Charge was repulsed by Union rifle and artillery fire at great losses to the Confederate army. Lee led his army on a torturous retreat back to Virginia. Between 46,000 and 51,000 Americans were casualties in the three-day battle. That November, President Lincoln used the dedication ceremony for the Gettysburg National Cemetery to honor the fallen and redefine the purpose of the war in his historic Gettysburg Address.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gettysburg

[sladys]

The United States Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, announcing that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were no longer a part of the British Empire. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration was a document formally explaining why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. The birthday of the United States of America—Independence Day—is celebrated on July 4, the day the wording of the Declaration was approved by Congress.

Contrary to a widely held belief, Congress did not sign the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The Declaration was first published as a typeset broadside; the famous handwritten version was created after July 19, and was signed by most Congressional delegates on August 2. This copy, usually regarded as the Declaration of Independence, is now on display at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Independence_%28United_States%29

[sladys]

The Roswell Incident involved the recovery of materials near Roswell, New Mexico, USA, on July 7, 1947, which has become the subject of intense speculation, rumor and questioning. There are widely divergent views on what actually happened and passionate debate about what evidence can be believed. The United States military maintains that what was recovered was a top-secret research balloon that had crashed. Many UFO proponents believe the wreckage was of a crashed alien craft and that the military covered up the craft's recovery. The incident has turned into a widely-recognized and referred to pop culture phenomenon, and for some, Roswell is synonymous with UFOs. It ranks as one of the most publicized alleged UFO incidents.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roswell_UFO_incident

[sladys]

An earthquake caused a landslide in Crillon Inlet at the head of the bay on July 9, 1958, generating a massive mega-tsunami measuring 524 meters (~1,720 ft.) high. For comparison, the Empire State Building is 1,472 (448m) feet high including its antenna spire. The wave stripped trees and soil from the opposite headland and consumed the entire bay. There were three fishing boats anchored near the entrance of Lituya Bay on the day the giant waves occurred. One boat was sunk and the two people on board lost their lives. The other two boats were able to ride the waves. Among the survivors were William A. Swanson, and Howard G. Ulrich, who provided accounts of what they observed. By the time the wave reached the open sea, however, it dissipated quickly. This incident was the first direct evidence and eyewitness report of the existence of mega-tsunamis as a true natural disaster.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lituya_Bay

[sladys]

Telstar was the first active communications satellite (launched in 1962), and the first satellite designed to transmit telephone and high-speed data communications. Its name is used to this day for a number of television broadcasting satellites.

According to the US Space Objects Registry, Telstar 1 was still in orbit as of March 2008.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telstar

[sladys]

The Seveso disaster was an industrial accident that occurred around 12:37 pm July 10, 1976, in a small chemical manufacturing plant approximately 25 km north of Milan in the Lombardy region in Italy. It resulted in the highest known exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) in residential populations which gave rise to numerous scientific studies and standardized industrial safety regulations. The EU industrial safety regulations are known as the Seveso II Directive.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seveso_disaster

[sladys]

The War of the Worlds was an episode of the American radio drama anthology series Mercury Theatre on the Air. It was performed as a Halloween episode of the series on October 30, 1938 and aired over the Columbia Broadcasting System radio network. Directed and narrated by Orson Welles, the episode was an adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel The War of the Worlds.

The first two thirds of the 60-minute broadcast was presented as a series of simulated news bulletins, which suggested to many listeners that an actual Martian invasion was in progress. Compounding the issue was the fact that the Mercury Theatre on the Air was a 'sustaining show' (i.e., it ran without commercial breaks), thus adding to the dramatic effect. Although there were sensationalist accounts in the press about a supposed panic, careful research has shown that while thousands were frightened, there is no evidence that people fled their homes or otherwise took action. The news-bulletin format was decried as cruelly deceptive by some newspapers and public figures, leading to an outcry against the perpetrators of the broadcast, but the episode launched Welles to fame.

Welles's adaptation was one of the Radio Project's first studies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_of_the_Worlds_(radio)

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wf5TPVz56A

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUBisKB5l98

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejt_aWUrEp8

Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aYZPkHEp_s

Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wxLjcz1oE8

Part 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fFLmXZ9Lmk

Part 7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuDdAe17OL0

[sladys]

MS Hans Hedtoft was a Danish liner that struck an iceberg and sank on 30 January 1959 on her maiden voyage.

Hans Hedtoft was built at Frederikshavn. She had a double bottom and seven watertight compartments and an armoured bow and stern. She was designed to provide a year-round service between Denmark and Greenland. Like the Titanic, Hans Hedtoft had a riveted hull, a feature which was criticised by Knud Lauritzen, a shipowner. Lauritzen claimed that a riveted hull was not as resistant to ice pressure as a welded hull. Hans Hedtoft had the Code Letters and radio callsign OXKA.

Hans Hedtoft sailed from Copenhagen on her maiden voyage on 7 January 1959. Her voyage to Julianehaab, Greenland, was made in record time. Hans Hedtoft called at Nuuk, Sisimiut and Maniitsoq before returning to Julianehaab.

On 29 January, she began her return journey. The ship had 40 crew, 55 passengers and a cargo of frozen fish on board. One of her passengers was the Danish parliament (Folketing) member Augo Lynge. The next day, Hans Hedtoft collided with an iceberg about 35 miles (56 km) south of Cape Farewell. A distress call was given at 13:56 (local time) stating that the ship had hit an iceberg at 59°30′N 43°00′W / 59.5, -43. The call was answered by the USCGC Campbell, the West German trawler Johannes Krüss of Bremerhaven and another West German trawler. Within an hour, another message was sent stating that the engine room was flooded. At 15:12, it was announced that the ship was sinking. A final message was sent at 17:41 stating the ship was slowly sinking and requesting immediate assistance. Aircraft in Newfoundland were grounded by the weather and unable to assist in the search for Hans Hedtoft. The beginning of a SOS was received by Johnannes Krüss at 17:41 after which communication with Hans Hedtoft was lost. On 31 January, USCGC Campbell reported that conditions were the worst seen and there was no sign of Hans Hedtoft. The search was called off on 7 February. The only piece of wreckage ever recovered was a lifebelt which washed ashore some nine months after the ship sank. As a result of the sinking, the airfield at Narsarsuaq, Greenland, which had closed in November 1958, was reopened.

Like the Titanic, Hans Hedtoft was said to be the safest ship afloat, being described as "unsinkable" by some.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Hans_Hedtoft
http://www.hanshedtoft.dk/index.htm

The lifebelt from MS Hans Hedtoft at the church of Qaqortoq (Julianehaab)