Hong Kong culls poultry to prevent H1N1 spread, Wounded Knee massacre kills over 150 Sioux, Emma Snodgrass arrested for wearing pants, German Luftwaffe bombs London, first telegraph ticker used, Archbishop Thomas Becket assassinated, first transistor hearing aid launched, Sun Yat-Sen comes to power, first gas light used in White House, modern bowling ball invented.
Hong Kong has started killing all poultry to prevent the spread of H1N1. (1997) Several million birds were killed in the following days, but bird flu continued to increase and caused many deaths.
The Wounded Knee massacre happened. (1890) US soldiers killed over 150 Sioux, many of whom were women and children. It was the last major battle in the Plains Wars. The site of the massacre was later designated a National Historic Landmark and features in the literary classic Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.
Emma Snodgrass was arrested for wearing pants. (1852) Boston police arrested Snodgrass several times for wearing men’s clothing in public, and she was repeatedly mocked in the newspapers. Her snodgrass said she liked wearing men’s clothes because they were more comfortable and she felt the laws prohibiting her from doing so were unconstitutional.
The German Luftwaffe bombs London. (1940) Considered the nadir of the Blitz, it was one of the worst air raids of WWII. It caused the second major fire in London, although luckily most of the city was saved.
The first telegraph ticker was used in a warehouse. (1867) Groesbeck and Co. of New York, were the first to use the iconic stock house telegraph ticker. It was the first time remote stock trading could be done in real time and remained common until the 1970s.
Archbishop Thomas Becket was assassinated in Canterbury Cathedral. (1170) Becket had refused to support the king’s efforts to separate church and state. Four of King Henry II’s knights killed Becket before the altar in Canterbury Cathedral after Henry II expressed his frustration with Becket to them. Henry II was forced to walk to Becket’s grave while being whipped by eighty monks in penance for his death.
The first transistor hearing aid was launched on the market. (1952) This hearing aid was also the first commercial product to use transistors, invented just 5 years earlier. It was bigger than a deck of cards and had little headphones that plugged into your ears. However, it was a vast improvement over the hearing aids of the time and paved the way for behind-the-ear and ear canal hearing aids.
Sun Yat-Sen, the founder of the Republic of China, came to power. (1911) Dr. Sun was the first elected leader in China, although he served for only four months before giving the presidency to Yuan Shikai. Although he was not a proponent of communism, Sun’s political changes laid the groundwork for later leaders Chiang Kai-Shek and Mao Zedong.
The first gas light was used in the White House. (1848) President James Polk was the first to enjoy gaslighting in the White House, although it had been used sporadically throughout the country since 1816. Incidentally, Polk was also the first president to have his speech telegraphed inauguration, and the first president to be photographed.
The modern bowling ball is said to have been invented. (1862) Although people have been playing versions of bowling since ancient Egyptian times, the modern three-hole bowling ball was not invented until the mid-1800s. The earliest versions of the modern bowling ball were made of wood and the game was considered somewhat scandalous. Bowling was effectively banned in several cities due to the accompanying heavy gambling.
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