Never one to let a good idea go to waste¹, I would like to reintroduce to
h2g2 'On This Day In
History', slightly tweaked into a new,
shiny format. The lovely Italix had the presence of
mind to drop a number of pages where people could
leave their fun-filled facts. Why not pop over and
drop a suggestion. It may well find its way onto the
page!

26^th June

• 1097
  
  The armies of the First Crusade (1096-99) occupied the
  ancient Byzantine city of Nicea. Nicea was essential
  in the plan of the Crusaders, as it was the key to
  access the main land route through Asia Minor to
  Syria. The city came under siege on the 21st May 1097
  and fell just over a month later. It was the first
  major victory of the Crusades.
  

• 1824
  
  Birth date of William Thomson, Lord Kelvin. The British
  scientist of temperature fame, amongst a number of
  other achievements, was born in Belfast, Ireland.
  
  Munchkin

• 1960
  
  British Somaliland (now Somalia) gains independence
  from Britain and Madagascar gains independence from
  France.
  

• 1963
  
  John F Kennedy visits West Berlin and makes the fine
  Ich bin ein Berliner speech. Despite the
  trouble with the jam doughnut, a number of sources
  feel that what he said was accurate and meant I am
  a citizen of Berlin.
  

• 1974
  
  Liz Taylor divorces Richard Burton for the first time,
  her fifth divorce. They remarried in 1975 and divorced
  again in 1976.
  

27^th June

• 1693
  
  The first woman's magazine is published The Ladies'
  Mercury by John Dunton in London. It promised to
  answer 'all the most nice and curious questions
  concerning love, marriage, behaviour, dress, and
  humour of the female sex, whether virgins, wives, or
  widows.'
  

• 1880
  
  Birth date of Helen Keller. Although blind and deaf,
  Keller graduated from Radcliffe College with honours,
  becoming an author and educator. She was made famous
  to this generation by the film The Miracle
  Worker.
  
  Jimi X

• 1960
  
  RB Woodward manages to synthesise the molecule
  Chlorophyll "A" at Cambridge, using man-made materials
  only.
  

• 1985
  
  23-year-old Anne White creates a storm at Wimbledon by
  wearing a white, all-body Lycra unitard.
  

• jbliqemp...
• Khetil

28^th June

• 1491
  
  Birth date of Henry VIII of England (1509-47). Second
  son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. Henry's reign
  is most known for his six marriages. He married
  Katherine of Aragon in 1509 (divorced), Anne Boleyn in
  1533 (executed), Jane Seymour in 1536 (died after
  childbirth), Anne of Cleves in 1540 (divorced), Catherine
  Howard in 1540 (executed) and Katherine Parr in 1543
  (survived).
  

• 1820
  
  North Americans believed that tomatoes were poisonous
  until this day, when Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson
  disproved that myth during a public demonstration on
  the courthouse steps in Salem, NJ. After the poison
  myth was dispelled, the French came to believe that
  the tomato was an aphrodisiac.
  

• 1969
  
  The Stonewall riots began after police raided a New
  York gay bar. They continued until July 1st and are
  regarded as the beginning of the gay, lesbian and
  bisexual rights movement. The surprisingly
  establishment UK lobbying group Stonewall takes its
  name from the riots.
  
  Alex Wilcock

• TowelMaster
• March Hare
• Meechum

29^th June

• 1613
  
  The Shakespearean Globe Theatre burns down
  accidentally during a performance of Henry VIII. The
  playhouse is rebuilt immediately on the original
  foundations. Second time round, the roof is tiled
  rather than thatched. During the rebuilding,
  Shakespeare retires to Stratford-upon-Avon.
  

• 1916
  
  William E Boeing test-flies his first built aeroplane,
  the 'B&W' trainer.
  

• 1964
  
  First draft of Star Trek's pilot "The Cage" released.
  Although not initially aired, the pilot must have done
  well as they are still making episodes of spin-offs!
  

• Gedge

30^th June

• 1934
  
  The Night of the Long Knives. The SA leadership and
  others who had angered Hitler were purged from Nazi
  Germany by the SS, led by Himmler. This not only
  removed the rival agency, it also made the army swear
  allegiance to Hitler. It was a way of overcoming the
  fact that Hitler was 'only' a Corporal to many of the
  army hierarchy.
  
  Mr. Legion

• 1982
  
  An extra leap second was added to the end of the day
  to bring the clock into alignment with solar time. It
  was the eleventh adjustment since 1972.
  MrCoulomb

• 1997
  
  After one hundred years, Hong Kong was handed back to
  China by Great Britain. The original treaty was signed
  on June 11 1898, for Hong Kong's New Territories.
  
  Alex Wilcock

• Blue
• Mr. Legion

1^st July

• 1934
  
  The Hays Code was enforced, marking the beginning of
  serious censorship of US cinema. The code set a
  standard that all major motion pictures would follow
  for 20 years.
  Alex Wilcock

• 1945
  
  Birth date of punk/pop superstar Deborah Harry who was
  born in Florida. She went onto major success with the
  band Blondie.
  Alex Wilcock

• 1967
  
  BBC2 began the first regular UK colour TV
  transmissions. It took until 1969 before BBC1 and ITV
  began broadcasting in colour.
  Alex Wilcock

• 1990
  
  German Democratic Republic accepts the Deutsche Mark
  as its currency.
  

• Gwennie
• Moe H LyBojn

2^nd July

• 1566
  
  Death of Nostradamus. The French astrologer, physician
  and prophet died in Salon after visiting King Charles
  IX. And yes, he did prophesise his own death.
  

• 1752
  
  The first Bible in America printed in English was
  published in Boston.
  

• 1985
  
  European Space Agency launches Giotto to Halley's
  Comet. One of the prime goals of the mission was to
  detect and observe the nucleus of the comet.
  

• billypilgrim

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