The Electric Speakeasy

1924 - Democrats offered Mrs. Leroy Springs for vice presidential nomination. She was the first woman considered for the job. I like this. 1929 - Scientists at Bell Laboratories in New York revealed a system for transmitting television pictures. This was a mechanical, color television system. Damn ...

1542 - Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo sets sail from the Mexican port of Navidad to explore the west coast of North America on behalf of the Spanish Empire. 1693 - "The Ladies' Mercury" was published by John Dunton in London. It was the first women's magazine and contained a "question and answer" column th...

363 - Roman Emperor Julian is killed during retreat from the Sassanid Empire. General Jovian is proclaimed Emperor by troops on the battlefield. 1096 - Peter the Hermit's crusaders forced their way across Sava, Hungary. 1243 - The Seljuk Turkish army in Asia Minor was wiped out by the Mongols. 1483 ...

1970 - The U.S. Federal Communications Commission handed down a ruling (35 FR 7732), making it illegal for radio stations to put telephone calls on the air without the permission of the person being called. Whenever I see rulings or laws like this I always think "there's a story there". No doubt. I...

841 - Charles the Bald and Louis the German defeated Lothar at Fontenay. This battle more or less ended the three year Carolingian Civil War. 1080 - At Brixen, a council of bishops declared Pope Gregory to be deposed and Archbishop Guibert as antipope Clement III. 1678 - Venetian Elena Cornaro Pisco...

The Dyatlov Pass Incident Anyone? This is a particularly eerie mystery in Russian history. In 1959 nine experienced hikers died on the mountain of inexplicable causes. The frozen bodies of a nine-member ski-hiking expedition that had gone missing weeks weeks before in northern Urals of the Soviet Un...

1314 - Scottish forces led by Robert the Bruce won over Edward II of England at the Battle of Bannockburn in Scotland. 1497 - Italian explorer John Cabot, sailing in the service of England, landed in North America on what is now Newfoundland. Cabot claimed the land of what is now Eastern Canada in t...

930 - World's oldest, continuously functioning, representative body, the Icelandic Parliament, the Alþingi, anglicized as Althing is established. Note that "Continuously functioning" is a bit generous due to some periods of inactivity due to various reasons. 1683 - William Penn signed a friendship t...

1558 - The French took the French town of Thioville from the English. 1611 - English explorer Henry Hudson, his son and several other people were set adrift in present-day Hudson Bay by mutineers. 1633 - Galileo Galilei forced to recant his Copernican views that the Earth orbits the Sun by the Pope....

1788 - The U.S. Constitution went into effect when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it. Yay! 1854 - First Victoria Cross is awarded for action during bombardment of Bomarsund in the Aland Islands (Crimean War). 20 year old Charles David Lucas was serving on HMS Hecla taking part in th...