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In 1773, American colonists led by Samuel Adams dressed as Native Americans and threw hundreds of chests of tea from three British ships into Boston Harbour. The action was taken to prevent the payment of a British tax on tea and to protest the British monopoly of the colonial tea trade authorised by the Tea Act. In retaliation, Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts, which further united the colonies against the British. What American founding father called for the cost of the tea to be repaid? More...
Historic Trivia pick - Tibbles
THE CAT WHO WIPED OUT AN ENTIRE SPECIES
Felines are famous for their skill at eradicating mice, rats, and birds. But no cat in the history of civilization can match the unbridled bloodlust displayed by a humble lighthouse keeper's pet named Tibbles. He's become famous - or rather, infamous - in the annals of science as the only animal to have wiped out an entire species by itself.
The unlucky species in question was the Stephens Island wren. By all accounts, it was as unusual as it was harmless. Because there were originally no mice in the corner of the world where it evolved, the wren adapted to fill that ecological niche. It lost the ability to fly, shrank to roughly the size of a rodent, and spent its days running at top speed through the underbrush. But though it couldn't fly, the wren retained the ability to sing.
At one time this fragile, musical, mouselike bird called all of New Zealand home. But when South Pacific islanders arrived, they brought stowaway rats on their ships - rats that quickly invaded the local ecosystem. The wrens, completely helpless against the sudden onslaught of such a powerful and ruthless predator, were quickly exterminated.
Their last rat-free redoubt was Stephens Island, a roughly one-square-mile split of rock off New Zealand's northern coast.
That's how matters stood until 1894, when a lighthouse was established there. Its keeper, David Lyall, brought along his cat, Tibbles, for company. One can only imagine the feline's delight at finding the island overrun with bite-sized, flightless birds. Not surprisingly, Tibbles got straight to work, attacking the little creatures wherever he found them.
Tibbles alerted his owner to his new hobby by hauling more than a dozen of his victims back to the lighthouse, all of them dead or nearly so. Lyall kept several, which because of their strangeness found their way into the hands of ornithologists.
In 1895 the little animal was unveiled to the scientific world and given the Latin name Xenicus Iyalli. Then, almost in the same breath, it was declared extinct.
The ecological destruction inaugurated by a pack of rats was, ironically, completed by a lone cat. It never occurred to the lighthouse keeper, or anyone else, that given the unique (and uniquely fragile) nature of the Stephens Island fauna, it might have been a good idea to make Tibbles an indoor cat.
Massachusetts Colonists Protest Tax with the Boston Tea Party
1789 engraving of the destruction of the tea
In 1773, American colonists led by Samuel Adams dressed as Native Americans and threw hundreds of chests of tea from three British ships into Boston Harbour. The action was taken to prevent the payment of a British tax on tea and to protest the British monopoly of the colonial tea trade authorised by the Tea Act. In retaliation, Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts, which further united the colonies against the British. What American founding father called for the cost of the tea to be repaid? More...
- 2010 - Last episode of Larry King Live aired
After 25 years of being on TV, the last episode of Larry King Live, one of CNN's most watched TV program was aired. While the official end date for the talk show was December 16, an episode on cancer was aired two days later on December 18. It was replaced by Piers Morgan Tonight. - 1991 - Kazakhstan independence
The Central Asian country was the last Soviet republic to declare its independence. - 1971 - End of Indo-Pakistani War
The third major conflict between the two countries was fought because of India's support of Bangladesh's War of Liberation. The war ended only after 13 days and with the creation of the independent state of Bangladesh. - 1707 - Last eruption of Mount Fuji
The highest volcano in Japan erupted for the last time in what is known as the Hōei Eruption. The eruption lasted for 17 days.
Historic Trivia pick - TibblesTHE CAT WHO WIPED OUT AN ENTIRE SPECIES
Felines are famous for their skill at eradicating mice, rats, and birds. But no cat in the history of civilization can match the unbridled bloodlust displayed by a humble lighthouse keeper's pet named Tibbles. He's become famous - or rather, infamous - in the annals of science as the only animal to have wiped out an entire species by itself.
The unlucky species in question was the Stephens Island wren. By all accounts, it was as unusual as it was harmless. Because there were originally no mice in the corner of the world where it evolved, the wren adapted to fill that ecological niche. It lost the ability to fly, shrank to roughly the size of a rodent, and spent its days running at top speed through the underbrush. But though it couldn't fly, the wren retained the ability to sing.
At one time this fragile, musical, mouselike bird called all of New Zealand home. But when South Pacific islanders arrived, they brought stowaway rats on their ships - rats that quickly invaded the local ecosystem. The wrens, completely helpless against the sudden onslaught of such a powerful and ruthless predator, were quickly exterminated.
Their last rat-free redoubt was Stephens Island, a roughly one-square-mile split of rock off New Zealand's northern coast.
That's how matters stood until 1894, when a lighthouse was established there. Its keeper, David Lyall, brought along his cat, Tibbles, for company. One can only imagine the feline's delight at finding the island overrun with bite-sized, flightless birds. Not surprisingly, Tibbles got straight to work, attacking the little creatures wherever he found them.
Tibbles alerted his owner to his new hobby by hauling more than a dozen of his victims back to the lighthouse, all of them dead or nearly so. Lyall kept several, which because of their strangeness found their way into the hands of ornithologists.
In 1895 the little animal was unveiled to the scientific world and given the Latin name Xenicus Iyalli. Then, almost in the same breath, it was declared extinct.
The ecological destruction inaugurated by a pack of rats was, ironically, completed by a lone cat. It never occurred to the lighthouse keeper, or anyone else, that given the unique (and uniquely fragile) nature of the Stephens Island fauna, it might have been a good idea to make Tibbles an indoor cat.
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61-BLUES
