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On February 6, 1952, after a long illness, King George VI of Great Britain and Northern Ireland dies in his sleep at the royal estate at Sandringham. Princess Elizabeth, the oldest of the king’s two daughters and next in line to succeed him, was in Kenya at the time of her father’s death; she was crowned Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953, at age 27. On February 6, 1952, after a long illness, King George VI of Great Britain and Northern Ireland dies in his sleep at the royal estate at Sandringham. Princess Elizabeth, the oldest of the king’s two daughters and next in line to succeed him, was in Kenya at the time of her father’s death; she was crowned Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953, at age 27. More...
1996 - The crash of a Boeing 757 aircraft leaves no survivors
Birgenair Flight 301 was the worst accident involving this type of aircraft.
1989 - The Round Table Talks start in Poland
The negotiations between the Polish government and the trade union Solidarność, or Solidarity in English, marked the beginning of the end of communism in Eastern Europe.
1959 - The first microchip is patented
For his invention of the integrated circuit, Jack Kilby was awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics.
1840 - New Zealand becomes a British colony
While the Treaty of Waitangi is generally celebrated as the country's founding document, many Māori claim they were deceived and unwittingly stripped of their right to govern the country.
Historic Trivia pick - THE ANGELS OF MONS
In August 1914, World War I was just getting started. The Germans were preparing to invade France, but they first had to get through the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). While vastly outnumbered, the Brits had more experience, and they met the Germans at Mons, Belgium. The BEF managed to stall the Germans for a bit, but unfortunately, they were forced to retreat.
Well, that's one story, anyway. According to some people, Mons was actually a British victory. When the going got tough, a band of angels descended from the heavens and decimated the Germans. This Old Testament tale spread across England, courtesy of books, newspapers, and churches. Many of the English faithful sincerely believed otherworldly beings had shown up at Mons with flaming swords, so how did this celestial story get started?
BS journalism, that's how. Weeks after the battle, a fiction writer named Arthur Machen penned a short story called "The Bowmen." In this alt-history tale, ghostly medieval archers appear at Mons to help fight the Germans. The story was published in The Evening News and, while it was clearly made-up, "The Bowmen" sowed the seeds for what happened next. In April 1915, a story called "A Troop of Angels" was published in numerous newspapers and magazines. In the article, two unnamed soldiers reported seeing angels on the battlefield. Things were further confused when The Occult Review published a false story asserting every soldier at Mons had seen divine beings. Then in 1931, Brigadier-General John Charteris published letters he'd written during the war — one mentioned the angels, but historians believe that letter was forged after the battle, for propaganda purposes.
It really seems like "The Bowmen" stirred up a few overactive imaginations, and while the story grew more elaborate over the years, it all got started with a silly short story.
King George VI dies; Elizabeth becomes queen
On February 6, 1952, after a long illness, King George VI of Great Britain and Northern Ireland dies in his sleep at the royal estate at Sandringham. Princess Elizabeth, the oldest of the king’s two daughters and next in line to succeed him, was in Kenya at the time of her father’s death; she was crowned Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953, at age 27. On February 6, 1952, after a long illness, King George VI of Great Britain and Northern Ireland dies in his sleep at the royal estate at Sandringham. Princess Elizabeth, the oldest of the king’s two daughters and next in line to succeed him, was in Kenya at the time of her father’s death; she was crowned Queen Elizabeth II on June 2, 1953, at age 27. More...
1996 - The crash of a Boeing 757 aircraft leaves no survivors
Birgenair Flight 301 was the worst accident involving this type of aircraft.
1989 - The Round Table Talks start in Poland
The negotiations between the Polish government and the trade union Solidarność, or Solidarity in English, marked the beginning of the end of communism in Eastern Europe.
1959 - The first microchip is patented
For his invention of the integrated circuit, Jack Kilby was awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics.
1840 - New Zealand becomes a British colony
While the Treaty of Waitangi is generally celebrated as the country's founding document, many Māori claim they were deceived and unwittingly stripped of their right to govern the country.
Historic Trivia pick - THE ANGELS OF MONSIn August 1914, World War I was just getting started. The Germans were preparing to invade France, but they first had to get through the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). While vastly outnumbered, the Brits had more experience, and they met the Germans at Mons, Belgium. The BEF managed to stall the Germans for a bit, but unfortunately, they were forced to retreat.
Well, that's one story, anyway. According to some people, Mons was actually a British victory. When the going got tough, a band of angels descended from the heavens and decimated the Germans. This Old Testament tale spread across England, courtesy of books, newspapers, and churches. Many of the English faithful sincerely believed otherworldly beings had shown up at Mons with flaming swords, so how did this celestial story get started?
BS journalism, that's how. Weeks after the battle, a fiction writer named Arthur Machen penned a short story called "The Bowmen." In this alt-history tale, ghostly medieval archers appear at Mons to help fight the Germans. The story was published in The Evening News and, while it was clearly made-up, "The Bowmen" sowed the seeds for what happened next. In April 1915, a story called "A Troop of Angels" was published in numerous newspapers and magazines. In the article, two unnamed soldiers reported seeing angels on the battlefield. Things were further confused when The Occult Review published a false story asserting every soldier at Mons had seen divine beings. Then in 1931, Brigadier-General John Charteris published letters he'd written during the war — one mentioned the angels, but historians believe that letter was forged after the battle, for propaganda purposes.
It really seems like "The Bowmen" stirred up a few overactive imaginations, and while the story grew more elaborate over the years, it all got started with a silly short story.
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61-BLUES
