On this day
On this day: The Vauxhall Bridge Opened
On May 26, 1906, the new Vauxhall Bridge across the Thames in London opened. This was five years later than planned, as the process had to be delayed after somebody came to the (kind-of-important) realisation that the river bed couldn't…
On this day: The Main Branch of the NY Public Library Opened
On May 23, 1911, the imposing Main Branch of the New York Public Library was opened to the public, with more than a million volumes filling the 75 miles of shelving. In addition to being one of the world's foremost…
On this day: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was Born
On May 22, 1859, the author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh. 221B Baker Street is, of course, the residence of his most famous character Sherlock Homes. The address didn't actually exist until the street was extended in…
On this day: Charles Lindbergh Completed His Trans-Atlantic Flight
On May 21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh landed at Le Bourget Field in Paris, completing the first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic and winning the $25,000 Orteig prize. Although six aviators had previously died trying to win the prize, Lindbergh…
On this day: York Minster was Damaged by Fire
On May 20, 1840, an accidental fire damaged a large part of York Minster. Just one of a number of fires which have blighted the building over the centuries, this one in particular led the Church into serious debt and…
On this day: The Celsius Thermometer was Invented
On May 19, 1743, the first Celsius mercury thermometer design was published by Jean-Pierre Christin. Only a handful of countries still doggedly hold on to the Fahrenheit scale, including the US where the World's Tallest Thermometer is found in Baker,…
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