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Post by SAR01 on Jan 1, 2018 17:43:17 GMT -5
We have entered the month sacred to Janus, the two-faced Roman divinity who symbolizes endings and beginnings. Speaking of Romans, it was on this date in 404 AD that the last gladiator battle was fought in Rome. Nietzsche was said to suffer a nervous breakdown after seeing a horse whipped by a cab driver (1889), and Sonny & Cher were banned from the Tournament of Roses for supporting Sunset Strip rioters (1967).
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Post by SAR01 on Jan 3, 2018 13:27:22 GMT -5
On this date in 1860, the discovery of the planet Vulcan was announced at a meeting of the Académie des Sciences in Paris. Mathematician Urbain Le Verrier believed Vulcan orbited between Mercury and the sun. Doubts about its existence began to surface almost immediately after Le Verrier's proclamation.
British Egyptologist Howard Carter uncovered the stone sarcophagus of King Tutankhamen on this day in 1924, near Luxor, Egypt. Inside the sarcophagus was a solid gold coffin containing the mummy of the boy-king, preserved for over 3,000 years.
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Post by SAR01 on Jan 5, 2018 19:22:47 GMT -5
Today in Strangeness:
On this date in 1709, a sudden extreme cold killed thousands in Europe. A replica of the miraculous 11-inch Mexican statue, the Holy Infant of Good Health, was given to Pope John XXIII (1959), and Eris , the largest known dwarf planet in the solar system (27% more massive than Pluto) was officially identified in 2005.
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Post by SAR01 on Jan 11, 2018 21:07:35 GMT -5
Today in Strangeness:
Snowfall was recorded for the first time on this date in Los Angeles in 1949. William Herschel discovered Titania and Oberon, two moons of Uranus, on this day in 1787.
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Post by SAR01 on Jan 12, 2018 15:16:33 GMT -5
On this day in 1967, Dr. James Bedford became the first person cryonically frozen following his death. He was placed in a specialized type of vacuum flask, and received the procedure at no cost. The Life Extension Society made the free offer to the first person to try out the process.
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Post by SAR01 on Jan 13, 2018 19:39:42 GMT -5
On this day in 1128, the military order Knights Templar was granted a papal sanction, declared to be an army of God by Pope Honorius II. This is also the 50th anniversary of Johnny Cash's legendary performance at Folsom Prison.
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Post by SAR01 on Jan 15, 2018 12:32:15 GMT -5
The Great Boston Molasses Flood occurred on this day in 1919. A large tank burst and 2.3 million gallons of molasses barreled out in a 30 ft. leaving 21 dead and 150 injured. Some residents claim that on a hot summer day the area still smells of molasses.
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Post by SAR01 on Jan 16, 2018 13:25:24 GMT -5
Today in Strangeness:
On this date in 1362, a great storm tide in the North Sea destroyed the German city of Rungholt on the island of Strand. Prohibition of alcoholic beverages began in the United States on Jan. 16, 1919 and lasted till 1933. Whiskey, which could be obtained by medical prescription, was sold through pharmacies. A million gallons of booze per year was consumed this way.
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Post by SAR01 on Jan 17, 2018 12:47:44 GMT -5
On this date in 1961, in his farewell speech to the American public, President Eisenhower sounded an ominous note, warning of a vast 'military-industrial complex.' Dying on this day were the famous Siamese twins, Chang & Eng (1874), and convicted killer, Gary Gilmore, shot by a firing squad (1977).
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Post by SAR01 on Jan 18, 2018 12:06:29 GMT -5
This date in 1644 brought what has been called America's first UFO sighting-- the witnesses were some stunned pilgrims in Boston, who saw two lights arise out of the water. The US banned sales of pre-sliced bread for the duration of WWII on January 18, 1943.
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Post by SAR01 on Jan 20, 2018 12:20:44 GMT -5
In Italy, on this day in 1891, a luminous object or meteor was seen, accompanied by a fall of stones from the sky and an earthquake. In 1949, J. Edgar Hoover gave Shirley Temple a tear gas fountain pen.
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Post by SAR01 on Jan 22, 2018 18:34:21 GMT -5
t was on this date in 1881 that the ancient Egyptian obelisk known as Cleopatra's Needle was erected in NYC's Central Park. Amsterdam's Schipol Airport opened a departure lounge for cattle on January 22, 1988.
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Post by SAR01 on Jan 23, 2018 19:23:05 GMT -5
It was on this day in 1957 that Wham-O produced the first Frisbees . The name was derived from students throwing around empty pie tins from the Frisbie Pie Company. The first version of the Frisbee was marketed as the Pluto Platter to cash in on the public craze over space and UFOs. Speaking of Pluto, Clyde Tombaugh first photographed the tiny ex-planet on today's date in 1930.
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Post by SAR01 on Jan 24, 2018 13:24:47 GMT -5
Today in Strangeness:
It was on this day in 1925 that a moving picture of the solar eclipse was taken from a dirigible over Long Island. This date also saw the murder of Caligula (41 AD), Ted Bundy's execution in 'Old Sparky,' the Florida electric chair ('89), and the passing of L. Ron Hubbard ('86).
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Post by SAR01 on Jan 25, 2018 15:16:43 GMT -5
n emulation of the Jules Verne's character Phileas Fogg, intrepid journalist Nellie Bly completed her 72-day trip around the world, on this day in 1890. Her journey began on a ship, but later included a horse, rickshaw, sampan, burro and other methods of transport.
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