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166: The Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London started on this date in 1666. Here are some things you may not have known about the fire. It started in the bakery of Thomas Farriner in Pudding Lane. The family managed to escape the fire by climbing to the house next door. At the time, the common method of…
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165: Discovery of the Wreck of the Titanic
30 years ago today, a joint American and French expedition discovered the wreck of the RMS Titanic on the floor of the North Atlantic Ocean. Here are a few things you may not have known about the discovery. Soon after the vessel sank in 1912, schemes to find and or raise the wreck were hatched…
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164: Oslo Becomes Capital of Norway
On this date in the year 1314, the city of Oslo became the capital of Norway. Here are some things you may not have known about the city. Oslo traces its history to about 1000 AD with the building of St. Clement’s Church. King Hakkon the Fifth moved the capital of Norway from Bergen on…
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163: Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech
On this date in 1963, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of the most iconic speeches of the last century on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. Here are some things you may not have known about the “I Have a Dream” speech: The full name of the event…
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162: Pennsylvania Oil Rush of 1859
On this date in 1859, the first large-scale oil well began operating in Titusville, Pennsylvania. Here are some things you may not have known about the early days of oil. Oil naturally seeps from the ground in large parts of western Pennsylvania. Native Americans had used the oil for centuries as an insect repellant, and…
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161: Eruption of Krakatoa
Today marks the 132nd anniversary of the beginning of the eruption of Krakatoa in what is now Indonesia. Here are some things you may not have known about the eruption: The island of Krakatoa is located in the Sunda Strait between the islands of Java and Sumatra. Krakatoa is located at the subduction zone of…
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160: Sean Connery’s 85th Birthday
Today is the 85th birthday of actor Sean Connery. Here are some things you may not have known about him: Connery was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. His father was a truck driver and his mother was a cleaning woman. He began bodybuilding at the age of 18 and according to his official website he finished…
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159: Earhart, Webb Make Historic Crossings
August 24 is the anniversary of two historic crossings. In 1875, Matthew Webb became the first person to swim across the English Channel, while in 1932 Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly non-stop across the United States. Here are a few facts about both that you might not have known. At the age…
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W5 — Week in Review quiz: Aug. 17-21
[QTL-Quiz id=4]
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158: “Please Mr. Postman” goes to No. 1 for Motown
Today is the 54th anniversary of the first No. 1 hit for Motown Records, “Please Mr. Postman” by the Marvelettes. Here are some things you may not have known about Motown and the Marvelettes. Motown was founded by Barry Gordy in 1959 in Detroit and was originally known as Tamla Records. The first release was…