History, anything goes, including pictures

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18 March 1850 – American Express is founded by Henry Wells and William Fargo.

American Express was founded as an express mail business on 18 March 1850 in Buffalo, New York, U.S. It commenced as a joint stock corporation by the merger of the express companies owned by Henry Wells (Wells & Company), William G. Fargo (Livingston, Fargo & Company), and John Warren Butterfield (Wells, Butterfield & Company).

Sometime between 1888 and 1890, J. C. Fargo took a trip to Europe and returned frustrated and infuriated. Despite the fact that he was president of American Express and that he carried with him traditional letters of credit, he found it difficult to obtain cash anywhere except in major cities. Fargo went to Marcellus Flemming Berry and asked him to create a better solution than the letter of credit. As a result, Berry introduced the American Express Traveler's Cheque which was launched in 1891 in denominations of $10, $20, $50, and $100. Traveler's cheques established American Express as a truly international company.

 

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18 March 1965 – Cosmonaut Alexey Leonov, leaving his spacecraft Voskhod 2 for 12 minutes, becomes the first person to walk in space.

Alexey Arkhipovich Leonov (born 30 May 1934) is a retired Soviet/Russian cosmonaut, Air Force Major general, writer and artist. On 18 March 1965, he became the first human to walk in space, exiting the capsule during the Voskhod 2 mission for a 12-minute spacewalk.

Alexey Leonov on the first spacewalk.

 

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19 March 1813 – David Livingstone, Scottish missionary and explorer is born.

David Livingstone (19 March 1813 – 1 May 1873) was a Scottish Christian Congregationalist, pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society, an explorer in Africa, and one of the most popular British heroes of the late 19th-century in the Victorian era. His fame as an explorer and his obsession with learning the sources of the Nile River was founded on the belief that if he could solve that age-old mystery, his fame would give him the influence to end the East African Arab-Swahili slave trade. "The Nile sources," he told a friend, "are valuable only as a means of opening my mouth with power among men. It is this power which I hope to remedy an immense evil."
Livingstone preaching the gospel to unconverted Africans. Like other missionaries of the era he had a low success rate and is credited with a single conversion. 1940 Image of a drawing portraying the meeting of David Livingstone and the journalist Henry Morton Stanley in 1871, circa 1875.

His subsequent exploration of the central African watershed was the culmination of the classic period of European geographical discovery and colonial penetration of Africa. His meeting with Henry Morton Stanley on 10 November 1871 gave rise to the popular, but anachronistic, quotation "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"

 

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19 March 1790 – The HMS Sirius is wrecked and destroyed on a reef while transporting supplies to Norfolk Island.

The melancholy loss of HMS Sirius off Norfolk Island 19 March 1790. George Raper. National Library of Australia.

The loss of the Sirius destroyed many of the supplies in the new colony of New South Wales in Australia and the colonial Governor Phillip was again forced to introduce rationing to avoid famine in the colony.

 

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19 March 1932 – The Sydney Harbour Bridge is opened to traffic.

The bridge was formally opened on Saturday, 19 March 1932. Amongst those who attended and gave speeches were the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Philip Game, and the Minister for Public Works, Lawrence Ennis. The Premier of New South Wales, Jack Lang, was to open the bridge by cutting a ribbon at its southern end. However, just as Lang was about to cut the ribbon, a man in military uniform rode up on a horse, slashing the ribbon with his sword and opening the Sydney Harbour Bridge in the name of the people of New South Wales before the official ceremony began. He was promptly arrested and found to be Francis de Groot.
Francis de Groot declares the bridge open.

The ribbon was hurriedly retied and Lang duly performed the official opening ceremony. After the official ceremonies, the public was allowed to walk across the bridge on the deck, something that would not be repeated until the 50th anniversary celebrations.

Estimates suggest that between 300,000 and one million people took part in the opening festivities, a phenomenal number given that the entire population of Sydney at the time was estimated to be 1,256,000.

Videos: 1. Sydney Bridge Opened. 2. Sydney's Harbour Bridge … construction. Screen Australia.

 

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Mass suicide in China

19th March 1644

This day in history...Over 200 members of the Peking imperial family and court commit suicide in loyalty to the Emperor

As extreme as that sounds in this day and age, the mass suicides in China were out of respect and loyalty and was pretty much expected at the time. To be exact, the figure of those who committed suicide on this day is closer to 900 people, and that's excluding the thousands of Eunuch's who died fighting and defending the Palace from rebels. Eunuchs, by the way, are men who have been castrated, typically before puberty, in beliefs that they might perform specific social functions. Eunuchs were seen as asexual and trustworthy as the inability to have children prevented them from having children, thus would not be tempted to seize power. Anyway, on to the history behind this event.

 

[Pappy]

 

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Orson Welles explaining to journalists that he had not intended to cause panic with his 'War of the Worlds' broadcast. 1938

 

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March 20 1933
Dachau the first Nazi concentration camp, is completed



Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp in Germany, established in March 1933, slightly more than five weeks after Adolf Hitler became chancellor. Built at the edge of the town of Dachau, about 12 miles (16 km) north of Munich, it became the model and training centre for all other SS-organized camps

 

[RnR]

20 March 1922 – The USS Langley is commissioned as the first United States Navy aircraft carrier.

USS Langley was the United States Navy's first aircraft carrier, converted in 1920 from the collier USS Jupiter. She recommissioned on 20 March 1922 with Commander Kenneth Whiting in command. The era of the aircraft carrier was born introducing into the navy what was to become the vanguard of its forces in the future. By 15 January 1923, Langley had begun flight operations and tests in the Caribbean Sea for carrier landings. She departed for the west coast late in the year and arrived in San Diego, California on 29 November to join the Pacific Battle Fleet.

Langley being converted from a collier to an aircraft carrier at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in 1921. USS Langley underway, 1927.

In 1927, Langley was attached at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. For the next 12 years, she operated off the California coast and Hawaii engaged in training fleet units, experimentation, pilot training, and tactical-fleet problems. On 27 February 1942, she was attacked by nine twin-engine Japanese bombers of the Japanese 21st and 23rd Naval Air Flotillas and so badly damaged that she had to be scuttled by her escorts.

 

[RnR]

March 20 1933
Dachau the first Nazi concentration camp, is completed

View attachment 155533

Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp in Germany, established in March 1933, slightly more than five weeks after Adolf Hitler became chancellor. Built at the edge of the town of Dachau, about 12 miles (16 km) north of Munich, it became the model and training centre for all other SS-organized camps

What an awful place.

The Dachau camp system grew to include nearly 100 sub-camps, which were mostly work camps located throughout southern Germany and Austria. Prisoners lived in constant fear of brutal treatment and terror detention including standing cells, floggings, the so-called tree or pole hanging, and standing at attention for extremely long periods. There were 32,000 documented deaths at the camp, and thousands that are undocumented. The main camp was liberated by U.S. forces on 29 April 1945. Approximately 10,000 of the 30,000 prisoners were sick at the time of liberation.

 

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Police officer wearing a face mask during the London smog in 1952

 

[Pappy]

1960. Annette Funacello and her new Cadillac.

 

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March 21 1617 Pocahontas dies

Full Name: Matoaka
Profession: American Indian Princess


……………..Soon, Thomas Rolfe was born and the Virginia Company decided to bring Pocahontas and her son to London to show off their success. They arrived in late spring 1616, and she was presented as visiting royalty. Pocahontas was received at the Royal Court and in an elaborate ceremony by the Bishop of London. But the rapidly growing city of London was badly polluted — both its air and water. As the visiting party was moving down the Thames River to begin their homeward voyage, Pocahontas became very sick and they went ashore at Gravesend. She died and was buried there in March 1617, age 20. Baby Thomas was also sickly and John left him to be brought up by his brother in Norfolk, for fear he would not survive the long ocean voyage.............

https://time.com/5548379/pocahontas-real-meaning/

 

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View attachment 155695
March 21 1617 Pocahontas dies

Full Name: Matoaka
Profession: American Indian Princess


……………..Soon, Thomas Rolfe was born and the Virginia Company decided to bring Pocahontas and her son to London to show off their success. They arrived in late spring 1616, and she was presented as visiting royalty. Pocahontas was received at the Royal Court and in an elaborate ceremony by the Bishop of London. But the rapidly growing city of London was badly polluted — both its air and water. As the visiting party was moving down the Thames River to begin their homeward voyage, Pocahontas became very sick and they went ashore at Gravesend. She died and was buried there in March 1617, age 20. Baby Thomas was also sickly and John left him to be brought up by his brother in Norfolk, for fear he would not survive the long ocean voyage.............

https://time.com/5548379/pocahontas-real-meaning/

Pocahontas was the daughter of Powhatan, the paramount chief of a network of tributary tribal nations in the Tsenacommacah, encompassing the Tidewater region of Virginia. Pocahontas was captured and held for ransom by the English during Anglo-Indian hostilities in 1613. During her captivity, she converted to Christianity and took the name Rebecca. When the opportunity arose for her to return to her people, she chose to remain with the English.

The abduction of Pocahontas 1619, Johann Theodor de Bry. An engraving depicting a full narrative of the event.

 

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21 March 1556 – In Oxford, the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer is burned at the stake.

Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 – 21 March 1556) was a leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. During Cranmer's tenure as Archbishop of Canterbury, he was responsible for establishing the first doctrinal and liturgical structures of the reformed Church of England. Under Henry's rule, Cranmer did not make many radical changes in the Church. When Edward came to the throne, Cranmer was able to promote major reforms. He wrote and compiled the first two editions of the Book of Common Prayer and changed doctrine in areas such as the Eucharist, clerical celibacy, the role of images in places of worship, and the veneration of saints.

Cranmer's 1549 Book of Common Prayer. The Arrest of Thomas Cranmer During Cole's Sermon in St. Mary's Church and Cranmer's martyrdom and execution, 21 March 1556, from Foxe's Book of Martyrs.

After the accession of the Roman Catholic Mary I, Cranmer was put on trial for treason and heresy. Imprisoned for over two years and under pressure from Church authorities, he made several recantations and apparently reconciled himself with the Roman Catholic Church. However, on the day of his execution, he withdrew his recantations, to die a heretic to Roman Catholics and a martyr for the principles of the English Reformation.

 

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21 March 2006 – The social media site Twitter is founded.

Twitter was founded on 21 March 2006 by Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, and Evan Williams and launched in July of that year. Twitter's origins lie in a "daylong brainstorming session" held by board members of the podcasting company Odeo. Jack Dorsey, then an undergraduate student at New York University, introduced the idea of an individual using an SMS service to communicate with a small group. The service rapidly gained worldwide popularity. On the day of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Twitter proved to be the largest source of breaking news, with 40 million election-related tweets sent by 10 pm that day.

Twitter co-founders Jack Dorsey, left, and Biz Stone launched Twitter in 2006. As of 8 January 2021, the ten Twitter accounts with the most followers were:

Note: Twitter permanently suspended Donald Trump's account "due to the risk of further incitement of violence" on 8 January 2021. At the time, he was the sixth most-followed account, with over 88 million followers.

 

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22 March 1622 – During the Jamestown massacre, native Powhatan braves kill 347 English settlers around Jamestown in Virginia, a third of the colony's population.

Jamestown, founded in 1607, was the site of the first successful English settlement in North America, and was then the capital of the Colony of Virginia. Its tobacco economy led to constant expansion and seizure of Powhatan lands, which ultimately provoked a violent reaction. The Powhatan had soon realised that the Englishmen did not settle in Jamestown to trade with them. The English wanted more; they wanted control over the land. As Chief Powhatan said, “Your coming is not for trade, but to invade my people and possess my country”.

The Indian massacre of 1622, depicted as a woodcut by Matthaus Merian, 1628.

The massacre took place on Friday, 22 March 1622. The Powhatan braves grabbed any tools or weapons available and killed all English settlers they found around Jamestown, including men, women, and children of all ages. Chief Opechancanough led a coordinated series of surprise attacks by the Powhatan Confederacy that killed 347 people, a quarter of the English population of the Virginia colony.

 

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March 22
Australia’s most wanted man, Malcolm Naden is caught after 7 years on the run, living rough in the bush.


In June 2005 the body of his neighbour, Kristy Scholes, is found in the bathroom of his family's Dubbo home and Naden goes on the run.

As the years go by, he was always one step ahead of police and it was getting embarrassing. He kept away from towns and camped in the bush and lived in isolated holiday cabins for almost seven years.

Police rigged up hidden cameras in rugged bushland and it paid off. On 22 March 2012 they approached a sleeping bag and the search was finally over.

 

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April 23 1564
William Shakespeare is born at Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England.



Investigation of Shakespeare’s tomb at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford, concludes the Bard’s skull was probably stolen.

 

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23 March 1540 – Waltham Abbey in Essex is surrendered to King Henry VIII of England; the last religious community to be closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Waltham Abbey has been a place of worship since the 7th century. The present building dates mainly from the early 12th century and is an example of Norman architecture. In the Late Middle Ages, Waltham was one of the largest church buildings in England and a major site of pilgrimage.

Abbey Church, Waltham Abbey, Essex, England. The Nave, Abbey Church.

Waltham was the last abbey in England to be dissolved when the last abbot, Robert Fuller, surrendered the abbey and its estates to Henry VIII's commissioners on on 23 March 1540.

 

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23 March 1801 – Tsar Paul I of Russia is struck with a sword, then strangled, and finally trampled to death inside his bedroom at St. Michael's Castle.

Paul I (1754–1801) reigned as Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. Officially, he was the only son of Peter III, whom he resembled physically and by character, and of Catherine the Great, though Catherine hinted that he was fathered by her lover Sergei Saltykov, who also had Romanov blood. Paul remained overshadowed by his mother for much of his life. During the first year of his reign, Paul emphatically reversed many of the harsh policies of his mother. His reign lasted five years, ending with his assassination by conspirators.

Tsar Paul I. St Michael's Castle, a former royal residence in the historic centre of Saint Petersburg, where Emperor Paul was murdered within weeks of the opening festivities.

On the night of 23 March 1801, Paul was murdered in his bedroom in the newly built St. Michael's Castle by a band of dismissed military officers. They charged into his bedroom, flushed with drink after dining together, and found Paul hiding behind some drapes in the corner. The conspirators pulled him out, forced him to the table, and tried to compel him to sign his abdication. Paul offered some resistance, and Nikolay Zubov struck him with a sword, after which the assassins strangled and trampled him to death.
The assassins were not punished by Alexander, his 23-year-old son who succeeded him, and the court physician James Wylie declared apoplexy the official cause of death.

 

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23 March 1540 – Waltham Abbey in Essex is surrendered to King Henry VIII of England; the last religious community to be closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Waltham Abbey has been a place of worship since the 7th century. The present building dates mainly from the early 12th century and is an example of Norman architecture. In the Late Middle Ages, Waltham was one of the largest church buildings in England and a major site of pilgrimage.

Abbey Church, Waltham Abbey, Essex, England. The Nave, Abbey Church.

Waltham was the last abbey in England to be dissolved when the last abbot, Robert Fuller, surrendered the abbey and its estates to Henry VIII's commissioners on on 23 March 1540.

What a ruthless, thieving rat.

 

[Pappy]

Butch Cassidy is one of the most famous burglars in the world. He was the leader of the Wild Bunch in the Old Western United States. He became famous for being notoriously good at robbing banks and trains, often running away with half a million dollars with each steal.

In 1900, several members of the Ild Bunch gang were shot and killed after an ambitious robbery and Butch Cassidy fled the country with law enforcement on his tail. He and the rest of his gang were killed in Bolivia after hiding for nearly 10 years.

 

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Butch Cassidy is one of the most famous burglars in the world. He was the leader of the Wild Bunch in the Old Western United States. He became famous for being notoriously good at robbing banks and trains, often running away with half a million dollars with each steal.

In 1900, several members of the Ild Bunch gang were shot and killed after an ambitious robbery and Butch Cassidy fled the country with law enforcement on his tail. He and the rest of his gang were killed in Bolivia after hiding for nearly 10 years. View attachment 156200

and what a great movie.