Recording of Funky Drummer, 1970
On 20th November 1970, “The Godfather of Soul”, James Brown, went into the King Records studio in Cincinnati, Ohio to record a session with his band, the James Brown Orchestra.…
First appearance of Sweeney Todd, 1846
The 21st November 1846 issue of Edward Lloyd’s ‘penny dreadful’ The People’s Periodical and Family Library contained the first part serialised story entitled The String of Pearls: A Romance. The story, which was…
Blackbeard killed, 1718
The early life of the pirate known as Blackbeard remains something of a mystery, as does his real name. Edward Teach (or Thatch, or possibly Drummond) probably grew up in…
First broadcast of Doctor Who, 1963
In December 1962, a Canadian-born science fiction fan called Sydney Newman took over as Head of Drama at BBC Television. The following March, he was given the task of filling…
American Woman Suffrage Association formed, 1869
In January 1866, at a meeting of the American Anti-Slavery Society in Boston, Susan B. Anthony and Lucy Stone proposed the creation of a new organisation with the goal of…
The Great Storm of 1703
On the night of 26th November 1703, the gale force winds that had swept over Britain for a week reached a climax. Winds travelling at an estimated 120 mph blew…
Hollywood blacklist instituted, 1947
In May 1938, Congressmen Martin Dies and Samuel Dickstein created the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) to investigate Communist and Nazi activities in the United States. The committee was…
Première of Strauss' Also sprach Zarathustra, 1896
Richard Strauss was born in June 1864 in Munich, where his father, Franz, was the principal horn player at the Court Opera. Richard received a musical education from his father…
Pact of the League of Arab States signed, 1945
The late-nineteenth century saw the emergence of an Arab patriotism that opposed Ottoman rule. The British exploited this opposition during the First World War by sending Captain T. E. Lawrence…
Elisha Otis installed his first passenger elevator, 1857
Man has used hoisted platforms to move materials since ancient times, but the ever present danger of the rope or cable snapping prevented the widespread use of such devices to…