This Day in History thread

[AmericanEagle]

March 28, 2000 - my son was born

[Kerbie]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

March 27, 1980 - Mount St. Helens erupts.

I think the eruption process was considered to have begun on March 27, 1980, with the finale on May 18, 1980. Interesting couple of months geologically.

[Lkristians]

Happy Birthday Lady Gaga. She was "Born this Day" (get it?)

[H165]

with the finale on May 18, 1980

It was a memorable day for me. At about 8:30 AM my wife was on an airliner, having just taken off out of Portland, OR, when it went off. She had a view so close-up it scared the wee-wee out of everyone on the plane.

In view of the fact that this is a guitar/music forum:

W. C. Handy died this day, 1958.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by AmericanEagle

March 28, 2000 - my son was born

Happy 20th Birthday to your son, AE!

[gibpicker]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

March 26, 1997: Heaven's Gate Cult Suicides. Anyone remember this? 39 cult members were found dead in a California mansion.

Hale Bopp Comet. We watched it in our back yard. The cult group thought they would wind up riding in the back of the Comet....

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by gibpicker

Hale Bopp Comet. We watched it in our back yard. The cult group thought they would wind up riding in the back of the Comet....

Yes, Heaven's Gate Cult believed there was a spaceship following Hale Bopp and that was their salvation.


March 29, 1973 - US Troops leave Vietnam. The fall of Saigon was still two years away.

[AmericanEagle]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Happy 20th Birthday to your son, AE!

Thank you Dru!

[Dru Edwards]

March 30, 1981 - President Reagan shot. Anyone remember that?

[Chickee]

Originally Posted by gibpicker

Hale Bopp Comet. We watched it in our back yard. The cult group thought they would wind up riding in the back of the Comet....

The deceased all had identical sneakers on...I’ll never forget seeing the news footage of that.

[Kerbie]

Hale-Bopp was a spectacular sight from an airliner. At 39,000 feet, it stretched about a third of the way across the sky. Still one of the most amazing views I've ever had from the air.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by Kerbie

Hale-Bopp was a spectacular sight from an airliner. At 39,000 feet, it stretched about a third of the way across the sky. Still one of the most amazing views I've ever had from the air.

Wow! I'm a frequent flyer with over 110 flight segments each of the past two years and many other years of 50+. Some amazing sights from the air.

Were you a pilot or a passenger?

[Kerbie]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Were you a pilot or a passenger?

Pilot. So, we shut off all the cockpit lights and just watched it in awe. The tail was several times longer than it appeared from the ground. It makes a lot of difference when you can get above so much of the atmosphere. Too bad we couldn't roll down the windows and take some great pics.

[Silly Moustache]

1801 In the Battle of Copenhagen, Horatio Nelson (born at Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk put his telescope to his blind eye and ignored Admiral Parker's signal to stop fighting. "I have only one eye. I have a right to be blind sometimes. I really do not see the signal." He continued until the Danish fleet was defeated.

1873 Almost 14 years after the United States, British trains were fitted with toilets, but only for sleeping cars. Day carriages were fitted in 1881. Third class passengers weren’t able to 'spend a penny' until 1886.

1914 Alec Guinness, English actor was born. His roles included 'Kind Hearts and Coronets', 'The Bridge on the River Kwai', for which he won an Oscar, and 'The Ladykillers'. He was also nominated for a further four Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actor for what is possibly his best-known role; as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

1921 The IRA took delivery of their first consignment of ‘Tommy’ guns. It's said that the nickname comes from their potential targets, British ‘Tommies’, but Tommy Gun is more likely derived from its American creator General John T. Thompson.

1946 Britain's Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst was founded.

1954 Britain's first TV soap opera was transmitted. It was 'The Grove Family', named after the BBC's Lime Grove Studios in London.

1960 The birth of sprinter Linford Christie. He is the only British man to have won gold medals in the 100 metres at all four major competitions open to British athletes: the Olympic Games, the World Championships, the European Championships and the Commonwealth Games.

1966 The death of the author C.S Forester, best known for his 'Hornblower' books.

1977 Charlotte Brew becomes the first woman jockey to ride in the Grand National. Her horse, Barony Fort, fell at the 27th fence.

1977 Red Rum won the Grand National for a record third time.

1982 Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, a British possession for 149 years. The British government dispatched a naval task force to engage the Argentine Navy and Air Force. The resulting conflict lasted 74 days and ended with the Argentine surrender on 14th June 1982, which returned the islands to British control. During the Falklands conflict the Royal Navy requisitioned more vessels registered in Hull than from any other British port. See the ©BB picture of the Falklands Memorial in Holy Trinity Church, Hull.

2007 A smoking ban came into force in Wales, making it illegal for anyone to smoke in an enclosed public place and within the workplace.

[Dru Edwards]

April 4, 1968 - Martin Luther King Jr Assassinated. That was just before my time but does anyone remember this when it happened?