18 July

10 weird and wonderful things which happened on 18 July:

1. William Makepeace Thackaray was born on this date in 1811. He’s the novelist famous for his book Vanity Fair. Among the pseudonyms he used during his career are M.A. Titmarsh, C.H. Yellowplush, G.S. Fitzboodle, and Théophile Wagstaff.
2. American socialite Margaret Tobin Brown was born on this date in 1867. She gained the nickname "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" after surviving the sinking of the Titanic and getting one of the lifeboats to return to look for survivors.
3. This date in 1918 saw the birth of Nelson Mandela, South African political leader. He was given the nickname ‘Black Pimpernel’ while he was on the run from police. He was captured in 1962 and jailed for 27 years. He became an international legend and symbol of resistance. On his 70^th birthday in 1988 all the Western leaders sent him a card, except for Margaret Thatcher.
4. In 1898, Marie and Pierre Curie announced the discovery of a new element and proposed to call it Polonium.
5. In 1976, Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci became the first athlete to score a perfect '10' in a gymnastic event. Competing at the Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada, the 14 year old went on to win six more perfect scores.
6. In 1689, lightning struck the high altar the church of Saint-Sauveur at Ligny, France. Father Lamy, a visiting priest who wrote about on the event and some strange phenomena that he observed. The statue of Christ levitated while its stand was shattered. The words of a printed text lying face down on the altar cloth were reproduced, reversed and magnified, on the cloth.
7. In 1974, the world's tallest structure, a 646m radio mast in Poland, was completed.
8. In 1994, Crayola announced the introduction of scented Crayons.
9. In 1872, Britain introduced the concept of voting by secret ballot.
10. Disneyland, the 160 acre amusement park, near Anaheim, California, opened on this date in 1955.

 

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