12 August

 10 weird and wonderful things which happened on 12 August:

1. This date in 1887 saw the birth of Erwin Schrodinger, the Austrian physicist who had a Cat, or possibly didn’t have a cat. He received the Nobel Prize in 1933. He said, "Science cannot tell us a word about why Music delights us, of why and how an old song can move us to tears."
2. Born this date in 1762 was George IV, King of England, England's fattest king. His favourite breakfast was two pigeons, three beefsteaks, a bottle of Moselle, a glass of Champagne, two of port and one of brandy.
3. In 1812, after studying Louis Pasteur's theory that infections are caused by bacteria, Dr. Joseph Lister became the first surgeon to use disinfectant during an operation.
4. In 1877, Thomas Edison finished his cylinder phonograph. It was a cylinder covered in tinfoil, with a crank that turned the needle around the cylinder. Edison drew a sketch of his idea, with a note to his mechanic, John Kreusi, "Make this." To operate, he turned the crank while speaking, then moved the needle over the cylinder to play back the recording. Edison recited Mary Had a Little Lamb and his voice was almost perfectly reproduced. "I was never so taken aback," Edison said.
5. In 1949, starlings perched on the minute hand of Big Ben, causing it to lose nearly five minutes.
6. In 1888 Bertha Benz, wife of inventor Karl Benz, took the first ever road trip. Without her husband's knowledge, she borrowed one of his cars and travelled 180km to visit relatives for 5 days.
7. In 1908, the first Model T Ford, affectionately known as the "Tin Lizzie", came off the production line, replacing the Model A.
8. In 1977, The Enterprise, named after the Star Trek space ship and the prototype for the Space Shuttle, made its first flight on its own within Earth's atmosphere after being launched from a Boeing 747, separated, and then touched down in California's Mojave Desert.
9. In 1851, the Royal Yacht Squadron of Great Britain offered the first Hundred Guinea Cup, later known as the America's Cup. The 100ft US yacht America won the race around the Isle of Wight against the British Aurora.
10. In 1995, traffic wardens in Diano Marina, Italy were given authority to fine women wearing Bikinis if their figures were not good enough.

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