17 December

10 weird and wonderful things which happened on 17 December:

1. This date in 1778 saw the birth of Sir Humphrey Davy, the scientist who discovered the effects of inhaling laughing gas. He also discovered Potassium, Sodium, barium, strontium, calcium and invented the safety lamp for miners.
2. In 1955, song writer Carl Perkins had a severe case of insomnia. He got up and wrote a song on a paper bag, which he recorded a couple of days later. The song was called Blue Suede Shoes.
3. In 1967, Harold Holt, 59, Prime Minister of Australia, went for a swim at Cheviot Beach, Victoria. He told his concerned friends not to worry: "I know this beach like the back of my hand." He swam out of view and was never seen again.
4. The first one way street was established in New York on this date in 1791.
5. It was on this date in 1903 that the Wright Brothers – Orville and Wilbur – achieved the first successful powered flight near Kitty Hawk. The longest of the four flights went 852 feet and lasted 59 seconds.
6. In 2018, tolls were scrapped for the Severn crossing bridges connecting England and South Wales, making travel across the River Severn free for the first time in 800 years.
7. In 1900, a prize of 100,00 francs was offered to anyone who could prove they'd communicated with extraterrestrials. Martians, however, were excluded, because apparently having a chat with our nearest neighbours was considered too easy.
8. 1849 Thomas and William Bowler, felt hatmakers, sold their first Bowler hat to William Coke at Lock’s of St James on this date in 1849. Coke wanted a hat to protect his head from overhanging branches when he was out shooting. To test the headgear, he put it on the floor and stamped on it – when he saw it was still intact, he was suitably impressed and coughed up 12 shillings (60p) for it.
9. The Aztec Sun Stone was discovered on this date in 1790 by workmen repairing Mexico City's Central Plaza. Believed to have been carved in 1479, the 25-ton round tablet was a highly developed Calendar made in honour of the sun.
10. In 1998, Li Jian Hua of Jiangshan, China, lifted a column of bricks weighing 7st 12lb hanging from a clamp attached to one of his ears, and held it for 9.3 seconds, making a record for the heaviest weight lifted by an ear.

New!!

A Superhero love story.

Sent away to school to get her away from undesirable company, Agnes finds herself homesick and lonely. A brief connection with Jason Warner leads to the teenage crush to end all teenage crushes. Jason is barely aware Agnes exists, but she plans her whole future around him.

It is only when they meet again as adults that the connection becomes mutual; but before it can develop, Jason makes a discovery which rocks his entire world. He needs time alone, away from everyone, including Agnes. When Jason is finally ready to go back to his old life, Agnes has moved on and he cannot find her.

Agnes is now a single parent to the remarkable Seraphina. The Power League want to harness Seraphina's powers for evil before the Freedom League become aware of her. Agnes has no idea her new colleague and friend is a supervillain with his own agenda, and his willingness to babysit is not as innocent as she thinks. As Incendio starts teaching Seraphina to use her powers, the Freedom League intervene. Little do they know that they have found one of their own.

Where to get it:

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