On This Day facts March 30th

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY - 30th March

 

On this day in history in 1811 Robert Wilhelm Eberhard Bunsen was born.

 

Robert Bunsen was a German chemist who discovered caesium and rubidium. But his most famous invention was the Bunsen Burner. That thing you remember from your science classes at school.

 

On this day in history in 1820, Anna Sewell was born.

 

Anna Sewell is best known for writing the book Black Beauty. In fact, believe it or not, that was the only book she ever published. Seems weird, having read that book a few times at school, and seen the movies and television shows, that she only had one thing published during her life.

 

Anna Sewell died on the 25th of April, 1878, about five months after Black Beauty was published, of hepatitis or tuberculosis.

 

On this day in history in 1874, Charles Lightoller was born.

 

Charles Lightoller was the English 2nd officer on board the infamous unsinkable ship that sank, the RMS Titanic.

 

Lightoller was the most senior officer of the Titanic to survive the ship's sinking. He was the officer in charge of loading the passengers into lifeboats. And enforced the "Women and Children First" policy.

 

In fact, he went a lot further than that, and enforced his own "Women and Children ONLY" policy. He actually lowered lifeboats into the water with empty seats, even though there were no women or children to board them, and when there were men waiting.

 

Lightoller only permitted one adult male passenger to board a lifeboat. His name was Arthur Godfrey Peuchen, who had experience sailing and could help the women navigate their craft.

 

Lightoller himself survived, but almost didn't.

 

As the Titanic disappeared beneath the waves, Lightoller was sucked against a grate, being held there by the pressure of the water as the ship sank. A rush of water burst through the grate when the boiler exploded. He was catapulted into the ocean where he swam to a capsized collapsible boat. He gripped the boat, along with 30 others, until they were finally rescued.

On this day in history in 1943, Mr and Mrs Major would like to announce the birth of their son, John Major, future Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

 

When interviewed, Mr and Mrs Major declared their son was special as he was not being fed milk, like most babies, but was having Curry instead. This diet of Curry was to prepare him for becoming Prime Minister one day.

 

When pushed for details, baby John Major's mother said he would overthrow Britain's first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, in 1990, in a well-orchestrated coup. His downfall would come, though, in the form of a well-tanned weirdo called Tony Blair, about 7 years later.