Historical Fun Facts October 10th

HISTORY FUN FACTS OCTOBER 10th

Thanks to the implementation of the Gregorian calendar, October 10th didn't exist in Spain, Poland, Portugal and Italy.

On This Day in 1846, William Lassell discovered Triton, Neptune's largest moon.

 

One day he was peering through his telescope and realised, better to do this at night.

 

So, that night he peeked through his telescope and said, "Oh, my god, that is massive."

 

He then stopped peeping through his neighbours bedroom window and pointed his telescope to the skies.

 

And said, "Holy cow, that's one massive moon."

 

Fun Fact about Triton: It's the only large moon in the solar system to have a retrograde orbit, an orbit that's in the opposite direction to that of the planet.

 

On This Day in History in 1971, London Bridge did actually fall down.

 

Well, it didn't fall down, as described in the popular nursery rhyme, which lied to us all. London Bridge was dismantled and transported to America, before being rebuilt and re-opened in 1971 in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

 

There is a rumour that the buyer thought he was buying the more famous and recognisable Tower Bridge. However both he and the seller deny the rumours.

 

London Bridge is falling down,

Falling down, falling down.

London Bridge is falling down,

My fair lady.

 

On This Day in History in 1911, Jasper Newton Jack Daniel died.

 

He is better known as Jack Daniel, founder of the Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey.

 

Jack Daniel died one stormy morning after many drams of the good stuff. Not his own whiskey, but a good old fashioned single malt from the Highlands of Scotland.

 

Jack got so sploshed he forgot the combination of his safe, as was often the case. And as we all know, the only thing you can do in that situation, is to take out your frustrations on the safe.

 

He repeatedly kicked the offending metal box, which is where it started. He damaged his toes, resulting in an infection, and soon afterwards his whole leg fell off. He then picked up his leg and used it to kick the safe again.

 

When that didn't work he used it to kick himself three hundred times in his own head.

 

And, in case you were wondering, he ended up dead from the infection, not the other injuries.