History Challenge & Journal

[pharvey]

Oh well, the "Sparky from Melbourne" is not quite the "Anonymous Russian Spy", but I'm sure Hollywood could work around it......

Mystery of Australia's 'Somerton Man' Solved After 70 Years, Researcher Says

"In 1948, the body of a well-dressed man was found slumped on an Australian beach.

A half-smoked cigarette was resting on his collar, and there was a line from a Persian poem in his pocket - but investigators had no idea who he was.

Theories abounded, including that the person - dubbed Somerton Man - was a spy.

But after more than 70 years, a researcher says he's solved the mystery - Somerton Man was Carl Webb.

And he was not a Russian agent, but rather a Melbourne-born electrical engineer.

South Australia Police have not confirmed the discovery but say they will comment soon.

Beachgoers found the body lying against a seawall on Somerton Beach in Adelaide on 1 December, 1948.

The man was dressed in a suit and tie, and appeared to be aged in his 40s or 50s.

In his pocket were bus and train tickets, chewing gum, some matches, two combs and a pack of cigarettes. He had no wallet, no cash, and no ID.

The tags on his suit had been cut off, and forensic examiners suspected he had been poisoned."

Full Story @ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-62314555

[pharvey]

Might even deserve a separate thread if enough responses......

Who Had The Biggest Impact on Human History IYHO?

The "Stone Age", the "Iron Age", the "Bronze Age"?
The Romans - what did they bring to the world? What did they bring to Britain?
The Egyptians? We still struggle to understand, but...... Were they the first true engineers et al?
The Greeks? Mathematics galore.
The British? Inventions galore, the start of the "Industrial Revolution" - the Internet, the list goes on.
The Chinese? Gunpowder, Paper, the Compass.....

As for people - as an engineer I'm somewhat biased, and will always go for the likes of Stephenson and Brunel, but hey ho - head very muched bowed to the following: - !!

Einstein
Newton
Edison
Faraday


Everyone will have their opinions, and I'm sure favoterd towards their countries (as is mine). Will be very interesting to hear peoples opinions though!

[lindosfan1]

I think the Chinese and British have had the most effect, especially the industrial revolution, that gave us Electricity machines and so many more inventions.
As for people
Leonardo da Vinci
Johannes Gutenberg
Edison
Faraday
Darwin

[pharvey]

I think the Chinese and British have had the most effect, especially the industrial revolution, that gave us Electricity machines and so many more inventions.
As for people
Leonardo da Vinci
Johannes Gutenberg
Edison
Faraday
Darwin

De Vinci was incredible - I just don't think people realised until latter days. Take the helicopter for example.....

[pharvey]

Christ, how about the "Baghdad Battery" - now that is quite something and a mention for Iraq...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baghdad_Battery

So much there.....

[lindosfan1]

Marie Curie twice a Nobel prize winner in physics and chemistry
Nelson Mandela
Martin luther king
All 3 made significant changes in the world.

[pharvey]

Not a challenge, simply an insight to something special. Certainly didn't know this existed, let alone being in the British Museum.

Very interesting - for me at least!

https://www.britishmuseum.org/collectio ... 888-0526-1

[pharvey]

A different breed R.I.P. Sir.

Last Surviving Dambuster, ‘Johnny’ Johnson, Dies Aged 101


"The last survivor of the Dambuster bouncing bomb raids of 1943 has died at the age of 101.

George Leonard “Johnny” Johnson was a bomb-aimer in the 617 squadron which destroyed vital dams in Germany’s industrial Ruhr valley during the second world war.

His family said Johnson died peacefully in his sleep on Wednesday, according to BBC News.

Les Munro, the last surviving Dambuster pilot, died at the age of 96 in 2015. His death left only Canadian front-gunner Fred Sutherland and Johnson. Sutherland died in 2019 at the age of 95.

After his 100th birthday last year, Johnson told the BBC: “I’ve had a very lucky life in every respect.” Speaking of the famous Dambuster raids, he said: “It was an exhilarating experience … honoured to have had the chance to take part.”

The bouncing bomb raids caused catastrophic flooding in the Ruhr valley, destroying hydroelectric power stations and factories. About 1,300 people on the ground are thought to have been killed, according to the Imperial War Museum.

Of the 133 crew members who took part, 53 were killed in the raids and three were captured. Johnson, who was born in Lincolnshire and lived in Bristol, was 21 at the time."

Full Aricle: - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/ ... s-aged-101

[pharvey]

Interesting to say the least - a 4,000 year old tool kit....

Archaeologists Say Find Near Stonehenge is Ancient Goldsmith’s Toolkit

Reanalysis of millennia-old axes and polished stones found in 1802 has revealed tiny traces of gold

"A collection of polished “lumps of stone” found in a burial mound near Stonehenge more than two centuries ago are a 4,000-year-old goldsmith’s toolkit, archaeologists have said.

Microscopic reanalysis of axes and shaped cobbles found in the grave has revealed tiny traces of gold and wear marks, showing they were used by a skilled craftsperson to hammer and smooth sheets of gold.

The bronze age burial mound was excavated in 1802 near Upton Lovell in Wiltshire and attracted attention for its large deposit of pierced animal bones, which were interpreted as the spectacular costume of what was assumed to be a shaman.

But the other grave goods, which also included flint cups, two broken battle axes and a copper alloy awl, “hadn’t had that much attention from archaeologists, comparatively”, said Oliver Harris, an associate professor of archaeology at the University of Leicester."

Full Article (and Photo's @ https://www.theguardian.com/science/202 ... hs-toolkit

[pharvey]

Well, Stonehenge again......

'Fantastic' winter solstice marked at Stonehenge.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-w ... e-64063109

[pharvey]

A long but interesting read IMHO....

The Eerie Emptiness of 'Britain's Area 51'

"Orford Ness is now one of Britain's most protected natural landscapes. For decades, however, it was the hidden nerve centre of secret military research.

Orford Ness is Britain's answer to Area 51. It may now be abandoned, some of its research still secret, and much of its land too dangerous to walk over, but its past continues to ripple through the country's present and future."

Full Article and Photo's @ https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2023 ... ns-area-51

[Dannie Boy]

A long but interesting read IMHO....

The Eerie Emptiness of 'Britain's Area 51'

"Orford Ness is now one of Britain's most protected natural landscapes. For decades, however, it was the hidden nerve centre of secret military research.

Orford Ness is Britain's answer to Area 51. It may now be abandoned, some of its research still secret, and much of its land too dangerous to walk over, but its past continues to ripple through the country's present and future."

Full Article and Photo's @ https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2023 ... ns-area-51

Fascinating, thanks for sharing - see you can be useful at times!!

[pharvey]

see you can be useful at times!!

It happens every couple of years....

[STEVE G]

There is a similar site at Shoeburyness in Essex out on the coast east of Southend, it's been a military testing range since the 19th century.

[PeteC]

On This Day

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/2023/01/25 ... 674620841/ (Photos)

Jan. 25 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1533, Henry VIII of England secretly married Anne Boleyn, his second wife.

In 1858, Mendelssohn's "The Wedding March" was played at the marriage of Friedrich of Prussia and England's Princess Victoria, the daughter of Queen Victoria. It became a standard theme for weddings.

In 1890, Nellie Bly, a young New York reporter, completed a trip around the world that lasted 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes. (Could this be what "Around the world in 80 days" is based upon? ...and it was a woman who did it?! )

In 1909, President-elect William Howard Taft sailed for Panama to plot a course forward following the completion of the canal.

In 1915, transcontinental phone service was inaugurated by Alexander Graham Bell in a hookup between New York and San Francisco.

In 1924, the first Winter Olympic Games opened in Chamonix, France.

In 1947, gangster Al "Scarface" Capone died at age 48 after suffering from syphilis.

In 1959, the first scheduled transcontinental passenger jet flight took place, a non-stop American Airlines trip from California to New York.

In 1961, newly inaugurated U.S. President John Kennedy had the first televised presidential news conference.

In 1993, a man with a rifle opened fire near the main CIA gate in Langley, Va., killing two agency employees and injuring three others.

In 2004, Opportunity, the second of two NASA robot explorers, landed on Mars, joining its twin to explore the planet.

In 2006, the militant Islamic group Hamas, calling for destruction of Israel, scored a stunning victory in the Palestinian parliamentary election.

In 2010, the man known as "Chemical Ali" -- Ali Hassan al-Majid, cousin and aide to Saddam Hussein -- was executed in Iraq for his role in a poison-gas attack in which 5,000 Kurds were killed.

In 2011, thousands of Egyptian citizens, expressing their dissatisfaction with the government, clashed with riot police in Cairo, Alexandria, and other cities throughout the country. This rebellion, locally referred to as the January 25 Revolution, would lead to the ousting of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak less than three weeks later.

In 2021, Janet Yellen was confirmed as the first woman to head the Treasury Department. She was sworn in a day later.