This Day In History

Exxon Valdez spill is world's worst oil pollution accident - March 24, 1989 ------------- Eleven million gallons of crude oil devastated Alaska's coastline and wildlife when the tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground and began to leak its cargo. One of the greatest environmental disasters of modern times occurred on this day in 1989, when the US supertanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef, Prince William Sound in Alaska, spilling at least 11 million gallons of oil into the ocean. As the video above recalls, the spill affected 1,300 miles of shoreline and would cover over 11,000 square miles of ocean, killing hundreds of thousands of birds and sea mammals and hugely disrupting the economy of the area. Immediate recovery and clean-up efforts were hampered by the location of the spill – accessible only by boat, plane or helicopter – and high winds, which prevented attempts to suck the slick from the top of the waters. The crash was later blamed on crew fatig...

On this day in 1839, the initials “O.K.” are first published in The Boston Morning Post. Meant as an abbreviation for “oll korrect,” a popular slang misspelling of “all correct” at the time, OK steadily made its way into the everyday speech of Americans. During the late 1830s, it was a favorite practice among younger, educated circles to misspell words intentionally, then abbreviate them and use them as slang when talking to one another. Just as teenagers today have their own slang based on distortions of common words, such as “kewl” for “cool” or “DZ” for “these,” the “in crowd” of the 1830s had a whole host of slang terms they abbreviated. Popular abbreviations included “KY” for “No use” (“know yuse”), “KG” for “No go” (“Know go”), and “OW” for all right (“oll wright”). Of all the abbreviatio...

Wells and Fargo start shipping and banking company March 18,1852 ---------------- On this day in 1852, in New York City, Henry Wells and William G. Fargo join with several other investors to launch their namesake business. The discovery of gold in California in 1849 prompted a huge spike in the demand for cross-country shipping. Wells and Fargo decided to take advantage of these great opportunities. In July 1852, their company shipped its first loads of freight from the East Coast to mining camps scattered around northern California. The company contracted with independent stagecoach companies to provide the fastest possible transportation and delivery of gold dust, important documents and other valuable freight. It also served as a bank–buying gold dust, selling paper bank drafts and providing loans to help fuel California’s growing economy. In 1857, Wells, Fargo and Co. formed the Overland Mail Company, known as the “Butterfield Line,” which provided r...

Commons Leader Robin Cook resigns as Britain prepares for war with Iraq March 17, 2003 ---------- The former Foreign Secretary made what was described as "one of the most effective resignation speeches in modern British politics" when he quit Tony Blair's government over war in the Gulf. Shockwaves were sent through Westminster on this day in 2003 when Robin Cook, Leader of the House of Commons and one of the highest-profile members of the Labour Party, resigned from Tony Blair’s government over the escalation towards war in Iraq. Explaining his decision, the former Foreign Secretary said that he was unable to remain part of a cabinet that was looking to commit Britain to war without United Nations approval – in violation of international law - or the support of the wider voting public. Britain, Spain and the US had failed to secure a vote on a second resolution from the UN Security Council authorising a military invasion of Iraq. Despite this, the gove...

Prime Minister Harold Wilson announces resignation March 16,1976 ----------- On this day in 1976, Harold Wilson stunned the political world by announcing his resignation after almost eight years in office. Harold Wilson shocked the political world on this day in 1976 by announcing he was to resign, just over two years into his second stint as British Prime Minister. Wilson, who had led the Labour Party for 13 years, made the announcement to his Cabinet five days after his 60th birthday, though he was said to have informed the Queen of his intentions the previous year. He would leave office on April 5. His Cabinet issued a statement expressing their surprise and regret at his decision, but they also paid tribute to his leadership which they said he had carried out with "outstanding wisdom and dedication". Wilson stressed that it had always been his intention to step down at this age and that there was no hidden agenda behind his decision, though it was later suggest...

Earthquakes kill more than 1,200 in Taiwan March 17,1776 ---------- A powerful earthquake and a full day of aftershocks rock Taiwan on this day in 1906, killing over 1,200 people. This terrifying day of tremors destroyed several towns and caused millions of dollars in damages. It was early on a Saturday morning when the first earthquake struck, due to a shift in the Chinsekiryo and Baishiku faults lying beneath the island of Formosa, as Taiwan was known at the time. Centered under the city of Kagi, the quake had a magnitude of 7.1 and was felt as far away as Japan, hundreds of miles to the north. Thousands of buildings all over the island were completely demolished by the tremor. The villages of Datiyo, Raishiko and Shinko were virtually wiped out. However, most of the casualties were suffered in Kagi, where a majority of the victims were crushed in the rubble of their homes. Strong aftershocks continued throughout the rest of the day, complicating the rescue effort. Only a mon...

Battle of New Bern, North Carolina March 14, 1862 -------------- On this day in 1862, at the Battle of New Bern, Union General Ambrose Burnside captures North Carolina’s second largest city and closes another port through which the Confederates could slip supplies. The capture of New Bern continued Burnside’s success along the Carolina coast. Five weeks earlier, he led an amphibious force against Roanoke Island between Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds. The Yankees captured the island on February 8; now Burnside moved against New Bern on the mainland. On March 13, he landed 12,000 troops along the Neuse River, 15 miles south of New Bern. Accompanied by 13 gunboats, Burnside’s army marched up river to face 4,000 Confederate troops commanded by General Lawrence O. Branch. The city was protected by extensive defenses, but Branch did not have enough soldiers to properly staff them. He concentrated his men along the inner works a few miles downriver from New Bern. Early ...

180 years ago this week, on 6 th  January 1838, Samuel Morse demonstrated his telegraph system for the first time, in New Jersey. You might not know it was two Brits - Charles Wheatstone and William Cooke who pioneered the first practical electric telegraph and on 25 th  July 1837 exchanged messages for the first time between Camden Town and Euston. Two years later on June 20 th , Morse received  US Patent 1647  for an electronic telegraph for:  Improvement in the mode of communicating information by signals in the application of electro-magnetism.  Electrical current pushed a magnet through moving paper tape, making an indentation. Morse worked with another inventor, Alfred Vail, to create the original Morse Code, which could be used to translate the indentations into letters. The indent and the space could be combined to form letters, creating a code language for sending messages electronically.