Charles Stewart Rolls, son of the 1st Baron Llangattock, was much more than a producer of the fine cars that he and Henry Royce sold together. In 1900, Rolls drove a 12-horsepower Panhard car in the British auto race the Thousand Mile Trial; he took part in several other early long-distance European races. Considered the best driver in Wales, he was reportedly responsible for changing the national speed limit at the time from 4 to 12 miles per hour.
Rolls was also a great British aviation pioneer. In June 1910, Rolls became the first aviator to fly nonstop across the English Channel and back. On July 12, 1910, Rolls was killed when the tail of his plane snapped off in mid-air during a flying exhibition in Bournemouth, England. He was 32 years old.
On March 3, 1284, the Statute of Rhuddlan brought the Principality of Wales into England. The statute had these property law rules: daughters could inherit their father’s lands if there was no son; widows were entitled to dower in a third of their late husband’s lands; and bastards were excluded from inheriting.
William the Conqueror, although arguably a bastard in more ways than one, was given a special flag by Pope Alexander II, symbolizing his blessing of the Duke of Normandy’s 1066 invasion of England. Scroll down here: The Bayeux Tapestry (France)
**Alexander **Pushkin’s great-grandfather, Abram Petrovich Gannibal, was a Russian nobleman, military engineer and general. Gannibal was born in Africa, kidnapped as a child, and presented to Peter the Great as a gift. Peter the Great had him christened into the Russian Orthodox church, and stood as his godfather.
The captain of the Soviet ballistic-missile submarine Pushkin reaches an uneasy accord with that of the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Nathan James in William Brinkley’s post-apocalyptic novel The Last Ship (which bears only a passing resemblance to the TV series based on it).
An 1820 John Trumbull painting of the British surrender after the late 1781 Franco-American siege of Yorktown, Va. hangs in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. Despite the title, Cornwallis himself does not appear in the painting (he was ill, or feigned illness, and sent a subordinate): Surrender of Lord Cornwallis - Wikipedia
Following the Revolutionary War, Charles Cornwallis was appointed as Commander in Chief of British forces in India. He then became Commander in Chief in Ireland, and then back to India. But he became ill shortly after his second arrival, and died soon afterwards.
The Battle of Yorktown VA was the decisive battle in the War for Independence. It lasted less than one month, from Sep to Oct 1781. On 18 Oct 1781, surrender negotiations began. On 19 Oct 1781 the Articles of Capitulation were signed. The British admitted defeat. The Revolutionary War was not officially over, though, until the Treaty of Paris was signed in Sep 1783. The treaty was ratified by the Continental Congress in 1784.
Yorktown, VA is the eastern terminus of the TransAmerica Trail, a bicycle touring route designated as Bicycle Route 76. The western end is in Missouri at present, although the plan is to eventually make it a transcontinental ride.
On April 3, 1860, the Pony Express began operation. This mail service became the most direct means of long distance communication to the American West. The service extended from St. Joseph, Missouri, across the Great Plains, over the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada to Sacramento, California, using a series of relay stations, horses, and riders.
One of the highlights of the Yorktown Battlefield tour is a display of Revolutionary era artillery, featuring many original pieces found on the battlefield as well as replicas. The display includes cannon, mortars and howitzers, some mounted on carriages and others unmounted.
(Disclaimer: I know very little about artillery but was very struck during this battlefield visit 10 years ago to see at least 2 dozen cannon barrels lying on the ground. We asked the park ranger if they were originals or replicas and he said “both”. We wanted to ask why they were just on the ground out in the open but didn’t get a chance. I’m looking for a photo and can’t find one)
ETA:
No horses or riders are on display on this battlefield
There have been five warships named USS Yorktown to serve in the U.S. Navy, the most recent of which was a Ticonderoga-class Aegis guided missile cruiser. She was decommissioned in 2004 and is now awaiting scrapping.
Alvin Cullum York, better known to the world as Sergeant York, was one of the most decorated soldiers of WWI. A conscientious objector, he received the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine gun nest, taking 35 machine guns, killing at least 25 enemy soldiers, and capturing 132 others. In addition to the MOH, he also received:
Distinguished Service Cross (Initially awarded. Later upgraded to Medal of Honor.)
World War I Victory Medal
American Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Légion d’Honneur (France)
Croix de Guerre with Palm (France)
Croce di Guerra al Merito (Italy)
Montenegrin War Medal (Montenegro)
Hacksaw Ridge (2016) told the story of US Army Corporal Desmond Doss, a combat medic who was the only conscientious objector to receive the Medal of Honor during World War II. Doss distinguished himself in the Battle of Okinawa to become the first conscientious objector to ever receive the Medal of Honor for his combat actions above and beyond the call of duty.
The Ryukyuan people of Okinawa are known as one of the longest living people in the world. In fact, there are 34 centenarians per 100,000 people, which is more than three times the rate of mainland Japan.
Japanese farmers grow square watermelons in boxes so as to improve space efficiency in small refrigerators. They were invented by the graphic designer Tomoyuki Ono in 1978 and presented in a gallery in Ginza. Their uniqueness and popularity quickly led to an increase in prices and they now cost two to three times more than regular watermelons. Other watermelon shapes have since been introduced, such as hearts and pyramids.
The heaviest watermelon as recorded by the Guinness Book of World records weighed 350.5 lb and was grown by Chris Kent of Sevierville, Tennessee, USA, and verified as a world record on 4 October 2013.
Some of the largest and heaviest vegetables in the world are grown in the Matanuska Valley in Alaska. Among those are the largest cabbage, grown by Scott Robb in 2012, which weighed 62.71 kg (138.25 lb). He has also held the record for the heaviest turnip.