On This Day August 5

A group of independent English Christians borrowed £4,000 from a London company of investors to subsidize a voyage across the Atlantic to a plot of land they had obtained near the Hudson River in the New World. The ship they hired for the voyage, The Mayflower, was tiny, with a deck just 90ft long. This small ship departed from Southampton, England on August 5, 1620 taking their 102 passengers to the New World, as well as its crew of 25-30.

Mayflower II, a replica of the original "Mayflower" By GmaJoli

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On This Day August 4

The blind Benedictine monk Dom Pierre Pérignon was appointed the wine master of the Abbey of Hauteville in Champagne, France in 1668. After years of experimentation, he developed a sparkling wine. On trying this new fizzy white wine he cried excitedly  "Oh, come quickly. I am drinking the stars." The date traditionally ascribed to Dom Perignon's invention of champagne is August 4, 1693.

Dom Pierre Pérignon

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On This Day August 3

Gioachino Rossini's William Tell opera premiered on August 3, 1829. Rossini had high hopes for his work about the legendary Swiss bowman. He considered it his masterpiece from which he could retire but because of its four-hour length and concerns it was glorifying a revolutionary figure, the opera flopped. Today, William Tell is remembered mostly for its famous overture, especially the high-energy galloping finale, known through its use in The Lone Ranger TV and radio shows.

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On This Day August 2

Albert Einstein sent a letter to President Roosevelt on August 2, 1939 suggesting America start researching the atom bomb with war looking imminent in order to prevent Germany making it first. Roosevelt agreed to set up the project to build the bomb under J. Robert Oppenheimer, with Einstein's special theory of relativity forming its theoretical basis. Einstein later reacted to the destructive elements of the atom bomb by saying. "If only I had known I should have become a watchmaker."

A copy of the letter

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On This Day August 1

As an organised sport, rowing can be traced to August 1, 1715, when the first rowing of the Doggett's Coat and Badge race took place on the River Thames. The Doggett's Coat and Badge course runs four miles and five furlongs (7443 m) from London Bridge to Chelsea, and is established as an annual event continuing into the 21st century.

The finish of Doggett's Coat and Badge by Thomas Rowlandson (1756–1827)

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On This Day July 31

The association of rum with the Royal Navy began in 1655, when the British fleet captured the island of Jamaica. With the easy availability of domestically produced rum, the British substituted the daily ration of liquor from French brandy to a half-a-pint of rum. The rum ration was issued daily to Royal Navy sailors at noon and 5pm or 6pm with a call of "Up spirits!"  July 31, 1970: Black Tot Day marked the last day of the UK Royal Navy's officially sanctioned rum ration.

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On This Day June 30

On June 30, 1859 French tightrope walker Charles Blondin successfully crossed Niagara Gorge on a tightrope, 160 ft (49 m) above the water, near the location of the current Rainbow Bridge.
He repeated the feat a number of times thereafter, always with different theatrical variations: blindfolded, in a sack, trundling a wheelbarrow, on stilts, sitting down midway while he cooked and ate an omelette and standing on a chair with only one chair leg on the rope.

Charles Blondin crossing the Niagara River in 1859

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