On This Day October 3

Between 58-51 BC, the Romans under Julius Caesar subdued Gaul selling thousands of Belgic tribes into slavery by a process of total annihilation of Gaelic forces. At the Battle of Alesia, Caesar's 100,000 troops were outnumbered 4:1 but they still won when on October 3, 52BC Vercingetorix, leader of the Gauls, surrendered to the Romans. Ancient historians are notorious for exaggerating numbers of this kind, but Caesar's conquest of Gaul was certainly the greatest military triumph since the campaigns of Alexander the Great.

Vercingetorix throws down his arms at the feet of Julius Caesar. Painting by Lionel Royer.

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On This Day October 2

The first ball-based computer mouse was developed by German company Telefunken for their TR 86 process computer system. The device was named Rollkugel (German for "rolling ball") and released on October 2, 1968. Telefunken considered their invention too small to apply for a patent. 

The Telefunken Rollkugel RKS 100-86 . By Marcin Wichary

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On This Day October 1

On October 1, 1881, the southeastern England town of Godalming was the first town in the world to introduce a public electricity supply system, making electricity accessible to its residents.

Introduction of street lighting to Godalming, November 1881 (from The Graphic)

In 1881, Calder and Barrett, a London-based firm, installed a generator powered by two Poncelet waterwheels at Westbrook Mill. This generator provided electricity for three 250 V arc lights at the mill, and overhead cables were extended along Mill Street to the town center. There, an additional four arc lights were installed. Additionally, a second 40 V circuit was set up to supply power for 34 incandescent lamps, seven of which were located at the mill, with the rest distributed throughout the town center.

However, the success of this electrification scheme was mixed, with criticisms emerging. Some found the lights in the town center to be too dim, while those at the mill were considered excessively bright. By the close of 1881, the generator had been relocated to the rear of the White Hart pub, where it was now driven by a steam engine. In April 1882, Siemens took over the operation of this pioneering electrical endeavor.

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On This Day September 30

A Boston dentist called William T.G. Morton (1819-68) is attributed with the initial discovering of general anesthesia for use in the medical field. In the mid 1840s, at the suggestion of his landlord Professor Charles Jackson, Morton started to experiment with using ether to anesthetize a patient before extracting a tooth. After trial runs on himself, his dog and a goldfish, Morton painlessly extracted a tooth from a patient, Eben Frost, after administering ether on September 30, 1846.

Re-enactment of the first public demonstration of general anesthesia by William T. G. Morton

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On This Day September 29

German engineer and inventor of the diesel engine, Rudolf Diesel, was lost overboard from the steamer Dresden while on his way to London on September 29, 1913. Many believe he committed suicide as, shortly after Diesel's disappearance, his wife Martha opened a bag that her husband had given to her just before his ill-fated voyage, with directions that it should not be opened until the following week. She discovered 200,000 German marks in cash.

Diesel c. 1900

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On This Day September 28

William the Conqueror, The Duke of Normandy, began the Norman conquest of England when he landed on Pevensey beach on September 28, 1066. William's first action on landing on Pevensey beach was ominously to trip over, land on his face and swallow some sand. A great cry went up that it was a bad omen but always ready for a bon mot, Norman duke splattered " I have seized England with both hands."

The Normans landing in England scene from the Bayeux Tapestry

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On This Day September 27

The Stockton and Darlington Railway, the first public railway to use steam locomotives, was opened on September 27, 1825 in north east England. The railway used George Stephenson's eight ton no. 1 engine, called Locomotion. The first purpose-built passenger car, Experiment, was attached and carried dignitaries on the opening journey racing along at 15 mph. At that time most people believed nobody could survive speeds above 16 mph so there was a lot of alarm.

The Locomotion for the Stockton & Darlington Railway

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