Trivia of the Day October 18

The War of the Stray Dog was a conflict between Greece and Bulgaria between October 18 and 25, 1925 that killed a total of 171 people. It began when a Greek soldier accidentally crossed the border chasing his runaway dog. There was a short invasion of Bulgaria by Greece near the border town of Petrich, after the shooting of the soldier by Bulgarian troops. The incident ended after a decision of the League of Nations.

Tokyo (see below) is the world's most populated metropolitan area with 39 million residents, 50% more people than any other urban area and a $2.5 trillion economy - larger than that of any other city.

The first ever single-subject food book that was ever printed, 1477's Summa Lacticiniorum was on the subject of cheese.

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Happy Birthday October 18

German-Swiss chemist Christian Friedrich Schönbein was born on October 18, 1799. Schönbein was the first to isolate ozone during experiments on the electrolysis of water at the University of Basel. He named the pungent gas after the Greek for 'to smell' which is 'ozein'.

Chuck Berry was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on October 18, 1926 to Henry, a contractor and deacon of a nearby Baptist church, and Martha a certified public school principal. He gave his first public performance in 1941 while still at Sumner High School. Nicknamed the "Father of Rock and Roll", Berry refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive. His song "Johnny B Goode" was chosen as part of a sample of Earth music carried on the Voyager space probes in 1977.

Lee Harvey Oswald was born in New Orleans on October 18, 1939, two months after his father died. An American Marxist and former U.S. Marine, Oswald assassinated United States President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963.  He shot Kennedy from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository as the President traveled by motorcade through Dealey Plaza in Dallas. Oswald was fatally shot by local nightclub owner Jack Ruby in the basement of Dallas Police Headquarters two days later.

For more October 18th anniversaries, including the first Asians to have a documented presence in the Americas, the invention of the automatic pop-up toaster and the first cat in space, check out OnThatDay.

Today Is October 18

The United States purchased Alaska from the Russian Empire for $7.2 million, or about 2 cents an acre on March 30, 1867.

The United States Senate ratified the treaty with Russia for the purchase of Alaska on April 9, 1867. It was passed by a single vote. The United States formally took possession on October 18, 1867, which is celebrated annually on October 18 in the state as Alaska Day.

Alaska's territorial legislature declared Alaska Day a holiday in 1917. It is a paid holiday for state employees.

Alaska's purchase was accomplished solely through the determined efforts of US Secretary of State William H. Seward. For many years afterward the land was mockingly referred to as "Seward's Folly" or "Seward's Icebox" because of its supposed uselessness.

It was not until after the discovery of gold that Alaska was given a governor and a local administration.

It became an organized (or incorporated) territory on May 11, 1912, and the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959.

On This Day October 18

Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick was first published as The Whale by Richard Bentley of London in October 18, 1851. Moby-Dick is now considered by some as the greatest contribution of American letters to world literature. However, after a run of successful seafaring tales, this was the first flop for ex-cabin boy Herman Melville. The centennial of Melville's birth in 1919 became the starting point of a revival of his work, as. critics discovered his major novels and stories, including Moby-Dick.

Title page of the first edition of Moby-Dick, 1851

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Trivia Of The Day October 17

The most painful insect sting is from a bullet ant. The pain is equal to being shot, hence the name of the insect.

22 mm long Bullet ant By © Hans Hillewaert

The first musical stage performance seen in the US was a ballad opera called Flora produced in Charleston in 1735.

The house where Geoffrey Chaucer was born is now covered by the arrival platform of London's Cannon Street Station.

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Happy Birthday October 17

The actress Rita Hayworth was born Margarita Cansino on October 17, 1918 in Brooklyn, New York, the oldest child of two dancers. Her father, Eduardo Cansino, Sr., was from Castilleja de la Cuesta, a little town near Seville, Spain. Her mother, Volga Hayworth, was an American of Irish-English descent who had performed with the Ziegfeld Follies. She was featured in over 60 films throughout her 37-year career and was the top pin-up girl for GIs during World War II. 

For more October 17th anniversaries, including the London Beer Flood, the conviction of Al Capone and The Beatles first TV appearance, check out OnThatDay

Today Is October 17

The first spreadsheet program Visicalc (for "visible calculator") was released for the Apple II on October 17, 1979. It was developed by Dan Bricklin of Software Arts, and was then produced for distribution by Personal Software.

An example VisiCalc spreadsheet on an Apple II

Sales were initially brisk, with about 300,000 copies sold. It eventually sold over 700,000 copies in six years, and as many as 1 million copies over its history.

VisiCalc is often considered the application that turned the microcomputer from a hobby for computer enthusiasts into a serious business tool, prompting IBM to introduce the IBM PC two years later.

Spreadsheet Day commemorates on October 17 every year the date that VisiCalc, the first spreadsheet program for personal computers, was released.