The mythical 'curse of Tutankhamun'

 One silly and persistent myth is that there was a curse on Tutankhamun's tomb and after it was opened in 1922 there was a series of mysterious deaths. In fact, most of the people involved lived for a long time afterward and were quite old when they died (bearing in mind that life expectancy in the early 20th century was considerably shorter than it is today!). In many cases, they lived longer than would be expected at that time.

Beer Flood

 On 17 October 1814 a giant wooden vat of beer in a London brewery burst. The rush of liquid caused other vats to burst in a domino effect. An estimated 135,000 gallons of beer escaped. The sheer weight of beer gushing along the street caused severe damage to several houses. One unfortunate woman was washing pots at a public water pump by a brick wall. The rush of liquid caused the wall to collapse on her. Altogether the flood of beer killed 8 people.

The Etruscans

 The first civilization in Italy was the Etruscan, which arose about 800 BC in central Italy. The Etruscans built cities on a grid pattern. Some of these cities still exist (including Arezzo, Chiusi, Cortona, Perugia, and Cerveteri). The Etruscans were also engineers who drained marshes and built roads. They were also skilled artists. The Etruscans made terracotta sculptures and worked in bronze. Their craftsmen also made jewelry of gold and silver.

The Katyn Massacre

 On 13 April 1943, the Germans announced that they had found the bodies of more than 4,000 Polish officers murdered by the Russians in 1940. The Russians invaded Poland from the east in 1939 after the Germans invaded from the west.). The Russians continued to deny the massacre at Katyn until 1990. https://localhistories.org/the-katyn-massacre/

Women in the 20th Century

 On 23 December 1919 the Sex Disqualification Act became law in Britain. Women were allowed to become vets, lawyers and chartered accountants. They were also allowed to be magistrates and members of juries.

The bikini was invented in 1946. In 1947 Christian Dior introduced the New Look, with long skirts and narrow waists giving an ‘hourglass’ figure. During the 1950s women’s clothes were full and feminine. However in 1965, Mary Quant invented the mini skirt and clothes became even more informal. localhistories.org/women-in-the-20th-century/

Nylon

 On 16 February 1937, Wallace Carothers patented nylon. Nylon stockings went on sale in the USA in 1939. (They were a huge hit). But in 1940, women only wore stockings. A man named Allen Gant introduced pantyhose (tights) in 1959. localhistories.org/a-history-of-clothes

The World is Getting Better

 Today the world is a much better place than when I was a boy in the 1970s. In the west, society has become more humane, kinder, and much more tolerant. In most of the world, there is far less extreme poverty and life expectancy has increased. The world has greatly improved in my lifetime and I am sure it will continue to get better. This article explains further.