This is my history of Halloween Happy Halloween
A blog about history and true crime. Historical trivia and stories about true crime.
Saturday, 29 October 2022
Friday, 28 October 2022
Jonas Salk
Jonas Salk the man who invented a polio vaccine was born on 28 October 1914. His invention saved many people from a terrible disease.
Thursday, 27 October 2022
Isaac Singer
Isaac Singer was born on 27 October 1811. He didn't actually invent the sewing machine but he made the first practical version. It was a huge success. https://localhistories.org/a-history-of-clothes/
Wednesday, 26 October 2022
Dr Guillotin
When I was a boy my dad told me that Dr Guillotin invented the guillotine and he was the first person executed by it. He was executed for inventing such an inhumane machine. I thought that was really funny, but of course, it isn’t true. Mechanical beheading devices were used long before the French Revolution. (One was recorded in Dublin in 1307). But in 1790 Joseph-Ignace Guillotin argued that such a device should be used as a humane method of executing people. (And it was humane compared to most methods!) His idea was adopted and the device was named after him. Dr Guillotin died of natural causes in 1838.
Sunday, 23 October 2022
The Hungarian Revolution
The Hungarian Revolution began with a demonstration in Budapest on 23 October 1956. The people rebelled against Communism. However, the Russians eventually crushed the revolt. Hungary had to wait more than 30 years for its freedom.
Saturday, 22 October 2022
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.