One of the most important inventions in history was the stirrup, which gave a great advantage to those fighting on horseback. Specifically, it allowed them to exert great force with weapons without falling off. It has been said to be the single most important factor in the rise of feudalism, and it made its debut in Europe on this day. However, the Saracens that were conquering Europe found that they needed more than a firm seat on horse to defeat determined Frankish knights, and abandoned their invasion.
Yesterday was celebrated as Leif Ericson day, on this day in 1965 Yale University unveiled a map purporting to be drawn in 1440 and showing the land to the west of the Atlantic, although the section of North America drawn is represented as a small island. At the time, it was the most credible evidence of Ericson's voyage. Since then the voyage has been verified by archaeological finds in Newfoundland and other records, the map has been the subject of much dispute.
Today also marks the opening of the US Naval Academy, a suicide by a victim of Anthony Comstock's assault on any publication involving human reproduction, the first detergent, and a landmark kidnapping in Canada.
732 - Mounted Islamic soldiers attempting to invade France were met between Poitiers and Tours by Charles Martel and ranks of Merovingian knights on foot. This may have been the first European battle in which horsemen used stirrups, but the Frankish knights prevailed after seven days and the Saracens split up and fled. Before this battle Charles had conquered most of modern France and Germany, the name "Martel" means hammer and was added after this victory. Martel was the grandfather of Charlemagne.
1845 - The Naval School opens at Annapolis, Maryland with a first class of 50 midshipmen and seven faculty members (3 civilians, 4 naval officers) under superintendent Commander Franklin Buchanan. The original class graduated after five years, first and last at the school and the intervening three years at sea. The school itself graduated after five years, becoming the United States Naval Academy and switching to a straight four-year academic program.
1902 - Ida Craddock slashed her wrists and turned on the gas, killing herself rather than returning to court for sentencing. She had been found guilty of obscenity, the judge said her sex education pamphlet "The Wedding Night" was too obscene to show to the jury.
1933 - Procter & Gamble introduced the first non-soap product for household clothes washing use, Dreft. This was the first commercial application of P&G researchers' "miracle molecules" developed in the 1920s - the chemists call them synthetic surface-active agents or surfactants, advertisers call them detergents, some of us are lazy and still call it soap.
1965 - Yale University and Yale University Press announce the publication of "The Vinland Map and the Tartar Relation," the Vinland Map purportedly drawn about 1440 based on thirteenth-century recordings of the early eleventh-century Norse expedition to North America. The Leif Ericsson expedition is not in dispute, but this map certainly is - from both chemical and linguistic analysis, style and orientation of the map, and details that appear to be copied form a Portuguese map of 1503. Yale stands by the authenticity of the map.
1970 - A cell of the Front de Libération du Québec kidnapped Pierre Laporte, Quebec Minister of Labour, to reinforce the 5 October kidnapping of James Cross, British Trade Commissioner. On the 14th Prime Minister Trudeau invoked the War Measures Act and about 470 were arrested, Laporte was killed on the 17th in an apparent response. Cross was held until December when the kidnappers were given safe passage to Cuba.
Double Tenth National Day, Taiwan - Commemorates the 10 October 1911 revolution overthrowing the Ch'ing dynasty and the founding of the Republic of China. Marked with huge parades past Taipei's Presidential Office Building, displays of martial arts, and folk dancing.
A map of the world that does not include Utopia is not worth glancing
at.
- Oscar Wilde
Normal is nothing more than a cycle on a washing machine.
- Whoopi Goldberg
Truth, like gold, is to be obtained not by its growth, but by washing
away from it all that is not gold.
- Leo Tolstoy
Soap and education are not as sudden as a massacre, but they are more
deadly in the long run.
- Mark Twain
Twisted History is sent daily, absolutely free, to our subscribers who understand that the events of the past centuries have shaped our lives today - and are probably less depressing than the events on today's TV news. Both an HTML version (which looks just like this) and a text version that is compatible with all mail clients are available.
Manage your subscription
Tell a friend
about Twisted History
Leave
Feedback
Copyright 2000 G. Armour Van Horn, all rights reserved. This document may be distributed freely. Please forward the complete message including this copyright notice.