26 August

On this day in 1946 George Orwell  published his novel "Animal Farm". In an unrelated event more than 5 centuries earlier - in 1429 – Joan of Arc made a triumphant entry into Paris. 

Today is the anniversary of the opening of the 2002 Earth Summit in Johannesburg. There were 60 000 delegates from 174 countries. Thirty years earlier  in 1972  another big event opened:  the 20th Olympic Games in Munich, West Germany.  These were the Games during which a terrorist attack killed 11 Israeli athletes and coaches, and a West German police officer, while five terrorists also died. But the Games continued and Mark Spitz famously won seven medals in swimming events. The 1969 movie title had it wrong  - the island is/was in fact  to the West of Java.  A few days ago, I mentioned the big disaster caused when Vesuvius erupted in 79. Anak Krakatau Eighteen centuries later, between 26 and 27 August 1883, the volcano on Krakatoa erupted in a series of major explosions, destroying almost all of the island itself. It had been  been stirring and erupting for months before that, but nobody could  predict the final cataclysmic explosion on 27 August. The sound is believed to be the loudest ever heard by modern man and was audible at a distance of up to more than 4 500 km from Krakatoa, which was situated between Java and Sumatra in what is today known as Indonesia.  Most of the 36 000 people killed as a result, were victims of tsunami caused by the explosion.   As had been predicted by volcanologists, in 1927 a new volcanic island, Anak Krakatau ('Child of Krakatoa') rose from the sea in the area where Krakatoa had been.  It disappeared after a while, but arose again and an eruption in 1930 produced one that stayed above water and has been steadily growing.

24 August

The Three Mile Island nuclear plant before the incident in 1979

Today marks the anniversary (in 1979) of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant near Middletown, Pa. And on this day in 1935, aviator Amelia Earhart began her solo trip across the Pacific Ocean. Also on this day, in 1349, Jews of Cologne, Germany set themselves on fire to avoid baptism and in 1391, the Jews of Palma Majorca were massacred. 

But in 1456 the printing of the Gutenberg Bible was completed. 

Today a year ago, the late Steve Jobs resigned his job as CEO at Apple. 

And as mentioned yesterday, on this day in the year 79, Mt Vesuvius exploded in one of history's most dramatic volcanic events.

So there, some food for your and my weekend small talk.

23 August

Mt Vesuvius

Starting this blog just for fun. It may appeal to those who have scatter-brained, easily distracted, interested-in-everything minds.  

Today is actor, writer, entertainer, popular user of twitter and Apple products and all-round clever guy Stephen Fry's birthday - which he shares with millions of other people, but among others also the Brazilian author Paulo Coelho, the South African cricket player Adrian Kuiper and Louis XVI, King of France.

Today also marks the day, in the year 79, when Mount Vesuvius began stirring - on the feast day of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire (it erupted a day later, burying the cities of Pompeii & Herculaneum). So now you know all of that too.