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May 8, 1902

The Destruction of Saint-Pierre, Martinique

On May 8, 1902, Mount Pelee, a volcano in Saint-Pierre, Martinique erupted. Hot, caustic volcanic gases and dust poured from the mountainside, covering the small city of approximately 30,000. Just prior to the blast, there were a series of geoseismic warnings, but the people feared the lava, which would have been trapped in a valley, not the gasses which were not well understood at the time.

The hot cloud of gas caused the town to burst into flames. The eruption destroyed Saint-Pierre and nearly all of its inhabitants, resulting in the worst volcanic disaster of the 20th century.

May 6, 1994

The Chunnel Opens

On May 6, 1994, the tunnel from Folkestone, Kent, England to Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais, France opened for business. Passing under the English Channel, the Chunnel, as it became known, is a modern marvel of engineering. It is the second longest undersea tunnel in the world. Eleven drilling machines worked for six years, cutting through the bedrock on the ocean floor. The Chunnel is 31.34 miles long and is serviced by its own train system. Queen Elizabeth II and French President François Mitterrand officially opened the Chunnel in Calais.

May 5, 1862

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo ("5th of May") commemorates the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862 - a victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín over the French. The date is observed as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride around the world. The Battle of Puebla delayed the French invasion of Mexico City. Five years later, Mexican forces defeated the French and expelled them from Mexico.

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April 30, 1789

George Washington Takes Office

On this date in 1789, George Washington took the oath of office at Federal Hall in New York City to become the first president of the United States. He remains the only president ever to have received 100% of the Electoral College votes. John Adams was elected as his Vice President. Only reluctantly did he agree to serve a second term and he was again elected by a 100% vote of the Electoral College. He served two terms, refusing a third.

April 29, 1429

Joan of Arc enters Orleans

For over 116 years, France and England were at war. The English House of Plantagenet and the French House of Valois both claimed the French throne based on lineage. In April of 1429, the French city of Orleans was under siege by the English. The battle was a stalemate. English forces were not strong enough to break through the city's wall, but supplies within Orleans were dangerously low.

A prophecy held that an armed woman of Lorraine would rescue France. On April 29, 1429, Joan of Arc arrived at Orleans. She demanded the English leave or suffer defeat. The English, bemused at the audacity of a woman in arms, refused. Joan of Arc entered the city walls and led the French forces to a victory over the English, freeing Orleans and marking a turning point in the Hundred Years War.

April 27, 1521

The Death of Magellan

Fernao de Magalhaes, better known in English as Ferdinand Magellan convinced the Spanish King to finance the quest for an western route to the Indonesian Islands. On September 20, 1519, Magellan set sail. It took him over a year of sailing the Atlantic and then southward along the coast of South America before he came upon the straights that now bear his name at the tip of the continent. They sailed for five months through the Pacific, so named by his crew because during that time they did not encounter a single storm. Magellan's ship landed in the Philippines in March of 1521. They explored the islands for more than a month before running into a skirmish with the natives there, during which Magellan was killed in battle at age 41. His crew sailed on to Spain, completing the first circumnavigation of the planet proving at the same time, that the world was round.

April 21, 1910

Samuel Langhorne Clemens Dies

Born on November 30, 1835 Samuel Langhorne Clemens better known as Mark Twain, died on this day in 1910. Clemens was America's earliest and foremost humorist, satirist, lecturer and writer. His novels The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer are American classics.

April 13, 1743

Thomas Jefferson

On this day in 1743, Thomas Jefferson was born in Albemarle County, Virginia. His family was part of a prominent Virginia family, and he received a classical eduction in history, literature and languages. His father died when he was 14, and Jefferson inherited over 5,000 acres of Virginia farmland. Part of his inheritance also included many slaves of African descent. He was admitted to the Virginia bar in 1767.

In 1776, as a member of the Second Continental Congress, Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. After the Revolutionary War, Jefferson served as a legislator for Virginia, was Virginia's govenor, a Minister to France, George Washington's Secretary of State, John Adams' Vice President, and was then elected as the third President of the United States. An extrordinary individual, Jefferson was not only a statesman but also a scientist, an architect, an inventor, and founder of the University of Virginia. He was also very human and a man of his time, and failed to live the courage of his own words in the Declaration of Independance in the face of slavery and with regard to the rights of Native Americans. His legacy, however, as a Founding Father far outweighs his personal shortcomings, and his dedication to republicanism and to the ideals of the separation of church and state remain cornerstones of United States democracy.

Thomas Jefferson died on the 4th of July, 1826.

Cruising through Florence on a Segway

The clients had just completed a tour of Florence on Segways--check out their version of speed racer. Segways are a great way to see more of Florence and save your feet from all the walking! Click here to view.

Contact the team at Celebrate-Travel, Inc to learn how you can have your own Segway in Florence. Email info@celebrate-travel.com

April 10, 1912

The Titanic's Maiden Voyage

On April 10, 1912 the RMS Titanic set sail on its maiden voyage. The ship departed Southampton, England, bound for New York City, New York, with Captain Edward J. Smith in command and 2,223 people aboard. The Titanic stopped in France and Ireland to pick up additional passengers. Among the passengers were many famous names: John Jacob Astor and his wife; Denver millionairess Margaret "Molly" Brown; Benjamin Guggenheim; Macy's owner Isidor Straus along with the White Star Line's director J. Bruce Ismay and the ship's builder Thomas Andrews. There were three classes of passengers; many in third class were Irish and British immigrants looking to a new life in America.

On Sunday, April 14, the ship altered course slightly south in response to iceberg warnings. A number of subsequent warnings from other ships were received, but not acted upon. At 11:40 pm, lookouts spotted an iceberg directly ahead of the ship. A collision was unavoidable. The ship hit the massive ice, buckling its hull and breaching five underwater compartments. Shortly after midnight, Captain Smith ordered lifeboats into the water. There were only 20 lifeboats on board with a total capacity of 1, 178 people, but many of the lifeboats were launched only partially filled as in the early stages of the crisis, many did not believe the ship would sink. Of the 2,223 people on board the RMS Titanic, 1,517 died with only 706 surviving.

April 9, 1865

Robert E. Lee Surrenders

The end of the American Civil War was near as Sherman left Atlanta and marched his troops to Savannah in December of 1864. Although it briefly appeared that England might enter the war on the side of the South, those hopes began to fade. On April 1, 1865, the Union forced General Robert E. Lee to evacuate Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865, effectively ending the war.

April 8, 1866

Irish Government Bill 1886

The Irish Government Bill of 1886 was the British parliament's first substantial attempt to create home rule for Ireland. The law was far from a delcaration of independence: Britain retained control over all matters of policing the territory, waging war, defence, foreign treaties, international trade and the mint. The bill was introduced by Liberal Prime Minister William Gladstone, but failed to pass even in the face of Gladstone's insistance that one day Britian would be forced to relinquish control.

April 7, 1948

Establishment of the World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) was established by the United Nations to act as an international coordinating authority on April 7, 1948. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, WHO succeeded the role of the Health Organization, its predecessor under the League of Nations. One of the original institutions founded by the United Nations, WHO has as its mission the "attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health." WHO coordinates the international effort to monitor and fight outbreaks of infectious diseases, and sponsors programs to eradicate such diseases. WHO declared in 1980 that smallpox had been eradicated from the planet - the first disease eliminated by deliberate human effort.

March 27, 1964

Great Alaska Earthquake

On March 27th, 1964, it was life as usual in the city of Anchorage, Alaska. At 5:36:14 p.m. local time, the ground shook violently. Reaching a magnitude of 9.2, the ensuing earthquake remains one of the most devestating on record. The earthquake and ensuing tsunami took 128 lives (tsunami 113, earthquake 15), and caused about $311 million in property loss.

Anchorage, about 120 kilometers northwest of the epicenter, sustained the most severe damage to property. About 30 blocks of dwellings and commercial buildings were damaged or destroyed in the downtown area. Landslides in Anchorage caused heavy damage in the downtown business section. The largest and most devastating landslide occurred at Turnagain Heights. An area of about 130 acres was devasted by displacements that broke the ground into many deranged blocks that were collapsed and tilted at all angles. This slide destroyed about 75 private houses. Water mains and gas, sewer, telephone, and electrical systems were disrupted throughout the area.

Seiche action (waves) caused by the earthquake in rivers, lakes, bayous, and protected harbors and waterways along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas caused minor damage and were was also recorded on tide gages in places as far away as Cuba and Puerto Rico.

March 26, 1199

The Death of Richard the Lionheart

Richard I was king of England for ten years, starting in 1189. The king spent only five months of that time in his kingdom. In March 1199, Richard I was in France suppressing a revolt at the castle of Chalus-Chabrol. On the evening of March 25th, he walked around the perimeter of the castle without his armor. On the castle walls, a young soldier aimed an arrow at the king and loosed the projectile, hitting Richard in the shoulder. A surgeon botched the extraction and the wound became gravely infected.

Richard the Lionheart, so named for his military exploits, called the cross bowman before him. The soldier was a boy of 14 and claimed to have intentionally shot the king in revenge of the death of his father at Richard's hands. Richard, sensing death at hand himself, forgave the boy. The King named his brother John as his successor. He died on April 6th.

Soldiers seized the young bowman who had killed the king and had him flayed, or skinned, alive and hanged. Richard's brain was buried in Poitou, his heart in Normandy and his body in Anjou.

March 25, 1807

The Slave Trade Act

The United Kingdom abolished the slave trade with The Slave Trade Act, an act of Parliament passed on 25 March 1807. The Act abolished the slave trade in the British Empire, but not slavery. The institution of slavery would fall 26 years later with the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833.

Interestingly, Protestant evangelicals lead by the Quakers were the foremost abolitionists of the day, leading the fight to end slavery and the trade. The United Kingdom now felt at an economic disadvantage and began to press its trading partners to end slavery as well. The United States outlawed the trade, but again, not the institution, in 1820.

Outlawed in nearly all countries, slavery even today remains a secret in many parts of the world, both for hard physical labor and the sex trade. Estimates are that there exist as many as 27 million victims of slavery worldwide.

March 24, 1989

The Exxon Valdeze Oil Spill

On March 24, 1989 Captain Joseph Hazelwood grounded his boat. Unfortunately, his boat was a 30,000 ton oil tanker filled with 53,094,510 gallons of oil, of which 10.8 million gallons spilled into Prince William Sound. The resulting oil spill ranks as one of the most disasterous environmental catastrophes of record.

The short and long term results of the spill remain uncertain. Thousands of fish, birds ( 250,000 - 500,000) and mammals (1000+ sea otters alone) died within weeks of exposure to the oil or immediate secondary effects. Thousands of jobs dependent on the fishing and wildife industry were lost. Best guess estimates are that the ecology will require some 30 years to recover.

The 1994 court case awarded $287 million in actual damages and 5 billion dollars in punative damages, less than a single year's profit for Exxon. The company has appealed the verdict to the Supreme Court which will decide the constitutionality of the damages in 2008.

March 23, 1775

Give me Liberty, or give me Death!

On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry stood in front of a crowd gathered at St. John's Church in Richmond, Virginia. Powerful forces in Virginia, where much loyalty to the British crown remained, were resisting the call to arms on behalf of the American revolution. Patrick Henry, known for his rhetorical skill, determined to convince the Virginia House of Burgesses to pass a resolution delivering the Virginia troops. Many in the crowd were urging peace. However, Patrick Henry's speech ended with the famous words "Give me liberty or give me death" upon which the crowd responded "To arms! To arms!"

March 20, 1974

The Attempted Kidnapping of Princess Anne

On March 20, 1974 Princess Anne was returning to Buckingham Palace from a charity event. In the car was her husband, Mark Phillips, her driver and private detective. Suddenly, a Ford escort in front of her Rolls Royce veered to a stop. A man emerged from the Ford, firing a pistol. Princess Anne's driver and detective were both shot. The assailant pointed his weapon at the Royals, demanding they exit the car. Princess Anne replied "Not bloody likely".

Two passers-by intervened. One was shot in the chest. The other managed to hit the assailant. The diversion allowed Princess Anne to exit the car on the side opposite the attack. The assailant was arrested two blocks away after shooting one of the arresting officers.

The gunman, Ian Ball, was adjudged mentally incompetent and remains under guarded hospitalization in Broodmoor Hospital.

March 19, 1687

The Death of Robert de LaSalle

The French explorer Robert de LaSalle explored the Great Lakes region of the United States and Canada, the Mississippi River, and the Gulf of Mexico. He claimed the entire Mississippi basin for France, naming it "La Louisiane" in honor of Louis XIV.

On his last journey, he set sail from France with 4 ships and 300 colonists. From the outset however, the expedition was beset with problems. One ship was lost to pirates in the Caribbean, a second sank near Matagorda Bay, and a third ran aground. La Salle set out on foot to try to locate the Mississippi. The few remaining colonists with him mutinied and killed him somewhere near the site of present day Huntsville, Texas. La Salle's primary ship, La Belle, was discovered in the waters of Matagorda Bay in 1995.

March 18 , 1314

The Last Templar Grand Master

The Inquisition on this day burned at the stake Jacques de Molay, the 23rd and last official Grand Master of the Knights Templar. The Templars were the warrior monks of the Crusades. The Roman Church provided the Knights Templar with enormous power, and they were subject to no authority other than the Pope. The Order became extremely wealthy and in many places in Europe began to act as bankers. It was this position and power that lead to their downfall.

Phillp IV of France was financially indebted to the Templars. On Friday, October 13, 1307 (the origin of the bad luck associated with Friday the 13th) , Phillip ordered the arrest of all Templars. They were tortured into confessions of heresy. Eventually the order was disbanded. Jacques de Molay, however, recanted his confession. As a result Phillip ordered him executed by burning at the stake on the Île de la Cité in Paris and his ashes scattered into the Seine so that no relics would be found. Today, there exists a marker on the site of his execution, located by the stairs from the Pont-Neuf bridge.

March 17 , 1756

St. Patrick's Day

On March 17, according to tradition, St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, died. Some sources record the year as 493, others say 461. Patrick was born in Roman Britain. Irish raiders captured him when he was sixteen and he was taken as a slave to Ireland. He lived there for six years before he escaped and returned by ship to his family. Like his father and grandfather, Patrick entered the church, becoming a deacon and a bishop. He had a vision which prompted his return to Ireland as a missionary. Legend tells of him driving the snakes from Ireland, which may be a reference to his missionary work replacing earlier pagan cults. He preached using a shamrock to illustrate the Christian theology of the trinity. Today, the Irish and not-so-Irish celebrate his life worldwide on St. Patrick's day.

March 16 , 1968

Hugh Thompson, Jr. - An American Hero

Captain Hugh Thompson, Jr. was a United States Army helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. On the morning of March 16th, 1968 he flew his helicopter over a small village in Vietnam the soldiers referred to as "Pinkville" but the locals knew as My Lai. On the ground below him, he witnessed American soldiers killing old men, women and children being held in a ditch. Landing his craft, Thompson approached the ground commander, Lt. William Calley who indicated he was following orders. Thompson took off again, but landed near one of the ditches full of civilians. Turning to his men, he ordered them to cover his back and to fire on the American troops if they fired at him or if they refused to quit killing the civilians. Ignoring the protests of the soldiers on the ground, Thompson and two others gathered 12 women and children and placed them on the helicopters and began the return trip to a field hospital. On the way, he reported the massacre to his superiors. Lt. Colonel Frank Barker ordered a cease fire.

During the official investigation, Chairman Mendel Rivers (D-SC), lobbied to have Thompson court marshalled.

Thirty years later, in 1998, Thompson and two other soldiers who acted with him to stop the massacre at My Lai were awarded the United States Army's highest award for bravery not involving direct contact with the enemy, the Soldier's Medal. "It was the ability to do the right thing even at the risk of their personal safety that guided these soldiers to do what they did," Major General Michael Ackerman said of the three soldiers so honored. Thompson died of complications of cancer in 2006.

March 13 , 1925

Passage of the Butler Act

On March 25, 1925, the legislature of the state of Tennessee passed the Butler Act which declared in part:

... that it shall be unlawful for any teacher in any of the Universities, Normals and all other public schools of the State which are supported in whole or in part by the public school funds of the State, to teach any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals."

A high school teacher, John Scopes, was charged on May 5, 1925 with teaching evolution. His source was a textbook outlining the theories of Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species." The prosecution was led by William Jennings Bryan with Clarence Darrow acting as attorney for Scopes. The trial drew worldwide attention and was later memorialized in the play and subsequent movie "Inherit the Wind." H.L. Mencken, the famous journalist for the Baltimore Sun, coined the name "Scopes Monkey Trial" for the case.

Scope's teaching of evolution was a deliberate attempt to challenge the Butler Act, financed by the American Civil Liberties Union and a group of business leaders in Dayton, Tennessee. The Butler Act conflicted with another Tennessee law requiring teacher to instruct from the textbook Scopes used. The trial was a theatrical circus. After nine days of testimony, it took the jury nine minutes of deliberation to reach a verdict of guilty. Scopes was ordered to pay a $100 fine.

March 12 , 1894

Coca Cola Sold In Bottles

If you believed its press, Coca Cola was a miracle drug, capable of curing all manner of ills including morphine addiction, headaches and impotence. Invented in 1885 in Columbus, Georgia, the drink was first sold in soda fountains in Atlanta in 1886 as a patent medicine for five cents a glass. The syrup was mixed with carbonated water and during its first year sold an average of 9 glasses a day. Frank M. Robinson, the pharmacy's accountant, suggested the name "Coca Cola" and crafted the famous trademark "Coca-Cola" in his unique script. The name came from the two stimulants used in the syrup's formulation: coca leaves from South America and kola nuts, a source of caffine. The exact formula is a closely guarded trade secret and the brand is reputedly the best recognized logo and brand of any product in the world.

March 11 , 1942

General MacArthur Leaves the Philippines

It was March 11, 1942. General Douglas MacArthur climbed aboard a gun ship in the Philippines under cover of darkness, and ran a Japanese blockade. Speaking to the press in Adelaide, Australia, MacArthur told reporters, "I came through and I shall return."

Logistical problems had left MacArthur without reinforcements. President Roosevelt, fearing MacArthur would be captured or killed, ordered him to leave. On April 9, some 10,000 American troops surrendered to the Japanese.

MacArthur took command at Allied headquarters in Melbourne. Organizing a series of air and amphibious operations he turned the tide of the war against the Japanese. On October 20, 1944, he waded ashore on Leyte Island to tell the waiting press "I have returned."

March 10 , 1831

Founding of the French Foreign Legion

King Louis-Phillippe needed troops for the French colony of Algeria. Foreign soldiers were not permitted to join the French army. The King solved the problem by forming a new military unit on March 10, 1831. The recruits were a mixed bunch: soldiers from other countries, adventurers and criminals. Forced to work together, the troops from different lands were bonded by a strong esprit d'corp and hard training. Algeria became the Legionnaires' home.

Since their formation, Legionnaires have fought in almost every conflict in which France was involved, including both World Wars, Vietnam and the first Gulf War. Today, the Legion has recruits from all over the world. The only Frenchmen in the Legion are officers. For 131 years the Legion remained in Algeria until that country's independence from France forced them to move to France. Each year some 500 men apply to the Legion, but only 50 or so are accepted.

March 9 , 1959

Barbie's Birthday

The American International Toy Fair in New York on March 9, 1959 debuted a new doll by the Mattel toy company. Named after the daughters of one of Mattel's co-founders, Barbie became an overnight sensation. Most dolls of the time were modeled after babies. Barbie, however, had a distinctively adult form and look - too much so for many during the doll's history. The first Barbie doll sold for $3.00. Barbie’s first boyfriend, Ken, debuted two years after Barbie in 1961. Certainly one of the most popular yet controversial toys ever created, Barbie has been much accessorized and criticized during her 50 year history. Her approximate 1/6th scale to an adult human form has been the object of concern for many who view Barbie's body shape as unrealistic and unhealthy. Nevertheless, it is estimated that 90% of the girls in the United States between the ages of 3 and 10 have owned a Barbie. The current estimated selling price of the original 1959 Barbie doll in mint condition is $27,000.

March 6 , 1836

Remember the Alamo

The territory of Texas was in the northern region of Mexico known as Coahuila y Tejas. Rebel forces in Texas wanted independence from Mexico. The Mexican government saw Texas as an important bulwark against the territorial expansion of the United States.

Lieutenant Colonel William Barret Travis was in charge of the old mission fort known as the Alamo. Defenders began to arrive from all over the United States and its territories. From Tennessee came frontiersman and politician Davy Crockett who had just lost his re-election campaign to the US Congress. Crockett had told his electorate "if they did not elect me they could go to hell and I would go to Texas!" From Louisiana came Jim Bowie with a small number of volunteers.

The 13-day siege of the Alamo began on Tuesday, February 23 and ended on Sunday, March 6, 1836. Travis wrote in his final letters from the fort: "The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion otherwise the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken — I have answered their demand with a cannon shot, and our flag still waves proudly from the walls — I shall never surrender or retreat."

The deadly siege ended with the capture of the mission fortress and the death of nearly all of its Texan defenders, except for a few women, children and slaves.

March 5 , 1770

The Boston Massacre

Tensions were running high between the colonists and the British soldiers in Boston. King George, fearing war with France, had imposed a series of taxes on the Americans. The colonists, having no representation in London, resented the imposition of the taxes on their business activities and purchases. Boston, the intellectual and cultural center of the Americas, was also the center of the resistance against British tyranny and the George III sent troops to protect their interests.

On March 5, 1770 a local shop boy taunted a British soldier on guard at the Customs House. A crowd grew to listen to the taunts and began to join in when the soldier struck the boy. The crowd grew angry. Some were intoxicated. Church bells began to ring and the crowd grew and became more threatening. Stones and snowballs were thrown at the soldiers. Someone struck one of the sentries to the ground with a club. The soldier rose to his feet and yelled at his companions to fire on the crowd that now numbered some 300 - 400 colonials.

The soldiers fired into the crowd, hitting eleven people including freed slave Crispus Attucks who died instantly. In all, 5 colonists were killed. The next day, to keep peace, the royal authorities moved the troops from the city to Castle Island in Boston Harbor. Four of the soldiers were indicted for murder. But the deed was done and symbolized the burden of British Rule. Paul Revere etched the famous lithograph below to illustrate the incident known as the Boston Massacre.

Exactly six years later to the day, British troops in Boston woke to find that overnight American rebels had built a fortification armed with a cannon at the top of Dorchester Heights. The British troops, surrounded agreed to leave the city without burning it, and Boston was freed of British rule at the outset of the American Revolution.