History Dispatches

From 1819 to 1846, James Holman traveled throughout the world - going to every continent - except Antarctica - and circumnavigating the globe. It’s estimated he traveled 250,000 miles in his days - making him one of the most well-traveled people in the world. And the even more amazing thing is that Holman was blind. This is the story of James Holman, the Blind Traveler. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Holman https://explorersweb.com/legends-series-james-holman/ "A Sense of the World: How a Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveler" by Jason Roberts Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James.Holman.by.George.Chinnery.1830.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the American Civil War a group of inventors and privateers got together to build a submarine. The result was the H.L. Hunley. Launched in 1864, the Hunley would go on to be the first submarine in history to sink an enemy vessel. It then disappear without a trace for 130 years. This is the story of the H.L. Hunley. Sources https://www.history.navy.mil/research/underwater-archaeology/sites-and-projects/ship-wrecksites/hl-hunley.html https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/hl-hunley Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._L._Hunley#/media/File:Conrad_Wise_Chapman_-_Submarine_Torpedo_Boat_H.L._Hunley,_Dec._6,_1863.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1992, one of Great Britain’s most revered and trusted brands - Hoover - began a marketing campaign giving away two plane tickets to the United States - a value of 600 pounds at the time - if you bought at least 100 pounds worth of appliance products. If that seems like an insanely bad idea - you are right. This is the story of the Hoover Flight Promotion - perhaps the most costly and catastrophic marketing campaign in history. Sources https://thehustle.co/the-worst-sales-promotion-in-history https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_free_flights_promotion Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Hoover_vacuum_cleaner_illustration%2C_1919.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the most iconic and influential toys ever is the simple Lego brick, with a history stretching back over a century. The Lego has captured the hearts and minds of millions - kids and adults alike. They are a simple, elegant toy with infinite complexity and creativity. This is the history of legos. Sources https://www.lego.com/en-us/history Image: By Arto Alanenpää - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lego_dublo_arto_alanenpaa_5.JPG History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On August 2, 1943, a patrol boat commanded by a young John F. Kennedy was rammed by a Japanese destroyer in the waters of the Solomon Islands. Despite his own injuries, the 26-year old Kennedy spent the next week attempting to get himself and the surviving crew to safety. He even used a life jacket strap clenched between his teeth to tow an injured crewman in the water for more than five hours. This is the story of John F. Kennedy and PT 109. Sources https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/john-f-kennedy-and-pt-109 https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2003/summer/pt109.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrol_torpedo_boat_PT-109 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PT_boat Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lt._John_F._Kennedy_skipper_aboard_the_PT-109.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We celebrate today - Halloween - by diving into the history of the zombie. From Haitian voodoo folklore, to one of the cornerstones of horror movies, serious and silly alike, this is the history of zombies. Sources "The undead in culture and science," by Nugent C, Berdine G, Nugent K. https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/12/13/250844800/zoinks-tracing-the-history-of-zombie-from-haiti-to-the-cdc Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zombies_NightoftheLivingDead.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On July 23, 1983, Air Canada Flight 143 was in route from Montreal to Edmonton when the plane - astonishingly - ran out of fuel midway through the flight. The crew would thus have to glide the Boeing 767 - and their 61 passengers - from an altitude of 41,000 feet - to an emergency landing at an old Air Force base in Manitoba - which had recently been converted to a racetrack - and was hosting an event at the time of the emergency landing. This is the story of the Gimli Glider. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider https://simpleflying.com/air-canada-gimli-glider-facts-list/ https://www.damninteresting.com/the-gimli-glider/ Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Air_Canada_Flight_143_after_emergency_landing_2.jpg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For decades the New World screwworm fly devastated agriculture across the southern United States, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. At least until the 1950s when a strange combination of radiation, and releasing billions of the very fly they sought to eradicate into the wild. And today, the screwworm has all but disappeared from North America. This is the story of the Eradication of the Screwworm Fly. Sources Stop Screwworms: Selections from the Screwworm Eradication Collection https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/exhibits/show/stop-screwworms--selections-fr https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/cattle/ticks/screwworm Image: https://www.nal.usda.gov/exhibits/speccoll/items/show/7394 History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1847, a group of former slaves from the Americas established the nation of Liberia on the west coast of Africa. Many people hailed the move as an option for other blacks in the Americas. And while that sounds all well and good, it would be a much more complex and divisive effort. This is the story of the establishment of Liberia. Sources "https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/liberia-proclaims-its-independence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Liberia" Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coat_of_arms_of_Liberia.svg History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a summer day in 1184 a large group of nobles and clergy were gathered in Erfurt, modern day Germany, debating control over the city. The event was being presided over by the son of the Holy Roman Emperor. All was normal until the floor gave way and dozens of people fell into the cesspit below the castle. 60 people died, many drowning in human waste. This is the story of the Erfurt Latrine Disaster. Sources The Fort Weekly Curio #1: The Erfurter Latrinensturz "Water Technology in the Middle Ages Cities, Monasteries, and Waterworks After the Roman Empire" By Roberta J. Magnusson https://www.erfurt-lese.de/streifzuege/geschichtliches/erfurter-latrinensturz/ History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: www.airwavemedia.com Interested in advertising on History Dispatches? Email us at advertising@airwavemedia.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices