18 April 1947 - Operation Big Bang.

The demolition of the German submarine pens, bunkers and other military structures on the German island of Heligoland. 

The 1.63 sq mile island of Heligoland 43 miles off the coast in the south eastern corner of the North Sea was heavily fortified during both World Wars with the civilian population being evacuated in the 1930s to make the island a solely military site.

After the end of the war in 1945 it fell within the British Occupation Zone and it was decided that the military structures would be demolished in a single huge blast. The civilians who had returned just a year or so before were again evacuated and the site packed with around 4000 torpedo heads, 9000 depth charges and 91,000 shells. After an initial small explosion to scare away the seabirds the main blast was detonated by a Royal Navy ship ten miles away. 

The explosion, estimated at 3.2 kilotons of TNT, was the largest man-made blast in Europe and the largest non-nuclear, non-natural blast in history with part of the island disappearing. Residents were allowed back in 1952.

Only slightly smaller was the blast that destroyed the RAF depot at Fauld near where I live in 1944. Fortunately for east Staffordshire the explosion occurred underground, nevertheless 71 people were killed. 

Only slightly smaller was the blast that destroyed the RAF depot at Fauld near where I live in 1944. Fortunately for east Staffordshire the explosion occurred underground, nevertheless 71 people were killed. 

Fauld? Named after a codpiece? 

Old English for farmyard. The underground RAF depot was opened in 1937 and despite the explosion only closed in 1973. 

19 April 1906 - Pierre Curie died.

French scientist who, along with his wife Marie, won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903 for their work on radioactivity. 

He was killed aged 46 when he slipped on a wet street in Paris and run over by a horse-drawn wagon.

19 April 1906 - Pierre Curie died.

French scientist who, along with his wife Marie, won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903 for their work on radioactivity. 

He was killed aged 46 when he slipped on a wet street in Paris and run over by a horse-drawn wagon.

There must be some conspiracy theories about this. Radioactivity, early demise through a mysterious death.

The dangers of radioactivity were not understood at the time of his death. Marie lived to be 66 before her scientific studies got her. Today their journals etc are kept in isolation and anyone wishing to consult them has to wear a protective suit.   

20 April 2010 - The Deepwater Horizon disaster.

The blowout and explosion of an oil rig operated by BP in the Gulf of Mexico resulting in the death of 11 workers and the largest marine oil spill in history. 

HM Queen Elizabeth II was born 100 years ago today and if my calculations are correct Art is three quarters of the way there today.

21 April 1934 - The "Surgeon's Photograph" of the Loch Ness Monster published.

The most famous photograph of the Loch Ness Monster was allegedly taken by London gynaecologist Robert Wilson in April 1934. The Daily Mail published it on 21 April.

Although dismissed as a hoax by many it was not conclusively proven to be so until the 1990s when 90 year old Christian Spurling confessed to constructing the "monster" by attaching a wooden head and neck to a toy submarine. The photograph was actually taken by a friend Ian Wetherell and Dr Wilson was the "front man" chosen as it was thought he would be more likely to be believed.

HM Queen Elizabeth II was born 100 years ago today and if my calculations are correct Art is three quarters of the way there today.

21 April 1934 - The "Surgeon's Photograph" of the Loch Ness Monster published.

The most famous photograph of the Loch Ness Monster was allegedly taken by London gynaecologist Robert Wilson in April 1934. The Daily Mail published it on 21 April.

Although dismissed as a hoax by many it was not conclusively proven to be so until the 1990s when 90 year old Christian Spurling confessed to constructing the "monster" by attaching a wooden head and neck to a toy submarine. The photograph was actually taken by a friend Ian Wetherell and Dr Wilson was the "front man" chosen as it was thought he would be more likely to be believed.

So, this Wilson feller was a gynecologist? Well, I'm sure he's seen some things in his time. 

The good doctor must have wanted a change of scenery.

Happy Birthday, Arthur.  I saw you had quite a bash.  Good on you.

The good doctor must have wanted a change of scenery.

Happy Birthday, Arthur.  I saw you had quite a bash.  Good on you.

Shule’s, my cheeky little vanilla slice, cheers

22 April 1778 - James Hargreaves died.

English inventor, the first of the three great names in the evolution of the spinning machine for the manufacture of cloth.

An illiterate hand loom weaver from Stanhill, Lancashire Hargreaves is said to have found the inspiration for his spinning machine after his daughter accidentally overturned his hand loom whereupon he observed that the wheel and spindles continued turning. He developed a machine, in about 1764, that could operate eight spindles at once, but opposition from local weavers forced him to move to Nottingham where he set up a business manufacturing his machine known as the spinning jenny.

I can't help you there as intricacies of such advanced machines are beyond me.

23 April 2005 - The first YouTube video posted.

Founded in California in February 2005 by three work colleagues the first video was uploaded by one of the three Jawed Karim - a 20 second clip of him at San Diego Zoo featuring elephants entitled Me at the zoo.

24 April 1967 - The first confirmed space flight fatality.

Although there are suspicions that up to four Russia cosmonauts died in failed secret space launches between 1957 and 1960 the first confirmed death came in 1967.

Vladimir Komarov on board Soyuz 1 launched from Baikonur on 23 April, the mission was supposed to see the launch of Soyuz 2 the next day and for the two spacecraft to rendezvous in orbit. However bad weather prevented the second launch so Komarov was ordered to abort the mission and return. After 18 orbits he attempted re-entry but on the final descent the parachutes became entangled and failed to open. Unable to slow the descent the spacecraft became overheated and burst into flames crashing to the ground near Karabutak in Orenburg Oblast.

Today a monument marks the site of the crash.