1541 Hernando de Soto with a party of four hundred reached Memphis Tennessee having made their way overland from the west coast of Florida where six hundred had landed. In Memphis he found the Mississippi River which became a highway into the continent. He had left from Cuba. Though wealthy from his earlier adventures, he was restless and sought the Spanish King’s commission for further exploration. He first went to the New World in 1515 and later joined Francisco Pizarro in Peru where he had enriched himself at the expense of the Inca.
1886 Atlanta, Commerce: Pharmacist John Pemberton sold the first Coca-Cola. The name was coined by his bookkeeper whose handwriting became the trademark. It was tonic based on the coca leaf and the kola nut, that is, cocaine combined with caffeine. It was a downer and an upper in one!
1901 Melbourne, Politics: The Federal Australian Labor Party was founded with John Watson as leader. Labor Parties had formed in the colonies and with federation they united. Watson became the first Labor Prime Minister, briefly, in 1904. Note that the Party is ‘Labor’ to distinguish it from the broader Labour movement based on trade unions. Below are the Labor MPs and Senators who chose Watson.
1963 London. Film: ‘Dr No’ screened and James Bond was incarnated by Sean Connery.
2016 London, Politics: A practising Muslim Sadiq Khan won election as Mayor of London. After Boris Johnson and compared to his opponents he was regarded as a safe pair of hands.
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