1242 Alexander Nevsky of Novgorod defeated the Teutonic knights (Germans from Lithuania) in the Battle of the Ice. Battles do usually make this list but this one did because Kate once sang in Sergei Prokofiev’s cantata. Alex came out ahead in a poll for the Greatest Russian in 2008, edging Comrade Stalin by a few points. We saw a few things bearing Alex’s name in Estonia and Russia.
1753 Bloomsbury, Knowledge: King George the First assented to an act of parliament to establish the British Museum which later opened in 1759. Sir Hans Sloane had bequeathed his collection of 71,000 objects and 40,000 books to the king in lieu of taxes. This bequest explains why the British Library was until lately housed within the British Museum. I have used the BL many times, and gawked at the BM even more times. N.B. The legislation had a long and slow progression and many other dates are relevant to its development.
1818 Santiago (Chile), History: José de San Martín declared Chile free of Spanish rule. (There are not many dates for Spanish America on the daily history websites so they are rare.
1979 Jabiru (NT), Conservation: The Kakadu National Park was proclaimed. Its area equals half of Switzerland with rock art as old as 60,000 years, birds, plants, and fish species found nowhere else to say nothing of the insects! (I got stung by a gigantic fly in the room, not the bush, and it took months for the swelling to recede.) The has since expanded by 20,000 square kilometres. We spent several days there, staying in the motel pictured below.
2063 Bozeman (MN), Future: The Vulcans made First Contact with Zephram Cochrane whose warp flight had been to the sound of Steppenwolf’s ‘Magic Carpet Ride.’ Fasten the chin strap on those colanders, Time Travellers.
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