240 BC Peking, Science: The first recorded perihelion of Halley’s comet was in the Han Dynasty Chinese chronicle Shiji which described it moving east to west across the sun. The image below is the text of the record. It was identified by working backward from later sightings of Halley’s Comet.
1772 Geraldton (WA), History: Captain Louis-François-Marie Aleno de Saint-Aloüarn anchored his ship off Turtle Bay and sent a water party ashore. These matelots raised the tricolour and claimed the territory for France. They buried coins in a lead capsule which were dug up in 1998 as shown below.
1858 Philadelphia, Technology: Hymen Lipman patented a pencil with an eraser attached. It opened the world of cross word puzzles to cruciverbalists and contributed to the study of Algebra.
1866 Prague, Music: Bedrich Smetana’s ‘Bartered Bride’ premiered. We heard some — rather too much — of his music in Prague a few years ago.
1867 Seward (AK), History: Secretary of State William Seward purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million smackers or two cents an acre. (That sum today is $115 billion.) Seward wanted to get the Russians out of North America, and outflank the British in Canada. The deal was done in secret and in revenge the journalists attacked the acquisition with battalions of hyperbole. The Senate ignored the press, how rare is that, and voted 37 – 2 to consent to the treaty of purchase. The House appropriated the money in a vote of 113 – 43. The city of Seward was named for him. Ever seen a cheque for that much?
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