Little Prince author’s death one of WWII’s great aviation mysteries
When a Lockheed Lightning P-38 failed to return from a mission 75 years ago today the world lost a much-loved writer
Today In History
How Hollywood forgot a true pioneer
When Leon Gaumont, head of a photography company, took his secretary to a Lumiere Brothers film screening in 1895, she was inspired to become the world’s first female film director
How Qantas dodged crash-prone Comet jets
Qantas’ pivotal decision not to buy the world’s first commercial jet airliner, the de Havilland Comet which was soon to suffer three tragic crashes, paved the way for its successful first flight from Sydney to San Francisco, 60 years ago on Monday.
Canyoning disaster ‘like being in a washing machine’
The Australian was one of the few survivors of a disaster that killed 21 young people out for a fun adrenaline fix 20 years ago today
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Crusading journo stopped rot in US meat industry
When young journalist Upton Sinclair went undercover in 1904 he helped expose shocking secrets about the food Americans were eating
Losers turned ugly after Creole woman won first beauty pageant
While we like to think we are far more diverse in what we consider beautiful these days in 1888 a European beauty contest chose a creole woman as the most beautiful girl on the planet
Life was bittersweet for chocolate clan adoptees
UNDER the sugar-coated story of the Darrell Lea confectionery empire lies a bittersweet family saga
UK industrialist Bentley’s cars dominated at Le Mans circuit
WITH support from elite Bentley Boys, Walter Bentley, born 130 years ago, pushed his big saloons across the line.
US cartoon inspired the creation of teddy bears
TEDDY bears have been a popular toy for more than a century; they have entertained children, inspired authors and kept up the morale of soldiers at war. But they owe their origins to a US president
Blast survivor provided clues on brain function
YOUNG railway foreman, Phineas Gage, became famous for surviving an horrific brain injury.
Army initially shunned Gatling’s rapid-fire gun
THE top brass of the Union Army watched an amazing demonstration of a rapid fire gun in 1862. Invented by Richard Gatling, the gun would change the nature of warfare
Dissident writer ‘shot’ by killer poison pellet
BULGARIAN defector Georgi Markov felt a sting in his leg while waiting at a bus stop in London, he died a few days later, forty years ago today
Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/today-in-history/page/23