How a Sydney bottle sniffer became a star
The bottle sniffer in the Sydney soft drink factory did a bit of modelling on the side and it was his habit of taking off his shirt that earned him his big break
Today In History
Bootleggers’ need for speed inspired NASCAR
Charlotte Speedway was the venue for an exciting new concept in motor racing, designed to find the best driver rather than the best car
Henry VIII’s bastard son a real life Jon Snow
Bastard Henry FitzRoy was ultimately denied the throne despite enjoying the favour of his father
Demon barber’s horror story a cut above the rest
In 1846 writers Thomas Peckett Prest and James Malcolm Rymer hit upon a recipe for a bestseller about a demonic barber who murders his clients and has them baked into pies
More Stories
First heart surgery patient lived another 20 years
CHICAGO surgeon Daniel Hale Williams stitched up a heart tear to save stab victim James Cornish 125 years ago.
Fun times were rare for the original funny girl of theatre
THE whitewashed tale of comedienne Fanny Brice won an Oscar 50 years ago for another Jewish starlet, Barbra Streisand.
Human error sparked Piper Alpha oil rig disaster
WHEN a maintenance crew failed to tell an oil rig control room about a missing safety valve it brought about one of the worst oil rig disasters in history
Forbidden love led to creation of a monster
WHEN poet Percy Shelley fell in love with Mary Godwin the daughter of his philosophical hero it would transform his life and create a monster.
Storm revealed horror of coal mine children
Workers at the Huskar coal pit went to work on a hot, sunny summer’s day, but a freak thunder storm turned their coal mine into a death trap for 29 children, 180 years ago today
Steam train’s 80-year record still stands
EIGHTY years ago steam locomotive The Mallard broke a speed record that has yet to be officially bettered.
Capital overseer full of tall tales and mystery
Politician King O’Malley, champion of the Griffin design for Canberra, was born 160 years ago, probably in the US.
Songwriters’ hit took babysitter to stardom
KYLIE Minogue’s first pop hit The Loco-Motion was originally recorded a quarter of a century earlier by Carole King’s babysitter Little Eva.
Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/today-in-history/page/30