ON THIS DAY JUNE 26
1284 A piper leads 130 children of Hamelin away. Historical records suggest that the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin was real, but the transmission of this story undoubtedly changed over time, although to what extent is unknown, and the mystery of what really happened to those children has never been solved. The story also raises the question, if the Pied Piper of Hamelin was based on reality, how much truth is there in other fairy tales that we were told as children?
1409 The Roman Catholic Church goes into a double schism as Alexander V is crowned in Pisa, joining Gregory XII in Rome and Benedict XII in Avignon as pope. 1498 Toothbrushes are invented in China. 1797 Charles Newbold patents the castiron plough; farmers fear effects of iron on soil.
1806 Voortrekker pioneer Antjie Scheepers, who found a way to descend the Drakensberg Mountains after the men had given up, is born near Swellendam.
1807 Lightning hits a gunpowder warehouse in Luxembourg, killing 230.
1860 The first railway line in SA, between Durban and the Point, is opened.
1904 The first mail boat in Durban, the Armadale Castle, anchors, having crossed the newly-dredged sandbar that had been such a hindrance to shipping.
1906 The first Grand Prix motor race. 1936 The Focke-Wulf Fw 61, the first practical helicopter, takes to the skies. 1941 Fascists kill 2 300 Jews in Kovno. 1944 Neutral state San Marino is bombed by the RAF, leading to 35 civilian deaths.
1961 While underground, Nelson Mandela writes a letter in which he states: “The struggle is my life. I will continue fighting for freedom until the end of my days.”
1963 Walter Sisulu makes the first broadcast on “Radio Freedom” from a secret hideout, urging the youth to continue the struggle for freedom.
1974 The universal product code (barcode) is used for the first time.
1993 Lightweight Dingaan Thobela wins the World Boxing Association title.
2001 The SAPS becomes the first in Africa to launch a missing children website.
2008 A suicide bomber dressed as an Iraqi policeman kills 25 people.
2015 Terrorist attacks in France, Tunisia, Somalia, Kuwait, and Syria kill 750 people.
2017 A rogue policeman attacks the Venezuelan Supreme Court with a helicopter.