HistoryPod

HistoryPod


Latest Episodes

6th May 1906: Russia enacts the Fundamental Laws, which serve as the Constitution of 1906
May 05, 2024

Alongside the establishment of the bicameral State Duma, the constitution granted citizens freedom of speech, assembly, and association, and provided for the protection of private ...

5th May 1961: Astronaut Alan Shepard becomes the first American to travel in space on board Freedom 7
May 04, 2024

The flight lasted for 15 minutes and 22 seconds and reached a maximum altitude of 116 miles before returning to earth for splashdown in the Atlantic ...

4th May 1926: General strike of 1.7 million workers begins in the United Kingdom.
May 03, 2024

Essential services such as transportation, utilities, and communication networks were severely disrupted by the General Strike and the Conservative government, led by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, was forced to declare a state of emergency and mobilise

3rd May 1978: The world’s first ‘spam’ email sent by Gary Thuerk of Digital Equipment Corporation
May 02, 2024

Thuerk later revealed that around 40 people came to the demonstrations the email was advertising, and estimated that this led to more than $12 million in ...

2nd May 1946: The Battle of Alcatraz began when armed inmates attempted to escape from the high security prison
May 01, 2024

By the time the authorities re-established control on the morning of 4 May, two prison officers and three perpetrators lay ...

1st May 1840: The Penny Black, the world’s first pre-paid postage stamp, goes on sale in the UK
April 30, 2024

The Penny Black allowed letters weighing up to half an ounce (14 grams) to be delivered for one penny, regardless of the distance travelled. This made sending mail more accessible and affordable, leading to a significant increase in postal traffic and the

30th April 1789: George Washington inaugurated as the first President of the United States of America
April 29, 2024

Washington's inauguration was conducted on the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street, with thousands of spectators gathered below to witness the historic ...

29th April 1909: The People’s Budget introduced to the British Parliament by David Lloyd George
April 28, 2024

David Lloyd George, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, introduced the Peoples Budget to address social inequality and poverty by redistributing wealth through taxation and welfare ...

28th April 1869: Ten miles of railway track are laid in a single day by the crews of the Central Pacific Railroad
April 27, 2024

Eight Irish rail-layers of the Central Pacific Railroad were supported by hundreds of Chinese laborers to lay a record 10 miles 56 feet of ...

27th April 1953: The US launches Operation Moolah to obtain a Soviet MiG-15 jet fighter through defection
April 26, 2024

By the time the armistice was signed on 27 July, the money for Operation Moolah was still untouched as no pilot had brought their MiG-15 to South ...