31st May

Henry Ford has appeared in this blog already, due to his incredible disregard for history in his famous quote. Anyone who was thinking that he might be right should perhaps take his total disregard for the alphabet into account before deciding for certain - today, in 1927, after 15,007, 003 models made, the last Model T Ford rolled off the assembly line. What was it replaced by? The Model A.

Go, as Mr Ford's compatriots tend to say in these circumstances, figure.

In other news ...
In 1902, the generals commanding the Boers in South Africa surrendered to the British on this day. Kitchener, one of the least deserving 'heroes' in British military history, broke the nation by tactics such as herding the women and children into concentration camps where an estimated 20,000 - one in three of all those interned - died of malnutrition and disease. The peace treaty provided for the eventual self rule for the Boer republic, with the issue of votes for the native nations to be decided upon at a later date. Just how much later, no one knew at the time and probably a good thing too.

25th May

Oh, for heaven's sake - global warming again? On this day in 1990 (yes, just two years after snow fell in Syria etc etc) Margaret Thatcher was warning of the dreaded phenomenon and pledging that Britain would cut its emission of carbon dioxide by 30%. A UN report immediately responded that the reduction needed to be at least 60% to have any effect. The report warns of a 2 degree rise in temperature in the next 35 years (in other words, chaps, 13 years from now) and 6 degrees by the end of the 21st century. For all of us who have just shivered through the coldest April and May on record, that somehow seems less scary than Mrs T made it sound in 1990.

This day in history has been one of the busy ones so 'in other news' will just list a few of the absolutely stonking stories which began, ended or took place on this day.

• In 1935 Jesse Owens set five new world records and equalled a sixth all in one afternoon, limbering up for seriously p***ing off Hitler at the Berlin Olympics the next year.
• In 1969, Thor Heyerdahl set sail in a reed boat named Ra, hoping to relive the success of his Kon-Tiki expedition. I am assuming all went well, but I'm blowed if I remember what happened. I hate sequels, don't you? 
• In 1925 the Scopes 'Monkey Trial' began in Dayton, Tennessee. Scopes was accused of teaching the theory of evolution, against the state law. A fascinating case, but a much better film, Inherit the Wind starring the wonderful Spencer Tracy and Frederic March. They really do not make them that way any more.
• In 1916, Henry Ford spoke one of the most misquoted lines ever - he actually said 'History is more or less bunk.' Still not acceptable, of course, but better than the usual version of 'History is bunk.' And that, of course, is better than the version I often hear muttered by Nine Eye You.
• And finally, in 1768, Captain Cook set off to explore the Antipodes. And we all know how that turned out!