Daily post that discusses fun, interesting, historic and important events from today's date. Maybe you need a topic of conversation between family, friends or coworkers. Perhaps you need something to celebrate or remember. If anything, you can learn a thing or two, which is never a bad thing! Give me an upvote and/or follow to show you enjoyed this and I'll make sure to keep up with this.
What happened on May 22nd?
Lewis and Clark Expedition officially begins (1804)
On this date in 1804, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, was launched. It was the first American expedition to explore and cross what is now the western portion of the United States. It lasted a little over 2 years and departed from St. Louis.
The group consisted of a select group of U.S. Army volunteers under captain Meriwether Lewis. His close friend and Second Lieutenant also helped lead the expedition. This group of volunteers was commissioned soon after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 to explore the newly acquired territory. The goal was to explore, find practical routes to cross through the land, study the plants and animals, map and sketch the terrain and establish trade with Native American Tribes.
Throughout the journey, Lewis and Clarke experienced many ups and downs. Their log consisted of many seemingly mundane events, such as the killing of the first bear or bison, to significant events, such as deaths of a member of the group or important negotiations and trades with the Natives.
Wright brothers are granted a patent for "flying machine" (1906)
When you talk anything aviation, the two names that pop up are the Wright Brothers. The brothers, Orville and Wilbur were two American aviators, engineers, inventors and aviation pioneers. They are credited with inventing, building and flying the world's first airplace.
On December 17th, 1903, they made the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered aircraft in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Years prior, they also experimented with gliders. They were actually not the first to build an experimental aircraft, but they were indeed the first to invent aircraft controls to make these flights possible.
On this date in 1906, they were granted a patent for the methods of controlling an aircraft, namely gliders. Prior, in 1903 their patent was rejected. After the patent grant, the Wright brothers filed lawsuits in regards to other aviators developing other methods for aircraft flying and control. This damaged their reputation as some saw them as greedy and unfair.
Manchester Arena Bombing (2017)
Whether it is schools, concerts or other public venues, it is clear and very unfortunate that the world is becoming more dangerous. This date one year ago was no different, when there was a bombing at the Manchester Arena during an Ariana Grande concert.
Following the conclusion of Grande's concert, an improvised explosive device was detonated, killing 23 people (including the attacker). 139 more, over half of them being children, were wounded, and hundreds more suffered psychological trauma. The bombing was the deadliest terrorist attack and first suicide bombing in Britain since the July 2005 bombings.
While the losses were devastating, the power of the people did whatever they could. Ariana Grande held a benefit concert on June 4th, 2017 called "One Love Manchester" broadcast on television, radio and social media. Grande and other high profile artists performed and were able to raise £10 million for the victims. New York Magazine ranked this as the number 1 concert of 2017.
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Hopefully you learned a thing or two. See you tomorrow!