… some really awesome stuff happened! Everyday, really neat stuff happened in history, but for today, here’s a bit of a quick round-up. What could possibly have happened on today, measly and unimportant March 31, you ask? Why, you’ll just have to click “Read More” to find out! Did you know, on March 31…
… 1899, the Eiffel Tower first opened to the world? Designed by Gustave Eiffel as the entrance gate to the 1899 World’s Fair, which was nowhere near as cool as the 1893 Columbian Exhibition (check it out!), it was the tallest man-made structure in the world. It surpassed the then-record holder, the Washington Monument, holding the title until 1930 upon completion of the Chrysler Building. Originally meant to be taken down following the fair, the structure was kept in place to serve as a location for radio transmitters, a then-fledging format.
William Pickering, James Van Allen, and Werner Von Braun
…1970, the first American-built artificial satellite Explorer 1 returned back to earth? Launched in 1958, it was the American response to the Soviet orbiters Sputnik 1 and 2, launching the Space Cold War. Interesting side note, Sputnik 2 carried the first living creature into space, a dog named Laika. The orbiter was shot into space using a Navy Vanguard Rocket. At this time, the United States had three competing space programs, one under each major branch of the armed forces. The Army program, the Army Ballistic Missile Agency, was headed up by Werner Von Braun, designer of the V-2 rocket, and eventual designer of the Saturn V.Explorer 1 was the first satellite to detect the existence of the Van Allen Radiation Belts.
…1927, Cesar Chavez was born? A leader of Latino organized labor, Chavez is recognized as as improving the living conditions and raising the wages of thousands of field workers in agricultural states through collective bargaining. His birthday, is considered a holiday, Cesar Chavez Day, in California, Arizona, and Colorado.
Well, that’s enough for now. I kind of need to get back to work. Maybe you should too?