What Happened on August 26?

  • The worlds' first bionic heart was surgically implanted in a human. (1994) A 62-year-old man named Arthur Cornhill received the heart in Britain. The surgery was a success, but Cornhill died nine months later from kidney failure.

  • The Soviet Union announces the first successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile. (1957) The nation started the project in 1953. The US is reported to have achieved its own successful ICBM two years later.

  • Nazis entered the Ukraine and rounded up 2,000 Jews to send to the Belzec death camp. (1942) The Nazi's murdered 500 sick people and children on the spot.

  • The first televised Major League Baseball game was broadcast. (1939) An experimental TV station, W2XBS, showed a Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Dodgers double-header at Ebbets Field.

  • Betty Friedan led women of the new feminist movement in the Women's Strike for Equality. (1970) The strike was more of a rally to celebrate the passing of the 19th Amendment to United States Constitution, which took place on this day in 1920. At the time, it was the largest gathering of women in US history. The following year, the US Congress declared this day an annual Women's Equality Day.

  • The first news was sent by telegraph. (1858) The telegraph was patented in the US by Samuel Morse, the developer of Morse code. He sent the first telegraph of any kind in the US in 1838. By 1861, the US was connected coast to coast by telegraph, which replaced the Pony Express.

  • The first German headed into space. (1978) Sigmund Jahn took part in the Soviet Union's Intercosmos program and traveled aboard the Soyuz 31 spacecraft.

  • Michelangelo began work on the Pieta. (1498) French cardinal Jean de Billheres commissioned the statue, which Michelangelo finished in less than two years, for his funeral monument. It now sits in Vatican city at St. Peter's Basilica.

  • The first successful recorded ascent of Triglav, the tallest mountain in Slovenia, was made. (1778) Triglav also is the highest mountain in the Julian Alps. The ascent of the 9,396-foot (2,864-meter) mountain was made by explorers Lovrenc Willomitzer, Matija Kos, Luka Korosec and Stefan Rozic.

  • Mother Theresa was born. (1910) She was born in Skopje, Macedonia. Mother Theresa, a Catholic nun in India, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. She founded the Missionaries of Charity in India and became well known for ministering to those who were sick or dying.

Discussion Comments

Hazali

I can imagine that traveling up a mountain can be a very thrilling experience. The feeling of accomplishment you get when reaching the top must be amazing. However, like most hikes, not only is it a good idea to take the proper equipment with you, but you should also plan in advance. Getting plenty of exercise can really help you out, since you'll need all the strength you can get.

Viranty

Even though some surgeries are more serious than others, a heart transplant can be one of the most dangerous, if not the most dangerous. Not only are you cut wide open, but even more so, your heart, a source of life, has to be taken out of you. Taking this into consideration, doesn't that also mean you stop living for at least a short period of time? That's a rather scary thought.

RoyalSpyder

Wow, there's absolutely no doubt that the Nazis were absolutely ruthless. You know that someone has to be sick in the head when they murder sick people and children on the spot. However, I still associate all of these actions with Hitler. While the guards were obviously the ones who carried out the orders, Hitler still had these ideas in mind, and must have given the orders. Metaphorically speaking, the Nazi's were the puppets, and Hitler was the puppet master pulling the strings.

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