Author: Philip Wake

On This Day 18 Years Ago – Peace in Northern Ireland at Last

On: By: Philip Wake
On 23rd May 1998 the referendum on Norther Ireland returned a resounding YES vote with 71% of voters in Northern Ireland and 94% of voters in the Irish Republic showing their support for the Good Friday peace agreement!  In Context After the euphoria of the positive vote for a peaceful solution to the problems of Northern Ireland came the reality. The first three years of the agreement's implementation saw accusations and counter-accusation from both sides of the divide. Unionists Read more [...]

On This Day 47 Years Ago – Apollo 10 Astronauts Got a Bird’s-Eye View of the Moon

On: By: Philip Wake
On 22nd May 1969 Apollo 10 astronauts got a bird's-eye view of the Moon Two US astronauts aboard Apollo 10 are on their way back to the safety of their mother ship after their lunar module came to within eight nautical miles (14km) of the Moon's surface. Colonel Thomas Stafford and Commander Eugene Cernan were carrying out a rehearsal for a planned Moon landing in the summer. See more information here.  See the Apollo 10 image library here!   Read more [...]

On This Day 84 Year Ago – Amelia Earhart Made the Second Solo Nonstop Flight Across the Atlantic Ocean

On: By: Philip Wake
On 21st May 1932 Amelia Earhart made made the second solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean and became the first woman to accomplish the feat. When the scarlet Lockheed Vega touched down, scattering a herd of cows, farmhand Dan McCallion crossed himself. He puzzled at the grease-smeared face and tousled hair of the pilot who emerged from the cockpit, unsure whether a man or woman had landed in his boss’ Londonderry meadow. “Have you flown far?” he finally asked. “From America,” Read more [...]

On This Day 89 Years Ago – Charles Lindbergh Made the First Solo Nonstop Flight Across the Atlantic Ocean

On: By: Philip Wake
On 20th May 1927 the American aviator Charles Augustus Lindbergh made the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Other pilots had crossed the Atlantic before him but Charles Lindbergh was the first person to do it alone nonstop.  His astonishing feat gained him immediate international fame. The press named him Lucky Lindy and the Lone Eagle. Americans and Europeans idolized this shy, slim young man and showered him with honors! Please see www.charleslindbergh.com for more Read more [...]

Hartmann: Malicious Rules by Helen L Lowe

On: By: Philip Wake
A Bloodthirsty Murder Mystery that Makes Jack the Ripper seem like a Fairy Tale! Dr Hartmann has the good looks from head to toe that makes both men and women swoon and he doesn’t even know it! His past and the story are drip fed to you throughout the book in such a way that you think you get the picture many times but only get the real picture at the end in a climax which will both surprise and shock you. If you’re into a bloodthirsty murder mystery which makes Jack the Ripper seem like a Read more [...]

On This Day 36 Years Ago – Mount St Helens Erupted

On: By: Philip Wake
19th May 1980: Nine dead after Mount St Helens eruption At least nine people have died after the massive eruption of Mount St Helens volcano in Washington State, USA.Many more are missing and the death toll is expected to rise. A huge cloud of ash has turned day into night for towns and cities across north-western America. People have been told to stay indoors and wear gauze masks. Many roads have been closed, trains halted and aircraft grounded. Mount St Helens exploded at 0832 Read more [...]

Diary: Thursday 19th May 2016

On: By: Philip Wake
Dancing at Drift tonight was great upstairs once it got started - had lots of lovely salsa & bachata dances and even a merengue & a kizomba! Stayed until 1am but then decided I need all my energy for Friday night at El Grande until 3am at least! It's been a busy day but very productive having now got my new blog site www.wake.co.uk going well including the facility for people to connect via facebook for making comments and sharing on facebook & other Read more [...]

Eleven Miles by Lance Greenfield

On: By: Philip Wake
Boikanyo had to walk 11 miles to school every day - in fact she used to run and became a successful athlete who achieved her ambition to attend university and seek her fortune in the UK. It was she who inspired this book by Lance Greenfield and if you in turn need inspiration you could not do better than read this amazing story! From the country that gave birth to Amantle Montsho and Mma Precious Ramotswe of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency we discover the amazing life of Boitumelo Hope Read more [...]

On this day 54 Year Ago – The Duke Of Windsor Had A Chat With The Queen In Paris 10 Days Before His Demise

On: By: Philip Wake
On 18th May 1972 the Queen visited her Uncle David in Paris The Duke of Windsor was not well enough to attend tea with the Queen when she came to visit his home in Paris this afternoon. He was said to be "dreadfully disappointed" after doctors told him he was not to come downstairs because of ill health. They made their decision just hours before the Queen, with Prince Philip and Prince Charles, was due to see her uncle for the first time in five years - and the first time in his own Read more [...]

On This Day 73 Years Ago – The Dam Busters Helped To Win The War

On: By: Philip Wake
On 17th May 1943 RAF 617 Squadron became heroes of WW2 "The bombs themselves were invented specifically for the task by the aircraft engineer Dr Barnes Wallis, the designer of the Wellington bomber. They were barrel-shaped, and used the principle of a 'ducks and drakes' stone bouncing on the water to bypass the defences around the dams. The Lancaster bombers flown by 617 Squadron were extensively modified, and the crews trained to fly at less than 100ft (30.48m) above the water, Read more [...]

On This Day 28 Years Ago – Nicotine Declared As Addictive As Heroin

On: By: Philip Wake
On 16th May 1988 C. Everett Koop, surgeon general of the United States, publishes a report declaring nicotine as addictive as either heroin or cocaine. "Nicotine serves as the tobacco plant’s natural defense against insects and, in its pure form, is more poisonous than either strychnine or arsenic. Its chemical structure is similar to acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter, giving it easy access to the brain’s reward and pleasure pathways. . . . Besides his damning report on nicotine’s Read more [...]

My New Blog

On: By: Philip Wake
I have just installed a WordPress Blog theme on my website and have a lot of work to do to start my blogging.  Meanwhile please see my facebook profile and my new facebook page called Natural Low Density Eating which is the final solution as far as losing weight is concerned because if you adopt the principles permanently your weight will reduce to what it should be and it will stay that way for the rest of your life! You won't get hungry because can eat enormous quantities of natural food because Read more [...]

On This Day 76 Years Ago – The Nylon Stocking Became Something Shocking!

On: By: Philip Wake
On 15th May 1940 nylon stockings were available for the first time at Gimbels Department Store. Some 64 million pairs of nylon stockings were sold that first year at $1.35 each. That is $21 in today's money and more expensive than silk. Over-sexed, Over-paid & Over Here 2 years later during World War 2 the American soldiers who were "overpaid, oversexed and over here" brought them to England with devastating effect! Fashion Meets Science: Introducing Nylon An fascination collection Read more [...]

MY RIGHT ARM IS OUT TO LUNCH UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!

On: By: Philip Wake
Over the weekend my right arm puffed up to twice it's normal size so I resolved to see the doctor as soon as I got back to Gosport. I was lucky because he was in reception when I arrived and immediately diagnosed that my elbow had become infected as a result of the injury I receive 15 days ago when I went salsa dancing in Brighton. Had I not had it seen to it could have spread to the rest of my body and developed into septicemia which is a serious blood stream infection which can lead to death! Read more [...]

GOING SALSA DANCING CAN BE DANGEROUS!

On: By: Philip Wake
On Sunday 27th March 2016 I discovered how dangerous going salsa dancing can be at: SALSA AT THE VIEW EASTER SALSA & BACHATA ALL DAYER . I've copied my comments on the facebook post about this event below as it would have taken a lot of embeds! Click on any "2y" to see the original comment. Philip Wake Fantastic night of salsa despite falling over on the wet gravel road leading down to The View and scraping a lot of skin of my right forearm and bruising my right leg from top to bottom. Read more [...]