Did You Know? December 14 in History: Nostradamus, South Pole Firsts & Black Women Hold All 5 Major Beauty Titles

Did you know?

The name for the shape of Pringles chips is called a ‘Hyperbolic Paraboloid’.

On this day in history, December 14

1503 French physician Nostradamus is born in St Remy. He writes astrological predictions, which many still believe to be true.

1896 James Doolittle is born in Alameda, California. April 1942 he leads a squadron of B-25 bombers launched from an aircraft carrier to carry out an audacious raid against Japan.

1901 Reports reach London about many deaths in British concentration camps during the Boer War. The death toll could have been much higher – 28 000 whites and 20 000 Blacks – had it not been for British welfare campaigner Emily Hobhouse, who exposed the deplorable conditions in the camps, and Lord Milner, the High Commissioner for South Africa and Governor of the Cape Colony, who took over administration of the camps from the military.

1911 Roald Amundsen’s Norwegian team becomes the first to reach the South Pole.

1914 Rebel commando leader Jopie Fourie is captured. A member of the failed Maritz Rebellion against the government’s policies, his execution by firing squad is a divisive event in white politics. For many Afrikaners, Fourie was a martyr and his court-martial and execution caused massive outrage and was a potent factor in the rise of the National Party.

1995 The Dayton Agreement is signed in Paris ending the bloody Yugoslav conflict.

2008 US President George W Bush is almost struck by shoes thrown at him during an event in Baghdad.

2017 A British surgeon admits to having branded his initials on the livers of his patients.

2019 Miss World is won by Miss Jamaica, Toni-Ann Singh, in London. It is the first time that all five major beauty titles are held by black women. One of them, South Africa’s Zozibini Tunzi is crowned Miss Universe, for which she wins $250 000, a monthly salary, and the use of the opulent Miss Universe apartment in Manhattan, New York, for 365 days. In addition, her title opens up some of the best opportunities in the world of fashion and showbiz.

2022 President Joe Biden vows to extend US involvement in Africa in address at a US-Africa Leaders summit in Washington, amid competition from China for influence on the continent.

DAILY NEWS