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History: never a dull moment

The World Wide Web was introduced in 1989, the Beatles formed in 1959, steam power was invented in 50BC, the first known copyright was granted in 1486. In history, there is never a dull moment. Browse the most interesting history factoids year by year:

| 2000 - 2099 | 1900 - 1999 | 1800 - 1899 | 1700 - 1799 | 1600 - 1699 | 1500 - 1599 | 1400 -1499 | 1300 - 1399 | 1200 - 1299 | 1100 - 1199 | 1000 - 1099 | 900 - 999 | 800 - 899 | 700 - 799 | 600 - 699 | 500 - 599 | 400 - 499 | 300 - 399 | 200 - 299 | 100 - 199 | 1 - 99 | Before Christ |

Also see History Fast Facts

First to fly?
At 10h35 on Friday 17 December 1903, Orville Wright took the Flyer that he and his brother Wilbur built into the air for what has come to be known as the first powered flight. Earlier, unbeknownst to them, Gustave Whitehead and Richard Pearse were also experimenting with flying machines. Who actually took first to the sky remains a controversy.

Garde a l'eau!
It is often incorrectly quoted that the toilet was invented by a Mr Thomas Crapper in the 18th century. There was a Mr Crapper around at the time - he happened to be a successful plumber, appropriately. But who invented the toilet?

Running out of steam
Heron of Greece invented steam power in 50 BC. But the leaders of the day thought that it would cause unemployment which may lead to unrest and the invention, well, ran out of steam. There were many such untimely inventions.

Kashmir - This land of beauty enjoyed peace for long periods but has had its share of conflict long before India and Pakistan took to arms over it. Even so, Kashmir has often been referred to as heaven on earth.

It was the battleground of one of the most controversial wars ever, it has gone through eight stages of ethnic cleansing, and yet the long history of dispute is far from over in Kosovo.

This Day in History

The Great Creators: Profiles of America's Remarkable Inventors and Innovators, ebook by Daniel Alef America is a fitting metaphor for invention and innovation, a new nation founded in 1789 by a group of innovative thinkers and visionaries who conceived a new system of government. Freedom of expression and ideas spawned remarkable achievements; the U.S.Patent Office has granted more than 6 million patents since it opened. 30 of these great creators are profiled in this first of 3 volumes in an eBook by Daniel Alef.