Michael Smith
GERMAN
GERMAN_185_BLOG
The following events occurred in August 1970:
== August 1, 1970 (Saturday) ==
The capsizing of the ferryboat MV Christena killed 233 passengers and crew when the
overloaded vessel was making the 12 mi (19 km) journey between the islands of Saint Kitts
and Nevis.The ferry's rated capacity was no more than 155 people, but it was carrying 324
when it departed Basseterre on Saint Christopher Island (commonly called "Saint Kitts") on
its way to Charlestown on the island of Nevis.Only 91 people were rescued, and 123 bodies
were recovered, more than half of them unidentifiable.The remaining 110 people were
trapped on the Christena when it sank.Born:
Elon Lindenstrauss, Israeli mathematician, in Jerusalem
David James, England National Team football soccer goalkeeper, in Welwyn Garden City,
Hertfordshire
Died:
Otto Heinrich Warburg, 86, German physician and 1931 laureate of the Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the enzyme that triggered the metabolism of
cancerous cells and tumors
Frances Farmer, 56, American film and television actress, from esophageal cancer
== August 2, 1970 (Sunday) ==
Rubber bullets, designed by the UK's Ministry of Defence as a non-lethal method of riot
control, were used for the first time.The "L2A2", made of hard rubber, was first employed
by the British Army against protesters in Northern Ireland, particularly children.Because
they were "highly inaccurate", the bullets were fired into crowds, often by "skip firing" to
bounce the projectiles off of the ground and into groups.Although the intent was to cause
pain without killing or maiming an individual, the bullets caused numerous serious injuries
and several deaths; over 55,000 would be fired during the Northern Ireland conflict until
being discontinued at the end of 1974.For the first time, a "jumbo jet" was hijacked.Pan
American Flight 299, which had made the first commercial Boeing 747 flight, was on its way
from New York to San Juan, Puerto Rico.Shortly after midnight, one of the 360 passengers
commandeered the aircraft brandished a gun and threatened to detonate explosives in his
carry on luggage and demanded to be flown to Havana.Cuba's Premier Fidel Castro traveled
to the Jose Marti Airport to discuss plans for the 747 pilot about how to safely take off from
the airport's runways, which were not long enough to accommodate a large jet.The 747
took off for Miami after one hour in Cuba and safely returned.The aircraft, N736PA and
designated as "Clipper Victor", would be destroyed in 1977 in the Tenerife airport disaster,
after being struck by another Boeing 747 in the deadliest aviation disaster in history.U.S.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield confirmed a report in The Washington Post that in
1963, President John F. Kennedy, had decided that he would order all U.S. troops to be
withdrawn from South Vietnam after the 1964 presidential election.President Kennedy was
assassinated before the election, and the new president, Lyndon Johnson ordered an
increase of troops to a peak of half a million during his term of office
Born:
Kevin Smith, American comedian and filmmaker, known for being "Silent Bob" in the Jay
and Silent Bob film series; in Red Bank, New Jersey
Elijah Alexander, American NFL linebacker and fundraiser for multiple myeloma research;
in Fort Worth, Texas (d. 2010)
== August 3, 1970 (Monday) ==
The United States Navy submarine USS James Madison made the first successful underwater
test of the multi-warhead Poseidon C3 nuclear missile.Madison launched the unarmed
missile skyward from a depth of 120 feet (37 m) and the rocket traveled 2,880 miles (4,630
km) to its intended target in the South Atlantic Ocean.Another U.S. Navy ship, the destroyer
escort USS Calcaterra, positioned itself between the launch site and a Soviet surveillance
trawler, the Leptev, to prevent close observation or the retrieval of debris from the
launch.The Poseidon C3 missile was cleared by the Navy on March 31, 1971, for deployment
aboard all ten of the James Madison-class submarines and the nine Lafayette-class
submarines.Miriam Hargrave, a 62 year old English citizen who had been listed in the
Guinness Book of Records for several years because of her consecutive failures on driver
testing, was awarded a driver's license when she passed the test on her 40th try, after 39
failed tests.By then, she was sufficiently well known that her success made news
worldwide.However, as Guinness noted in its next edition, she had spent so much money on
driving lessons that she couldn't afford to buy a car.Born: Masahiro Sakurai, Japanese video
game designer who created the Kirby series of games; in Musashimurayama, Tokyo
== August 4, 1970 (Tuesday) ==
The government of British Honduras (now Belize) officially moved from Belize City into the
new city of Belmopan, as Premier George Price convened the first cabinet meeting in the
new capital.Delegates of Israel's conservative Gahal Party voted, 117 to 112, to withdraw
the party's six cabinet members and to quit the government coalition.
