Tag Archives: 1906

26 June 1906

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The first Grand Prix motor race is held at Le Mans.

The first Grand Prix motor race, known as the French Grand Prix, was held at Le Mans, France, on June 26 and 27, 1906. This event marked a significant milestone in the world of motorsports, as it was one of the earliest organized races to carry the Grand Prix title, a term that later became synonymous with top-level motor racing events.

The 1906 Grand Prix was organized by the Automobile Club de France (ACF) to showcase automotive technology and to encourage competition among car manufacturers. The race was conducted on a closed public road circuit, which was approximately 105 kilometers long. The competitors had to complete six laps of this circuit each day, amounting to a total race distance of over 1,200 kilometers.

Racing at such lengths was unheard of at the time, and it posed considerable challenges both mechanically and physically. The cars were primitive by today’s standards, with minimal safety features and very basic mechanical components. The drivers, therefore, not only had to be skilled in handling these machines but also needed tremendous stamina to cope with the grueling conditions.

The winner of the inaugural Grand Prix was Hungarian driver Ferenc Szisz, driving a Renault. His victory was facilitated by the innovative use of detachable rim Michelin tires, which significantly reduced the time needed for tire changes—a frequent necessity given the roughness of the roads at the time.

This historic event laid the groundwork for future Grand Prix races, evolving into what is known today as Formula One, the pinnacle of automobile racing. The 1906 French Grand Prix is often celebrated for its pioneering role in motor racing history, setting standards and practices that have influenced the sport for over a century.

22 May 1906

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The Wright brothers are granted U.S. patent number 821,393 for their “Flying-Machine”.

The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur Wright, are widely credited with making the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft on December 17, 1903, in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Their aircraft, the Wright Flyer, achieved a flight of 12 seconds and covered 120 feet, marking a significant milestone in aviation history.

However, there are other claims and debates about whether the Wright brothers were indeed the very first to achieve powered flight. Some notable points of contention include:

Gustave Whitehead: An aviation pioneer who some claim flew a powered aircraft in Connecticut in 1901, two years before the Wright brothers. There is ongoing debate about the validity of this claim due to limited documentation and conflicting evidence.

Alberto Santos-Dumont: A Brazilian aviation pioneer who made significant contributions to early aviation. He is often credited in Europe as being the first to achieve powered flight with his 14-bis biplane in Paris on October 23, 1906. Unlike the Wright brothers’ flight, Santos-Dumont’s flights were widely witnessed and documented.

Other Early Attempts: There were numerous other inventors and aviators experimenting with powered flight in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some of these experiments achieved varying degrees of success, but they lacked the control, documentation, and sustainability of the Wright brothers’ flight.

The Wright brothers’ achievements are particularly notable for their development of three-axis control, which allowed for controlled and sustained flight, a critical advancement over previous attempts. This, combined with their rigorous documentation and subsequent flights, has cemented their place in history as the pioneers of powered flight.

22 April 1906

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The 1906 Intercalated Games open in Athens.

The Intercalated Games were a series of Olympic Games that were intended to be held in between the main Olympic Games, effectively making the Olympics an event that occurred every two years instead of every four. They were first held in 1906 in Athens, Greece.

The idea was proposed by Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, who believed that such a series could help maintain interest in the Olympics during the four-year gap between the traditional Games. The 1906 Intercalated Games were officially sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and were quite successful, featuring a high level of competition and organization. They were even credited with rejuvenating interest in the main Olympic Games, especially after the relatively poorly organized 1900 and 1904 Games.

Despite the initial success, the Intercalated Games did not continue as a tradition. There were plans to hold them every four years in Athens, to highlight the connection with the ancient Olympics, but the idea was ultimately abandoned. The IOC does not officially recognize the 1906 Games as part of the official Olympic history, and they are not included in the count of the Olympiads.

7 April 1906

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Mount Vesuvius erupts and devastates Naples.

Mount Vesuvius, located near Naples, Italy, is one of the most famous and dangerous volcanoes in the world due to its history of destructive eruptions.

79 AD Eruption: This is the most famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which buried the Roman cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and several other settlements under a thick layer of volcanic ash and pumice. The eruption resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and preserved these ancient cities remarkably well, providing invaluable insight into Roman life.

1631 Eruption: This eruption was one of the most violent in Vesuvius’s recorded history. It began on December 16, 1631, and lasted for six days. The eruption caused extensive damage and loss of life in the surrounding area, including the destruction of several towns and villages.

1794 Eruption: This eruption occurred between August and October 1794. It was characterized by lava flows and ash emissions, causing damage to nearby settlements and farmland.

1906 Eruption: In April 1906, Vesuvius experienced a moderate eruption. While it wasn’t as catastrophic as some previous eruptions, it still caused damage to nearby villages and resulted in the evacuation of thousands of people from the area.

1944 Eruption: This eruption occurred during World War II, from March to July 1944. It was a relatively small eruption compared to some of Vesuvius’s earlier events but still caused significant damage to nearby towns and villages. The eruption coincided with the Allied invasion of Italy and added to the difficulties faced by both civilians and military personnel in the region.

Since 1944, Mount Vesuvius has remained active but has not experienced any major eruptions on the scale of those mentioned above. However, it continues to pose a significant threat to the densely populated surrounding areas, including Naples and its suburbs. Scientists closely monitor its activity to assess the risk and prepare for any future eruptions.

7 April 1906

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Mount Vesuvius erupts and devastates Naples.

Mount Vesuvius is a somma-stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about 9 km east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of several volcanoes which form the Campanian volcanic arc. Vesuvius consists of a large cone partially encircled by the steep rim of a summit caldera caused by the collapse of an earlier and originally much higher structure.

Mount Vesuvius is best known for its eruption in AD 79 that led to the burying and destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, as well as several other settlements. The eruption ejected a cloud of stones, ashes and volcanic gases to a height of 33 km, spewing molten rock and pulverized pumice at the rate of 6×105 cubic meters per second, ultimately releasing a hundred thousand times the thermal energy released by the Hiroshima-Nagasaki bombings. More than 1,000 people died in the eruption, but exact numbers are unknown. The only surviving eyewitness account of the event consists of two letters by Pliny the Younger to the historian Tacitus.

Vesuvius has erupted many times since and is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years. Today, it is regarded as one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world because of the population of 3,000,000 people living nearby and its tendency towards violent, explosive eruptions of the Plinian type, making it the most densely populated volcanic region in the world. This eruption on 7 April 1906 resulted in around 100 deaths.

15 March 1906

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Rolls-Royce Limited is incorporated.

In 1884, Henry Royce entered a partnership with a friend of his and began a business manufacturing electric fittings. After several iterations, the company became Royce Ltd. in 1899. Ever the entrepreneur, however, Royce realized that the business in electric manufacturing had become too competitive and that a different product was needed to keep his company viable. Royce had always been fascinated by mechanical things, so he settled on the motor car as a potential new avenue for his business.

By 1902, Royce had bought two different cars and found them wanting. After deciding to build his own car, Royce spent the next two years experimenting and building. By 1904 he had built three cars. One of those was sold to a director of the company, a man named Henry Edmunds. Edmunds was friends with Charles Rolls, a businessman who ran a car showroom in London selling imports. Edmunds showed the Royce-built car to Rolls and subsequently arranged for the two to meet, a meeting that occurred in May 1904.

Impressed by the 2-cylinder Royce car, Rolls agreed to take all the cars that Royce could produce. The first Rolls-Royce car, a 10-hp, was shown at the Paris Salon in December 1904. The quality of the early Rolls-Royce automobiles led to a rapid increase in popularity, and on 15 March 1906 the two men formed Rolls-Royce Limited. The company charter contained a presciently forward-looking statement that the company should produce engines for use “on land or water or in the air.”

After raising £100,000 of capital by selling public shares in the new company, Royce began development of an all-new model. After the company moved to a new factory in Derby, all focus was placed on producing and marketing the six-cylinder Rolls-Royce 40/50 Silver Ghost. Thanks to Royce’s exacting standards, the Silver Ghost quickly established the reputation of Rolls-Royce Limited as a top-class automobile manufacturer.