Semaphore-type traffic signals were set up in Parliament Square, London in 1868 with red and green gas lamps for night use. It was not an offence to disobey traffic signals until assent was given to the 1930 Road Traffic Act. Traffic lights were introduced in Great Britain with a one-day trial in Wolverhampton on 11 February 1928. They were first permanently operated in Leeds, W Yorks on 16 March 1928 and in Edinburgh, Scotland on 19 March 1928. The first vehicle-actuated lights were installed by Continue reading →

The earliest surviving species of tree is the maidenhair (Ginkgo biloba) of Zhejiang, China, which first appeared about 160 million years ago during the Jurassic era. It was rediscovered by Engelbert Kaempfer (Germany) in 1690 and reached England c. 1754. It has been grown in Japan since c. 1100, where it is now known as ichou. This plant is often referred to as "the oldest living fossil" or "oldest plant genus". Leaf imprints of ancestral species of Gingko trees have been found in sedimentary rocks Continue reading →

Johanna Rempel (Canada) gave birth to a baby boy, Kerry Melvin Ross 3.52 kg (7 lb 12 oz ) at Winnipeg General Hospital, Manitoba, Canada on 7 September 1967. She had received a donor kidney in December 1960.

Spider-Man 2, the official game of the 2004 movie, was the first Spider-Man game to offer true web-swinging, in which Spider-Man’s webs must actually attach to buildings and physically alter his trajectory. This innovation gave players greater freedom of movement, and the ability to swing from skyscrapers all the way down to the street level. In all his previous 3D games, Spidey’s webs had mysteriously attached to the sky above him and only allowed him to swing straight ahead. Guinness World Records Gamers’ Edition 2009.

The earliest true insect is Rhyniognatha hirsti, currently known only from a fossilised head preserved in a fragment of Rhynie chert from Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It lived during the early Devonian Period, approximately 400 million years ago.

Trick cycling was introduced by Ancillotti (Italy) in 1868 and, in 1904, at the Barnum Bailey Circus, one of the Ancillotti Troupe did a world first, riding down a ramp which looped the loop. At the head of the loop was a 3.3 m (10 ft) gap across which the rider leapt while upside down on his bicycle.

The first FPS to offer a truly 3D gameworld was Descent, which offered six degrees of freedom. With players piloting a small hovering ship through a series of mines, the vast 3D environment was tricky to navigate and some players experienced feelings of nausea when they first played it. Featured in Guinness World Records Gamer”s Edition 2010