The Great Gold Robbery took place on the night of 15 May 1855, when a
shipment of gold to Paris was stolen from the guard's van of the rail
service between London and Folkestone. There were four robbers: two
employees of the rail company, a former employee and Edward Agar, a
career criminal. They took wax impressions of the keys to the train
safes and made copies. One of them ensured he was on guard duty when a
shipment was taking place, and Agar hid in the guard's van. They emptied
the safes of 224 pounds (102 kg) of gold, valued at £12,000
(approximately equivalent to £1,193,000 in 2021); the theft was only
discovered in Paris. When Agar was arrested for another crime, his
former girlfriend, in need of funds, revealed the details of the theft.
Agar admitted his guilt and testified as a witness. The other three were
arrested, tried and found guilty of the theft. In 1978 a highly
fictionalised version of events was turned into a film, The First Great
Train Robbery, featuring Sean Connery.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Gold_Robbery>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1825:
Roberto Cofresí, one of the last Caribbean pirates, was
apprehended after his flagship sloop Anne was captured by authorities.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_of_the_sloop_Anne>
1936:
The prototype of the Supermarine Spitfire flew for the first
time.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Spitfire>
1960:
Cuban photographer Alberto Korda took his iconic photograph
Guerrillero Heroico of Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrillero_Heroico>
1981:
The ZX81, a pioneering British home computer, was launched by
Sinclair Research, and went on to sell more than 1.5 million units
around the world.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX81>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
veepstakes:
(US politics, slang, humorous) The process by which candidates for the
Presidency of the United States choose a running mate to become the Vice
President if elected.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/veepstakes>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Thy universe, O God, is home, In height or depth, to me; Yet
here upon thy footstool green Content am I to be; Glad when is oped
unto my need Some sea-like glimpse of Thee.
--Lucy Larcom
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lucy_Larcom>
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