TODAY IN HISTORY | February 28th

TODAY’S TOPICS

• 1844 - USS Princeton Explosion

• 1993 - Waco Seige

  Extras

  Ice Pick Lobotomy🧊

  A Real “Debugging”🪲

  Radioactive Toothpaste☢️

  Raining Whale Parts🧨

1844 USS Princeton Explosion💥

February 28, 1844, was supposed to be a day of celebration—a grand naval demonstration showcasing the might of the USS Princeton, the most technologically advanced warship of its time. Instead, it turned into a catastrophic tragedy that claimed the lives of some of the most prominent figures in Washington, D.C. The ship, equipped with a powerful new cannon called the "Peacemaker," was on a Potomac River cruise with President John Tyler and an entourage of high-ranking officials, including members of his Cabinet. The day featured champagne, speeches, and impressive live-fire demonstrations. What could possibly go wrong? Well, a lot.

As part of the entertainment, the Peacemaker cannon was fired multiple times without issue. Then, in a final demonstration, the massive gun exploded, instantly killing Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur, Secretary of the Navy Thomas Gilmer, and several others. Miraculously, President Tyler avoided death—thanks to his decision to step below deck at just the right moment. Historians would later joke that the explosion was the most effective Cabinet reshuffle in U.S. history.

The disaster threw the administration into chaos. With his closest advisors dead, Tyler was forced to scramble to fill the vacancies while also dealing with the personal tragedy of losing close friends. In the aftermath, the explosion reinforced concerns about the risks of new military technology and the overconfidence of designers eager to push boundaries. It was also a reminder that, sometimes, showing off comes at a steep price.

Though overshadowed by other historical naval disasters, the USS Princeton explosion remains one of the most infamous peacetime tragedies in U.S. military history. It also had an unexpected romantic consequence—Tyler, a recent widower, found love in Julia Gardiner, a young girl who had been aboard the ship that day and lost her father in the explosion. She would later become the First Lady, proving that even in the darkest moments, history finds a way to turn disaster into a love story.

🤖 Ai Depiction of Event

1993 The Waco Siege Begins🔥

What happens when an armed religious sect and the federal government go head-to-head in rural Texas? You get the Waco Siege—one of the most infamous and controversial standoffs in American history. On February 28, 1993, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) attempted to execute a search warrant at the Branch Davidian compound, led by self-proclaimed messiah David Koresh. The goal? To investigate allegations of illegal firearms stockpiling. The result? A disastrous shootout that left four ATF agents and six Branch Davidians dead, kicking off a 51-day siege that would grip the nation.

Following the botched raid, the FBI took over negotiations, employing a mix of psychological pressure tactics and increasingly aggressive measures. They blasted loud music, cut off electricity, and deployed tear gas—all in an effort to break the resolve of Koresh and his followers. However, the Davidians remained defiant, convinced they were fulfilling a divine prophecy. Meanwhile, the American public was left divided—was this a necessary intervention against a dangerous cult or a case of government overreach gone horribly wrong?

On April 19, after weeks of failed negotiations, the FBI launched its final assault, using tanks to breach the compound and deploying CS gas to force the Davidians out. Instead of surrender, a catastrophic fire erupted, consuming the compound and killing 76 people, including women and children. To this day, the cause of the fire remains hotly debated—whether it was started by the Davidians or resulted from government action is a point of intense controversy.

The Waco Siege remains a dark and defining moment in U.S. history, fueling distrust of federal agencies and inspiring anti-government sentiment in extremist circles. It also raised profound questions about the balance between law enforcement power and civil liberties. Whether viewed as a necessary crackdown or a tragic overreach, Waco's legacy is a cautionary tale about how easily tense situations can spiral into catastrophe.

🤖 Ai Depiction of Event

Ice Pick Lobotomy🧊
In the 1940s and 50s, Dr. Walter Freeman became infamous for his “ice pick lobotomy”—a brutal, fast-track brain surgery where he hammered a metal pick through a patient’s eye socket to sever connections in the brain. Freeman performed over 3,500 lobotomies, often in makeshift operating rooms—or even in people’s homes. He’d sometimes do them in assembly-line fashion, treating dozens of patients in a day. While he claimed the procedure “cured” mental illness, many patients were left severely disabled or worse. Thankfully, by the 1960s, actual medicine caught up, and this horrific practice was abandoned.

A Real “Debugging”🪲
In 1947, engineers working on the Harvard Mark II computer encountered a mysterious malfunction. After some investigation, they discovered the culprit: a moth stuck in a relay switch. They carefully removed the insect and taped it into the computer’s logbook, labeling it the “first actual case of bug being found.” From then on, the term “debugging” became a staple in the world of computing.

Radioactive Toothpaste☢️
In the 1940s, German company Doramad marketed a cutting-edge toothpaste containing thorium, a radioactive element. Their promise? It would make teeth “glow with health”—though probably not in the way customers expected. At the time, radiation was still seen as a miracle cure, used in everything from beauty products to medicine. But instead of giving people dazzling smiles, the toothpaste exposed them to low doses of radiation. Thankfully, once scientists realized radiation and dental hygiene shouldn’t mix, Doramad disappeared—along with its glowing promises.

Raining Whale Parts🧨
In 1970, Oregon officials faced a giant problem—a 45-foot, 8-ton dead whale had washed up on the beach near Florence. Their solution? Blow it up with dynamite. The plan was to vaporize the whale into seagull-sized chunks, but instead, the explosion sent massive, rotting whale bits flying over a quarter-mile. One chunk flattened a car, while spectators ran for cover from the raining blubber. Moral of the story? Maybe don’t use dynamite for whale disposal.

If you enjoy this edition of Today In History be sure to send it to a friend and force them to sign up because that’s what good friends do. Until next time, stay curious, question everything, and keep uncovering the mysteries of the past. - Zach⛺️