December in history according to an eternal pessimist.
1st December 1953
Hugh Hefner published the first issue of Playboy, with Marilyn Monroe on the cover. Today, it looks more like a sombre reminder that all things must pass…
2nd December 1933
Bertil Clason, who lived in the US, got married to Sigrid Carlson from Stockholm – via telephone. Was the couple too lazy to do it in person? Nothing of the sort, just good ol’ bureaucracy! The bride was not granted permission to enter America.
3rd December 1872
In London, Dr George Smith presented a tale of the flood that was part of the Gilgamesh epic, which he had deciphered from ancient clay slabs. The story was strikingly similar to the one we know from the Bible, except this one came from Sumerian mythology. Does it mean that the flood really happened, or that Noah was just a copycat?
4th December 1805
Mosquito, a ship heavy with loot and commandeered by Kazimierz Lux,
