A busload of tourists arrives at Runnymede, just west of central London.
They gather around the guide who says: “This is the spot where the barons forced King John to sign the Magna Carta."
A guy at the front of the crowd asks: "When did that happen?”
“1215,” answers the guide.
The man looks at his watch and says: “Damn! Missed it by a half hour.”
Street carIn 1832, the first horse drawn American street car in the U.S. began public operation in New York City. Named the John Mason (after its owner, a prominent New York banker) it was equipped with iron wheels and drawn over iron rails laid in the center of the road along 4th Avenue from Prince St to 14th St. Thirty passengers were carried in three non-connecting compartments with 10 seats in each. The fare was 12-1/2 cents. An earlier trip was made 14 Nov 1832 to show the street car to municipal officials carried onboard. (The John Mason was the first horse-drawn streetcar, although horses had been used at an earlier date to pull trains on railroad track lines.) The line prospered, encouraging franchises in other cities.[Image: San Diego horse car from 1886 during a 1911 parade] |
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