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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 23h

Windows XP remains one of the most beloved and successful operating systems ever made. It represented a balance between simplicity and performance that resonated with millions of users around the world

#WindowsXP #TechHistory #Microsoft #Computing #MicrosoftWindows #Innovation #Technology

The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 23h

XP became known for its longevity. Despite later versions of Windows being released, many users stuck with XP. It was stable, familiar, and reliable. These were qualities that kept it running in homes, offices, schools, and even ATMs long after Microsoft stopped official support in 2014.

An electroencephalograph running on Windows XP. The medical industry's continued use of Windows XP is partly due to medical applications being incompatible with later versions of Windows.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 23h

One of XP’s most important contributions was how it simplified connecting to the internet and managing digital media. It came at a time when broadband was spreading rapidly and MP3 players, digital cameras, and early home networks were becoming common.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 23h

The operating system introduced features that became iconic, such as the blue-and-green taskbar, the Start menu layout, and the Bliss wallpaper: a serene photo of rolling hills and clouds that became one of the most recognizable images in tech history.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 23h

Windows XP was built on the Windows NT kernel, which made it far more secure and stable than its predecessors, Windows 98 and ME. This shift was significant because it brought professional-grade performance to everyday users.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 23h

When Windows XP hit store shelves on October 25, 2001, few could have predicted just how much it would shape the future of personal computing. For many people, this was their first real experience with a stable, fast, and accessible operating system that made computers feel truly personal: 🧵

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

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#AnnieEdsonTaylor #NiagaraFalls #History #WomenInHistory #DaringActs

The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

Despite her achievement, she remained a largely forgotten figure, remembered more for the daring act than the hardship that drove her to it. She died penniless and attributed her bad health and near blindness to her trip over the falls.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

Annie became the first person to survive such a fall, but her hopes of wealth and comfort never materialized. Although she briefly gained fame, her manager ran off with the barrel, and she struggled financially for the rest of her life.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

Minutes later, it was found bobbing in the mist below. When rescuers reached her, Taylor was discovered to be alive and relatively uninjured, except for a small gash on her head. The trip itself took less than twenty minutes.

Annie Taylor helped to shore after going over the falls.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

On the day of the stunt, Annie entered the barrel near the American side of the river along with her lucky heart-shaped pillow. Once she was sealed inside, the barrel drifted toward the edge and was pulled over the 167-foot drop.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

With the help of a few assistants, she had a custom barrel built, reinforced with iron and padded with a mattress to soften the impact. Before her attempt, she tested it by sending her cat over the falls in the barrel. The cat survived, which gave Annie the confidence to move forward with her plan.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

Annie had been struggling after the death of her husband and had tried various jobs to support herself. She believed that if she could survive the plunge, it would bring her enough attention and money to live comfortably.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

On October 24, 1901, a 63-year-old schoolteacher named Annie Edson Taylor climbed into a barrel, sealed herself inside, and went over the edge of Niagara Falls. It was not for fame or adventure, but out of desperation and hope for financial stability in her later years: 🧵

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

Springhill’s story became a symbol of courage and resilience in the face of devastation. The survivors’ strength and the community’s unity left a mark that still endures in Canadian memory.

#SpringhillDisaster #CanadianHistory #MiningHeritage #NovaScotia #Mining #Mine #Canada

Miner museum entrance in Springhill, NS.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

The event also marked a first in media history: for the first time, live television broadcasts covered a disaster as it unfolded, connecting people across Canada and beyond to the grief and hope of one small town.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

The Springhill mining disaster of 1958 was the third major tragedy in the town’s mining history, but it was the one that ended mining there for good. The mine closed permanently afterward, and Springhill slowly shifted away from coal toward new industries..

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

Two days later, another group of seven was discovered alive. These “miracle miners,” as newspapers called them, brought both relief and sorrow to a town that had lost so much. In total, 75 men died, and 99 survived.

Rescuers carry the coal miner Garnet Clarke out on a stretcher, on November 1, 1958.
Associated Press

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

Then, something remarkable happened. On October 29, six days after the disaster, rescuers heard faint tapping sounds coming from deep underground. They dug toward the noise and found a group of 12 miners who had survived by rationing food and water and taking turns staying awake to conserve oxygen.

A rescued miner pulled from the rubble after the 1958 Springhill mine disaster. PHOTO BY NOVA SCOTIA ARCHIVES

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

Families gathered above ground, waiting for any sign of life as rescuers dug their way through wreckage and darkness. Over the first two days, small groups of survivors were pulled out, exhausted and injured. Others were found dead, their bodies crushed or suffocated in the tunnels.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

Rescue efforts began immediately, but the conditions were almost impossible. Broken rock, twisted rails, and gas leaks turned the search into a slow and dangerous mission.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

At 8:06 p.m., an underground “bump,” a violent pressure shock within the coal seams, tore through the depths of the No. 2 colliery. The force was so strong that it registered as a small earthquake on seismographs across North America. Within seconds, the tunnels collapsed.

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 2d

On October 23, 1958, the quiet mining town of Springhill, Nova Scotia, was shaken by one of the most tragic and unforgettable disasters in Canadian history. 174 miners were trapped more than four kilometers below the surface: 🧵

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The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 3d

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#TrueCrimeHistory #OnThisDay #CrippenTrial #EarlyForensics #WirelessTelegraphy #HistoryOfJustice #HawleyHarveyCrippen #DrCrippen

The Daily Historian @thedailyhistorian.bsky.social · 3d

On October 22, 1910, Crippen was found guilty of poisoning his wife with hyoscine and dismembering her body. He maintained his innocence until his execution at Pentonville Prison a few weeks later. Ethel Le Neve was acquitted of any wrongdoing.

Dr Crippen and Ethel Leneve on trial, London 1910

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