As soon as Jody has finally finished setting up the studio to record we can take you back to 1866, suggested by Red and researched by Bobby so a real team effort. A year that sees the SS Great Eastern completes laying the transatlantic telegraph cable between Ireland and Newfoundland, Paraguay defends Curupayty against the Paraguayan War, whilst managing to kill more than 5,000 of their opponents whilst only suffering 50 casualties, Alfred Nobel invents dynamite and then is so ashamed of himself and his legacy he creates the global peace prize, the first daylight bank robbery in peacetime United States history takes place in Missouri, and the Dick of the Year is a famine in Finland that arguably wouldn't have occurred if Red Richardson had been present to advise them a simple way out of it.

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What obscure or significant events did we miss from the history of 1866? Let us know your favourite historical facts from that year, or if have any suggestions for other years for us to do an episode on send us an email to [email protected]

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