The first taxicab took to the streets of New York City on this day in 1907. The taxi is named after the taximeter, a device that automatically records the distance traveled or time consumed and used to calculate the fare. The term cab originated from the cabriolet, a one-horse carriage let out for hire.
Today in 1961 marks the birth of a most prominent cold war symbol. In the dead of night Soviet troops began to set a barbed wire fence to separate the city of Berlin Germany into east and west districts. The goal was to end the mass exodus of East Berliners to the free west. Soviet guards were issued orders to shoot anyone attempting to cross the line. Sometime later the barbered wire was reinforced with a more ominous symbol of Soviet tyranny. The infamous “Berlin Wall”.
In as much the Cold War got a wee bit more chilly.