This Day, That Year – September 17

William Golding published “Lord of the Flies” by Faber and Faber in London on this day in 1954.

Did you know that:

• Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, a pioneer in rocket and space research, was born on this day in 1857
• Elmer Sperry received a patent for the gyrocompass, essential to modern ship navigation on this day in 1918
• An Wang obtained a patent for a calculating apparatus, a basic component of computer technology on this day in 1968