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In 1934 on this date, Gerhard Zucker, a German businessman and rocket engineer, announced a demonstration of his rocket that would launch it over 1600 meters of water between the town of Harris and the Isle of Scarp.
At the moment of launch, government officials watched as the rocket exploded, scattering the burning payload of postal covers all over the beach. The British government found Zucker to be a ‘threat to the income of the post office and the security of the country,’ and summarily deported him.