phkrause Posted January 30, 2017 Report Share Posted January 30, 2017 January 30 1781 Maryland finally ratifies Articles of Confederation 1920 Japan's Mazda founded 1816 Nathaniel Banks born 1968 Tet Offensive shakes Cold War confidence 1948 Gandhi assassinated in New Delhi 2000 Plane crashes off Ivory Coast 1649 King Charles I executed for treason 1835 Shots fired in the House of Representatives 1945 Burma supply route cleared 197 Bloody Sunday in Northern Ireland 1930 Gene Hackman born 1945 Michael Dorris is born 1923 Sidney Bechet's first record 1933 The Lone Ranger debuts on Detroit radio 1835 Andrew Jackson narrowly escapes assassination 1882 FDR is born 1994 Dan Jansen skates world-record 500 meters 1971 Operation Dewey Canyon II begins 1933 Adolf Hitler is named chancellor of Germany 1943 RAF launches massive daytime raid on Berlin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phkrause Posted February 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2017 January 31 1950 Truman announces development of H-bomb 1752 Gouverneur Morris is born 2007 Cars.com names most memorable TV cars 1865 House passes the 13th Amendment 1990 First McDonald’s opens in Soviet Union 1990 The McMartin Preschool trials 1953 Flood wreaks havoc in Europe 1606 The death of Guy Fawkes 1917 Germany resumes submarine warfare 1968 Viet Cong attack U.S. Embassy 1971 Apollo 14 departs for the moon 1974 Samuel Goldwyn dies 1923 Norman Mailer is born 1937 American composer Phillip Glass is born 1872 Author Zane Grey is born 1995 Clinton authorizes loan to Mexico 1988 Doug Williams leads Redskins to Super Bowl victory 1968 Viet Cong attack U.S. Embassy 1972 North Vietnam presents nine-point peace proposal 1917 Germans unleash U-boats 1945 The execution of Pvt. Slovik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phkrause Posted February 1, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2017 February 1 1884 Oxford Dictionary debuts 1781 Davidson College namesake killed at Cowan’s Ford 2004 Ford GT makes TV debut in Super Bowl ad 1861 Texas secedes 1951 U.N. condemns PRC for aggression 1974 Serial killer Ted Bundy strikes again 2003 Columbia mission ends in disaster 1790 First session of the U.S. Supreme Court 1908 Portuguese king and heir assassinated 1979 Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran 1887 Official registration of Hollywood 1814 “The Corsair” by Lord Byron is published 1896 Puccini’s La bohème premieres in Turin, Italy 1885 Mormon president goes underground 2003 Bush addresses the nation after space shuttle Columbia explodes 1970 NHL goalie Terry Sawchuk posts 103rd shutout 1964 Operation Plan 34A commences 1968 Nixon announces his candidacy for president 1917 Germany resumes unrestricted submarine warfare 1943 Japanese begin evacuation of Guadalcanal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phkrause Posted February 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2017 February 2 Lead Story 1887 First Groundhog Day American Revolution 1781 Nathanael Greene finds fortification at Steele’s Tavern Automotive 1991 Hurley Haywood in quest to win fifth 24 Hours of Daytona Civil War 1803 Albert Sidney Johnston born Cold War 1949 United States rejects proposal for conference with Stalin Crime 1922 Murder in Hollywood: A tale of vice and vixens Disaster 1847 First Donner Party member dies General Interest 1943 Battle of Stalingrad ends 1971 Idi Amin takes power in Uganda 1980 ABSCAM operation revealed Hollywood 1996 Gene Kelly dies 2014 Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman dies at age 46 Literary 1882 James Joyce is born Music 1979 Sid Vicious dies of a drug overdose in New York City Old West 1812 Russians establish Fort Ross Presidential 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed Sports 1876 National League of baseball is founded Vietnam War 1962 First U.S. Air Force plane crashes in South Vietnam. 1970 Antiwar protestors sue Dow Chemical World War I 1916 Zeppelin crashes into North Sea World War II 1942 Quisling becomes prime minister of puppet regime in Norway 1943 Germans surrender at Stalingrad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phkrause Posted February 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2017 February 3 Lead Story 2005 Gonzales becomes first Hispanic U.S. attorney general American Revolution 1781 Greene crosses the Yadkin with Kosciusko’s boats Automotive 2006 “World’s Fastest Indian” makes U.S. debut Civil War 1865 Hampton Roads Conference Cold War 1950 Klaus Fuchs arrested for passing atomic bomb information to Soviets Crime 1780 Early American mass murder changes common perceptions of crime Disaster 1998 Marine jet severs ski-lift cable in Italy General Interest 1924 Woodrow Wilson dies 1953 Cousteau publishes The Silent World 1959 The day the music died 1966 Lunik 9 soft-lands on lunar surface 1994 Clinton ends Vietnam trade embargo Hollywood 1989 John Cassavetes dies Literary 1820 Keats falls deathly ill Music 1959 The Music dies in an Iowa cornfield Old West 1889 Belle Starr murdered in Oklahoma Presidential 1994 Clinton ends trade embargo of Vietnam Sports 2002 New England Patriots win first Super Bowl 2008 New York Giants upset New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII Vietnam War 1955 Diem institutes limited agrarian reforms 1970 Senate Foreign Relations Committee opens hearings World War I 1917 U.S. breaks diplomatic relations with Germany World War II 1944 U.S. troops capture the Marshall Islands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phkrause Posted February 5, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 February 4 Lead Story 1974 Patty Hearst kidnapped American Revolution 1789 Washington unanimously elected by Electoral College to first and second terms Automotive 1922 Ford buys Lincoln Civil War 1861 Provisional Confederate Congress convenes Cold War 1945 Yalta Conference foreshadows the Cold War Crime 1974 The Symbionese Liberation Army abducts Patty Hearst Disaster 1976 Earthquake rocks Guatemala City General Interest 1789 First U.S. president elected 1861 States meet to form Confederacy 1969 PLO is founded Hollywood 1938 Disney releases Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Literary 1826 The Last of the Mohicans is published Music 1983 Karen Carpenter dies of anorexia Old West 1961 The Misfits released by United Artists Presidential 1789 George Washington is elected president Sports 1959 Football great Lawrence Taylor born Vietnam War 1962 First U.S. helicopter is shot down in Vietnam. 1965 Rumors fly about U.S.-Soviet pressure on allies in Vietnam 1972 Last Thai contingent departs South Vietnam World War I 1915 Germany declares war zone around British Isles World War II 1945 The Yalta Conference commences Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phkrause Posted February 5, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 February 5 Lead Story 1994 Beckwith convicted of killing Medgar Evers American Revolution 1777 Georgia constitution abolishes primogeniture and entail Automotive 1878 The “French Henry Ford” born Civil War 1865 Battle of Dabney’s Mill (Hatcher’s Run) Cold War 1989 The last Soviet troops leave Kabul Crime 1994 Medger Evers’ killer is convicted 2012 Husband of missing Utah woman kills self and two young sons Disaster 1783 Earthquake devastates southern Italy General Interest 1631 Roger Williams arrives in America 1917 Immigration act passed over Wilson’s veto 1917 Mexican constitution proclaimed 1937 Roosevelt announces “court-packing” plan 1988 Noriega indicted on U.S. drug charges Hollywood 1919 United Artists created Literary 1928 Andrew Greeley is born Music 1957 The American Invasion begins, as Bill Haley and the Comets storm Britain Old West 1883 Southern Pacific Railroad completes “Sunset Route” Presidential 1826 Millard Fillmore marries Abigail Powers Sports 1934 Hank Aaron is born Vietnam War 1960 South Vietnam requests more support 1975 North Vietnamese begin preparations for offensive World War I 1918 U.S. steamship Tuscania is torpedoed and sinks World War II 1941 Hitler to Mussolini: Fight harder! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phkrause Posted February 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2017 February 6 Lead Story 1952 Elizabeth becomes queen American Revolution 1778 Franco-American alliances signed Automotive 2009 Honda Insight debuts as Prius competitor Civil War 1865 John Pegram killed Cold War 1985 The “Reagan Doctrine” is announced Crime 1998 Infamous school teacher goes back to prison Disaster 1958 Man United players among victims of plane crash General Interest 1820 Freed U.S. slaves depart on journey to Africa 1928 Anastasia arrives in the United States Hollywood 1911 Ronald Reagan born Literary 1937 Of Mice and Men is published Music 1998 Austrian superstar Falco dies Old West 1891 Dalton Gang commits its first train robbery Presidential 1911 Ronald Reagan is born Sports 1993 Tennis great Arthur Ashe dies of AIDS Vietnam War 1966 Johnson meets with South Vietnamese Premier 1973 ICCS take up positions World War I 1917 German sub sinks U.S. passenger ship California World War II 1943 Mussolini fires his son-in-law Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phkrause Posted February 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2017 February 7 Lead Story 1964 Beatles arrive in New York American Revolution 1775 Benjamin Franklin publishes “An Imaginary Speech” Automotive 1938 Tire king Firestone dies Civil War 1862 Confederates order reinforcements to Fort Donelson Cold War 1990 Soviet Communist Party gives up monopoly on political power Crime 1881 Plea bargaining gains favor in American courts 1968 Forensic evidence solves a crime Disaster 1812 Earthquake causes fluvial tsunami in Mississippi General Interest 1904 The Great Baltimore Fire begins 1984 First human satellite 1992 European Union treaty signed 1999 King Hussein of Jordan dies Hollywood 1914 First appearance of “Little Tramp” Literary 1898 Zola is brought to trial Music 1964 The Beatles arrive on American shores Old West 1855 Cowboy celebrity Charles Siringo is born Presidential 2002 President George W. Bush announces plan for “faith-based initiatives” Sports 1970 LSU star Maravich scores 69 points in single game Vietnam War 1965 U.S. jets conduct retaliatory raids 1971 Operation Dewey Canyon II ends World War I 1915 Winter Battle of the Masurian Lakes begins World War II 1979 The “Angel of Death” dies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phkrause Posted February 9, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2017 February 8 Lead Story 1943 Americans secure Guadalcanal American Revolution 1777 Former POW Timothy Bigelow is named colonel Automotive 1985 Jaguar founder dies Civil War 1862 Battle of Roanoke Island Cold War 1949 Cardinal Mindszenty of Hungary sentenced Crime 1983 Irish race horse stolen Disaster 1978 New England digs out after blizzard General Interest 1587 Mary Queen of Scots beheaded 1725 Peter the Great dies 1904 The Russo-Japanese War begins 1915 Birth of a Nation opens 1924 First execution by lethal gas Hollywood 1994 Jack Nicholson smashes windshield in episode of road rage Literary 1955 John Grisham, author of legal thrillers, is born Music 1990 Del Shannon dies of a self-inflicted gunshot wound Old West 1887 Cleveland signs the Dawes Severalty Act Presidential 1887 Cleveland signs devastating Dawes Act into law Sports 1986 Spud Webb wins dunk contest Vietnam War 1962 MACV established 1971 Operation Lam Son 719 begins World War I 1918 U.S. Army resumes publication of Stars and Stripes World War II 1943 Britain’s Indian Brigade begins guerrilla operations in Burma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phkrause Posted February 10, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2017 February 9 Lead Story 1971 Satchel Paige nominated to Baseball Hall of Fame American Revolution 1776 Future New Jersey governor is promoted Automotive 1846 Auto pioneer Wilhelm Maybach born Civil War 1864 George Custer married Cold War 1950 McCarthy says communists are in State Department Crime 1960 Coors brewery heir is kidnapped Disaster 2001 U.S. sub collides with Japanese fishing boat in Pearl Harbor General Interest 1825 Presidential election decided in the House 1900 Davis Cup competition established 1942 Normandie burns in New York 1950 McCarthy accuses State Department of communist infiltration Hollywood 1960 Joanne Woodward earns first star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Literary 1944 Alice Walker is born Music 1964 America meets the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show Old West 1864 Elizabeth Bacon marries George Custer Presidential 1773 William Henry Harrison is born Sports 1992 Magic Johnson returns for All-Star Game Vietnam War 1965 U.S. sends first combat troops to South Vietnam 1972 USS Constellation arrives off coast of Vietnam. World War I 1918 Ukraine signs peace treaty with Central Powers World War II 1942 Daylight saving time instituted 1942 The Normandie catches fire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phkrause Posted February 11, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2017 February 10 Lead Story 1996 Kasparov loses chess game to computer American Revolution 1779 The Battle of Carr’s Fort Automotive 1966 Auto safety crusader Ralph Nader testifies before Congress Civil War 1861 Davis learns he is president Cold War 1962 Soviets exchange American for captured Russian spy Crime 1992 Boxing legend convicted of raping beauty queen Disaster 1970 Avalanche buries skiers in France General Interest 1763 The French and Indian War ends 1962 Spies swapped 1989 Brown elected chairman of the Democratic Party Hollywood 2006 Final episode of Arrested Development airs on Fox 2014 Iconic child star Shirley Temple dies at 85 Literary 1957 Laura Ingalls Wilder, chronicler of American frontier life, dies Music 1972 Ziggy Stardust makes his earthly debut Old West 1846 Mormons begin exodus to Utah Presidential 1899 Herbert Hoover marries Lou Henry Sports 1996 Deep Blue beats Kasparov at chess Vietnam War 1965 Viet Cong blow up U.S. barracks 1971 Journalists killed in helicopter crash World War I 1916 U.S. secretary of war resigns World War II 1942 Japanese sub bombards Midway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudywoofs (Pam) Posted February 11, 2017 Report Share Posted February 11, 2017 I love this historical kind of trivia! Thanks for posting it, pK... phkrause 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phkrause Posted February 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2017 18 hours ago, rudywoofs (Pam) said: I love this historical kind of trivia! Thanks for posting it, pK... Thanks Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phkrause Posted February 12, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2017 February 11 Lead Story 1990 Nelson Mandela released from prison American Revolution 1776 Georgia’s governor escapes imprisonment Automotive 1937 GM signs first autoworkers contract Civil War 1861 Lincoln leaves Springfield Cold War 1956 Burgess and Maclean resurface Crime 1916 Birth control pioneer arrested Disaster 1952 Avalanches plague central Europe General Interest 1858 Virgin Mary appears to St. Bernadette 1945 Yalta Conference ends 1970 The world’s fourth space power Hollywood 2008 Tolkien heirs file Lord of the Rings lawsuit Literary 1778 Voltaire is welcomed home Music 1960 The Payola scandal heats up 2012 Pop superstar Whitney Houston dies at age 48 Old West 1805 Sacagawea gives birth to Pompey Presidential 1945 FDR and daughter Anna leave Yalta Conference Sports 1990 Underdog Buster Douglas knocks out Mike Tyson Vietnam War 1962 Farm Gate aircraft crashes World War I 1918 Russia’s General Kaledin commits suicide World War II 1942 The “Channel Dash” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phkrause Posted February 13, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2017 February 12 Lead Story 2002 Milosevic goes on trial for war crimes American Revolution 1789 Ethan Allen dies Automotive 2008 GM reports record loss, offers buyouts to 74,000 workers Civil War 1828 Robert Ransom is born Cold War 1988 Russian ships bump U.S. destroyer and cruiser Crime 1976 Actor Sal Mineo is killed in Hollywood Disaster 2002 Iranian jet slams into mountain General Interest 1793 Congress enacts first fugitive slave law 1865 Garnet preaches to House on slavery and Civil War 1912 Last emperor of China abdicates 1986 Scharansky released 1999 President Clinton acquitted Hollywood 2008 Writers’ strike ends after 100 days Literary 1938 Judy Blume, popular young-adult author, is born Music 1924 Rhapsody In Blue, by George Gershwin, performed for first time Old West 1915 Lorne Greene is born Presidential 1809 Abraham Lincoln is born Sports 1934 Basketball great Bill Russell born Vietnam War 1972 Cambodians launch attack to retake Angkor Wat 1973 Release of U.S. POWs begins World War I 1915 British planes raid Belgian coast 1917 American schooner Lyman M. Law is sunk World War II 1941 Rommel in Africa rudywoofs (Pam) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phkrause Posted February 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2017 February 13 Lead Story 1633 Galileo in Rome for Inquisition American Revolution 1776 Patrick Henry named colonel of First Virginia battalion Automotive 2008 Actor Mel Gibson completes DUI probation Civil War 1831 John Rawlins born Cold War 1984 Chernenko becomes general secretary Crime 1982 Serial killer strikes in Colorado Disaster 1983 Cinema burns in Turin General Interest 1689 William and Mary proclaimed joint sovereigns of Britain 1861 First Medal of Honor action 1945 Dresden devastated Hollywood 2001 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon gets 10 Oscar nominations Literary 1991 Long-lost Twain manuscript authenticated Music 1915 ASCAP is founded Old West 1822 Ashley advertises for western fur trappers Presidential 1905 Teddy Roosevelt discusses America’s race problem Sports 1998 Downhill skier Hermann Maier crashes in Olympics Vietnam War 1965 Johnson approves Operation Rolling Thunder 1968 Additional troops ordered to South Vietnam World War I 1920 League of Nations recognizes perpetual Swiss neutrality World War II 1945 Firebombing of Dresden rudywoofs (Pam) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phkrause Posted February 14, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2017 Happy Valentine's Day All February 14 Lead Story 278 St. Valentine beheaded American Revolution 1779 Patriots defeat Loyalists at Kettle Creek Automotive 1867 Toyota patriarch born Civil War 1864 Sherman enters Meridian, Mississippi Cold War 1989 Sandinistas agree to free elections Crime 1929 The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Disaster 2000 Tornadoes sweep through southern Georgia General Interest 1779 Captain Cook killed in Hawaii 1929 Penicillin discovered 1929 Valentine’s Day Massacre takes place Hollywood 1938 Hedda Hopper’s first column appears in the L.A. Times Literary 1842 The Boz Ball celebrates Dickens Music 1977 The B-52’s play their first gig Old West 1886 First trainload of oranges leaves Los Angeles Presidential 1884 Theodore Roosevelt’s wife and mother die Sports 1988 Olympic speed skater Jansen falls after sister dies Vietnam War 1962 Kennedy authorizes U.S. advisors to fire in self-defense 1970 Gallup Poll released World War I 1919 Wilson presents draft covenant for League of Nations World War II 1943 Battle of the Kasserine Pass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phkrause Posted February 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2017 February 15 1898 The Maine explodes A massive explosion of unknown origin sinks the battleship USS Maine in Cuba’s Havana harbor, killing 260 of the fewer than 400 American crew members aboard. One of the first American battleships, the Maine weighed more than 6,000 tons and was built at a cost of more than $2 million. Ostensibly on a friendly visit, the Maine had been sent to Cuba to protect the interests of Americans there after a rebellion against Spanish rule broke out in Havana in January. An official U.S. Naval Court of Inquiry ruled in March that the ship was blown up by a mine, without directly placing the blame on Spain. Much of Congress and a majority of the American public expressed little doubt that Spain was responsible and called for a declaration of war. Subsequent diplomatic failures to resolve the Maine matter, coupled with United States indignation over Spain’s brutal suppression of the Cuban rebellion and continued losses to American investment, led to the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in April 1898. Within three months, the United States had decisively defeated Spanish forces on land and sea, and in August an armistice halted the fighting. On December 12, 1898, the Treaty of Paris was signed between the United States and Spain, officially ending the Spanish-American War and granting the United States its first overseas empire with the ceding of such former Spanish possessions as Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. In 1976, a team of American naval investigators concluded that the Maine explosion was likely caused by a fire that ignited its ammunition stocks, not by a Spanish mine or act of sabotage.› Also on this day American Revolution 1776 Nova Scotia governor sends word of potential American invasion From Halifax, Canada, on this day in 1776, Governor Francis Legge reports to British headquarters in London that traitorous elements in Cumberland, Nova Scotia, have contacted American General George Washington. Washington received a letter from the Nova Scotians, in which they expressed their sympathy for the American cause, on February...Read More Automotive 1998 Victory at last for Earnhardt at Daytona On February 15, 1998, after 20 years of trying, racing great Dale Earnhardt Sr. finally wins his first Daytona 500, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) season opener and an event dubbed the “Super Bowl of stock car racing.” Driving his black No. 3 Chevrolet, Earnhardt recorded...Read More Civil War 1835 Alexander Stewart Webb born On this day in 1835, Union General Alexander Stewart Webb is born in New York City.Webb’s grandfather had fought at Bunker Hill during the American Revolution, and his father, James Watson Webb, was a prominent newspaper editor and diplomat who served as minister to Brazil during the Civil War. The...Read More Cold War 1950 USSR and PRC sign mutual defense treaty The Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China, the two largest communist nations in the world, announce the signing of a mutual defense and assistance treaty. The negotiations for the treaty were conducted in Moscow between PRC leaders Mao Zedong and Zhou En-lai, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin...Read More Crime 1933 The death penalty–then and now Giuseppe Zangara shoots Anton Cermak, the mayor of Chicago, in Miami, Florida. Zangara’s shots missed President-elect Franklin Roosevelt, who was with Cermak at the time. Cermak was seriously wounded and died on March 6. Immediately after Mayor Cermak died from the gunshot wounds, Zangara was indicted and arraigned for murder. He...Read More Disaster 1996 Oil tanker runs aground near Wales On this day in 1996, a supertanker, the Sea Empress, runs aground near Wales, spilling 70,000 tons of crude oil. The oil spill did not take any human lives, but severely damaged several bird sanctuaries. The Pembrokeshire coast of South Wales is an area teeming with wildlife, particularly seals and seabirds...Read More General Interest 1942 Japan celebrates major victory in the Pacific In one of the greatest defeats in British military history, Britain’s supposedly impregnable Singapore fortress surrenders to Japanese forces after a weeklong siege. More than 60,000 British, Australian, and Indian soldiers were taken prisoner, joining 70,000 other Allied soldiers captured during Britain’s disastrous defense of the Malay Peninsula.On December 8,...Read More 1965 Canada adopts maple leaf flag In accordance with a formal proclamation by Queen Elizabeth II of England, a new Canadian national flag is raised above Parliament Hill in Ottawa, the capital of Canada.Beginning in 1610, Lower Canada, a new British colony, flew Great Britain’s Union Jack, or Royal Union Flag. In 1763, as a result...Read More Hollywood 1950 Disney’s Cinderella opens On this day in 1950, Walt Disney’s animated feature Cinderella opens in theaters across the United States. The Chicago-born Disney began his career as an advertising cartoonist in Kansas City. After arriving in Hollywood in 1923, he and his older brother Roy set up shop in the back of a real-estate...Read More Literary 1980 Lillian Hellman sues Mary McCarthy On this day in 1980, playwright Lillian Hellman filed a lawsuit claming $2.2 million in damages against novelist Mary McCarthy for libel. McCarthy, a sarcastic and critical novelist whose most popular novel was The Group (1963), about eight Vassar graduates, had called Hellman “a bad writer, overrated, a dishonest writer” while...Read More Music 1984 Broadway legend Ethel Merman dies She was as big a star as the American stage ever produced, a legend both in her own time and beyond it. She had neither the looks nor the dancing ability that typically recommended a young woman for Broadway stardom, but she had a vocal instrument that simply could not...Read More Old West 1812 Wilson Hunt arrives at Astoria, Oregon Having departed St. Louis more than two years earlier, Wilson Hunt and his party stumble into the fur-trading post of Astoria, Oregon. Later romanticized as the archetypal frontier hero in Washington Irving’s novel Astoria, which chronicled the early Far West fur trade, Wilson Hunt was actually a reluctant mountain man. ...Read More Presidential 1903 First Teddy bear goes on sale On this day in 1903, toy store owner and inventor Morris Michtom places two stuffed bears in his shop window, advertising them as Teddy bears. Michtom had earlier petitioned President Theodore Roosevelt for permission to use his nickname, Teddy. The president agreed and, before long, other toy manufacturers began...Read More 1933 FDR escapes assassination in Miami On this day in 1933, a deranged, unemployed brick layer named Giuseppe Zangara shouts Too many people are starving! and fires a gun at America’s president-elect, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt had just delivered a speech in Miami’s Bayfront Park from the back seat of his open touring car when Zangara...Read More Sports 1961 U.S. figure skating team killed in plane crash On this day in 1961, the entire 18-member U.S. figure skating team is killed in a plane crash in Berg-Kampenhout, Belgium. The team was on its way to the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Among those killed in the crash was 16-year-old Laurence Owen, who had won...Read More 1998 Dale Earnhardt wins first Daytona 500 After two decades of trying, stock-car racing great Dale Earnhardt finally wins his first Daytona 500, NASCAR’s premier event, on this day in 1998. Earnhardt was born April 29, 1951, in Kannapolis, North Carolina. His father was a race car driver and Dale dropped out of high school to pursue racing....Read More Vietnam War 1966 DeGaulle offers to help end Vietnam War In response to a letter from Ho Chi Minh asking that French President Charles De Gaulle use his influence to “prevent perfidious new maneuvers” by the United States in Southeast Asia, De Gaulle states that France is willing to do all that it could to end the war. As outlined...Read More 1970 Chicago Eight defense attorneys sentenced As the jury continues to deliberate in the trial of the Chicago Eight, defense attorneys William Kunstler and Leonard Weinglass and three of the defendants are sentenced to prison for contempt of court. The trial for eight antiwar activists charged with the responsibility for the violent demonstrations at the August 1968...Read More World War I 1915 Mutiny breaks out among Indian soldiers in Singapore In Singapore on this day in 1915, Indian soldiers launch the first large-scale mutiny of World War I. Some 800 soldiers in the Indian army’s 5th Light Infantry Brigade broke out of their barracks on the afternoon of February 15 and killed several British officers before moving on to...Read More World War II 1942 Singapore falls to Japan Singapore, the “Gibraltar of the East” and a strategic British stronghold, falls to Japanese forces. An island city and the capital of the Straits Settlement of the Malay Peninsula, Singapore had been a British colony since the 19th century. In July 1941, when Japanese troops occupied French Indochina, the Japanese telegraphed...Read More Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A massive explosion of unknown origin sinks the battleship USS Maine in Cuba’s Havana harbor, killing 260 of the fewer than 400 American crew members aboard. One of the first American battleships, the Maine weighed more than 6,000 tons and was built at a cost of more than $2 million. Ostensibly on a friendly visit, the Maine had been sent to Cuba to protect the interests of Americans there after a rebellion against Spanish rule broke out in Havana in January. An official U.S. Naval Court of Inquiry ruled in March that the ship was blown up by a mine, without directly placing the blame on Spain. Much of Congress and a majority of the American public expressed little doubt that Spain was responsible and called for a declaration of war. Subsequent diplomatic failures to resolve the Maine matter, coupled with United States indignation over Spain’s brutal suppression of the Cuban rebellion and continued losses to American investment, led to the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in April 1898. Within three months, the United States had decisively defeated Spanish forces on land and sea, and in August an armistice halted the fighting. On December 12, 1898, the Treaty of Paris was signed between the United States and Spain, officially ending the Spanish-American War and granting the United States its first overseas empire with the ceding of such former Spanish possessions as Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. In 1976, a team of American naval investigators concluded that the Maine explosion was likely caused by a fire that ignited its ammunition stocks, not by a Spanish mine or act of sabotage.›
phkrause Posted February 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2017 February 16 1923 Archaeologist opens tomb of King Tut On this day in 1923, in Thebes, Egypt, English archaeologist Howard Carter enters the sealed burial chamber of the ancient Egyptian ruler King Tutankhamen. Because the ancient Egyptians saw their pharaohs as gods, they carefully preserved their bodies after death, burying them in elaborate tombs containing rich treasures to accompany the rulers into the afterlife. In the 19th century, archeologists from all over the world flocked to Egypt, where they uncovered a number of these tombs. Many had long ago been broken into by robbers and stripped of their riches. When Carter arrived in Egypt in 1891, he became convinced there was at least one undiscovered tomb–that of the little known Tutankhamen, or King Tut, who lived around 1400 B.C. and died when he was still a teenager. Backed by a rich Brit, Lord Carnarvon, Carter searched for five years without success. In early 1922, Lord Carnarvon wanted to call off the search, but Carter convinced him to hold on one more year. In November 1922, the wait paid off, when Carter’s team found steps hidden in the debris near the entrance of another tomb. The steps led to an ancient sealed doorway bearing the name Tutankhamen. When Carter and Lord Carnarvon entered the tomb’s interior chambers on November 26, they were thrilled to find it virtually intact, with its treasures untouched after more than 3,000 years. The men began exploring the four rooms of the tomb, and on February 16, 1923, under the watchful eyes of a number of important officials, Carter opened the door to the last chamber. Inside lay a sarcophagus with three coffins nested inside one another. The last coffin, made of solid gold, contained the mummified body of King Tut. Among the riches found in the tomb–golden shrines, jewelry, statues, a chariot, weapons, clothing–the perfectly preserved mummy was the most valuable, as it was the first one ever to be discovered. Despite rumors that a curse would befall anyone who disturbed the tomb, its treasures were carefully catalogued, removed and included in a famous traveling exhibition called the “Treasures of Tutankhamen.” The exhibition’s permanent home is the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Also on this day American Revolution 1778 John Adams prepares to sail for France On this day in 1778, two future presidents of the United States, John Adams and his son, 10-year-old John Quincy Adams, sit in Marblehead Harbor, off the coast of Massachusetts, on board the frigate, Boston, which is to take them to France, where John Adams will replace Silas Deane in...Read More Automotive 1997 Jeff Gordon becomes youngest Daytona winner On February 16, 1997, 25-year-old Jeff Gordon claims his first Daytona 500 victory, becoming the youngest winner in the history of the 200-lap, 500-mile National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) event, dubbed the “Super Bowl of stock car racing.” Driving his No. 24 Chevrolet Monte Carlo for the...Read More Civil War 1862 Capture of Fort Donelson On this day in 1862, General Ulysses S. Grant finishes a spectacular campaign by capturing Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River in Tennessee. This battle came10 days after Grant’s capture of Fort Henry, just10 miles to the west on the Tennessee River, and opened the way for Union occupation of...Read More Cold War 1951 Joseph Stalin attacks the United Nations In a statement focusing on the situation in Korea, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin charges that the United Nations has become “a weapon of aggressive war.” He also suggested that although a world war was not inevitable “at the present time,” “warmongers” in the West might trigger such a conflict.Stalin’s...Read More Crime 1894 John Wesley Hardin is pardoned Infamous gunslinger John Wesley Hardin is pardoned after spending 15 years in a Texas prison for murder. Hardin, who was reputed to have shot and killed a man just for snoring, was 41 years old at the time of his release. Hardin probably killed in excess of 40 people during...Read More Disaster 1983 Brush fires ravage South Australia Brush fires rage across South Australia on this day in 1983, burning thousands of acres, killing 75 people and injuring another 800. There were 24 major fires in total across the region, in addition to scores of smaller ones. The summer of 1982-83 had been extremely hot and dry in South...Read More General Interest 1804 The most daring act of the age During the First Barbary War, U.S. Lieutenant Stephen Decatur leads a military mission that famed British Admiral Horatio Nelson calls the “most daring act of the age.”In June 1801, President Thomas Jefferson ordered U.S. Navy vessels to the Mediterranean Sea in protest of continuing raids against U.S. ships by pirates...Read More 1959 Castro sworn in On February 16, 1959, Fidel Castro is sworn in as prime minister of Cuba after leading a guerrilla campaign that forced right-wing dictator Fulgencio Batista into exile. Castro, who became commander in chief of Cuba’s armed forces after Batista was ousted on January 1, replaced the more moderate Miro Cardona...Read More Hollywood 1933 David O. Selznick returns to MGM On this day in 1933, David O. Selznick becomes vice president and producer at MGM. Selznick became one of the most influential independent producers of his time. Selznick got his start working at his father’s studio, Lewis Selznick Pictures. Selznick’s older brother, Myron, also worked at the studio, becoming chief of...Read More Literary 1944 Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ford is born On this day in 1944, novelist Richard Ford is born in Jackson, Mississippi. The son of a traveling salesman, Ford lost his father when he was 16. He graduated from Michigan State University, where he met his wife, Kristina, who became a city planner. After a stint at law school, Ford...Read More Music 1848 Chopin plays his final Paris concert “Bach is like an astronomer who, with the help of ciphers, finds the most wonderful stars….Beethoven embraced the universe with the power of his spirit….I do not climb so high. A long time ago I decided that my universe will be the soul and heart of man.” This was the...Read More Old West 1878 Silver dollars made legal Strongly supported by western mining interests and farmers, the Bland-Allison Act—which provided for a return to the minting of silver coins—becomes the law of the land. The strife and controversy surrounding the coinage of silver is difficult for most modern Americans to understand, but in the late 19th century it was...Read More Presidential 1786 James Monroe marries Elizabeth Kortright On this day in history, future President James Monroe weds a 17-year-old New York beauty named Elizabeth Kortright. The 26-year-old Monroe, already a famous revolutionary and practicing lawyer, married not for money, but for love. Elizabeth’s father, once a wealthy privateer, had lost most of his fortune during the Revolutionary...Read More Sports 1984 Bill Johnson becomes first American to win Olympic gold in downhill skiing On February 16, 1984, Bill Johnson becomes the first American man to win an Olympic gold medal in downhill skiing, a sport long dominated by European athletes. Johnson quickly became a national hero, though his fame was short-lived, and he never again competed in the Olympics. William Dean Johnson was born...Read More Vietnam War 1968 Tet Offensive results in many new refugees U.S. officials report that, in addition to the 800,000 people listed as refugees prior to January 30, the fighting during the Tet Offensive has created 350,000 new refugees. The communist attack known as the Tet Offensive had begun at dawn on January 31, the first day of the Tet holiday truce....Read More World War I 1916 Russians capture Erzerum After five days of intense fighting, the Russian army defeats the Third Turkish Army to capture Erzerum, a largely Armenian city in the Ottoman province of Anatolia, on this day in 1916. The Central Powers considered Turkey, which entered World War I in November 1914, a valuable ally for two reasons:...Read More World War II 1945 Bataan recaptured On this day, the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines is occupied by American troops, almost three years after the devastating and infamous Bataan Death March. On April 3, 1942, the Japanese infantry staged a major offensive against Allied troops in Bataan, the peninsula guarding Manila Bay of the Philippine Islands. The...Read More Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Because the ancient Egyptians saw their pharaohs as gods, they carefully preserved their bodies after death, burying them in elaborate tombs containing rich treasures to accompany the rulers into the afterlife. In the 19th century, archeologists from all over the world flocked to Egypt, where they uncovered a number of these tombs. Many had long ago been broken into by robbers and stripped of their riches. When Carter arrived in Egypt in 1891, he became convinced there was at least one undiscovered tomb–that of the little known Tutankhamen, or King Tut, who lived around 1400 B.C. and died when he was still a teenager. Backed by a rich Brit, Lord Carnarvon, Carter searched for five years without success. In early 1922, Lord Carnarvon wanted to call off the search, but Carter convinced him to hold on one more year. In November 1922, the wait paid off, when Carter’s team found steps hidden in the debris near the entrance of another tomb. The steps led to an ancient sealed doorway bearing the name Tutankhamen. When Carter and Lord Carnarvon entered the tomb’s interior chambers on November 26, they were thrilled to find it virtually intact, with its treasures untouched after more than 3,000 years. The men began exploring the four rooms of the tomb, and on February 16, 1923, under the watchful eyes of a number of important officials, Carter opened the door to the last chamber. Inside lay a sarcophagus with three coffins nested inside one another. The last coffin, made of solid gold, contained the mummified body of King Tut. Among the riches found in the tomb–golden shrines, jewelry, statues, a chariot, weapons, clothing–the perfectly preserved mummy was the most valuable, as it was the first one ever to be discovered. Despite rumors that a curse would befall anyone who disturbed the tomb, its treasures were carefully catalogued, removed and included in a famous traveling exhibition called the “Treasures of Tutankhamen.” The exhibition’s permanent home is the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
phkrause Posted February 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 February 17 1904 Madame Butterfly premieres On this day in 1904, Giacomo Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly premieres at the La Scala theatre in Milan, Italy. The young Puccini decided to dedicate his life to opera after seeing a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida in 1876. In his later life, he would write some of the best-loved operas of all time: La Boheme (1896), Tosca (1900), Madame Butterfly (1904) and Turandot (left unfinished when he died in 1906). Not one of these, however, was an immediate success when it opened. La Boheme, the now-classic story of a group of poor artists living in a Paris garret, earned mixed reviews, while Tosca was downright panned by critics. While supervising a production of Tosca in London, Puccini saw the play Madame Butterfly, written by David Belasco and based on a story by John Luther Long. Taken with the strong female character at its center, he began working on an operatic version of the play, with an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica. Written over the course of two years–including an eight-month break when Puccini was badly injured in a car accident–the opera made its debut in Milan in February 1904. Set in Nagasaki, Japan, Madame Butterfly told the story of an American sailor, B.F. Pinkerton, who marries and abandons a young Japanese geisha, Cio-Cio-San, or Madame Butterfly. In addition to the rich, colorful orchestration and powerful arias that Puccini was known for, the opera reflected his common theme of living and dying for love. This theme often played out in the lives of his heroines–women like Cio-Cio-San, who live for the sake of their lovers and are eventually destroyed by the pain inflicted by that love. Perhaps because of the opera’s foreign setting or perhaps because it was too similar to Puccini’s earlier works, the audience at the premiere reacted badly to Madame Butterfly, hissing and yelling at the stage. Puccini withdrew it after one performance. He worked quickly to revise the work, splitting the 90-minute-long second act into two parts and changing other minor aspects. Four months later, the revamped Madame Butterfly went onstage at the Teatro Grande in Brescia. This time, the public greeted the opera with tumultuous applause and repeated encores, and Puccini was called before the curtain 10 times. Madame Butterfly went on to huge international success, moving to New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 1907. Also on this day American Revolution 1782 French and British battle in the Indian Ocean The worldwide implications of the American War for Independence are made clear on this day in history as the American-allied French navy begins a 14-month-long series of five battles with the British navy in the Indian Ocean. Between February 17, 1782, and September 3, 1782, French Admiral Pierre Andre de Suffren...Read More Automotive 1972 Beetle overtakes Model T as world’s best-selling car On this day in 1972, the 15,007,034th Volkswagen Beetle comes off the assembly line, breaking a world car production record held for more than four decades by the Ford Motor Company’s iconic Model T, which was in production from 1908 and 1927. The history of the VW Beetle dates back to...Read More Civil War 1865 Sherman sacks Columbia, South Carolina On this day in 1865, the soldiers from Union General William Tecumseh Sherman’s army ransack Columbia, South Carolina, and leave a charred city in their wake. Sherman is most famous for his March to the Sea in the closing months of 1864. After capturing Atlanta in September, Sherman cut away...Read More Cold War 1947 Voice of America begins broadcasts to Russia With the words, “Hello! This is New York calling,” the U.S. Voice of America (VOA) begins its first radio broadcasts to the Soviet Union. The VOA effort was an important part of America’s propaganda campaign against the Soviet Union during the Cold War.The VOA began in 1942 as a...Read More Crime 1906 The first “Trial of the Century” Union leaders Bill Hayward, Charles Moyer, and George Pettibone are taken into custody by Idaho authorities and the Pinkerton Detective Agency. They are put on a special train in Denver, Colorado, following a secret, direct route to Idaho because the officials had no legal right to arrest the three union...Read More Disaster 1993 Ferry sinks near Haiti Approximately 900 people drown when a passenger ferry, the Neptune, overturns near Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on this day in 1993. The ferry was dangerously overloaded, and carried no lifeboats or emergency gear. The Neptune was a 150-foot boat, with three decks, that made regular trips transporting people, farm animals and some cargo...Read More General Interest 1801 Deadlock over presidential election ends After one tie vote in the Electoral College and 35 indecisive ballot votes in the House of Representatives, Vice President Thomas Jefferson is elected the third president of the United States over his running mate, Aaron Burr. The confusing election, which ended just 15 days before a new president was...Read More 1957 Gromyko becomes foreign minister Andre Gromyko was installed as Soviet Foreign Minister on February 17, 1957. Gromyko was called to foreign service in 1939 and began by serving under a policy of cooperation with the Nazis before Hitler’s attack on Russia. After World War II he became an expert at Cold War diplomacy. Seen...Read More 1979 China invades Vietnam In response to the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia, China launches an invasion of Vietnam.Tensions between Vietnam and China increased dramatically after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Attempting to expand its influence, Vietnam established a military presence in Laos; strengthened its ties with China’s rival, the Soviet Union;...Read More Hollywood 1982 Lee Strasberg dies On this day in 1982, the American director, actor and drama coach Lee Strasberg, who popularized “Method acting,” dies of a heart attack at age 80. Born in Budzanow, Poland, Strasberg immigrated to the United States in 1909 at the age of eight; he became a U.S. citizen in 1936. While...Read More Literary 2000 Dave Eggers’ Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius debuts On this day in 2000, “A Heartbreaking World of Staggering Genius,” 29-year-old Dave Eggers’ best-selling memoir about his experiences raising his younger brother following the cancer-related deaths of their parents, makes its debut. The critically acclaimed book became a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and turned Eggers into a literary...Read More Music 1966 Brian Wilson rolls tape on “Good Vibrations,” take one From the very beginning, the Beach Boys had a sound that was unmistakably their own, but without resident genius Brian Wilson pushing them into deeper waters with his songwriting and production talents, songs like “Surfin’ Safari” and “Surfin’ U.S.A.” might have been their greatest legacy. While the rest of the...Read More Old West 1820 Senate passes Missouri Compromise The Senate passes the Missouri Compromise, an attempt to deal with the dangerously divisive issue of extending slavery into the western territories. From colonial days to the Civil War, slavery and western expansion both played fundamental but inherently incompatible roles in the American republic. As the nation expanded westward, the...Read More Presidential 1801 Thomas Jefferson is elected On this day in 1801, Thomas Jefferson is elected the third president of the United States. The election constitutes the first peaceful transfer of power from one political party to another in the United States. By 1800, when he decided to run for president, Thomas Jefferson possessed impressive political credentials and...Read More Sports 1996 Kasparov defeats chess-playing computer In the final game of a six-game match, world chess champion Garry Kasparov triumphs over Deep Blue, IBM’s chess-playing computer, and wins the match, 4-2. However, Deep Blue goes on to defeat Kasparov in a heavily publicized rematch the following year. Garry Kasparov, considered one of the greatest players in the...Read More Vietnam War 1966 Taylor testifies on Operation Rolling Thunder In testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Gen. Maxwell Taylor states that a major U.S. objective in Vietnam is to demonstrate that “wars of liberation” are “costly, dangerous and doomed to failure.” Discussing the American air campaign against North Vietnam, Taylor declared that its primary purpose was “to...Read More 1968 U.S. casualty rate reaches record high American officials in Saigon report an all-time high weekly rate of U.S. casualties–543 killed in action and 2,547 wounded in the previous seven days. These losses were a result of the heavy fighting during the communist Tet Offensive.Read More World War I 1915 Zeppelin L-4 crashes into North Sea After encountering a severe snowstorm on the evening of February 17, 1915, the German zeppelin L-4 crash-lands in the North Sea near the Danish coastal town of Varde. The zeppelin, a motor-driven rigid airship, was developed by German inventor Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin in 1900. Although a French...Read More World War II 1944 U.S. troops land on Eniwetok atoll Operation Catchpole is launched as American troops devastate the Japanese defenders of Eniwetok and take control of the atoll in the northwestern part of the Marshall Islands. The U.S. Central Pacific Campaign was formulated during the August 1943 Quebec Conference. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill agreed on,...Read More Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
On this day in 1904, Giacomo Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly premieres at the La Scala theatre in Milan, Italy. The young Puccini decided to dedicate his life to opera after seeing a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida in 1876. In his later life, he would write some of the best-loved operas of all time: La Boheme (1896), Tosca (1900), Madame Butterfly (1904) and Turandot (left unfinished when he died in 1906). Not one of these, however, was an immediate success when it opened. La Boheme, the now-classic story of a group of poor artists living in a Paris garret, earned mixed reviews, while Tosca was downright panned by critics. While supervising a production of Tosca in London, Puccini saw the play Madame Butterfly, written by David Belasco and based on a story by John Luther Long. Taken with the strong female character at its center, he began working on an operatic version of the play, with an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica. Written over the course of two years–including an eight-month break when Puccini was badly injured in a car accident–the opera made its debut in Milan in February 1904. Set in Nagasaki, Japan, Madame Butterfly told the story of an American sailor, B.F. Pinkerton, who marries and abandons a young Japanese geisha, Cio-Cio-San, or Madame Butterfly. In addition to the rich, colorful orchestration and powerful arias that Puccini was known for, the opera reflected his common theme of living and dying for love. This theme often played out in the lives of his heroines–women like Cio-Cio-San, who live for the sake of their lovers and are eventually destroyed by the pain inflicted by that love. Perhaps because of the opera’s foreign setting or perhaps because it was too similar to Puccini’s earlier works, the audience at the premiere reacted badly to Madame Butterfly, hissing and yelling at the stage. Puccini withdrew it after one performance. He worked quickly to revise the work, splitting the 90-minute-long second act into two parts and changing other minor aspects. Four months later, the revamped Madame Butterfly went onstage at the Teatro Grande in Brescia. This time, the public greeted the opera with tumultuous applause and repeated encores, and Puccini was called before the curtain 10 times. Madame Butterfly went on to huge international success, moving to New York’s Metropolitan Opera in 1907.
phkrause Posted February 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 February 18 1885 Twain publishes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn On this day in 1885, Mark Twain publishes his famous–and famously controversial–novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain (the pen name of Samuel Clemens) first introduced Huck Finn as the best friend of Tom Sawyer, hero of his tremendously successful novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). Though Twain saw Huck’s story as a kind of sequel to his earlier book, the new novel was far more serious, focusing on the institution of slavery and other aspects of life in the antebellum South. At the book’s heart is the journey of Huck and his friend Jim, a runaway slave, down the Mississippi River on a raft. Jim runs away because he is about to be sold and separated from his wife and children, and Huck goes with him to help him get to Ohio and freedom. Huck narrates the story in his distinctive voice, offering colorful descriptions of the people and places they encounter along the way. The most striking part of the book is its satirical look at racism, religion and other social attitudes of the time. While Jim is strong, brave, generous and wise, many of the white characters are portrayed as violent, stupid or simply selfish, and the naive Huck ends up questioning the hypocritical, unjust nature of society in general. Even in 1885, two decades after the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the Civil War, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn landed with a splash. A month after its publication, a Concord, Massachusetts, library banned the book, calling its subject matter “tawdry” and its narrative voice “coarse” and “ignorant.” Other libraries followed suit, beginning a controversy that continued long after Twain’s death in 1910. In the 1950s, the book came under fire from African-American groups for being racist in its portrayal of black characters, despite the fact that it was seen by many as a strong criticism of racism and slavery. As recently as 1998, an Arizona parent sued her school district, claiming that making Twain’s novel required high school reading made already existing racial tensions even worse. Aside from its controversial nature and its continuing popularity with young readers, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been hailed by many serious literary critics as a masterpiece. No less a judge than Ernest Hemingway famously declared that the book marked the beginning of American literature: “There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since.” Also on this day American Revolution 1776 Lord Dunmore dispatches note of “inexpressible mortification” From Norfolk, Virginia, Royal Governor John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, dispatches a note to William Legge, 2nd Earl of Dartmouth, expressing his “inexpressible mortification” that British Major General Sir Henry Clinton had been ordered to the “insignificant province of North Carolina to the neglect of this the richest and...Read More Automotive 2001 Dale Earnhardt killed in crash On this day in 2001, Dale Earnhardt Sr., considered one of the greatest drivers in National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) history, dies at the age of 49 in a last-lap crash at the 43rd Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Earnhardt was driving his famous black No....Read More Civil War 1817 Lewis Armistead born On this day in 1817, Confederate General Lewis Armistead is born in New Bern, North Carolina. Armistead is best known for leading Pickett’s Charge at the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania,where he was mortally wounded.Armistead’s father, Walker Keith Armistead, and his five uncles served in the military during the War...Read More Cold War 1964 United States punishes nations for trading with Cuba The United States cuts off military assistance to Britain, France, and Yugoslavia in retaliation for their continuing trade with the communist nation of Cuba. The action was chiefly symbolic, but represented the continued U.S. effort to destabilize the Cuban regime of Fidel Castro.The amount of aid denied was miniscule–approximately...Read More Crime 2003 Arsonist sets fire in South Korean subway On this day in 2003, a man ignites a gasoline-filled container inside a subway train in Daegu, South Korea. The blaze engulfed the six-car train, before spreading to another train that pulled into station a few minutes later. In all, 198 people were killed and nearly 150 others were injured. The...Read More 2011 Green River serial killer pleads guilty to 49th murder On this day in 2011, in a Kent, Washington, courtroom, Gary Leon Ridgway pleads guilty to the 1982 aggravated, first-degree murder of his 49th victim, 20-year-old Rebecca Marrero. Marrero’s remains were found in December 2010, decades after her murder, in a ravine near Auburn, Washington. After entering his guilty plea,...Read More Disaster 1965 Avalanche kills 26 in British Columbia Twenty-six people are killed in a glacial slide and avalanche on this day in 1965 in British Columbia, Canada. The victims were miners who were removing copper ore from underneath a glacier. The Granduc Mining Company camp was in the town of Stewart, near the border of British Columbia and Alaska....Read More General Interest 1856 Know-Nothings convene in Philadelphia The American Party, also known as the “Known-Nothing Party,” convenes in Philadelphia to nominate its first presidential candidate.The Know-Nothing movement began in the 1840s, when an increasing rate of immigration led to the formation of a number of so-called nativist societies to combat “foreign” influences in American society. Roman Catholic...Read More 1930 Pluto discovered Pluto, once believed to be the ninth planet, is discovered at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, by astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh. The existence of an unknown ninth planet was first proposed by Percival Lowell, who theorized that wobbles in the orbits of Uranus and Neptune were caused by the gravitational...Read More 1948 De Valera resigns After 16 years as head of independent Ireland, Eamon de Valera steps down as the taoiseach, or Irish prime minister, after his Fianna Fail Party fails to win a majority in the Dail Eireann (the Irish assembly). As a result of the general election, the Fianna Fail won 68 of...Read More 1967 J. Robert Oppenheimer dies On February 18, 1967, J. Robert Oppenheimer, the “father of the atomic bomb,” dies in Princeton, New Jersey, at the age of 62.An expert in quantum theory and nuclear physics, he was enlisted into the fledgling U.S. atomic weapons program in 1941. In 1942, the “Manhattan Project,” as the program...Read More Hollywood 1929 First Academy Awards announced The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces the winners of the first Academy Awards on this day in 1929. It was a far cry from the suspense, glamour and endless press coverage surrounding the Oscars today: The first award recipients’ names were printed on the back page of...Read More Literary 1931 Toni Morrison’s birthday Toni Morrison, Nobel Prize-winning novelist, is born this day in 1931 in Lorain, Ohio. Morrison was born Chloe Anthony Wofford to a welder father and homemaker mother. She graduated from Howard University in 1953, then took a master’s in literature at Cornell. She married architect Howard Morrison and had two sons. After...Read More Music 1959 Ray Charles records “What’d I Say” at Atlantic Records The phone call that Ray Charles placed to Atlantic Records in early 1959 went something like this: “I’m playing a song out here on the road, and I don’t know what it is—it’s just a song I made up, but the people are just going wild every time we play...Read More Old West 1878 Murder ignites Lincoln County War Long simmering tensions in Lincoln County, New Mexico, explode into a bloody shooting war when gunmen murder the English rancher John Tunstall. Tunstall had established a large ranching operation in Lincoln County two years earlier in 1876, stepping into the middle of a dangerous political and economic rivalry for control of...Read More Presidential 1861 Davis becomes provisional president of the Confederacy On this day in 1861, Jefferson Davis, a veteran of the Black Hawk and Mexican-American Wars, begins his term as provisional president of the Confederate States of America. As it turned out, Davis was both the first and last president of the ill-fated Confederacy, as both his term and the...Read More Sports 1979 Richard Petty wins Daytona 500 after last-lap crash Richard Petty comes from behind to win the 21st annual Daytona 500, after leaders Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough crash into a wall during the final lap of the race. Allison and Yarborough then began fighting on the infield, an altercation broadcast on live television. The race helped popularize NASCAR...Read More Vietnam War 1965 United States warns of forthcoming bombing operations The State Department sends secret cables to U.S. ambassadors in nine friendly nations advising of forthcoming bombing operations over North Vietnam, and instructs them to inform their host governments “in strictest confidence” and to report reactions. President Lyndon Johnson wanted these governments to be aware of what he was...Read More World War I 1913 Raymond Poincare becomes president of France Raymond Poincare, a conservative politician who had been elected president of the French Republic over the objections of Georges Clemenceau and the French Left a month earlier, takes office on this day in 1913. Known for his right-wing nationalist beliefs and his strong Catholic faith, Poincare served as France’s prime...Read More World War II 1943 Nazis arrest White Rose resistance leaders Hans Scholl and his sister Sophie, the leaders of the German youth group Weisse Rose (White Rose), are arrested by the Gestapo for opposing the Nazi regime. The White Rose was composed of university (mostly medical) students who spoke out against Adolf Hitler and his regime. The founder, Hans Scholl, was...Read More Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twain (the pen name of Samuel Clemens) first introduced Huck Finn as the best friend of Tom Sawyer, hero of his tremendously successful novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). Though Twain saw Huck’s story as a kind of sequel to his earlier book, the new novel was far more serious, focusing on the institution of slavery and other aspects of life in the antebellum South. At the book’s heart is the journey of Huck and his friend Jim, a runaway slave, down the Mississippi River on a raft. Jim runs away because he is about to be sold and separated from his wife and children, and Huck goes with him to help him get to Ohio and freedom. Huck narrates the story in his distinctive voice, offering colorful descriptions of the people and places they encounter along the way. The most striking part of the book is its satirical look at racism, religion and other social attitudes of the time. While Jim is strong, brave, generous and wise, many of the white characters are portrayed as violent, stupid or simply selfish, and the naive Huck ends up questioning the hypocritical, unjust nature of society in general. Even in 1885, two decades after the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the Civil War, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn landed with a splash. A month after its publication, a Concord, Massachusetts, library banned the book, calling its subject matter “tawdry” and its narrative voice “coarse” and “ignorant.” Other libraries followed suit, beginning a controversy that continued long after Twain’s death in 1910. In the 1950s, the book came under fire from African-American groups for being racist in its portrayal of black characters, despite the fact that it was seen by many as a strong criticism of racism and slavery. As recently as 1998, an Arizona parent sued her school district, claiming that making Twain’s novel required high school reading made already existing racial tensions even worse. Aside from its controversial nature and its continuing popularity with young readers, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been hailed by many serious literary critics as a masterpiece. No less a judge than Ernest Hemingway famously declared that the book marked the beginning of American literature: “There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since.”
phkrause Posted February 20, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2017 February 19 Lead Story 1847 Donner Party rescued On this day in 1847, the first rescuers reach surviving members of the Donner Party, a group of California-bound emigrants stranded by snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In the summer of 1846, in the midst of a Western-bound fever sweeping the United States, 89 people–including 31 members of the Donner and Reed families–set out in a wagon train from Springfield, Illinois. After arriving at Fort Bridger, Wyoming, the emigrants decided to avoid the usual route and try a new trail recently blazed by California promoter Lansford Hastings, the so-called “Hastings Cutoff.” After electing George Donner as their captain, the party departed Fort Bridger in mid-July. The shortcut was nothing of the sort: It set the Donner Party back nearly three weeks and cost them much-needed supplies. After suffering great hardships in the Wasatch Mountains, the Great Salt Lake Desert and along the Humboldt River, they finally reached the Sierra Nevada Mountains in early October. Despite the lateness of the season, the emigrants continued to press on, and on October 28 they camped at Truckee Lake, located in the high mountains 21 kilometers northwest of Lake Tahoe. Overnight, an early winter storm blanketed the ground with snow, blocking the mountain pass and trapping the Donner Party. Most of the group stayed near the lake–now known as Donner Lake–while the Donner family and others made camp six miles away at Alder Creek. Building makeshift tents out of their wagons and killing their oxen for food, they hoped for a thaw that never came. Fifteen of the stronger emigrants, later known as the Forlorn Hope, set out west on snowshoes for Sutter’s Fort near San Francisco on December 16. Three weeks later, after harsh weather and lack of supplies killed several of the expedition and forced the others to resort to cannibalism, seven survivors reached a Native American village. News of the stranded Donner Party traveled fast to Sutter’s Fort, and a rescue party set out on January 31. Arriving at Donner Lake 20 days later, they found the camp completely snowbound and the surviving emigrants delirious with relief at their arrival. Rescuers fed the starving group as well as they could and then began evacuating them. Three more rescue parties arrived to help, but the return to Sutter’s Fort proved equally harrowing, and the last survivors didn’t reach safety until late April. Of the 89 original members of the Donner Party, only 45 reached California. Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Also on this day American Revolution 1777 Congress overlooks Benedict Arnold for promotion On this day in 1777, the Continental Congress votes to promote Thomas Mifflin; Arthur St. Clair; William Alexander, Lord Stirling; Adam Stephen; and Benjamin Lincoln to the rank of major general. Although the promotions were intended in part to balance the number of generals from each state, Brigadier General...Read More Automotive 1984 Yarborough wins fourth Daytona 500 Driver Cale Yarborough wins his fourth Daytona 500 on this day in 1984. In the history of the 200-lap, 500-mile race, which was first run at Florida’s Daytona International Speedway in 1959 and is considered one of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR)’s premiere events, only one...Read More Civil War 1821 Francis Preston Blair, Jr., born On this day in 1821, Union General Francis Preston Blair Jr. is born in Lexington, Kentucky. The colorful Blair was instrumental in keeping Missouri part of the Union during the early stages of the Civil War. Blair’s father served as an advisor to several presidents. His namesake and youngest son was...Read More Cold War 1981 United States calls situation in El Salvador a communist plot The U.S. government releases a report detailing how the “insurgency in El Salvador has been progressively transformed into a textbook case of indirect armed aggression by communist powers.” The report was another step indicating that the new administration of Ronald Reagan was prepared to take strong measures against what...Read More Crime 1851 Angry San Francisco vigilantes take the law into their own hands On this day in 1851, an angry mob in San Francisco’s business district”tries” two Australian suspects in the robbery and assault of C. J. Jansen. When the makeshift jury deadlocked, the suspects were returned to law enforcement officials. Jansen was working at his store at the corner of Montgomery and...Read More Disaster 1884 Tornadoes strike the Southeast On this day in 1884, an astonishing series of 37 tornadoes sweeps across the Southeast United States. The twisters, which came at a time in which there was no warning system in place to alert area residents, killed 167 people and injured another 1,000. The tornadoes began early in the afternoon...Read More General Interest 1473 Copernicus born On February 19, 1473, Nicolaus Copernicus is born in Torun, a city in north-central Poland on the Vistula River. The father of modern astronomy, he was the first modern European scientist to propose that Earth and other planets revolve around the sun.Copernicus was born into a family of well-to-do merchants,...Read More 1807 Aaron Burr arrested for treason Aaron Burr, a former U.S. vice president, is arrested in Alabama on charges of plotting to annex Spanish territory in Louisiana and Mexico to be used toward the establishment of an independent republic. In November 1800, in an election conducted before presidential and vice-presidential candidates shared a single ticket, Thomas Jefferson...Read More 1942 Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066 Ten weeks after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066, authorizing the removal of any or all people from military areas “as deemed necessary or desirable.” The military in turn defined the entire West Coast, home to the majority of Americans of Japanese...Read More 1974 Solzhenitsyn reunited with family Alexander Solzhenitsyn awaits reunion with his family after exile from Russia. Publication of The Gulag Archipelago, a detailed history of the Soviet prison system, prompted Russia to exile the 55 year-old author. One of Russia’s most visible and vocal dissidents, Solzhenitsyn once served an 11-year prison term. Solzhenitsyn had previously...Read More Hollywood 1934 Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade On this day in 1934, the legendary comic actor and entertainer Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade in Erie, Pennsylvania. Their marriage would last until Hope’s death 69 years later, making it by far one of Hollywood’s most enduring unions. Born Leslie Townes Hope in 1903 near London, Hope emigrated with his...Read More Literary 1952 Amy Tan’s birthday Novelist Amy Tan is born on this day in 1952 to Chinese immigrants who came to Oakland in 1949. Tan studied English at San Jose State and Berkeley. Although she planned an academic career, she grew bored with university life and turned to technical writing, business writing, and publishing. At age...Read More Music 1878 Thomas Alva Edison patents the phonograph The technology that made the modern music business possible came into existence in the New Jersey laboratory where Thomas Alva Edison created the first device to both record sound and play it back. He was awarded U.S. Patent No. 200,521 for his invention–the phonograph–on this day in 1878. Edison’s invention came...Read More Old West 1847 Rescuers reach Donner Party The first rescuers from Sutter’s Fort reach the surviving remnants of the Donner emigrant party at their snowbound camp in the high Sierra Nevada Mountains. The events leading up to the Donner party tragedy began the summer before, when 89 emigrants from Springfield, Illinois, set out overland for California. Initially...Read More Presidential 1942 FDR signs Executive Order 9066 On this day in 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066, initiating a controversial World War II policy with lasting consequences for Japanese Americans. The document ordered the removal of resident enemy aliens from parts of the West vaguely identified as military areas. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor...Read More Sports 1996 Patrick Roy gets 300th win as NHL goalie On this day in 1996, Colorado Avalanche goaltender Patrick Roy earns his 300th win in the National Hockey League. Roy retired from hockey in 2003 with 551 career wins, a record that still stands. Patrick Roy, a native of Quebec City, Canada, was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1984. He...Read More 2010 Tiger Woods apologizes for extramarital affairs On this day in 2010, professional golfer Tiger Woods gives a televised news conference in which he apologizes for his marital infidelities and admits to “selfish” and “foolish” behavior. The 34-year-old Woods, one of the greatest players in the history of golf as well as one of the world’s highest-paid...Read More Vietnam War 1965 South Vietnamese coup unsuccessful Dissident officers move several battalions of troops into Saigon on this day with the intention of ousting Gen. Nguyen Khanh from leadership. General Khanh escaped to Dalat with the aid of Air Vice Marshal Nguyen Cao Ky, commander of the South Vietnamese Air Force, who then threatened to bomb Saigon and...Read More 1970 Chicago Seven sentenced The Chicago Seven (formerly the Chicago Eight–one defendant, Bobby Seale, was being tried separately) are acquitted of riot conspiracy charges, but found guilty of inciting riot. The eight antiwar activists were charged with the responsibility for the violent demonstrations at the August 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The defendants included...Read More World War I 1915 British navy bombards Dardanelles On this day in 1915, British and French battleships launch a massive attack on Turkish positions at Cape Helles and Kum Kaleh at the entrance to the Dardanelles, the narrow strait separating Europe from Asia in northwestern Turkey and the only waterway linking the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea....Read More World War II 1945 Marines invade Iwo Jima On this day, Operation Detachment, the U.S. Marines’ invasion of Iwo Jima, is launched. Iwo Jima was a barren Pacific island guarded by Japanese artillery, but to American military minds, it was prime real estate on which to build airfields to launch bombing raids against Japan, only 660 miles away. The...Read More Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the summer of 1846, in the midst of a Western-bound fever sweeping the United States, 89 people–including 31 members of the Donner and Reed families–set out in a wagon train from Springfield, Illinois. After arriving at Fort Bridger, Wyoming, the emigrants decided to avoid the usual route and try a new trail recently blazed by California promoter Lansford Hastings, the so-called “Hastings Cutoff.” After electing George Donner as their captain, the party departed Fort Bridger in mid-July. The shortcut was nothing of the sort: It set the Donner Party back nearly three weeks and cost them much-needed supplies. After suffering great hardships in the Wasatch Mountains, the Great Salt Lake Desert and along the Humboldt River, they finally reached the Sierra Nevada Mountains in early October. Despite the lateness of the season, the emigrants continued to press on, and on October 28 they camped at Truckee Lake, located in the high mountains 21 kilometers northwest of Lake Tahoe. Overnight, an early winter storm blanketed the ground with snow, blocking the mountain pass and trapping the Donner Party. Most of the group stayed near the lake–now known as Donner Lake–while the Donner family and others made camp six miles away at Alder Creek. Building makeshift tents out of their wagons and killing their oxen for food, they hoped for a thaw that never came. Fifteen of the stronger emigrants, later known as the Forlorn Hope, set out west on snowshoes for Sutter’s Fort near San Francisco on December 16. Three weeks later, after harsh weather and lack of supplies killed several of the expedition and forced the others to resort to cannibalism, seven survivors reached a Native American village. News of the stranded Donner Party traveled fast to Sutter’s Fort, and a rescue party set out on January 31. Arriving at Donner Lake 20 days later, they found the camp completely snowbound and the surviving emigrants delirious with relief at their arrival. Rescuers fed the starving group as well as they could and then began evacuating them. Three more rescue parties arrived to help, but the return to Sutter’s Fort proved equally harrowing, and the last survivors didn’t reach safety until late April. Of the 89 original members of the Donner Party, only 45 reached California.
phkrause Posted February 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2017 February 20 Lead Story 1985 Ireland allows sale of contraceptives In a highly controversial vote on February 20, 1985, the Irish government defies the powerful Catholic Church and approves the sale of contraceptives. Up until 1979, Irish law prohibited the importation and sale of contraceptives. In a 1973 case, McGee v. The Attorney General, the Irish Supreme Court found that a constitutional right to marital privacy covered the use of contraceptives. Pressured by strong conservative forces in Irish society, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, the government was slow to change the law to reflect the court’s decision, and a number of proposed bills failed before reaching the books. In 1979, the Irish health minister, Charles Haughey, introduced a bill limiting the legal provision of contraceptives to “bona fide family planning purposes.” Signed into law in November 1980, the Health (Family Planning) Act ensured that contraceptives could be sold by a registered pharmacist to customers with a valid medical prescription. Still, many people saw the law as too strict. Over the next several years, a movement began to make contraceptives more easily available, causing bitter divisions inside and outside of the Dail, Ireland’s main house of Parliament. As the government debated the changes, Catholic Church leaders railed against them, warning that increased access to contraceptives would encourage the moral decay of Ireland, leading to more illegitimate children and increased rates of abortion and venereal disease. On the eve of the vote in early 1985, the Dublin archbishop claimed the legislation would send Ireland down a “slippery slope of moral degradation.” Some politicians were even threatened with violence if they voted for the legislation. On February 20, 1985, a coalition of the Fine Gael and Labour parties led by Dr. Garret FitzGerald defeated the opposition of the conservative Fianna Fail party by an 83-80 vote. The new legislation made non-medical contraceptives (condoms and spermicides) available without prescriptions to people over 18 at pharmacies; it also allowed for the distribution of these contraceptives at doctors’ offices, hospitals and family planning clinics. Though it was still illegal to advertise contraceptives and use of the birth control pill remained restricted, the vote marked a major turning point in Irish history–the first-ever defeat of the Catholic Church in a head-to-head battle with the government on social legislation. Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Also on this day American Revolution 1792 Postal Service Act regulates United States Post Office Department On this day in 1792, President George Washington signs legislation renewing the United States Post Office as a cabinet department led by the postmaster general, guaranteeing inexpensive delivery of all newspapers, stipulating the right to privacy and granting Congress the ability to expand postal service to new areas of the...Read More Automotive 1997 Kramer on “Seinfeld” adopts a highway An episode of the hit TV sitcom “Seinfeld” titled “The Pothole” airs for the first time on this day in 1997; it includes a story line in which the character Kramer adopts a stretch of the fictional Arthur Burghardt Expressway through the real-life Adopt-a-Highway program. The roots of the Adopt-a-Highway program...Read More Civil War 1864 Battle of Olustee On this day in 1864, at the Battle of Olustee,the largestconflict fought in Florida during the Civil War, a Confederate force under General Joseph Finegan decisively defeats an army commanded by General Truman Seymour. The victory kept the Confederates in control of Florida’s interior for the rest of the war....Read More Cold War 1976 SEATO disbands After operating for 22 years, the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization concludes its final military exercise and quietly shuts down. SEATO had been one of the bulwarks of America’s Cold War policies in Asia, but the Vietnam War did much to destroy its cohesiveness and question its effectiveness. SEATO was formed...Read More Crime 1974 Atlanta Constitution editor is kidnapped Reg Murphy,an editor of The Atlanta Constitution, is kidnapped after being lured from his home near the city. William Williams told the newspaperman that he had 300,000 gallons of heating oil to donate to the poor. The 33-year-old Williams abducted Murphy, who was well known for his anti-Vietnam War stance,...Read More Disaster 2003 Rhode Island nightclub burns A fire at a rock concert in a West Warwick, Rhode Island, nightclub kills 100 people and seriously injures almost 200 more on this day in 2003. It was the deadliest such fire in the United States since 165 people were killed at the Beverly Hill Supper Club in Southgate,...Read More General Interest 1725 American colonists practice scalping In the American colonies, a posse of New Hampshire volunteers comes across a band of encamped Native Americans and takes 10 “scalps” in the first significant appropriation of this Native American practice by European colonists. The posse received a bounty of 100 pounds per scalp from the colonial authorities in...Read More 1962 An American orbits earth From Cape Canaveral, Florida, John Hershel Glenn Jr. is successfully launched into space aboard the Friendship 7 spacecraft on the first orbital flight by an American astronaut.Glenn, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, was among the seven men chosen by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in...Read More 1986 Chunnel plans announced Attempts to dig a channel tunnel between Britain and France date back to 1883, and Napoleon drew blueprints for a tunnel in 1802. Yet not until February 20, 1986, were France and Britain able to announce that a tunnel would soon become a reality. Trains, cars and buses would be...Read More Hollywood 1992 John Singleton nominated for Best Director Oscar In his debut film, Boyz N the Hood (1991), John Singleton depicted life on the streets of his native Los Angeles–not the famously sunny, palm-tree-lined boulevards but the tough, gang-ruled neighborhood of South Central. His portrait of three young black men growing up in Compton, where drive-by shootings were a...Read More Literary 1950 Dylan Thomas arrives in New York On this day in 1950, Welsh poet Dylan Thomas arrives in New York for his first reading tour of the United States. His four U.S. tours were wildly successful but ended with Thomas’ death at age 39. Thomas was born and raised in Swansea, Wales, where he was a poor student....Read More Music 2003 Fire engulfs nightclub during Great White show The most famous contract rider in rock-and-roll history may be the one Van Halen used that stipulated that “There will be no brown M&M’s in the backstage area, upon pain of forfeiture of the show, with full compensation.” The most tragic contract rider in history, on the other hand, was...Read More Old West 1902 Ansel Adams is born The famous western photographer Ansel Adams is born in San Francisco. Adams’ dramatic black and white images of Yosemite and the West are some of the most widely recognized and admired photographs of the 20th century. Ansel Adams discovered his love of photography and the West during a family trip...Read More Presidential 1792 George Washington signs the Postal Service Act On this day in 1792, President George Washington signs legislation creating the U.S. Postal Service. Prior to the American Revolution, correspondence between parties depended largely upon hired private couriers, friends and the help of merchants. Individual colonies set up informal post offices in taverns and shops where horse-drawn carriages or riders...Read More Sports 1998 Tara Lipinski becomes youngest Olympic figure skating gold medalist On February 20, 1998, 15-year-old Tara Lipinski wins the gold medal in women’s figure skating at the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan, and becomes the youngest gold medalist in her sport. Lipinski donned her first pair of skates at age six. In 1994, at age 12, she won a gold...Read More Vietnam War 1968 Hearings begin on American policy in Vietnam The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee begins hearings to investigate American policy in Vietnam. This was a direct result of the Tet Offensive, in which Viet Cong forces, supported by large numbers of North Vietnamese troops, launched the largest and best-coordinated offensive of the war. During the attack, the...Read More World War I 1919 Amir of Afghanistan is assassinated Habibullah Khan, the leader of Afghanistan who struggled to keep his country neutral in World War I in the face of strong internal support for Turkey and the Central Powers, is shot and killed while on a hunting trip on this day in 1919. Habibullah had succeeded his father, Abd-ar-Rahman,...Read More World War II 1942 Pilot O’Hare becomes first American WWII flying ace On this day, Lt. Edward O’Hare takes off from the aircraft carrier Lexington in a raid against the Japanese position at Rabaul-and minutes later becomes America’s first flying ace. In mid-February 1942, the Lexington sailed into the Coral Sea. Rabaul, a town at the very tip of New Britain, one of...Read More Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Up until 1979, Irish law prohibited the importation and sale of contraceptives. In a 1973 case, McGee v. The Attorney General, the Irish Supreme Court found that a constitutional right to marital privacy covered the use of contraceptives. Pressured by strong conservative forces in Irish society, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, the government was slow to change the law to reflect the court’s decision, and a number of proposed bills failed before reaching the books. In 1979, the Irish health minister, Charles Haughey, introduced a bill limiting the legal provision of contraceptives to “bona fide family planning purposes.” Signed into law in November 1980, the Health (Family Planning) Act ensured that contraceptives could be sold by a registered pharmacist to customers with a valid medical prescription. Still, many people saw the law as too strict. Over the next several years, a movement began to make contraceptives more easily available, causing bitter divisions inside and outside of the Dail, Ireland’s main house of Parliament. As the government debated the changes, Catholic Church leaders railed against them, warning that increased access to contraceptives would encourage the moral decay of Ireland, leading to more illegitimate children and increased rates of abortion and venereal disease. On the eve of the vote in early 1985, the Dublin archbishop claimed the legislation would send Ireland down a “slippery slope of moral degradation.” Some politicians were even threatened with violence if they voted for the legislation. On February 20, 1985, a coalition of the Fine Gael and Labour parties led by Dr. Garret FitzGerald defeated the opposition of the conservative Fianna Fail party by an 83-80 vote. The new legislation made non-medical contraceptives (condoms and spermicides) available without prescriptions to people over 18 at pharmacies; it also allowed for the distribution of these contraceptives at doctors’ offices, hospitals and family planning clinics. Though it was still illegal to advertise contraceptives and use of the birth control pill remained restricted, the vote marked a major turning point in Irish history–the first-ever defeat of the Catholic Church in a head-to-head battle with the government on social legislation.
phkrause Posted February 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2017 February 21 Lead Story 1965 Malcolm X assassinated In New York City, Malcolm X, an African American nationalist and religious leader, is assassinated by rival Black Muslims while addressing his Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights. Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1925, Malcolm was the son of James Earl Little, a Baptist preacher who advocated the black nationalist ideals of Marcus Garvey. Threats from the Ku Klux Klan forced the family to move to Lansing, Michigan, where his father continued to preach his controversial sermons despite continuing threats. In 1931, Malcolm’s father was brutally murdered by the white supremacist Black Legion, and Michigan authorities refused to prosecute those responsible. In 1937, Malcolm was taken from his family by welfare caseworkers. By the time he reached high school age, he had dropped out of school and moved to Boston, where he became increasingly involved in criminal activities. In 1946, at the age of 21, Malcolm was sent to prison on a burglary conviction. It was there he encountered the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam, whose members are popularly known as Black Muslims. The Nation of Islam advocated black nationalism and racial separatism and condemned Americans of European descent as immoral “devils.” Muhammad’s teachings had a strong effect on Malcolm, who entered into an intense program of self-education and took the last name “X” to symbolize his stolen African identity. After six years, Malcolm was released from prison and became a loyal and effective minister of the Nation of Islam in Harlem, New York. In contrast with civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X advocated self-defense and the liberation of African Americans “by any means necessary.” A fiery orator, Malcolm was admired by the African American community in New York and around the country. In the early 1960s, he began to develop a more outspoken philosophy than that of Elijah Muhammad, whom he felt did not sufficiently support the civil rights movement. In late 1963, Malcolm’s suggestion that President John F. Kennedy’s assassination was a matter of the “chickens coming home to roost” provided Elijah Muhammad, who believed that Malcolm had become too powerful, with a convenient opportunity to suspend him from the Nation of Islam. A few months later, Malcolm formally left the organization and made a Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, where he was profoundly affected by the lack of racial discord among orthodox Muslims. He returned to America as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz and in June 1964 founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity, which advocated black identity and held that racism, not the white race, was the greatest foe of the African American. Malcolm’s new movement steadily gained followers, and his more moderate philosophy became increasingly influential in the civil rights movement, especially among the leaders of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. On February 21, 1965, one week after his home was firebombed, Malcolm X was shot to death by Nation of Islam members while speaking at a rally of his organization in New York City. Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Also on this day American Revolution 1777 George Weedon is promoted to brigadier general On this day in 1777, George Weedon is promoted to the rank of brigadier general of the Virginia Regiment of the Continental Army. Weedon was an innkeeper in Fredericksburg, Virginia, at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, but had previously served as a lieutenant under George Washington in western Virginia during...Read More Automotive 1948 NASCAR founded On this day in 1948, the National Association for Stock Car Racing–or NASCAR, as it will come to be widely known–is officially incorporated. NASCAR racing will go on to become one of America’s most popular spectator sports, as well as a multi-billion-dollar industry. The driving force behind the establishment of NASCAR...Read More Civil War 1862 Battle of Val Verde On this day in 1862, at the Battle of Valverde, Confederate troops under General Henry Hopkins Sibley attack Union troops commanded by Colonel Edward R. S. Canby near Fort Craig in New Mexico Territory. The first major engagement of the Civil War in the far West, the battle produced heavy...Read More Cold War 1972 Nixon arrives in China for talks In an amazing turn of events, President Richard Nixon takes a dramatic first step toward normalizing relations with the communist People’s Republic of China (PRC) by traveling to Beijing for a week of talks. Nixon’s historic visit began the slow process of the re-establishing diplomatic relations between the United...Read More Crime 1961 Rockefeller imposter and convicted felon born On this day in 1961, Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, a con man who went by the alias Clark Rockefeller and passed himself off as an American blueblood, is born in Germany. Gerhartsreiter gained the public spotlight in 2008, when he kidnapped his young daughter and became the target of an international...Read More 1994 Double agent Aldrich Ames is arrested CIA operative Aldrich Ames is arrested for selling secrets to the Soviet Union. Ames had access to the names and identities of all U.S. spies in Russia, and by becoming a double agent he was directly responsible for jeopardizing the lives of CIA agents working in the Eastern bloc. At...Read More Disaster 1971 Tornadoes move across Mississippi River Delta On this day in 1971, the Mississippi River Delta is pounded by powerful tornadoes that kill more than 100 people. The storm that caused the twisters moved up from the bayous of Louisiana through Mississippi to Tennessee. Hundreds of people were injured across the three states. One of the worst tornadoes...Read More General Interest 1848 Marx publishes Manifesto On February 21, 1848, The Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx with the assistance of Friedrich Engels, is published in London by a group of German-born revolutionary socialists known as the Communist League. The political pamphlet–arguably the most influential in history–proclaimed that “the history of all hitherto existing society is...Read More 1885 Washington Monument dedicated The Washington Monument, built in honor of America’s revolutionary hero and first president, is dedicated in Washington, D.C.The 555-foot-high marble obelisk was first proposed in 1783, and Pierre L’Enfant left room for it in his designs for the new U.S. capital. After George Washington’s death in 1799, plans for a...Read More 1972 Nixon in China President Richard M. Nixon arrives in Beijing, the capital of the People’s Republic of China, on the first presidential visit to the world’s most populous nation. Given that the U.S. federal government had formally opposed China’s communist government since it took power in 1949, Nixon was also the first president...Read More Hollywood 1926 Garbo’s first U.S. film opens The glamorous, husky-voiced Swedish actress Greta Garbo, known for her almost unearthly beauty and intense desire for privacy, makes her U.S. screen debut in The Torrent on this day in 1926. Born Greta Louisa Gustaffson in 1905, Garbo grew up in a poor family in Stockholm. At age 13, she started...Read More Literary 1927 Erma Bombeck is born On this day in 1927, humorist Erma Bombeck is born in Dayton, Ohio. Bombeck studied English at Ohio University and the University of Dayton and worked part time as a reporter at the Dayton Journal Herald, writing obituaries and features. At age 20, she was diagnosed with a kidney disease from...Read More Music 1981 Dolly Parton cements her crossover success as “9 to 5″ hits #1 In 1980, Dolly Parton brought the full range of her talents to bear on a project that would cement her crossover from country music to mainstream superstardom. That project was the movie 9 to 5, for which Dolly wrote and performed the song that earned her both Oscar and Grammy...Read More Old West 1828 Cherokee receive their first printing press The first printing press designed to use the newly invented Cherokee alphabet arrives at New Echota, Georgia. The General Council of the Cherokee Nation had purchased the press with the goal of producing a Cherokee-language newspaper. The press itself, however, would have been useless had it not been for the...Read More Presidential 1848 John Quincy Adams suffers a stroke On this day in 1848, just as he stands up from his desk in the House of Representatives to defend his no vote on a bill, former President John Quincy Adams suddenly collapses from a cerebral hemorrhage. House members carried him to a bed in the Speaker of the House’s...Read More Sports 1952 Dick Button wins second Olympic figure skating gold On this day in 1952, men’s figure skater Dick Button wins his second Olympic gold medal. Button captured his first gold prize at the 1948 Olympics, becoming the first American to ever take home the men’s title. After dominating men’s figure skating at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics, Button retired...Read More Vietnam War 1967 Bernard Fall killed by mine in South Vietnam Writer and historian Bernard B. Fall is killed by a Viet Cong mine while accompanying a U.S. Marine patrol along the seacoast about 14 miles northwest of Hue, on a road known as the “Street Without Joy” (which Fall had used for the title of one of his books about...Read More 1970 Kissinger begins secret negotiations with North Vietnamese National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger begins secret peace talks with North Vietnamese representative Le Duc Tho, the fifth-ranking member of the Hanoi Politburo, at a villa outside Paris. Le Duc Tho stated that the North Vietnamese position continued to require an unconditional U.S. withdrawal on a fixed date and the abandonment...Read More 1972 Nixon visits China President Richard Nixon visits the People’s Republic of China. After arriving in Beijing, the president announced that his breakthrough visit to China is “The week that changed the world.” In meeting with Nixon, Prime Minister Zhou Enlai urged early peace in Vietnam, but did not endorse North Vietnam’s...Read More World War I 1916 Battle of Verdun begins At 7:12 a.m. on the morning of February 21, 1916, a shot from a German Krupp 38-centimeter long-barreled gun—one of over 1,200 such weapons set to bombard French forces along a 20-kilometer front stretching across the Meuse River—strikes a cathedral in Verdun, France, beginning the Battle of Verdun, which would...Read More 1918 Allied troops capture Jericho On the morning of February 21, 1918, combined Allied forces of British troops and the Australian mounted cavalry capture the city of Jericho in Palestine after a three-day battle with Turkish troops. Commanded by British General Edmund Allenby, the Allied troops began the offensive on Tuesday, February 19, on the outskirts...Read More World War II 1944 Tojo makes himself “military czar” On this day, Hideki Tojo, prime minister of Japan, grabs even more power as he takes over as army chief of staff, a position that gives him direct control of the Japanese military. After graduating from the Imperial Military Academy and the Military Staff College, Tojo was sent to Berlin as...Read More Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In New York City, Malcolm X, an African American nationalist and religious leader, is assassinated by rival Black Muslims while addressing his Organization of Afro-American Unity at the Audubon Ballroom in Washington Heights. Born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1925, Malcolm was the son of James Earl Little, a Baptist preacher who advocated the black nationalist ideals of Marcus Garvey. Threats from the Ku Klux Klan forced the family to move to Lansing, Michigan, where his father continued to preach his controversial sermons despite continuing threats. In 1931, Malcolm’s father was brutally murdered by the white supremacist Black Legion, and Michigan authorities refused to prosecute those responsible. In 1937, Malcolm was taken from his family by welfare caseworkers. By the time he reached high school age, he had dropped out of school and moved to Boston, where he became increasingly involved in criminal activities. In 1946, at the age of 21, Malcolm was sent to prison on a burglary conviction. It was there he encountered the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam, whose members are popularly known as Black Muslims. The Nation of Islam advocated black nationalism and racial separatism and condemned Americans of European descent as immoral “devils.” Muhammad’s teachings had a strong effect on Malcolm, who entered into an intense program of self-education and took the last name “X” to symbolize his stolen African identity. After six years, Malcolm was released from prison and became a loyal and effective minister of the Nation of Islam in Harlem, New York. In contrast with civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X advocated self-defense and the liberation of African Americans “by any means necessary.” A fiery orator, Malcolm was admired by the African American community in New York and around the country. In the early 1960s, he began to develop a more outspoken philosophy than that of Elijah Muhammad, whom he felt did not sufficiently support the civil rights movement. In late 1963, Malcolm’s suggestion that President John F. Kennedy’s assassination was a matter of the “chickens coming home to roost” provided Elijah Muhammad, who believed that Malcolm had become too powerful, with a convenient opportunity to suspend him from the Nation of Islam. A few months later, Malcolm formally left the organization and made a Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, where he was profoundly affected by the lack of racial discord among orthodox Muslims. He returned to America as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz and in June 1964 founded the Organization of Afro-American Unity, which advocated black identity and held that racism, not the white race, was the greatest foe of the African American. Malcolm’s new movement steadily gained followers, and his more moderate philosophy became increasingly influential in the civil rights movement, especially among the leaders of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. On February 21, 1965, one week after his home was firebombed, Malcolm X was shot to death by Nation of Islam members while speaking at a rally of his organization in New York City.
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