Articles tagged with: America

Today in History, May 18th

Date: May 18, 2013 Author: Today in History Comments: Leave a reply

A few of the great historical events that happened today in history, May 18th!

1642 The Canadian city of Montreal was founded.
1643 Queen Anne, the widow of Louis XIII, is granted sole and absolute power as regent by the Paris parliament, overriding the late king’s will.
1652 A law is passed in Rhode Island banning slavery in the colonies but it causes little stir and seems unlikely to be enforced.
1792 Russian troops invade Poland.
1802 Britain declares war on France.
1804 The French Senate proclaimed Napoleon Bonaparte emperor.
1828 The Battle of Las Piedras, between Uruguay and Brazil, ends.
1860 The Republican Party convention in Chicago nominated Abraham Lincoln for president.
1896 The Supreme Court endorsed the concept of “separate but equal” racial segregation in Plessy v. Ferguson, a precedent that was overturned in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.
1897 A public reading of Bram Stoker’s new novel “Dracula, or, The Un-dead” was staged in London.

Bram-Stoker

Bram Stoker
1904 Brigand Raizuli kidnaps American Ion H. Perdicaris in Morocco.
1911 Composer Gustav Mahler died in Vienna, Austria, at age 50.
1917 The U.S. Congress passes the Selective Service act, calling up soldiers to fight World War I.
1931 Japanese pilot Seiji Yoshihara crashes his plane in the Pacific Ocean while trying to be the first to cross the ocean nonstop. He is picked up seven hours later by a passing ship.
1933 The Tennessee Valley Authority was created.
1942 New York ends night baseball games for the rest of World War II.
1944 The Allies finally capture Monte Cassino in Italy.
1951 The United Nations moved out of its temporary headquarters in Lake Success, N.Y., for its permanent home in Manhattan.
1969 Two battalions of the 101st Airborne Division assault Hill 937 but cannot reach the top because of muddy conditions.
1969 Apollo 10 was launched on a mission that served as a dress rehearsal for the first moon landing.
1974 India becomes sixth nation to explode an atomic bomb.
1980 After rumbling for two months, Mount Saint Helens, in Washington, erupts 3 times in 24 hours.
1998 The federal government filed a sweeping antitrust case against Microsoft Corp.
2003 “Les Miserables,” the third-longest running show in Broadway history, closed after more than 16 years and 6,680 performances.

Les-Miserables

Les Miserables
2004 Randy Johnson, 40, became the oldest pitcher in major league history to throw a perfect game, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks over the Atlanta Braves 2-0.
2009 Sri Lanka’s 25-year civil war ended with the government announcing it had defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels and killed their leader.

Today in History facts are from various sites including, but not limited too: the History Channel, The New York Times, WHG Historynet.com, and HistoryOrb.com.

Today in History, May 16th

Date: May 16, 2013 Author: Today in History Comments: Leave a reply

A few of the great historical events that happened today in history, May 16th!

1770 Marie Antoinette, age 14, married the future King Louis XVI of France, who was 15.
1863 At the Battle of Champion’s Hill, Union General Ulysess S. Grant repulses the Confederates, driving them into Vicksburg.
1868 President Andrew Johnson is acquitted during Senate impeachment, by one vote, cast by Edmund G. Ross.

President-Andrew-Johnson

President Andrew Johnson
1879 The Treaty of Gandamak between Russia and England sets up the Afghan state.
1920 Joan of Arc is canonized in Rome.
1943 A specially trained and equipped Royal Air Force squadron destroys two river dams in Germany.
1951 Chinese Communist Forces launch second step, fifth-phase offensive and gain up to 20 miles of territory.
1960 A Big Four summit in Paris collapses because of the American U-2 spy plane affair.
1963 After 22 Earth orbits, Gordon Cooper returns to Earth, ending the last mission of Project Mercury.
1966 The album “Blonde on Blonde” by Bob Dylan was released.
1966 The album “Pet Sounds” by the Beach Boys was released.
1975 Japanese climber Junko Tabei became the first woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest.
1990 Entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. died at age 64.
1990 “Muppets” creator Jim Henson died at age 53.
1991 Queen Elizabeth II became the first British monarch to address the U.S. Congress.
1997 Zaire’s president, Mobutu Sese Seko, ended 32 years of autocratic rule, giving control of the country to rebel forces.

Mobutu-Sese-Seko

Mobutu Sese Seko
2002 The remains of kidnapped Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl were unearthed in Pakistan.
2003 Five simultaneous suicide attacks claimed the lives of 33 victims and a dozen suicide bombers in Casablanca, Morocco.
2005 Newsweek magazine retracted a story that claimed investigators had found evidence the Quran was desecrated by interrogators at the U.S. naval prison at Guantanamo Bay. The story had sparked deadly protests in Afghanistan.
2007 Nicolas Sarkozy took over from Jacques Chirac as France’s president.

Remembering Memorial Day (Guest Post)

Date: May 14, 2013 Author: James Fuller Comments: 4 Replies

Memorial-DayEach Memorial Day thousands of Americans take time from their hectic schedules to have a cold one, grill on the barbeque, enjoy friends and family, and launch the beginning of summer. However, many people are not aware of just what Memorial Day is all about and what is behind this holiday.

A few years after the end of the Civil War, a group called the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) felt that there should be recognition to the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. The group created Decoration Day, where they would decorate the headstones of the fallen soldiers of the Civil War with flowers. It was not until after World War I that all veterans, those which had died in service to their country, were included in the Decoration Day ceremonies. Decoration Day continued as the name of this day of remembrance of those until sometime after World War II when it was renamed to Memorial Day as we know it. Memorial Day was celebrated on May 30th until 1968, when the government passed the Uniform Holiday Bill, which set the day of the holiday as the last Monday in the month of May.

For the last forty-five years, we have taken this day and remembered those that have fallen from the days of the Civil War, both World Wars, the conflicts in Asia, and the modern conflicts of today. However, sadly I feel we have forgotten the true meaning of this day. Even as a member of the military I think, sometimes, we are more concerned about our three-day weekend and often forget about those that have fallen. It is not about the time off, but a time to reflect on those that have gone before us.

One experience of mine that I believe puts Memorial Day truly into perspective was a visit to Normandy, France, with my family. I was given the name of the cemetery caretaker by a friend and was told to look him up when I arrived to the cemetery. Upon my arrival to the cemetery, I located the administration building and the man to whom I was told to meet and introduced myself. He seemed elated that I came by and you could tell by the enthusiasm in his voice and his body language that he enjoyed giving my family and me the history of the cemetery and the area around Normandy. After our conversation, he said he had a request of me and my family and asked if we would accompany him to the front of the cemetery as he played Taps over the loud speakers.

I was honored that he asked this of us. We followed him to the front of the cemetery, however, were not ready for the flood of emotion that was about to occur. We had never visited Normandy so this was the first time we had gazed upon the awe-inspiring site of those that had given the ultimate sacrifice. I have to say, in my career, this is the most surreal event I’ve experienced in my twenty-three years of service. The cold wind whipped at our faces from the English Channel, the notes of taps began to play, and my family and I observed the sea of marble crosses. My mind began to meditate on those that lay before me who had not returned home from the shores where I stood, at attention and saluting. As I looked at my family, I could see that my young son and daughter had placed their hand over their heart, since in their minds when dad saluted this was what they were supposed to do, and tears were running down my wife’s cheek. It was at this point in my life I finally understood the quote “All Gave Some, But Some Gave All”.

Normandy-Cemetery

Normandy American Cemetery

The song ended and the caretaker asked me to hold on, he wanted to retrieve something for me. As he returned, he had in his hand, an American and French flag. He handed the flags to me and told me that they are normally reserved for distinguished visitors and family members of the fallen; however, he wanted me to have them to remember our trip to Normandy. We exchanged farewells and continued with our tour of the cemetery. I will never forget that day at Normandy. Today those flags continue to travel with my family and I from assignment to assignment in the Air Force. I will always have a deep respect for my brothers and sisters who have lost their lives for freedom when Memorial Day comes around.

Finally, As you go out and enjoy the festivities of this Memorial Day weekend, remember that it is more than just a summer day celebration, but a day to commemorate and remember those that have given the ultimate sacrifice to this country that we call home. If you are interested in more history about Memorial Day, check out the links below!

United States Department of Veterans Affairs – Memorial Day History

TimeandDate.com – Memorial Day in United States

 

Today in History, May 13th

Date: May 13, 2013 Author: Today in History Comments: Leave a reply

A few of the great historical events that happened today in history, May 13th!

1607 An English colony was settled at Jamestown in present-day Virginia.
1779 The War of Bavarian Succession ends.
1842 Composer Arthur Sullivan, who collaborated with William Gilbert in writing 14 comic operas, was born in London.

Arthur-Sullivan

Arthur Sullivan
1846 The United States declares war on Mexico after fighting has already begun.
1861 Britain declares its neutrality in the American Civil War.
1864 The Battle of Resaca commences as Union General Sherman fights towards Atlanta.
1888 Slavery is abolished in Brazil.
1912 The Royal Flying Corps is established in England.
1913 Igor Sikorsky flies the first four-engine aircraft.
1940 Winston Churchill told the British House of Commons in his first speech as prime minister, “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.”
1944 Allied forces in Italy break through the German Gustav Line into the Liri Valley.
1958 French troops take control of Algiers.
1968 Peace talks between the United States and North Vietnam begin in Paris.
1981 Pope John Paul II survives an assassination attempt.

Pope John Paul II Assassination Attempt

Pope John Paul II Assassination Attempt
1985 Philadelphia police dropped an explosive onto the headquarters of the radical group MOVE; 11 people died in the resulting fire.
1992 The Falun Gong movement had its beginning as the sect’s founder, Li Hongzhi, began publicly lecturing on his spiritual philosophy in the northeastern Chinese city of Changchun.
2003 The government unveiled a new version of the $20 bill – the first to be colorized in an effort to thwart counterfeiters.
2011 Two suicide bombers attacked paramilitary police recruits heading home after months of training in northwest Pakistan, killing 87 people in what the Pakistan Taliban called revenge for the U.S. slaying of Osama bin Laden.

Today in History, May 12th

Date: May 12, 2013 Author: Today in History Comments: Leave a reply

A few of the great historical events that happened today in history, May 12th!

1588 King Henry III flees Paris after Henry of Guise triumphantly enters the city.
1641 The chief advisor to Charles I, Thomas Wentworth, is beheaded in the Tower of London
1780 Charleston, South Carolina falls to British forces.
1820 Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, was born in Florence, Italy.
1851 The Tule River War ends.
1863 With a victory at the Battle of Raymond, Mississippi, Union General Ulysses S. Grant closes in on Vicksburg.
1864 Union General Benjamin Butler attacks Drewry’s Bluff on the James River.

General-Benjamin-Butler

General Benjamin Butler
1865 The last land battle of the Civil war occurs at Palmito Ranch, Texas. It is a Confederate victory.
1870 Manitoba entered the confederation as a Canadian province.
1881 Tunisia, in North Africa become a French protectorate.
1885 In the Battle of Batoche, French Canadians rebel against the Canadian government.
1907 Actress Katharine Hepburn was born in Hartford, Conn.
1926 The Airship Norge becomes the first vessel to fly over the North Pole.
1932 The body of the kidnapped son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh was found in a wooded area of Hopewell, N.J.
1935 Alcoholics Anonymous is founded in Akron, Ohio by “Bill W.,” a stockbroker, and “Dr. Bob S.,” a heart surgeon.
1940 The Nazi conquest of France begins with the crossing Muese River.
1942 The Soviet Army launches its first major offensive of the war, taking Kharkov in the eastern Ukraine.
1943 Axis forces in North Africa surrendered during World War II.
1949 The Soviet Union announced an end to the Berlin blockade.
1965 West Germany and Israel established diplomatic relations.
1969 Viet Cong sappers try unsuccessfully to overrun Landing Zone Snoopy in Vietnam.
1970 The Senate voted unanimously to confirm Harry A. Blackmun as a Supreme Court justice.

Harry-Blackmun

Harry A. Blackmun
1972 The album “Exile on Main St.” by the Rolling Stones was released.
1975 The U.S. merchant ship Mayaguez is seized by Cambodian forces.
1982 Pope John Paul II was assaulted by a knife-wielding Spanish priest while visiting the shrine of Fatima in Portugal. (In 2008, the pope’s longtime private secretary revealed that the pontiff had been lightly wounded.)
2002 Jimmy Carter became the first present or former U.S. president to visit Cuba since Fidel Castro seized power in 1959.
2003 Suicide bombers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killed 26 people, including nine U.S. citizens.
2003 Fifty-nine Texas House Democrats fled to Oklahoma to prevent passage of a congressional redistricting bill.
2008 An earthquake in China’s Sichuan province killed some 70,000 people.
2009 Five Miami men were convicted in a plot to blow up FBI buildings and Chicago’s Sears Tower.
2011 A German court convicted retired U.S. autoworker John Demjanjuk of being an accessory to the murder of tens of thousands of Jews as a Nazi death camp guard. (Demjanjuk, who maintained his innocence, died in 2012.)