Monthly Archives: October 2023

History

On This Day – October 28

On This Day – October 28

  • 2007 Argentina Elects its First Female President

    Former First Lady of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, won the elections with over 45% of all votes cast. She was re-elected to office again in 2011, this time with over 50% of the votes cast. Kirchner was not the first woman to serve as Argentina’s president, but she was the first one to be elected. Isabel Martínez de Perón served as the country’s head of state after her husband, President Juan Perón, died in office. When she was sworn in to replace her husband on July 1, 1974, she then became the first woman to be a president of any country to date.

  • 1995 Fire Breaks Out between Two Metro Stations in Baku

    Thought to be one of the deadliest subway disasters in history, the fire started as a result of old and faulty wiring. Over 300 people traveling in a train between Ulduz and Narimanov stations in Azerbaijan’s capital city were killed as smoke filled the subway tunnels.

  • 1938 Germany expels Polish jews

    Germany expelled about 17000 Polish Jews and sent them to Poland which refused to take them in.

  • 1919 US Congress Passes the Volstead Act

    The act enumerated ways to enforce Prohibition. Prohibition was put in place in the country by the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. The amendment made it illegal to produce, sell, or transport alcohol in the US except for medical or religious purposes. The act was named after Andrew Volstead, the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee who was one of the sponsors of the bill. Prohibition ended with the ratification of the 21st Amendment in December 1933.

  • 1918 Czechoslovakia Gains Independence

    The Central European country had been a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire since the late 1700s. At the end of the First World War, with the end of the Empire on the horizon, nationalists under the leadership of Thomas Masaryk pushed for independence. Masaryk became the country’s first president in November 1918. On January 1, 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully broke up into two countries – the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.

History

On This Day – October 27

On This Day – October 27

  • 1999 Shooting in the Armenian Parliament

    8 people, including the country’s prime minister, Vazgen Sargsyan and Speaker Karen Demirchyan, were killed when armed gunmen shot at the members of the Armenian National Assembly. The gunmen claimed that they were there to carry out a coup and that the prime minister was their target. The siege ended after the Armenian troops surrounded the parliament building and the gunmen surrendered.

  • 1991 Turkmenistan Declares Independence from the Soviet Union

    The Central Asian country had been a separate republic of the USSR since 1925. Saparmurat Niyazov, the head of the country under the Soviets, continued ruling the country under the title of President for Life until his death in 2006. The day is annually celebrated in the country as Independence Day.

  • 1904 New York City Subway Begins Operations

    The oldest underground subway system in the United States, construction of the transit system began in 1902. Today, the NYC subway is one of the world’s largest and the most used rapid transit systems in the world.

  • 1838 State of Missouri Passes the Extermination Order

    Governor Lilburn Boggs signed Missouri Executive Order 44 as a result of the Battle of Crooked River which took place a few days earlier on October 24-25. The fight occurred between Mormon forces and a Missouri state militia and it resulted in 4 fatalities. The executive order ruled that ‘all Mormons were to be treated as enemies and that they must be exterminated or driven out of the state for public peace.’ The order forced members of the Church of Latter Day Saints to migrate from Missouri to Illinois.

  • 1682 City of Philadelphia Founded

    The historical city in the State of Pennsylvania was founded by English entrepreneur, William Penn. Penn received the land as a payment to fulfill a debt that King Charles II owed to Penn’s father. Philadelphia is the only UNESCO-declared World Heritage City in the United States and it was temporarily the capital of the United States in the 1800s.

History

On This Day – October 26

On This Day – October 26

  • 2001 Patriot Act Comes into Effect in the US

    Signed into law by President George W. Bush as a result of the September 11, 2001, attacks, the act is formally known as Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001. The act gave security agencies more power to deal with terrorists and terrorist activities and made it easier for them to monitor and investigate people suspected of aiding and abetting acts of terrorism. It has been criticized for its detrimental effect on civil liberties.

  • 1984 First Infant to Receive an Organ From Another Species

    Born on October 14, 1984, with a rare congenital heart defect, Baby Fae received a heart from a baboon. The surgery was performed by Dr. Leonard L. Bailey at Loma Linda University Medical Center in California. While the operation was successful, Baby Fae’s body rejected the heart, and she died a few weeks later.

  • 1947 The Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir Joins India

    Hari Singh, the last ruler of the princely state, signed the Instrument of Accession to join the Dominion of India, in return for protection from the Indian military.

  • 1863 The Football Association is Formed

    The world’s oldest governing football body was created at the Freemasons’ Tavern in London. The foundation was instrumental in creating and formalizing rules of the game. Before this, every area and organization playing football (soccer) made their own rules.

  • 1825 Erie Canal opens for ships

    Construction of the 363-mile long canal began in 1817. The canal which connects Lake Erie in Buffalo, New York, to the Hudson River in Albany, New York, was used to ship goods in a time when it was cheaper and more effective to transport them through the waterways. Since the 1990s, the canal had been primarily used for recreational purposes.