Category Archives: History

History

On this day October 22

 

Today in History

  • 2008 India Launches its First Lunar Mission

    The unmanned space probe called Chandrayaan-1 was launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation. The probe successfully landed on the Moon on November 14, 2008, making India the 5th country to land a spacecraft on the Moon.

  • 1957 François Duvalier takes office

    François Duvalier, also known as Papa Doc, became the President of Haiti.

  • 1936 End of the Long March in China

    The Long March, a 6000-mile journey made by members of the Red Army led by Mao Zedong came to an end. The March was undertaken as a way to escape the Nationalist army of Chiang Kai-shek. The end of the March is also known in China as the “union of the three armies”.

  • 1884 International Meridian Conference Adopts Greenwich, England as initial longitudinal meridian

    26 countries participated in the conference which was held in Washington, D.C. In addition to making the meridian passing through the Observatory of Greenwich as the initial meridian for longitude or 0 degree longitude, the conference also defined a universal day which would “begin for all the world at the moment of mean midnight at the initial meridian, coinciding with the beginning of the civil day and date of that meridian; and is to be counted from zero up to twenty-four hours”.

  • 1797 First Person to Jump With a Parachute

    French balloonist André-Jacques Garnerin jumped out of a balloon over Parc Monceau in Paris using a silk parachute that he made himself.

 

History

On this day October 20

 

Today in History

  • 2011 Muammar Gaddafi is Captured

    The deposed leader of Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, is captured by the National Transitional Council Forces. He was killed by the troops soon after.

  • 1982 Luzhniki Disaster

    A stampede during a UEFA Cup soccer (football) match between Dutch club Haarlem and the Moscovian football club, Spartak at the Lenin Stadium in Moscow left about 60 people dead.

  • 1973 Sydney Opera House Opens its Doors

    The iconic building, which was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, was designed by Danish architect Jørn Oberg Utzon. Construction on the performing arts center began in March 1959 and cost over $100 million.

  • 1968 Jacqueline Kennedy marries Aristotle Onassis

    Former American first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, married Greek shipping magnet, Aristotle Onassis

  • 1962 War Breaks Out Between India and China

    The month-long border dispute began after the Chinese launched a two-pronged attack on the border between the two countries. During the duration of hostilities, China and India did not officially declare war on each other nor cut off any diplomatic ties. The conflict ended with China taking control of Aksai Chin and both countries accepting a de facto border along what is now known as Line of Control.

 

History

On this day October 18

Today in History

  • 2007 Benazir Bhutto returns to Pakistan

    The former Prime Minister of Pakistan and daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the 9th PM of Pakistan, Benazir returned to Pakistan after living 8 years in London and Dubai in a self-imposed exile. Two months later she was assassinated in a bombing while campaigning for the forthcoming elections.

  • 1998 Jesse Pipeline Explosion in Nigeria Kills Over 200

    The oil pipeline, which was owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, was situated just outside the city of Lagos. Over 200 people died in the resulting fire that raged for 6 days before it could be put out.

  • 1967 First Space Probe to Enter the Atmosphere of Another Planet

    The Soviet Probe Venera 4 entered Venus’ atmosphere and sent back information to Earth for about 90 minutes before it lost contact. When Venera 7 landed on Venus a few years later, it became the first probe to land on another planet.

  • 1867 Alaska Becomes a Part of the United States

    US had purchased the large and sparsely populated territory of Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. The purchase was not seen as a positive acquirement by many American citizens who believed that adding Alaska to the US’s territory was a waste of taxpayers’ money. Many called the act, Seward’s folly after Secretary of State William H. Seward, who was responsible for making the purchase. Alaska was admitted to the Union as a state in 1959. October 18 is annually celebrated as Alaska Day in Alaska.

  • 1851 Moby Dick is Published for the First Time

    The epic written by American novelist, Herman Melville, is about a sailor’s obsession with tracking down and killing an elusive whale that took his leg in a previous encounter. The book was published as The Whale in London for the first time and then a month later as Moby Dick in the United States. It is thought to be one of the best works of fiction written in modern times.

History

On this day October 17

Today in History

  • 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake Rocks California

    Santa Cruz County was the most affected by the 6.9 magnitude earthquake. About 60 people died as a result of falling buildings and landslides. It was the first major earthquake on the San Andreas fault since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

  • 1973 OPEC Declares Oil Embargo

    The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries or OPEC led by Arab countries declared an oil embargo on any country that supported Israel during the Yom Kippur War, which was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states. The embargo led to a massive oil shortage and had long-lasting economic effects in the United States and Europe. The embargo was lifted in March 1974.

  • 1956 Bobby Fischer Wins the Game of the Century

    The chess match between 13-year old Fischer and Donald Byrne took place at the Marshall Chess Club in New York City.

  • 1861 Cullin-la-Ringo Massacre

    In what is thought to be the largest massacre of white settlers by Australian aborigines, the killings occurred after a group of settlers from Victoria led by politician Horatio Wills, set up a camp at Cullin-la-Ringo, which is located in present-day Central Queensland. 19 people were killed during the massacre.

  • 1814 London Beer Flood

    Vats of beer at the Meux and Company Brewery burst, flooding city streets with 610,000 liters of beer. The almost 15 feet tall wave of porter killed 8 people, some of whom were gathered for a funeral.