Category Archives: History

History

On this day, September 15

Today in History

  • 2008 Lehman Brothers file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection

    Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection. This was the largest bankruptcy in US history.

  • 1981 John Bull becomes the oldest operable locomotive

    The steam locomotive manufactured by the British and operated in New Jersey, US became the world’s oldest and still operable locomotive when the Smithsonian operated it on this day. It was first put to use on September 15, 1831.

  • 1963 A Ku Klux Klan bomb kills 4 young African-American girls

    4 members of the white supremacy group, set off a timed bomb at the 16th Street Baptist Church, a predominantly black church in Birmingham, Alabama. The bombings marked a watershed moment in the Civil Rights Movement in America.

  • 1935 Nuremberg laws instituted by the Nazi party are put into force

    The laws revoked citizenship for Jews, forbade them from having relationships with people of non-Jewish origin and made the swastika the official symbol of Germany.

  • 1894 Battle of Pyongyang ends with decisive Japanese victory

    The battle was a major land battle took place between the forces of Meiji Japan and Qing China during the First Sino-Japanese War.

History

On this day September 13

Today in History

  • 1993 Oslo accords are signed

    Also known as Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, the Accords helped create the Palestinian interim self-government or the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and called for the withdrawal of the Israeli Defence Forces from the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

  • 1974 French Ambassador is Kidnapped in the Hague

    3 members of the Japanese Red Army (JRA), a communist militant group that was formed in Lebanon, stormed the French Embassy in the Hague and took 10 hostages, including the French Ambassador. The siege ended after the militants’ demands for a release of another JRA member, cash, and a plane was met.

  • 1933 A Woman is Elected to New Zealand Parliament for the first time

    Elizabeth McCombs won the by-elections for the parliamentary seat of Lyttelton, which was held by her husband before he died in August 1933. New Zealand extended suffrage to women in 1893.

  • 1899 First Recorded Automobile Fatality in the US takes place

    Henry H. Bliss was struck by a taxi cab while crossing the street in New York City. He died the next day due to his injuries.

  • 1759 The Battle of Quebec is fought between the British and the French

    A key event in the Seven Years’ War that involved the great European powers at the time, the battle took place on the farm of Abraham Martin. Because of this, the battle is also often called the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. British troops under the command of General James Wolfe defeated the French in the very short, 15-minute long battle and took over Quebec. The Battle resulted in the French giving up their control over areas in present-day Canada and most of North America coming under the control of the British.

History

On this day September 7

 

Today in History

  • 1978 Georgi Markov is murdered

    The Bulgarian writer and dissenter had left Bulgaria in 1969 and was working at BBC in London during the time of his murder. His murder, which is popularly known as the Umbrella Murder took place while he was crossing the Waterloo Bridge in London. The assassin, nicknamed Piccadilly, used a modified umbrella to shot a pellet full of ricin in Markov’s leg. Markov died 4 days later, on September 11 of ricin poisoning.

  • 1977 Treaty giving the Panama Canal to Panama is Signed

    The Torrijos–Carter Treaties were two treaties signed between the heads of state of the US and Panama. The treaties gave control of the canal that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean to Panama. The canal was constructed by, and had been in the control of, the United States since 1904.

  • 1940 Germans Begin the Blitz over London

    The Germans began strategically bombing the United Kingdom and London on this day. For 57 days, the German Luftwaffe aerially bombed London, killing over 20,000 people and destroying over a million homes in the city. The strategy lasted until May 1941 but did not succeed in breaking British resolve. By 1941, German attention was diverted to the Soviet Union.

  • 1936 The Tasmanian Tiger Becomes Extinct

    The last surviving Tasmanian Tiger – a carnivorous marsupial, died in captivity at the Hobart Zoo, Tasmania, Australia. Called Benjamin, the thylacine, as the species was called, is believed to have died due to neglect. Thylacines were natives of Australia and New Guinea and went extinct due to over hunting and the introduction of invasive species like dingos.

 

History

On this day September 6

Today in History

  • 2007 Israel Conducts Operation Orchard

    The military operation was conducted by the Israeli air force to destroy a suspected nuclear reactor in the Deir el-Zor region of Syria.

  • 1999 Suai Church Massacre

    More than 200 people who had found refuge in a church in Suai, East Timor were killed by pro-Indonesia militia after the results of an independence referendum came out.

  • 1968 Swaziland Gains Independence From the British

    The Southern African state became a British protectorate in 1902 after the Anglo-Boer war. King Sobhuza became the head of the nation in and reigned even after independence until 1982. He was succeeded by Mswati III, his son, who currently rules the country.

  • 1870 A Woman casts her Vote in the US for the first time

    Louisa Ann Swain voted during state elections in the state of Wyoming. Although women weren’t extended the right to vote in the US until 1920, the governor of Wyoming, John A. Campbell, had signed a bill that gave women the right to vote on December 13, 1869. This meant that women could vote in local and state elections, but not country-wide elections.

  • 1522 Victoria Becomes the First Ship to Circumnavigate the World

    The Spanish ship, which was commanded by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, set sail from Spain September 20, 1519, to find a better route to Indonesia. The expedition began with 5 ships including Victoria and 260 crew members. Magellan himself died during the voyage, and only Victoria with 18 crew members returned to Seville, Spain, after circumnavigating the world.