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History

On This Day – November 16

On This Day – November 16

  • 2001 Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone released

    The film version of the popular book by the same name written by author J. K. Rowling starred Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter and followed Potter’s first year at Hogwarts, a school for magic.

  • 1988 Estonians declare sovereignty from USSR

    Estonians issued the Estonian Sovereignty Declaration as part of the Singing Revolution. The Declaration declared Estonian sovereignty from the Soviet Union and declared Estonian laws paramount over Soviet laws. The day is now celebrated as the Day of Declaration of Sovereignty.

  • 1965 Soviets launch Venera 3

    Part of the Venera program, it was the first space probe to land on another planet – Venus. Unfortunately, due to technical issues, it was not able to send any data back to Earth. The first space probe to send data from another planet to Earth was Venera 7.

  • 1945 UNESCO founded

    The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a special branch of the United Nations which promotes peace and well-being through education, scientific collaboration and cultural understanding and exchange. It is headquartered in Paris, France and has 195 state members.

  • 1940 Warsaw ghetto sealed

    The largest Jewish ghetto in Nazi-occupied Poland, the Warsaw ghetto, was created in October 1940 by a German decree. According to the decree, all Jews in the city had to move to the ghetto, which was closed off by a 10 feet wall and had soldiers and police guarding it from the outside 24 hours a day. The ghetto was the scene of one of the largest Jewish uprisings during the Second World War in 1943.

History

On This Day – November 15

On This Day – November 15

  • 2006 Al Jazeera English launched

    The English language 24-hour news channel is owned and run by Al Jazeera Media Network based in Doha, Qatar.

  • 1988 State of Palestine created

    The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) declared the creation of the state while in exile in Algiers, Algeria. The declaration designated eastern Jerusalem as the state’s capital. Today, almost 70% of all UN members state recognize it as an independent country.

  • 1956 Elvis Presley makes his movie debut

    Love Me Tender, a black-and-white musical starred the American singer, who is also sometimes called the King of Rock and Roll. The movie was named after Presley’s hit single by the same name.

  • 1949 Assassins of MK Gandhi Executed in India

    Nathuram Godse, Narayan Apte and 6 other co-conspirators of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi were hanged at the Ambala jail. On January 30, 1948, Godse who was unhappy about Gandhi’s accommodation of India’s Muslims shot Gandhi while he was out for his evening prayers.

  • 1920 League of Nations meets for the first time

    The general assembly of the international organization got together for the first time after being founded in January 1920. The League was created as a response to World War I and was entrusted by member states to maintain peace in the world.

christmas

The Saga of the Christmas Loser

The Saga of the Christmas Loser

Late home after a night out, a youngster attempted to climb into his home down the chimney.  He did not to want to wake other residents in the Judson Center social services agency; also he had broken his curfew and wanted no trouble.

In best Santa Claus mode he climbed onto the roof and let himself
down the chimney; unfortunately he was too large, and he became stuck.  The 17 year old began moaning and was heard and rescued.  Fire fighters and police officers from the City of Royal Oak, Michigan, USA, had to pull him out.  The youth suffered from minor scrapes and bruises.

christmas

Christmas wasn’t always on December 25

Christmas wasn’t always on December 25

an illustrated nativity scene of angels above the holy family with jesus in a manger

    While Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, the actual date of the big event is lost to history. There’s no mention of December 25 in the Bible and many historians say Jesus was most likely born in the spring. Some historians posit the date was originally chosen because it coincided with the pagan festival of Saturnalia, which honored the agricultural god Saturn with celebrating and gift-giving.