This Day in History

Malvad

Malvad

TNPer
I thought the university could use some more history. So almost everyday I will be posting an important event in history. It may be related to current events or it could be completely random. So starting off:

June 30

1997: The United Kingdom transfers sovereignty of Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China

Importance today: Yesterday Hong Kong finished voting in an unofficial referendum. The referendum concerned whether the people of Hong Kong should directly elect their chief executive. The Chinese government has promised elections by 2017, an election most likely to contain candidates handpicked by Beijing. Over 800,000 voted in the referendum.
 
July 1

1867: The Canadian Confederation and the federal dominion of Canada are created. The British North America Act of 1867 becomes the Constitution of Canada. Sir John A. Macdonald is sworn in as the first prime minister.

Importance today: Well Canada is a nation today because of this. And today is Canada Day. Happy Canada Day!
 
The British North America Act of 1867!

There's an interesting commentary about that document. Canada saw the results of a weak federal government and strong state governments in the US that resulted in the US Civil War. So, they set out to create a strong federal government and weak provincial governments and ended up with exactly the opposite of what they intended. The 1986 modification largely changed that to a certain degree.

(Incidentally, I keep dual citizenship status with the US, Canada and the UK (dual citizenship status applied to multiple nations). Saves a lot of time at the airport).
 
Sounds quite interesting Roman! And so many citizenships!

July 2

1853: The Russian Army crosses the Pruth River into the Danubian Principalities, Moldavia, and Wallachia, providing the spark that set off the Crimean War.

Importance today: Crimea has been annexed by Russia and has caused a great deal of violence in Eastern Ukraine. Eastern Europe is not often a stable region.
 
Man there were better things to put for July 2nd. Sherman Anti-Trust Act, LBJ signing the Civil Rights Act, Treaty of Tordesillas which divided the New World between Spain and Portugal... :P
 
Treaty of Tordesillas
Click to expand...

Now that's an obscure one that changed world history.

Here's a list for July 3 that I nobbled from a history site:

1608 - Samuel de Champlain founded the city of Quebec.
1775 - Commander in chief George Washington took command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Mass.
1863 - The Battle of Gettysburg ended.
1890 - Idaho became the 43rd state in the United States.
1930 - The U.S. Veterans Administration was created by Congress.
1962 - Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
1962 - Algeria became independent after 132 years of French rule.
 
This day in history July 3rd 1863:

On the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's last attempt at breaking the Union line ends in disastrous failure, bringing the most decisive battle of the American Civil War to an end.

Take that southerners!
 
I like to give obscure events. No point in teaching the known ones. And apologies for the late entry.

July 3

2013: President Mohamed Morsi, the first democratically elected leader of Egypt, is overthrown by the military after four days of protests demanding his resignation. The military, led by Minister of Defence Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, responded after Morsi refused to respond.

Importance today: Sisi has been elected President of Egypt with 97% of the vote. There has been a large crackdown on free speech. Sisi has warned that democracy will not be possible for 25 years.

July 4

1776: The Second Continental Congress adopts the United States Declaration of Independence.

Importance today: It's Independence Day! Happy Independence Day! Unless you're British. In which case Happy We Are Finally Rid of Them Day!
 
Pah, can't believe you all missed this for July 3rd:

1886 Karl Benz officially unveils the Benz Patent Motorwagen – the first purpose-built automobile.
 
And for those who want an alternate July 4th thing:

1187: Battle of Hattin in the Crusades. 1803: Louisiana Purchase announced. 1886: France offers the Statue of Liberty to America. 1918: Bolsheviks killed Tsar Nicolas II and his family. 1997: Pathfinder lands on Mars. 2012: Discovery of particles similar to the Higgs Boson announced at Cern.

Also a weirder one: 1826: Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US President dies the same day as John Adams, 2nd US President.
 
Nierr:
Also a weirder one: 1826: Thomas Jefferson, 3rd US President dies the same day as John Adams, 2nd US President.
Click to expand...
Also on July 4th, 1831, James Monroe died, meaning that 3 of the first 5 presidents died on July 4th. Not to mentioned Jefferson and Adams died exactly 50 after the Declaration of Independence.
 
Talking about US Presidents, Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States, is born in 1872 on this day. He is known for being a pretty silent guy.

I am really enjoying this thread, keep up the good work Malvad!
 
Lord Nwahs:
Talking about US Presidents, Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States, is born in 1872 on this day. He is known for being a pretty silent guy.

I am really enjoying this thread, keep up the good work Malvad!
Click to expand...
True story about Calvin Coolidge -

At a White House party on New Year's Eve, one woman said to Coolidge, "I'll bet you $5 can't go until midnight without saying more than two words."

Coolidge said, "I'll take that bet."

A few minutes before midnight, the same woman walked up to Coolidge and asked him, "It's two minutes before midnight, Mr. President, do you have anything to say?"

Coolidge responded, "you lose," and held his hand out for the $5. :P


Interesting trivia point about Coolidge - he was the only President to not be sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the only President ever to be sworn in by his own father.
 
Guys, tone down on the personal comments and stuff.

Today is 5th July. It just so happens that ten years ago, in 2004, Indonesia held its first direct presidential election, which led to a run-off on 20th October in the same year, where Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono defeated the incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri. Before that, the President and the Vice-President was elected by the legislature in Indonesia.

It's interesting to note that it wasn't so long ago that Indonesia had a long history of authoritarian government, under both Sukarno and Suharto. This year, Indonesia is also holding another presidential election, where the two main candidates are the governor of Jakarta, Joko Widodo, and ex-General Prabowo Subianto.
 
Thank you everyone for the support of this thread. Each day if anyone has an event to add feel free to.

July 5

1996: Dolly the sheep becomes the first mammal cloned from an adult cell.

Importance today: A great advancement in science. This has paved the way for genetic research, stem cell research, and further cloning efforts. Cloning is being used to create new appendages, fight diseases, and even eventually save endangered or extinct animals.
 
Here's a good pop-culture item!

On this day, July 5, 1954, (released on July 19, 1954) Elvis Presley recorded "That's All Right" at Sun Studios.

[flash]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWgprZu4Hk4[/flash]
​

The flip side is "Blue Moon of Kentucky"

[flash]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AAOM-BRxcg[/flash]
​

This is a 'trad' melody that the Grateful Dead used for a number of songs over the years.


Not a fan of Elvis, but I have a couple of original Sun Studio pressings of this issue on 45 rpm and 78 rpm (for juke boxes) hanging around in my massive record collection.
 
On this day in history on July 6th:

~ 1775: Congress issues "Declaration of the Causes & Necessity of Taking up Arms," listing grievances but denying intent to be independent
~ 1785: Congress unanimously resolves US currency named "dollar" & adopts decimal coinage
~ 1853: William Wells Brown publishes "Clotel", 1st novel by black American
~ 1858: Lyman Blake patents shoe manufacturing machine
~ 1885: Louis Pasteur successfully tests an anti-rabies vaccine
~ 1924: 1st photo sent experimentally across Atlantic by radio, US-England
~ 1928: 1st all-talking motion picture shown in NY (Lights of NY)
~ 1945: US President Harry Truman signs executive order establishing Medal of Freedom
~ 1947: The AK-47 goes into production in the Soviet Union.
~ 1958: Alaska becomes 49th state
~ 1970: California passes 1st "no fault" divorce law
~ 1983: Supreme Court rules retirement plans can't pay women less

Historical person who was born on this day:

~ 1946: George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States (2001-09) and 46th Governor of Texas (1995-2000)

Historical person who died on this day:

~ 2009: Robert McNamara, 8th United States Secretary of Defense (1961-68)
 
July 6

1995: Serbia, under the command of General Ratko Mladic, begins its attack on the Bosnian town of Srebrenica and kills over 8000 Bosniaks. The UN Secretary-General called it "the worst crime on European soil since the Second World War."
 
July 7

1928: Sliced bread was sold for the first time by the Chillicothe Baking Company.

Importance: It's sliced bread. Do I really need to explain the most important event in all of human history?
 
Two for July 7:

1958: Dwight Eisenhower signs the Alaska Statehood Act into law.

1985: Boris Becker becomes the youngest player to win Wimbledon at the age of 17.

And for July 8:

1948: The US Air Force starts accepting female recruits for the first time.

2011: Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched in what is the final mission of the US Space Shuttle Program.
 
July 8

1994: Kim Jong-il assumes the supreme leadership of North Korea after the death of his father, Kim Il-sung.

Yay North Korea!


July 9

1981: Donkey Kong is released by Nintendo. This marked the debut of the company mascot, Mario.

It's a me, Mario!
 
Man, weird that Mario became this huge thing and debuted as part of another character's game.

Anyways, July 9:

1868: The Fourteenth Amendment is ratified. 1877: The first ever Wimbledon begins. 1986: New Zealand legalises homosexuality. 2011: South Sudan gains its independence from the Sudan.
 
July 10

1991: Boris Yeltsin takes office as the first elected President of Russia.


July 11

1960: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is first published.

And an extra one. 1804: Vice President Aaron Burr mortally wounds Alexander Hamilton in a duel.
 
July 11:


911 - Signing of the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte between Charles the Simple and Rollo of Normandy.
1156 - Siege of Shirakawa-den in Japan.
1244 - Chwarizneense Turken defeats Jerusalem
1302 - Battle of the Golden Spurs (Guldensporenslag in Dutch) near Kortrijk, Belgium. Flemish coalition defeat French army
1346 - Charles IV of Luxembourg is elected emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.
1347 - Heir to the Bohemian throne elected German anti-king Charles IV
1376 - English "Good Parliament" meets
1405 - Chinese fleet commander Zheng He sets sail to explore the world for the first time.
1423 - Arnold van Egmont becomes Duke of Gelre
1476 - Giuliano della Rovere is appointed bishop of Coutances.
1525 - Trial against "heretic" John Pistorius at The Hague
1533 - Pope Clement VII excommunicates England's King Henry VIII
1576 - Martin Frobisher sights Greenland.
1588 - French king Henri III accept demands of Catholic League
1616 - Samuel de Champlain returns to Quebec.
 
July 12

1971: The Australian Aboriginal Flag is flown for the first time.

Importance: Hurray for the default flag of NationStates! :D


July 13

1787: The Continental Congress enacts the Northwest Ordinance establishing governing rules for the Northwest Territory (modern day Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota). It limited the expansion of slavery and created the procedures for the admittance of new states.

1814: The Carabinieri, the national gendarmerie of Italy, is established. This was 47 years before the unification and founding of the modern day nation of Italy.

1985: Vice President George Bush becomes the Acting President for the day when President Ronald Reagan undergoes surgery (I'm pretty sure this happened multiple times).

Felt like doing three. First one is important because I live there. Second one is because it is the 200th anniversary. And the third because I felt like adding it.
 
I got to see the key a few weeks ago. I have a friend who loves anything French and she was very excited to get to see it.
 
From what I understand, it is one of several keys, but probably the only surviving one.

Here's an interesting trivia point about Washington - he was actually taller than Lincoln according to contemporary and autopsy records. Lincoln stood at 6'3" tall and Washington was recorded at 6'3 1/2".

Either way, true or not, the average male in both of their times was about 5'7" tall.
 
July 15

1799: The Rosetta Stone is found by French Captain Pierre-Franscois Bouchard in the Egyptian village of Rosetta during Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign.

Also in 2006 Twitter was launched. :D


July 16

1969: Apollo 11 launches from the Kennedy Space Center.

And in 1999 JFK Jr. died when his plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. The Kennedy family has bad luck.
 
July 17

1918: Czar Nicholas II and the royal family of Russia are murdered by the Bolsheviks at the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Their bodies were buried on a dirt road by their executioners except for a daughter, Maria, and the only son, Alexei, who were buried in another area near Yekaterinburg.

If you want more about this feel free to ask because this is one of my favorite historical events.

And also important for today: I was born! Woo!
 
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