(1829) First Oxford-Cambridge boat race plies the Thames
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Cambridge student Charles Merivale and his friend, Oxford’s Charles Wordsworth, devise a competition to determine which of the two premier British universities boasts the best rowers. The Boat Race will become immensely popular, attracting 250,000 or more spectators annually.. |
(1916) Arabs begin their revolt against the Ottoman Empire
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The Ottoman Empire’s garrison in Mecca, on the Arabian Peninsula, is attacked by Hussein bin Ali and his forces. The British will send Egyptian troops as reinforcements for Ali, and the Battle of Mecca will drive the Ottoman Caliphate from the Muslim Holy City. The Arab Revolt has begun. . |
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(1935) An addict takes his last drink and a support group is born
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Dr. Bob Smith has a beer to calm himself before performing surgery, and thanks to the help of his new friend Bill Wilson, it will be his final drink of alcohol. The fellow alcoholics have come together to kick their addiction, and their collaboration will form Alcoholics Anonymous. . |
(1940) Italy enters WWII on the Axis side
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Five years after invading Ethiopia and leaving the League of Nations because of it, the Kingdom of Italy, under Benito Mussolini’s rule, declares war on Britain and France. Italy joins Germany and Japan as a WWII Axis power, and will be the first to fall to an Allied offensive. . |
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