1291

Today in History 08/01 (Federal Charter of 1291)

Fireworks over the Jet d'Eau fountain during a Swiss National Day celebration in Geneva (© Valentin Flauraud/Reuters)(1291) Agreement lays groundwork for modern Switzerland
Sometime in early August, the Federal Charter of 1291 is signed, documenting the alliance of the three cantons in central Switzerland. While the exact date is unknown, years later it will be regarded as the founding of Switzerland and the basis for celebrating Swiss National Day on August 1.
The Federal Charter or Letter of Alliance documents the Eternal Alliance or League of the Three Forest Cantons, the union of three cantons in what is now central Switzerland. It is dated in early August 1291 and initiates the current 1 August Swiss National Day. This agreement, in Latin, cites a previous similar pact. It is currently exhibited at the Museum of the Swiss Charters of Confederation in Schwyz.
The Swiss Federal Charter of 1291
The Swiss Federal Charter of 1291, Union of three cantons in what is now central Switzerland
wiki/Federal_Charter_of_1291
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(1291) Agreement lays groundwork for modern Switzerland.
Also on this day,

1714 | A German takes the throne of Great Britain
German-born George Louis now reigns over Britain following the death of Queen Anne, with the 54-year-old becoming the first monarch of the House of Hanover. Much of the British public will deem him “too German,” but art and architecture will flourish in the new Georgian Era.
1966 | Charles Whitman shoots 48 in Texas killing spree
Former Eagle Scout, ex-Marine, and engineering student Charles Whitman murders his mother and wife, then carries a cache of firearms to the top of a 300-foot tower on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, where in 90 minutes he kills 14 and wounds 32 with sniper fire.
1981 | Music videos get their own channel as MTV launches
Cashing in on a new form of popular entertainment, the MTV network debuts, complete with “video jockeys” (VJs) introducing music videos, a way of both listening to and watching popular songs. The first video shown, ‘Video Killed the Radio Star,’ will prove partially prophetic.

Today in History 08/01/17

Bullet holes in a store window made by sniper Charles Whitman in Austin, Texas, on Aug. 1, 1966 (© Shel Hershorn/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)(1966) Charles Whitman shoots 48 in Texas killing spree
Former Eagle Scout, ex-Marine, and engineering student Charles Whitman murders his mother and wife, then carries a cache of firearms to the top of a 300-foot tower on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, where in 90 minutes he kills 14 and wounds 32 with sniper fire.
Charles Joseph Whitman was an American mass murderer who became infamous as the "Texas Tower Sniper". On August 1, 1966, he murdered his mother and wife in their homes, then went to the University of Texas at Austin where he shot and killed three people inside the university's tower. He then went to the tower's 28th-floor observation deck, where he fired at random for some 96 minutes, killing an additional eleven people and wounding thirty-one before being shot and killed by police. Sixteen people were killed in total; a 17th victim died in 2001 from injuries sustained in the attack.
Born: 24 Jun 1941 · Lake Worth, FL
Died: 01 Aug 1966 · Austin, TX
Height: 6' 0"
Spouse: Kathy Leissner (m. 1962 - 1966)
Education: University of Texas at Austin
Parents: Margaret Whitman
Highlights
  • 1941: Whitman was born on June 24, 1941, in Lake Worth, Florida, the eldest of three sons born to Margaret E. (Hodges) and Charles Adolphus "C. A."

  • 1961: Whitman entered the mechanical engineering program at the University of Texas at Austin on September 15, 1961.

  • 1962: On August 17, 1962, Whitman and Leissner were married in a Catholic ceremony held in Leissner's hometown of Needville, Texas.

  • 1966: Whitman met with Dr. Maurice Dean Heatly, the staff psychiatrist at the University of Texas Health Center, on March 29, 1966.

  • 1966: At approximately 4:00 p.m. on July 31, 1966, Charles and Kathy Whitman visited their close friends John and Fran Morgan.

  • 1966: On August 1, 1966, he murdered his mother and wife in their homes, then went to the University of Texas at Austin where he shot and killed three people inside the university's tower.

Charles Whitman (1963)
Description: Charles Whitman
Source: 1963 Cactus, the student yearbook of the University of Texas. Copy found at "Charles Whitman Images and Documents," The Austin History Center. Reference AR.2000.002, Austin History Center, Austin Public Library
Date: c 1963

wiki/Charles_Whitman
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