1517

Today in History 10/31/16

Today in History
(1517) The Protestant Reformation starts with a posting
1517 According to tradition, German theologian Martin Luther nails a document to the door of the All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, questioning Catholic Church traditions that he sees as questionable and possibly corrupt. Luther’s ’95 Theses’ will lead to the founding of a new religion..

Martin Luther was a German professor of theology, composer, priest, monk and a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation.

Lived: Nov 10, 1483 – Feb 18, 1546 (age 62)
Spouse: Katharina von Bora (m. 1525 – 1546)
Education: University of Erfurt (1501 – 1505)
Children: Magdalena Luther (Daughter) · Paul Luther (Son) · Elisabeth Luther (Daughter) · Martin Luther (Son) · Margarethe Luther (Daughter) · Hans Luther (Son)
Compositions: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Parents: Hans Luther (Father) · Margarethe Luther (Mother)

— Source: wiki/Martin_Luther
(1950) Sports pioneer Earl Lloyd integrates the NBA
Just three years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color line, Earl Lloyd does the same for the sport of basketball as he takes the court with the Washington Capitols. The first African American NBA player scores 6 points in his opening game against the Rochester Royals. . 1950

Earl Francis Lloyd was an American professional basketball player. He was the first black person to play in the National Basketball Association, in the 1950–51 NBA season. Three other African Americans played in the same season: Chuck Cooper, Nathaniel Clifton, and Hank DeZonie.

Born: Apr 03, 1928 · Alexandria, VA
Died: Feb 26, 2015 · Crossville, TN
Height: 6′ 5″ (1.96 m)
Spouse: Charlita Lloyd
Education: West Virginia State University

Highlights

  • 1948: Lloyd led West Virginia State to two CIAA Conference and Tournament Championships in 1948 and 1949.

  • 1951: Lloyd played in only seven games for the Washington Capitols before the team folded on January 9, 1951.

  • 1965: According to Detroit News sportswriter Jerry Green, in 1965 Detroit Pistons General Manager Don Wattrick wanted to hire Lloyd as the team’s head coach.

  • 2007: On December 1, 2007, the newly constructed basketball court at T. C. Williams High School in Lloyd’s home town of Alexandria, Virginia, was named in his honor.

  • 2009: In November 2009, Moonfixer: The Basketball Journey of Earl Lloyd, was released.

  • 2015: In 2015 Lloyd, along with fellow basketball player Alonzo Mourning, was one of eight Virginians honored in the Library of Virginia’s “Strong Men & Women in Virginia History” because of his contributions to the sport of basketball.

— Source: wiki/Earl_Lloyd
(1974) Manhattan streets transform with Halloween revels
1974 Puppeteer and mask maker Ralph Lee promenades with his creations through the streets of his New York City neighborhood. This whimsical start will launch the annual Village Halloween Parade, mixing huge puppets and costumed revelers in one of the largest nighttime parades on the planet..

New York’s Village Halloween Parade is an annual holiday parade and street pageant presented on the night of every Halloween in New York City’s Greenwich Village. The Village Halloween Parade, initiated in 1974 by Greenwich Village puppeteer and mask maker Ralph Lee, is the world’s largest Halloween parade and the only major nighttime parade in the United States.

— Source: wiki/New_York’s_Village_Halloween_Parade
(1984) India’s first female prime minister is shot and killed
On a morning walk through her garden, India’s Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is shot multiple times by two of her own Sikh bodyguards. The daughter of India’s previous prime minister, Nehru, and the country’s first female leader, her assassination will spark deadly riots.. 1984

Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi was an Indian politician and central figure of the Indian National Congress party, and to date the only female Prime Minister of India. Indira Gandhi was the only child of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. She served as Prime Minister from 1966 to 1977 and then again from 1980 until her assassination in 1984, making her the second-longest-serving Prime Minister after her father.

Indira Gandhi, the 3rd Prime Minister of India, was assassinated at 09:20 on 31 October 1984, at her Safdarjung Road, New Delhi residence. She was killed by two of her bodyguards, Satwant Singh and Beant Singh, in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star, the Indian Army’s June 1984 assault on the Golden Temple in Amritsar which left the Sikh temple heavily damaged.

Lived: Nov 19, 1917 – Oct 31, 1984 (age 66)
Spouse: Feroze Gandhi (m. 1942 – 1960)
Parents: Jawaharlal Nehru (Father) · Kamala Nehru (Mother)
Children: Rajiv Gandhi (Son) · Sanjay Gandhi (Son)
Education: Somerville College, Oxford · University of Oxford · Badminton School · Visva-Bharati University
Previous offices: Minister of External Affairs (1984 – 1984) · Prime Minister of India (1980 – 1984) · Minister of Defence (1980 – 1982) · Minister of Home Affairs (1970 – 1973) · Minister of Finance (1969 – 1970) · Prime Minister of India (1966 – 1977) · Minister of Information and Broadcasting (1964 – 1966)

Highlights

  • 1917: Indira Gandhi was born Indira Nehru in a Kashmiri Pandit family on 19 November 1917 in Allahabad.

  • 1942: A member of the Nehru-Gandhi family, she was married to Feroze Gandhi at the age of 25, in 1942.

  • 1962: After reaching a high diplomatic point in the aftermath of Nehru’s role in the Suez Crisis, India’s isolation from Africa was complete when only four nations; Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and Libya supported her during the Sino-Indian War in 1962.

  • 1966: In the Congress Party’s parliamentary leadership election, held in early 1966 upon the death of Shastri, she defeated her rival, Morarji Desai, to become leader; and, thus, succeeded Shastri as Prime Minister of India.

  • 1972: In the elections held for State assemblies across India in March 1972, the Congress(R) swept to power in most states riding on the post-war “Indira wave”.

  • 1980: The Congress (I) under Gandhi swept back to power in January 1980.

— Source: wiki/Assassination_of_Indira_Gandhi
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