1521

Today in History 08/13 (Berlin Wall)

Two East German workers put pieces of broken glass on the top of the Berlin wall in August 1961 (© Kreusch/AP)(1961) East is sealed off from West in a divided capital
While the city sleeps, Soviet-backed East German soldiers begin erecting a barbed-wire barrier in Berlin, making solid what’s been for 15 years a geopolitical split within Germany’s capital. Transit between communist East Berlin and capitalist West Berlin is now strictly verboten.
The Berlin Wall was a guarded concrete barrier that physically and ideologically divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989. Constructed by the German Democratic Republic, starting on 13 August 1961, the Wall completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin until government officials opened it in November 1989. Its demolition officially began on 13 June 1990 and was completed in 1992. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, which circumscribed a wide area that contained anti-vehicle trenches, “fakir beds” and other defenses. The Eastern Bloc claimed that the Wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the “will of the people” in building a socialist state in East Germany. In practice, the Wall served to prevent the massive emigration and defection that had marked East Germany and the communist Eastern Bloc during the post-World War II period.
Address: Zimmer Street 88 · 10117 Berlin
Phone: 030 3087770
Construction started: Aug 13, 1961
Destroyed: Nov 09, 1989
Berlin Wall Map
Map of the Berlin Wall, showing checkpoints.

wiki/Berlin_Wall
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(1961) East is sealed off from West in a divided capital.
Also on this day,

1521 | Conquistadors capture capital city of the Aztecs
Conquistador Hernán Cortés and his troops have laid siege to Tenochtitlan for more than two months and now the Aztec empire’s sprawling capital surrenders. European military might, combined with a smallpox epidemic brought by the invading Spaniards, dooms what will become Mexico City.
1624 | France’s ‘Red Eminence’ gets a prime royal appointment
French clergyman Armand Jean du Plessis rose through Church ranks with impressive speed, becoming Cardinal Richelieu two years ago, and he’s now appointed King Louis XIII’s chief minister. Richelieu will hold considerable power and dodge some very wily conspiracies launched against him.
1918 | US Marines enlist their first female recruit
Her country embroiled in World War I, 39-year-old Opha Johnson is first in line to enlist at the US Marine Corps Reserves, becoming the first female Marine in history. More than 300 other women will follow Johnson’s lead and serve as Marines during the war, paving the way for future women in the US military.

Today in History 08/13/17

Newly recruited Marine Opha Johnson at Marine Corps headquarters in Washington, DC (© Marine Corps Women's Marine Reserve/Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections)(1918) US Marines enlist their first female recruit
Her country embroiled in World War I, 39-year-old Opha Johnson is first in line to enlist at the US Marine Corps Reserves, becoming the first female Marine in history. More than 300 other women will follow Johnson's lead and serve as Marines during the war, paving the way for future women in the US military.
Opha May Johnson was the first woman to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. She joined the Marine Corps Reserve in 1918, officially becoming the first female Marine.
Born: 1879 · Indiana, Midwestern United States
Died: Aug 11, 1955 · Washington, D.C., United States
Buried: Rock Creek Cemetery
Highlights
  • 1898: Historical records identify she married Victor H. Johnson on 20 December 1898 at the Sixth Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC.

  • 1918: According to 1918 newspaper articles, as well as the published history of Women Marines in World War I, Johnson's first duties were as a clerk at Marine Corps headquarters, managing the records of other female reservists who joined after she did.

  • 1955: Opha May Johnson died on Thursday, 11 August 1955, at Mount Alto Veterans Hospital in Washington, D.C.

wiki/Opha_May_Johnson
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Today in History 01/03/18

Illustration of Martin Luther (1483-1546) at the ‘Diet of Worms’ in 1521 where he was excommunicated by Pope Leo IX (© Print Collector/Getty Images)(1521) Martin Luther excommunicated
Pope Leo X excommunicates professor Martin Luther from the Catholic Church after Luther refuses to recant his views on Church corruption. Luther’s views will eventually inspire the Protestant Reformation.
Martin Luther, O.S.A. was a German professor of theology, composer, priest, and 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: Paul Luther (Son) · Elisabeth Luther (Daughter) · Magdalena Luther (Daughter) · Martin Luther (Son) · Hans Luther (Son) · Margarethe Luther (Daughter)
Parents: Margarethe Luther (Mother) · Hans Luther (Father)
Siblings: Jacob Luther (Brother)
Highlights
  • 1517: According to one account, Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses to the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg on 31 October 1517.

  • 1520: Three of his best-known works were published in 1520: To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation, On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church, and On the Freedom of a Christian.

  • 1521: After secretly visiting Wittenberg in early December 1521, Luther wrote A Sincere Admonition by Martin Luther to All Christians to Guard Against Insurrection and Rebellion.

  • 1524: He supplied four of eight songs of the First Lutheran hymnal Achtliederbuch, 18 of 26 songs of the Erfurt Enchiridion, and 24 of the 32 songs in the first choral hymnal with settings by Johann Walter, Eyn geystlich Gesangk Buchleyn, all published in 1524.

  • 1525: Martin Luther married Katharina von Bora on June 13, 1525.

  • 1546: An apoplectic stroke deprived him of his speech, and he died shortly afterwards at 2:45 a.m. on 18 February 1546, aged 62, in Eisleben, the city of his birth.

Luther bible
Luther’s 1534 Bible.
wiki/Martin_Luther
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Today in History 01/03/17

'Luther at the Diet of Worms', 1882. Martin Luther (1483-1546) was a major inspiration behind the Reformation. He was excommunicated by Pope Leo IX in 1521 and declared an outlaw at the Diet of Worms. Under the protection of the Elector of Saxony, Luther produced a German translation of the Bible, and he went on to found the Lutheran Protestant Church. A print from The Magazine of Art Vol V, Cassell, Peter, Galpin and Company, Limited, 1882. (Photo by The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)(1521) Martin Luther excommunicated
Pope Leo X excommunicates professor Martin Luther from the Catholic Church after Luther refuses to recant his views on Church corruption. Luther’s views will eventually inspire the Protestant Reformation.
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)
Highlights
  • 1483: Martin Luther was born to Hans Luder (or Ludher, later Luther) and his wife Margarethe (née Lindemann) on 10 November 1483 in Eisleben, Saxony, then part of the Holy Roman Empire.

  • 1517: On 31 October 1517, Luther wrote to his bishop, Albert of Mainz, protesting the sale of indulgences.

  • 1520: Three of his best-known works were published in 1520: To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation, On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church, and On the Freedom of a Christian.

  • 1520: On 15 June 1520, the Pope warned Luther with the papal bull (edict) Exsurge Domine that he risked excommunication unless he recanted 41 sentences drawn from his writings, including the Ninety-five Theses, within 60 days.

  • 1524: He supplied four of eight songs of the First Lutheran hymnal Achtliederbuch, 18 of 26 songs of the Erfurt Enchiridion, and 24 of the 32 songs in the first choral hymnal with settings by Johann Walter, Eyn geystlich Gesangk Buchleyn, all published in 1524.

  • 1525: Martin Luther married Katharina von Bora on June 13, 1525.

wiki/Martin_Luther
UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 19: Launched by the Hamilton Watch Company of Pennsylvania, United States on 3 January 1957, this was the world?s first battery-powered wristwatch. A significant advance in the development of electric timekeeping, it took more than ten years to develop. The timekeeping was controlled by a conventional balance wheel, but kept in motion by electromagnets, rather than a main spring. The Hamilton electric watch was an instant success, making the need to wind watches by hand a thing of the past. Its popularity was also due to its modern styling - Hamilton employed designer Richard Arbib to produce a range of dramatic case styles to accompany the movement. These watches were in production until 1969, when they were replaced by superior quartz movement technology. (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)(1957) First electric watch debuts
The world’s first battery-powered wristwatch is introduced by Pennsylvania’s Hamilton Watch Company, advancing time-keeping technology from mechanical and automatic to electronic movements.
In horology the term electric watch is used for the first generation electrically-powered wristwatches which were first publicly displayed by both Elgin National Watch Company and LIP on the 19th of March 1952 with working laboratory examples in Chicago and Paris. Hamilton would be the first to produce and retail an electric watch beginning in 1957, before the commercial introduction of the quartz wristwatch in 1969 by Seiko with the Astron. Their timekeeping element was either a traditional balance wheel or a tuning fork, driven electromagnetically by a solenoid powered by a battery. The hands were driven mechanically through a wheel train. They were superseded by quartz watches, which had greater accuracy and durability due to their lower parts count. Recent automatic quartz watches, which combine mechanical technology with quartz timekeeping, are not included in this classification.
wiki/Electric_watch
UNITED STATES - JANUARY 01: Photo of Aretha FRANKLIN (Photo by Ebet Roberts/Redferns)(1987) First woman inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Aretha Franklin is chosen to be among the honorees at the second annual ceremony, becoming the first woman admitted to rock music’s hall of fame.
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter and musician. Franklin began her career singing gospel at her father, minister C. L. Franklin’s church as a child. In 1960, at the age of 18, Franklin embarked on a secular career, recording for Columbia Records but only achieving modest success. Following her signing to Atlantic Records in 1967, Franklin achieved commercial acclaim and success with songs such as “Respect”, A Natural Woman” and “Think”. These hits and more helped her to gain the title The Queen of Soul by the end of the 1960s decade.
Born: Mar 25, 1942 (age 74) · Memphis, TN
Height: 5′ 5″ (1.65 m)
Net worth: $60 million USD (2016)
Spouse: Glynn Turman (m. 1978 – 1984) · Ted White (m. 1961 – 1969)
Children: Ted White Jr. (Son) · Edward Franklin (Son) · Kecalf Cunningham (Son) · Clarence Franklin (Son)
Siblings: Erma Franklin (Sister) · Carolyn Franklin (Sister) · Rev. Cecil Franklin (Brother) · Vaughn Franklin (Brother) · Carl Ellan Kelley (Sister)

wiki/Aretha_Franklin
WAS02:ENTERTAINMENT-LIFE-PEANUTS:LOS ANGELES,CALIFORNIA,2JAN00 - UNDATED FILE PHOTOGRAPH - After five decades of watching his kite eaten by trees, his baseball games collapse in disarray, and his dog Snoopy walk away with the best lines, Charlie Brown and his gang say farewell Monday in the final new "Peanuts" comic strip in daily newspapers. The characters shown, from the left, are Pigpen, Peppermint Patty, Schroeder (back) Linus, Franklin (back) Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Sally (back) Lucy, Marcie and Woodstock. (MANDATORY CREDIT: fsp/Photo Courtesy PEANUTS © United Feature Syndicate, Inc. REUTERS(2000) Last daily ‘Peanuts’ comic strip is published
Charles Schulz’s beloved gang of friends take their final bow after 17,896 four-panel strips and 50 years of newspaper syndication. The ‘Peanuts strip also spawned TV specials, movies, and collectible items, an empire said to have netted Schulz a fortune.
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. The strip is the most popular and influential in the history of comic strips, with 17,897 strips published in all, making it “arguably the longest story ever told by one human being”. At its peak, Peanuts ran in over 2,600 newspapers, with a readership of 355 million in 75 countries, and was translated into 21 languages. It helped to cement the four-panel gag strip as the standard in the United States, and together with its merchandise earned Schulz more than $1 billion. Reprints of the strip are still syndicated and run in almost every U.S. newspaper.
Characters: Charlie Brown · Snoopy · Schroeder · Peppermint Patty · Lucy van Pelt · Linus van Pelt · Woodstock · Sally Brown · Shermy · Little Red-Haired Girl · Pig-Pen · Marcie · Violet · Rerun van Pelt
Adaptations: The Peanuts Movie (2015) · Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown (and Don’t Come Back!!) (1980)

wiki/Peanuts
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Today in History

Today in History
(1521) Conquistadors capture capital city of the Aztecs
1521 Conquistador Hernán Cortés and his troops have laid siege to Tenochtitlan for more than two months and now the Aztec empire’s sprawling capital surrenders. European military might, combined with a smallpox epidemic brought by the invading Spaniards, dooms what will become Mexico City..
(1624) France’s ‘Red Eminence’ gets a prime royal appointment
French clergyman Armand Jean du Plessis rose through Church ranks with impressive speed, becoming Cardinal Richelieu two years ago, and he’s now appointed King Louis XIII’s chief minister. Richelieu will hold considerable power and dodge some very wily conspiracies launched against him.. 1624
(1918) US Marines enlist their first female recruit
1918 Her country embroiled in World War I, 39-year-old Opha Johnson is first in line to enlist at the US Marine Corps Reserves, becoming the first female Marine in history. More than 300 other women will follow Johnson’s lead and serve as Marines during the war, paving the way for future women in the US military..
(1961) East is sealed off from West in a divided capital
While the city sleeps, Soviet-backed East German soldiers begin erecting a barbed-wire barrier in Berlin, making solid what’s been for 15 years a geopolitical split within Germany’s capital. Transit between communist East Berlin and capitalist West Berlin is now strictly verboten. . 1961