Today in History ^05/06/17

May 6, 2017 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

Painting titled 'The Sack of Rome' by Francisco Javier Amérigo y Aparici, 1887 (Public domain via Wikimedia)

(1527) Rome is sacked, ending the Renaissance

As many as 20,000 mutinous troops of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V enter Rome and meet a defensive force of only 5,000 militia and 500 Swiss Guard. The city is taken, the Pope’s power is greatly diminished, and some will mark it as the end of the Italian Renaissance.

The Sack of Rome on 6 May 1527 was a military event carried out by the mutinous troops of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, in Rome, then part of the Papal States. It marked a crucial imperial victory in the conflict between Charles and the League of Cognac—the alliance of France, Milan, Venice, Florence and the Papacy.

Date: May 06, 1527

wiki/Sack_of_Rome_(1527)

The German-built dirigible 'Hindenburg' catches fire in the stern while trying to land at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey, on May 6, 1937 (© Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

(1937) The zeppelin Hindenburg destroyed in fireball

A transatlantic flight of the German luxury passenger airship Hindenburg ends in disaster as the vessel bursts into flames near its docking tower at Lakehurst, New Jersey. Thirty-six people will die in the tragedy, and it will mark the end of airship travel.

The Hindenburg disaster occurred on May 6, 1937, as the German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at Naval Air Station Lakehurst in Manchester Township, New Jersey, United States. Of the 97 people on board, there were 35 fatalities. One worker on the ground was also killed, raising the final death toll to 36.

Fatalities: 36
Date: May 06, 1937
Universal Newsreel

wiki/Hindenburg_disaster

Roger Bannister about to cross the tape at the end of his record breaking mile run at Iffley Road, Oxford, England on May 6, 1954 (© Norman Potter/Central Press/Getty Images)

(1954) Bannister breaks the four-minute mile

England’s Roger Bannister does what some track-and-field experts considered impossible – he runs a mile in under 4 minutes. His finishing time for the historic Oxford run is 3 min 59.4 seconds, a record that will stand for just 46 days.

Sir Roger Gilbert Bannister, CH, CBE is an English former middle-distance athlete, physician and academic, who ran the first sub-four-minute mile. In the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, Bannister set a British record in the 1500 metres and finished fourth. This strengthened his resolve to be the first 4-minute miler. He achieved this feat on 6 May 1954 at Iffley Road track in Oxford, with Chris Chataway and Chris Brasher providing the pacing. When the announcer, Norris McWhirter, declared “The time was three…”, the cheers of the crowd drowned out Bannister’s exact time, which was 3 minutes 59.4 seconds. Bannister’s record lasted just 46 days. He had reached this record with minimal training, while practising as a junior doctor.

Born: Mar 23, 1929 (age 88) · London Borough of Harrow, United Kingdom
Height: 6′ 2″ (1.89 m)
Education: University of Oxford · Imperial College London · Merton College, Oxford · Exeter College, Oxford
Nominations: BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award (1954)
Awards: Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year (1954)
Highlights
1947: His training was light, even compared to the standards of the day, but he showed promise in running a mile in 1947 in 4:24.6 on only three weekly half-hour training sessions.

1984: In 1984, he was awarded an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Science) by the University of Bath.

1988: In the 1988 television mini-series The Four Minute Mile, about the rivalry between Bannister, John Landy and Wes Santee to be first to break the 4 minute mile mark, Bannister was portrayed by actor Richard Huw.

1993: Bannister went on to become a distinguished neurologist and Master of Pembroke College, Oxford, before retiring in 1993.

2002: In a UK poll conducted by Channel 4 in 2002, the British public voted Bannister’s historic sub-4-minute mile as number 13 in the list of the 100 Greatest Sporting Moments.

2014: In 2014 he appeared as a guest on BBC Radio 4’s Midweek with Libby Purves, Kevin Warwick and Rachael Stirling.

wiki/Roger_Bannister

The 'Friends' cast during Season 10 (© NBC/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images)

(2004) ‘Friends’ says goodbye after 10 seasons

Ross, Rachel, Phoebe, Joey, Monica, and Chandler have their last cup of coffee together after a decade of comedic personal and professional struggles. The series finale draws in 52.5 million viewers, making it the most-watched TV episode of the decade.

Rachel Green, Ross Geller, Monica Geller, Joey Tribbiani, Chandler Bing and Phoebe Buffay are all friends, living off of one another in the heart of New York City. Over the course of ten years, this average group of buddies goes through massive mayhem, family trouble, past and future romances, fights, laughs, tears and surprises as they learn what it really means to be a friend.

First episode: Sep 22, 1994
Episode duration: 22 minutes
Creators: Marta Kauffman · David Crane
Theme song: I’ll Be There for You
Producers: Marta Kauffman · David Crane · Kevin S. Bright · Michael Curtis · Wil Calhoun · Scott Silveri · Shana Goldberg-Meehan
Awards: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series · Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series · Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series · Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series · Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy series

wiki/Friends

4.1.m17

A Historical Day

May 6, 2016 by GµårÐïåñ

(1527) Rome is sacked, ending the Renaissance
	As many as 20,000 mutinous troops of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V enter Rome and meet a defensive force of only 5,000 militia and 500 Swiss Guard. The city is taken, the Pope’s power is greatly diminished, and some will mark it as the end of the Italian Renaissance. .
(1937) The zeppelin Hindenburg destroyed in fireball
A transatlantic flight of the German luxury passenger airship Hindenburg ends in disaster as the vessel bursts into flames near its docking tower at Lakehurst, New Jersey. Thirty-six people will die in the tragedy, and it will mark the end of airship travel. .
(1954) Bannister breaks the four-minute mile
	England’s Roger Bannister does what some track-and-field experts considered impossible – he runs a mile in under 4 minutes. His finishing time for the historic Oxford run is 3 min 59.4 seconds, a record that will stand for just 46 days. .
(1994) A marvel of engineering opens under the English Channel
After six years of construction, the world’s longest undersea tunnel officially opens below the Strait of Dover, linking the United Kingdom and France. ‘The Chunnel’ allows travelers to make the crossing in little over half an hour..