Today in History ^02/08/17

February 8, 2017 by GµårÐïåñ

Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, 1587, color plate from 'Pictures of English History' published by George Routledge & Sons, 1850 (© The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

(1587) Mary, Queen of Scots is executed

Once the ruler of Scotland, Mary Stuart was forcibly removed from power, lost a battle to regain it, and after being convicted of a plot to assassinate England’s Queen Elizabeth I, is beheaded at age 44.

Mary, Queen of Scots, also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, reigned over Scotland from 14 December 1542 to 24 July 1567. Mary, the only surviving legitimate child of James V of Scotland, was six days old when her father died and she acceded to the throne. She spent most of her childhood in France while Scotland was ruled by regents, and in 1558, she married the Dauphin of France, Francis. He ascended the French throne as King Francis II in 1559, and Mary briefly became queen consort of France, until his death in December 1560. Widowed, Mary returned to Scotland, arriving in Leith on 19 August 1561. Four years later, she married her first cousin, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, but their union was unhappy. In February 1567, his residence was destroyed by an explosion, and Darnley was found murdered in the garden.

Lived: Dec 08, 1542 – Feb 08, 1587 (age 44)
Height: 5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
Spouse: James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell (m. 1567 – 1578) · Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (m. 1565 – 1567) · Francis II of France (m. 1558 – 1559)
Children: James VI and I (Son)
Parents: James V of Scotland (Father) · Mary of Guise (Mother)
Buried: Peterborough Cathedral · Henry VII Chapel
Highlights
1554: Arran, with the support of his friends and relations, became the regent until 1554 when Mary’s mother managed to remove and succeed him.

1566: Mary’s son by Darnley, James, was born on 19 June 1566 in Edinburgh Castle, but the murder of Rizzio led inevitably to the breakdown of her marriage.

1567: James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, was generally believed to have orchestrated Darnley’s death, but he was acquitted of the charge in April 1567, and the following month he married Mary.

1567: Mary, Queen of Scots married James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell on May 15, 1567; their marriage lasted 11 years till April 14, 1578.

1567: On 24 July 1567, she was forced to abdicate in favour of James VI, her one-year-old son by Darnley.

1571: In 1571, Cecil and Walsingham uncovered the Ridolfi Plot, which was a plan to replace Elizabeth with Mary with the help of Spanish troops and the Duke of Norfolk.

wiki/Mary,_Queen_of_Scots

Japanese torpedo boats making surprise attack on Port Arthur, Feb 8, 1904. From Le Petit Journal, Paris. (© Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)

(1904) The Russo-Japanese War begins

Two powerful empires clash over plans for expansion into Korea and Manchuria, with Japan launching a surprise nighttime attack on the Russian fleet that eerily foreshadows the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Russo-Japanese War was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and Korea. The major theatres of operations were the Liaodong Peninsula and Mukden in Southern Manchuria and the seas around Korea, Japan and the Yellow Sea.

Start date: Feb 08, 1904
End date: Sep 05, 1905

wiki/Russo-Japanese_War

A file labeled "The prosecutor" in the archive at the headquarters of the former East German Ministry for Security or 'Stasi' in Berlin (© Arnd Wiegmann/Reuters)

(1950) East Germany’s secret police, the Stasi, is founded

The Ministry for State Security, known as the Stasi, begins a 40-year reign of spying on the citizens of East Germany, turning neighbor against neighbor, and friends and family into informants.

The Ministry for State Security, commonly known as the Stasi, also State Security Service, was the official state security service of the German Democratic Republic, colloquially known as East Germany. It has been described as one of the most effective and repressive intelligence and secret police agencies to have ever existed. The Stasi was headquartered in East Berlin, with an extensive complex in Berlin-Lichtenberg and several smaller facilities throughout the city. The Stasi motto was “Schild und Schwert der Partei”, referring to the ruling Socialist Unity Party of Germany. Erich Mielke was its longest-serving chief, in power for thirty-two of the GDR’s forty years of existence.

Founded: Feb 08, 1950
Ceased operation: Mar 31, 1990

wiki/Stasi

Dr. Gerald Wasserburg holds up a large piece of the Pueblito de Allende meteorite that landed in Mexico in 1969 (© Jonathan Blair/Corbis)

(1969) Best-studied meteorite in history falls over Mexico

An extremely rare, car-sized carbonaceous chondrite meteorite, holding some of the universe’s oldest elements, streaks across the sky and breaks into thousands of pieces over Chihuahua, Mexico.

The Allende meteorite is the largest carbonaceous chondrite ever found on Earth. The fireball was witnessed at 01:05 on February 8, 1969, falling over the Mexican state of Chihuahua. After breaking up in the atmosphere, an extensive search for pieces was conducted and it is often described as “the best-studied meteorite in history”.
wiki/Allende_meteorite

3.2.j17

Today in History

July 22, 2016 by GµårÐïåñ

(1587) English colonists land at Roanoke Island
	Hundreds of English settlers arrive on Roanoke Island, off the coast of present-day North Carolina. Although a previous colony on the island had vanished, Sir Walter Raleigh hopes this second colony will flourish. But three years later, relief ships will find it completely deserted, and the Lost Colony of Roanoke will become a haunting mystery..
(1793) Explorer completes crossing of North America
Twelve years before Lewis and Clark reach the Pacific, Scottish explorer Alexander Mackenzie finishes a North American cross-continental trip in what will be Canada. Mackenzie will lay the groundwork for Britain’s settlement of Canada and future continent-spanning expeditions further south..
(1812) French are routed at Salamanca by Wellington
	His historic battle with Napoleon at Waterloo less than three years away, Arthur Wellesley, Earl of Wellington, helps liberate Madrid as he leads Anglo-Portuguese units against France in the Battle of Salamanca, an offensive that will garner him great praise and a rapid military rise..
(1934) Dillinger’s criminal career ends in a hail of bullets
John Dillinger’s seemingly superhuman skill at prison breaks, evading police raids, and literally getting away with murder finally falters as he leaves Chicago’s Biograph Theater. His companion, brothel owner Anna Sage, has set him up and he’s shot while attempting to flee police. .