1773

Today in History 12/16 (Boston Tea Party)

Illustration of English tea chests thrown overboard in Boston Harbor by colonists in 1773 (© Dea Picture Library/Getty Images)(1773) Colonists throw British tea into Boston Harbor
Members of the underground Sons of Liberty, some dressed as Indians, throw 342 chests of tea off British ships to protest “tax tyranny,” or Britain’s Tea Act of 1773, which gave the East India Company a monopoly on the American tea trade. The Boston Tea Party will bring tensions between colonists and the British to a head.
The Boston Tea Party was a political and mercantile protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1773. The target was the Tea Act of May 10, 1773, which allowed the British East India company to sell tea from China in American colonies without paying taxes apart from those imposed by the Townshend Acts. American Patriots strongly opposed the taxes in the Townshend Act as a violation of their rights. Demonstrators, some disguised as Native Americans, destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company.
Address: 306 Congress St, Boston, MA 2210
Phone: 1 (866) 955-0667
Date: Dec 16, 1773


This iconic 1846 lithograph by Nathaniel Currier was entitled The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor; the phrase “Boston Tea Party” had not yet become standard. Contrary to Currier’s depiction, few of the men dumping the tea were actually disguised as Native Americans.
wiki/Boston_Tea_Party
4.16.n18

(1773) Colonists throw British tea into Boston Harbor.
Also on this day,

1893 | ‘New World Symphony’ as Dvořák premieres his symphony for the New World
Czech composer Antonín Dvořák, director of the National Conservatory of Music in New York, premieres his Symphony No. 9 at Carnegie Hall. Heavily influenced by African-American spirituals, the ‘New World Symphony’ is received with rapturous applause and will become one of the world’s most popular pieces of classical music.
1944 | The Battle of Bulge begins in Belgium
In the heavily forested Ardennes region, German forces launch a surprise counterattack and push deep into the American line, creating a 50-mile wide “bulge” in the Allied front. The battle will continue for a month and will be the deadliest one for US troops in World War II.
1985 | Mobster ‘Big Paul’ killed as Mob boss Paul Castellano is gunned down in NYC
The “Howard Hughes of the Mob,” head of the Gambino crime family, is killed along with Thomas Bilotti outside a steak house on the orders of John Gotti. Gotti will assume leadership of the family, though will later be found guilty of the murders and will be sentenced to life in prison in 1992.

Today in History 12/16/17

American soldiers pass an abandoned German Tiger tank as they patrol outside La Gleize, Belgium, late December 1944 or early January 1945 (© Peter J. Carroll/AP)(1944) The Battle of Bulge begins in Belgium
In the heavily forested Ardennes region, German forces launch a surprise counterattack and push deep into the American line, creating a 50-mile wide "bulge" in the Allied front. The battle will continue for a month and will be the deadliest one for US troops in World War II.
The Battle of the Bulge was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. It was launched through the densely forested Ardennes region of Wallonia in eastern Belgium, northeast France, and Luxembourg, towards the end of World War II. The surprise attack caught the Allied forces completely off guard. American forces bore the brunt of the attack and incurred their highest casualties of any operation during the war. The battle also severely depleted Germany's armored forces, and they were largely unable to replace them. German personnel and, later, Luftwaffe aircraft also sustained heavy losses.
Start date: Dec 16, 1944
End date: Jan 25, 1945

Map of the opening of the salient, the start of the Battle of the Bulge
Map showing the swelling of "the Bulge" as the German offensive progressed creating the nose-like salient during 16–25 December 1944.   Front line, 16 December   Front line, 20 December   Front line, 25 December   Allied movements   German movements

wiki/Battle_of_the_Bulge
4.8.d17


Today in History 10/13 (ABA Basketball)

Larry Kenon of the New York Nets goes up to shoot over Roger Brown of the Indiana Pacers during a 1973 ABA game. (© Focus on Sport/Getty Images)(1967) New league takes a shot at competing with the NBA
The Anaheim Amigos take on the Oakland Oaks to tip off the first season of the American Basketball Association. Known for its colorful ball and colorful personalities, the league will last until 1976, launching the careers of some future NBA stars.
The original American Basketball Association was a men’s professional basketball league, from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, leading several teams to join the National Basketball Association and the introduction of the 3-point shot in the NBA.
Founded: 1967
Founders: Dennis Murphy · Richard Tinkham · Joe Newman
Teams: Springfield Sting

American Basketball Association (shield logo)
This is a logo for American Basketball Association.
wiki/American_Basketball_Association
4.15.A18

(1967) New league takes a shot at competing with the NBA.
Also on this day,

1773 | Messier spots another otherworldly ‘object’ and Whirlpool Galaxy is found
While searching the skies for celestial objects that might mislead comet seekers, French astronomer Charles Messier finds a cluster of stars that will later be named the Whirlpool Galaxy. It will eventually be found to have a spiral structure, the first spiral galaxy discovered, and will be plotted at over 23 million light-years away.
1958 | Paddington Bear’s debut as deepest, darkest Peru sends a small bear to London
A small stowaway bear with a distinct fondness for marmalade has turned up at London’s bustling Paddington Railway Station, where Mr. and Mrs. Brown decide to take him home. Author Michael Bond’s book for children, ‘A Bear Called Paddington,’ will launch this upstanding ursine into enduring fame.
1962 | George and Martha invite their new friends over for drinks as ‘Virginia Woolf’ opens
Edward Albee’s new play, ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ opens on Broadway, featuring four characters, a three-hour performance, and dialogue so barbed it could be weaponized. The chronicle of social niceties shredded by drink and neurosis will be adapted into an equally famous film.

Today in History 10/13/17

This 2005 image made by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51) (© NASA, ESA, S. Beckwith (STScI), Hubble Heritage Team STS/AP)(1773) Messier spots another otherworldly 'object'
While searching the skies for celestial objects that might mislead comet seekers, French astronomer Charles Messier finds a cluster of stars that will later be named the Whirlpool Galaxy. It will eventually be found to have a spiral structure, the first spiral galaxy discovered, and will be plotted at over 23 million light-years away.
The Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as Messier 51a, M51a, and NGC 5194, is an interacting grand-design spiral galaxy with a Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus in the constellation Canes Venatici. It was the first galaxy to be classified as a spiral galaxy. Recently it was estimated to be 23 ± 4 million light-years from the Milky Way, but different methods yield distances between 15 and 35 million light-years. Messier 51 is one of the best known galaxies in the sky. The galaxy and its companion, NGC 5195, are easily observed by amateur astronomers, and the two galaxies may even be seen with binoculars. The Whirlpool Galaxy is also a popular target for professional astronomers, who study it to further understand galaxy structure and galaxy interactions.
Apparent magnitude: 8.40
Absolute magnitude: 8.40
Apparent mass: 160 billion solar-mass
Distance to Earth: 23,157,103 light-year (7,100,000 parsec)
Constellation: Canes Venatici
Galactic group: M51 Group
Messier 51
The Whirlpool Galaxy (Spiral Galaxy M51, NGC 5194), a classic spiral galaxy located in the Canes Venatici constellation, and its companion NGC 5195.

wiki/Whirlpool_Galaxy
4.4.j17