1776

Today in History 08/27 (Renée Richards)

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Renee Richards during a match at the Orange Lawn Tennis Club in South Orange, NJ, on Aug 26, 1976 (© Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)(1976) Tennis bars a transgender pioneer from competition
Nine months after her sex-reassignment surgery, Dr. Renée Richards refuses to take a chromosome test mandated by tennis authorities and is banned from playing in the US Open. A court order will later admit Richards to 1977’s tournament.
Renée Richards is an American ophthalmologist and former tennis player who had some success on the professional circuit in the 1970s, and became widely known following male-to-female sex reassignment surgery, when she fought to compete as a woman in the 1976 US Open.
Born: Aug 19, 1934 (age 84) · New York, NY
Height: 6′ 1″
Turned pro: 1977
Nationality: American
Children: Nicholas Raskind (Son)
Parents: David Raskind (Father)

the semis, against Lea Antonopolis
When Richards’ run in New Jersey came to an end in the semis, against Lea Antonopolis, she thought she would repeat her breakthrough at the US Open. After all, that loss proved a woman could beat her.
wiki/Renée_Richards
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(1976) Tennis bars a transgender pioneer from competition.
Also on this day,

1776 | Washington loses to Howe in Brooklyn Heights
Less than two months a nation, the United States fights the largest Revolutionary War battle yet when George Washington and his 10,000 Continental Army troops battle General William Howe’s 20,000-strong British force at Gowanus Pass in Brooklyn Heights to control New York City’s strategic port.
1883 | A Dutch East Indies island volcano blows its top
Dormant for 200 years, the volcanic island of Krakatoa began erupting yesterday, and today explodes with the loudest sounds in recorded history, destroying two-thirds of the island, causing more than 36,000 deaths, and generating multiple tsunamis, green moonlight, and a weather-altering volcanic winter.
1955 | Amazing accomplishments and freaky facts get their tome in Guinness Records
Inspired by an argument over whether the red grouse or golden plover flies faster, the marketing director at Guinness Breweries and fact-finding colleagues compile a reference book to answer such weird and wonderful questions, and the first ‘Guinness Book of Records’ is published.

Today in History 08/27/17

Painting of the Delaware Regiment at the Battle of Long Island in 1776 (© Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty images)(1776) Washington loses to Howe in Brooklyn Heights
Less than two months a nation, the United States fights the largest Revolutionary War battle yet when George Washington and his 10,000 Continental Army troops battle General William Howe's 20,000-strong British force at Gowanus Pass in Brooklyn Heights to control New York City's strategic port.
The Battle of Long Island is also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights. It was fought on August 27, 1776 and was the first major battle of the American Revolutionary War to take place after the United States declared its independence on July 4, 1776. It was a victory for the British Army and the beginning of a successful campaign that gave them control of the strategically important city of New York. In terms of troop deployment and fighting, it was the largest battle of the entire war.
Date: Aug 27, 1776
Brooklyn Map 1766
American strategy called for the first line of defense to be based on the Heights of Guan, a series of hills which stretched northeast across King's County. The main defensive works were a series of forts and entrenchments located in the northwest of the county, in and around the Dutch-founded town of Brookland. The "Road to Narrows" is the Gowanus Road. No. 5 is the "Old Stone House". Map by Bernard Ratzer based on his 1766-1767 survey.

wiki/Battle_of_Long_Island
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Today in History 07/04 (Independence Day)

Painting of the 'Committee of Five' of the Second Continental Congress presenting the Declaration of Independence to Congress in July 1776 (© Universal History Archive/Getty Images)(1776) Thirteen colonies make a break from Britain
The 13 American colonies throw off British rule as Philadelphia’s Continental Congress announces a new nation made up of united states. The anniversary of this Declaration of Independence, ratified one year into the Revolutionary War, will continue to be celebrated in the US as Independence Day.
The United States Declaration of Independence is the statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. The Declaration announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with the Kingdom of Great Britain would regard themselves as thirteen independent sovereign states no longer under British rule. With the Declaration, these new states took a collective first step toward forming the United States of America. The declaration was signed by representatives from New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
Authors: Thomas Jefferson · John Adams · Robert R. Livingston · Roger Sherman · Benjamin Franklin
First published: Jul 1776

United States Declaration of Independence
This is a high-resolution image of the United States Declaration of Independence (article – text). This image is a version of the 1823 William Stone facsimile — Stone may well have used a wet pressing process (that removed ink from the original document onto a contact sheet for the purpose of making the engraving).
wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence
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(1776) Thirteen colonies make a break from Britain.
Also on this day,

1054 | Astronomers spot the brilliant burst of a dying star
Chinese astronomers spot a “guest star” in the sky, so brilliant it can be seen in the daytime. It will remain visible for some two years, be observed in Asian, Arab, and possibly American lands, and later be identified as the SN 1054 supernova that births the Crab Nebula pulsar.
1862 | Boredom while boating hatches a fantastic fable ‘Alice in Wonderland’
Alice Liddell, 10, asks Charles Dodgson to tell her a story while they’re boating near Oxford, England. He weaves a tale of a bored little girl who suddenly finds herself down a rabbit hole. Dodgson will later publish ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ under his pen name, Lewis Carroll.
1976 | A courageous commando raid on Entebbe rescues hijacked hostages
A plane departing Tel Aviv is hijacked and lands in Uganda, where Palestinian terrorists threaten to kill passengers unless demands are met. Under cover of darkness, Israeli commandos rush the airport and rescue most of the hostages in a 90-minute lightning raid, Operation Entebbe.

Today in History 08/27/17

Painting of the Delaware Regiment at the Battle of Long Island in 1776 (© Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty images)(1776) Washington loses to Howe in Brooklyn Heights
Less than two months a nation, the United States fights the largest Revolutionary War battle yet when George Washington and his 10,000 Continental Army troops battle General William Howe’s 20,000-strong British force at Gowanus Pass in Brooklyn Heights to control New York City’s strategic port.
The Battle of Long Island is also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights. It was fought on August 27, 1776 and was the first major battle of the American Revolutionary War to take place after the United States declared its independence on July 4, 1776. It was a victory for the British Army and the beginning of a successful campaign that gave them control of the strategically important city of New York. In terms of troop deployment and fighting, it was the largest battle of the entire war.
Date: Aug 27, 1776
Brooklyn Map 1766
American strategy called for the first line of defense to be based on the Heights of Guan, a series of hills which stretched northeast across King’s County. The main defensive works were a series of forts and entrenchments located in the northwest of the county, in and around the Dutch-founded town of Brookland. The “Road to Narrows” is the Gowanus Road. No. 5 is the “Old Stone House”. Map by Bernard Ratzer based on his 1766-1767 survey.

wiki/Battle_of_Long_Island
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Today in History 07/04/17

Painting of the 'Committee of Five' of the Second Continental Congress presenting the Declaration of Independence to Congress in July 1776 (© Universal History Archive/Getty Images)(1776) Thirteen colonies make a break from Britain
The 13 American colonies throw off British rule as Philadelphia’s Continental Congress announces a new nation made up of united states. The anniversary of this Declaration of Independence, ratified one year into the Revolutionary War, will continue to be celebrated in the US as Independence Day.
The Declaration of Independence is the statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with the Kingdom of Great Britain, regarded themselves as thirteen newly independent sovereign states, and no longer under British rule. Instead they formed a new nation—the United States of America. John Adams was a leader in pushing for independence, which was passed on July 2 with no opposing vote cast. A committee of five had already drafted the formal declaration, to be ready when Congress voted on independence.
Authors: Thomas Jefferson · Benjamin Franklin · John Adams · Roger Sherman · Robert R. Livingston
First published: Jul 1776
United States Declaration of Independence

wiki/United_States_Declaration_of_Independence
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Today in History 05/01/17

Initiation of an Illuminatus, published circa 1867 (© Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)(1776) Bavarian Illuminati society is founded
With Freemason membership beyond his means, Adam Weishaupt founds his own secret society to promote anti-clerical and pro-Enlightenment ideas, the Order of Illuminati. The society will inspire both deep thought and wild conspiracy theories.
The Illuminati is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on 1 May 1776. The society’s goals were to oppose superstition, obscurantism, religious influence over public life and abuses of state power. “The order of the day,” they wrote in their general statutes, “is to put an end to the machinations of the purveyors of injustice, to control them without dominating them”. The Illuminati—along with Freemasonry and other secret societies—were outlawed through edict, by the Bavarian ruler, Charles Theodore, with the encouragement of the Roman Catholic Church, in 1784, 1785, 1787 and 1790. In the several years following, the group was vilified by conservative and religious critics who claimed that they continued underground and were responsible for the French Revolution.
Founded: 1776
Ceased operation: 1785
Headquarters: Ingolstadt, Germany
Founder: Adam Weishaupt
Minerval Insignia

wiki/Illuminati
Coloured lithograph showing the Crystal Palace of The Great Exhibition in London in 1851 (© SSPL/Getty Images)(1851) The Great Exhibition displays 19th-century might and majesty
The Great Exhibition in London’s Hyde Park opens with 13,000 exhibitors of the finest achievements in industry, science, and the arts. The displays stretch over 8 miles of tables inside a massive glass and iron structure dubbed ‘The Crystal Palace.’ The show will attract 6 million visitors.
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations or The Great Exhibition, sometimes referred to as the Crystal Palace Exhibition in reference to the temporary structure in which it was held, was an international exhibition that took place in Hyde Park, London, from 1 May to 15 October 1851. It was the first in a series of World’s Fairs, exhibitions of culture and industry that became popular in the 19th century, and it was a much anticipated event. The Great Exhibition was organized by Henry Cole and Prince Albert, husband of the reigning monarch, Queen Victoria. It was attended by famous people of the time, including Charles Darwin, Samuel Colt, members of the Orléanist Royal Family and the writers Charlotte Brontë, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carroll, George Eliot and Alfred Tennyson. Music for the opening was under the direction of Sir George Thomas Smart and the continuous music from the exhibited organs for the Queen’s procession was “under the superintendence of William Sterndale Bennett”.
Start date: May 01, 1851
End date: Oct 15, 1851

wiki/The_Great_Exhibition
Engraving of police officers dispersing the strike of streetcar employees in New York in 1886 (© Prisma/UIG/Getty Images)(1886) Workers strike and rally for rights in major US cities
Sixty-hour workweeks at poverty wages inspire marchers to mass in Chicago, New York, Milwaukee, and other American cities. Among their demands are an 8-hour workday and better labor conditions. The strikes and rallies will inspire International Worker’s Day.

On May 1, 1886, 350,000 workers staged a nationwide work stoppage to demand the adoption of a standard eight-hour workday. Forty thousand workers struck in Chicago, Illinois; ten thousand struck in New York; eleven thousand struck in Detroit, Michigan. As many as thirty-two thousand workers struck in Cincinnati, Ohio, although some of these workers had been out on strike for several months before May 1.

The purpose of the May Day Strike was to bring pressure on employers and state governments to create an eight-hour workday. During this period, workers commonly spent twelve or more hours of each day at work. Unions, especially the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions of the United States and Canada — the predecessor of the American Federation of Labor, encouraged workers to strike on May 1, 1886, to demonstrate the need for an eight-hour day. The strike was to last a single day, although numerous workers remained away from their jobs for several weeks.

Not all unions condoned the May Day Strike. The Knights of Labor preferred peaceful negotiations and boycotts to secure better working conditions for employees. Terence Powderly, the leader of the Knights of Labor at this time, prohibited Knights of Labor members from participating. Despite Powderly’s proclamation, thousands of his union’s members struck on May 1. Numerous members of the Knights of Labor opposed the more peaceful tactics of Powderly.

The May Day Strike had some success. In Cincinnati, some employers, hoping to avoid the strike, granted their workers an eight-hour day. Other employers increased workers’ pay. Throughout the late 1800s, May Day Strikes became commonplace. Very quickly similar strikes occurred around the world. The May Day Strikes helped convince United States President Grover Cleveland to implement Labor Day, a holiday that celebrates the American worker. Numerous countries still celebrate May Day today.


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The Empire State Building and the Manhattan skyline viewed from the Metropolitan Life Insurance tower. (© NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images)(1931) World’s tallest building is dedicated in New York City
At 102 stories high, the towering Art Deco-inspired Empire State Building is now the tallest manmade structure on the planet, and dominates midtown Manhattan’s skyline. It will reign as the world’s tallest building for nearly four decades, until the original World Trade Center overtakes it in 1970.
The Empire State Building is a 102-story skyscraper located on Fifth Avenue between West 33rd and 34th Streets in Midtown, Manhattan, New York City. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet, and with its antenna included, it stands a total of 1,454 feet tall. Its name is derived from the nickname for New York, the Empire State. It stood as the world’s tallest building for nearly 40 years, from its completion in early 1931 until the topping out of the original World Trade Center’s North Tower in late 1970. Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, the Empire State Building was again the tallest building in New York, until One World Trade Center reached a greater height in April 2012. The Empire State Building is currently the fifth-tallest completed skyscraper in the United States and the 34th-tallest in the world. It is also the fifth-tallest freestanding structure in the Americas. When measured by pinnacle height, it is the fourth-tallest building in the United States.
Website: www.esbnyc.com
Address: 350 5th Ave, New York, NY 10118
Phone: (212) 736-3100
Opened: May 01, 1931
Floors: 102
Height: 1,250 feet (381 m) (Architectural) · 1,454 feet (443.20 m) (Tip)

wiki/Empire_State_Building
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