Today in History ^02/06/17

February 6, 2017 by GµårÐïåñ

Statue of Sir Stamford Raffles against skyscrapers in Singapore (© xPACIFICA/Getty Images)

(1819) Modern Singapore founded

British statesman Sir Stamford Raffles founds the post of Singapore on the Malay Peninsula’s southern tip, securing British trading interests in the region. The small settlement will gain independence in 1965 and grow into one of the world’s major economic centers.

Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, and often referred to as the Lion City or the Little Red Dot, is a sovereign city-state in Southeast Asia, and the world’s only island city-state. It lies one degree north of the equator, south of the southernmost tip of continental Asia and peninsular Malaysia, with Indonesia’s Riau Islands to the south. Singapore’s territory consists of a diamond-shaped main island along with 62 other islets. Since independence, extensive land reclamation has increased its total size by 23%, and its greening policy has covered the densely populated island with tropical flora, parks and gardens.

Calling code: 65
GDP: $292.74 billion USD (2015)
Population: 5.54 million (2015)
Area: 269.11 sq miles (697 km²)
Travel tip: A lively city where people from many different cultures live together, Singapore makes a fascinating holiday destination. Don’t be put off by the fact that Singapore has a tropical … @tripadvisor

wiki/Singapore

Illustration from New York City Colonization Society, founded in 1817 to support the return of free Africans Americans to what was thought to be greater freedom in Africa (© The New York Historical Society/Getty Images)

(1820) Freed slaves leave the US for Africa

Sponsored by the American Colonization Society and the US Congress, a group of freed slaves sets sail for resettlement in Liberia, in West Africa. It’s the first of what will be many efforts to resettle American-born blacks in Africa. Some abolitionists claim the movement strengthens slavery.

The Back-to-Africa movement, also known as the Colonization movement or Black Zionism, originated in the United States in the 19th century. It encouraged those of African descent to return to the African homelands of their ancestors. This movement would eventually inspire other movements ranging from the Nation of Islam to the Rastafari movement, and proved to be popular among African-Americans.
wiki/Back-to-Africa_movement

(1937) John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ published

A poetically gritty story of two migrant farm workers struggling with social injustice and human frailty, ‘Of Mice and Men’ will catapult author John Steinbeck into the top ranks of American novelists.

Of Mice and Men is a novella written by author John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it tells the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job opportunities during the Great Depression in the United States.

Authors: John Steinbeck · Kevin Hinkle
First published: 1937
ATOS reading level: 4.50
Characters: Lennie Small · George Milton · Whit · Curley · Curley’s Wife · Carlson · Candy · Slim · Crooks
Genre: Novella
Adaptations: Of Mice and Men (1992) · Of Mice and Men (1939) · Of Mice and Men · George and Junior

wiki/Of_Mice_and_Men

Queen Elizabeth II returning to Buckingham Palace after her coronation in 1953 (©The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

(1952) Britain’s George VI dies and Elizabeth becomes Queen

King George VI dies in his sleep at the age of 56, and his 26-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, succeeds to the throne. She will become the United Kingdom’s longest-reigning head of state.

Elizabeth II has been Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand since 6 February 1952. She is Head of the Commonwealth and Queen of 12 countries that have become independent since her accession: Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis.

Born: Apr 21, 1926 (age 90) · London, England
Height: 5′ 4″ (1.63 m)
Spouse: Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (m. 1947)
Children: Prince Charles (Son) · Anne, Princess Royal (Daughter) · Edward Wessex (Son) · Prince Andrew, Duke of York (Son)
Parents: George VI (Father) · Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (Mother)
Siblings: Princess Margaret (Sister)
Highlights
1936: Her father acceded to the throne on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII in 1936, from which time she was the heir presumptive.

1947: Elizabeth and Philip were married on 20 November 1947 at Westminster Abbey.

1977: Trudeau’s supposed republicanism seemed to be confirmed by his antics, such as sliding down banisters at Buckingham Palace and pirouetting behind the Queen’s back in 1977, and the removal of various Canadian royal symbols during his term of office.

2010: The Queen addressed the United Nations for a second time in 2010, again in her capacity as Queen of all Commonwealth realms and Head of the Commonwealth.

2012: Her Diamond Jubilee in 2012 marked 60 years on the throne, and celebrations were held throughout her realms, the wider Commonwealth, and beyond.

2015: In 2015, she surpassed the reign of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, to become the longest-reigning British monarch and the longest-reigning queen regnant and female head of state in world history.

wiki/Elizabeth_II

3.2.j17

Today in History

August 7, 2016 by GµårÐïåñ

(1819) Spain’s hold on Latin America is pried loose at Boyacá
	The Andes Mountains echo with the clash of cavalries as Colombian and Venezuelan Republican armies meet Spanish royalist forces fighting to hold their provinces. General Simón Bolívar’s Republican forces triumph, which ultimately leads to Spain losing its northern Latin American empire. .
(1909) Ramsey is first woman to drive across the US
Stepping on the brakes after 59 days and 3,800 miles, driver Alice Huyler Ramsey and three friends finish their epic cross-country road trip from New York City to San Francisco. Behind the wheel of her four-cylinder Maxwell DA touring car, Ramsey is the first woman to drive across the US..
(1959) Earth is ready for its close-up as Explorer 6 launches
	NASA’s Explorer 6 satellite blasts off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to orbit the Earth on a 60-day mission. A UHF transmitter will send back the first satellite TV image of the Earth from orbit a few days later, beginning an era of astounding portraits of our planet. .
(1974) High-wire artist walks between the Twin Towers
Frenchman Philippe Petit walks out onto a cable he’s illegally rigged 1,350 feet in the air between the Twin Towers of New York City’s World Trade Center. Petit performs a 45-minute high-wire act, complete with a bit of joyful dancing, to the cheers of astounded onlookers. .