Today in History ^05/22/17

May 22, 2017 by GµårÐïåñ

Illustrated map of the westward trail from Missouri to Oregon, circa 1840 (© MPI/Getty Images)

(1843) The Great Emigration wagon trains head west

Some 1,000 pioneers begin their journey to America’s West Coast via the Oregon Trail, a 2,200-mile wagon road spanning half a continent from the Missouri River to the Willamette Valley in the future state of Oregon. Upwards of 400,000 more emigrants will follow its wheel ruts west in the coming decades.

The Oregon Trail is a 2,170-mile historic east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of the future state of Kansas, and nearly all of what are now the states of Nebraska and Wyoming. The western half of the trail spanned most of the future states of Idaho and Oregon.

Established: 1843
Managed by: National Park Service

wiki/Oregon_Trail

People looking at an enormous crack on a street due to the earthquake that struck Valdivia, Chile, on May 22, 1960 (© STF/AFP/Getty Images)

(1960) Strongest earthquake ever recorded slams Chile

A magnitude 9.5 earthquake, the most powerful in recorded history, rocks the southern coast of Chile for more than 10 minutes, killing thousands, causing massive landslides, triggering volcanic eruptions, and spawning tsunamis so enormous that they cause 61 deaths in Hawaii.

The 1960 Valdivia earthquake or Great Chilean earthquake of 22 May is the most powerful earthquake ever recorded. Various studies have placed it at 9.4–9.6 on the moment magnitude scale. It occurred in the afternoon, and lasted approximately 10 minutes. The resulting tsunami affected southern Chile, Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, eastern New Zealand, southeast Australia and the Aleutian Islands.

Fatalities: 5,700
Date: May 22, 1960

wiki/1960_Valdivia_earthquake

This close-up view of a monitor shows the electronic video game Pac-Man in 1983 (© AP)

(1980) A recreation revolution begins with a game that gobbles

Japanese company Namco introduces ‘Puck Man,’ an arcade maze game based on the idea of eating. Introduced months later to the US and renamed ‘Pac-Man,’ it will grow in popularity to become the most famous, most profitable, and some say most influential, arcade video game ever released.

Pac-Man, stylized as PAC-MAN, is an arcade game developed by Namco and first released in Japan in May 1980. It was created by Japanese video game designer Toru Iwatani. It was licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway and released in October 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, and an icon of 1980s popular culture. Upon its release, the game—and, subsequently, Pac-Man derivatives—became a social phenomenon that yielded high sales of merchandise and inspired a legacy in other media, such as the Pac-Man animated television series and the top-ten hit single “Pac-Man Fever”. Pac-Man was popular in the 1980s and 1990s and is still played in the 2010s.

Release date: May 22, 1980
Developer: Namco
Publishers: Namco · Midway Games · Bandai Namco Entertainment
Designer: Toru Iwatani
Platforms: Arcade game · Apple II
ESRB rating: E for Everyone

wiki/Pac-Man

Johnny Carson on his final 'Tonight Show' on May 22, 1992 (© Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

(1992) Johnny Carson’s final ‘Tonight Show’

Late-night legend Johnny Carson signs off after 30 years of hosting ‘The Tonight Show.’ His final show features no guests, focusing instead on clips and remembrances from Carson, sidekick Ed McMahon and bandleader Doc Severinsen. Jay Leno will take over the show, but not without some controversy.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight Show franchise from October 1, 1962 through May 22, 1992. It originally aired during late-night. For its first decade, Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show was based at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City, with some episodes recorded at NBC-TV’s West Coast studios in Burbank, California; on May 1, 1972, the show moved to Burbank as its main venue and remained there exclusively after May 1973 until Carson’s retirement. In 2002, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was ranked No. 12 on TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time, and in 2013 it was ranked No. 22 on their list of 60 Best Series.

First episode: Oct 01, 1962
Episode duration: 105 minutes
Creators: Steve Allen · Dwight Hemion · Sylvester Weaver · William O. Harbach
Theme song: Johnny’s Theme
Producers: Peter Lassally · Fred de Cordova
Awards: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Series · Primetime Emmy Award for Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program · Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Mixing – Variety Series Or Special · People’s Choice Award for Favorite Talk Show Host · Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement In Tape Sound Mixing

wiki/The_Tonight_Show_Starring_Johnny_Carson

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Today in History ^12/19/16

December 19, 2016 by GµårÐïåñ

(1777) General George Washington leads troops to Valley Forge

The Continental Army commander takes his 11,000 men to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to rest for the winter. However, the beleaguered troops will not get the recuperation they need. Basic supplies, such as food and clothing, will run low. Starvation and exposure will kill about 2,500 soldiers.
Valley Forge was the military camp 18 miles northwest of Philadelphia where the American Continental Army spent the winter of 1777–78 during the American Revolutionary War. Starvation, disease, malnutrition, and exposure killed more than 2,500 American soldiers by the end of February 1778. Start date: Dec 19, 1777 End date: Jun 18, 1778 — Source: wiki/Valley_Forge
(1843) ‘A Christmas Carol’ is published in Britain

The novella by British writer Charles Dickens tells the story of miser Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation to a kinder soul following visits from the ghost of his old business partner and the ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come. The story is an immediate success, and will remain one of Dickens’ most beloved works.
A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost-Story of Christmas, commonly known as A Christmas Carol, is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall on 19 December 1843. The novella met with instant success and critical acclaim. A Christmas Carol tells the story of a bitter old miser named Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation into a gentler, kindlier man after visitations by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. Authors: Charles Dickens · Paul Sills · Stephen Krensky First published: Dec 19, 1843 ATOS reading level: 4.10 Characters: Ebenezer Scrooge · Ghost of Christmas Past · Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come · Tiny Tim · Ghost of Christmas Present · Bob Cratchit · Fezziwig · Mrs. Cratchit · Fred · Martha Cratchit Genre: Novella Adaptations: A Christmas Carol (2009) · A Christmas Carol (1951) · A Christmas Carol (1984) · A Christmas Carol (1938) · Scrooge (1970) · The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) · A Christmas Carol (1999) — Source: wiki/A_Christmas_Carol
(1984) Britain agrees to give Hong Kong back to China

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang sign an agreement that will end 155 years of British rule over Hong Kong. The agreement stipulates that the island will remain a capitalist economy and residents will enjoy existing freedoms for 50 years.
The Sino–British Joint Declaration, formally known as the Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong, was signed by Premier Zhao Ziyang of the People’s Republic of China and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom on behalf of their respective governments on 19 December 1984 in Beijing. The Declaration entered into force with the exchange of instruments of ratification on 27 May 1985, and was registered by the PRC and UK governments at the United Nations on 12 June 1985. In the Joint Declaration, the PRC Government stated that it had decided to resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong (including Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories) with effect from 1 July 1997, and the UK Government declared that it would hand over Hong Kong to the PRC with effect from 1 July 1997. The PRC Government also declared its basic policies regarding Hong Kong in the document. In accordance with the “one country, two systems” principle agreed between the UK and the PRC, the socialist system of PRC would not be practiced in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and Hong Kong’s previous capitalist system and its way of life would remain unchanged for a period of 50 years until 2047. The Joint Declaration provides that these basic policies should be stipulated in the Hong Kong Basic Law and that the socialist system and socialist policies shall not be practiced in HKSAR. — Source: wiki/Sino-British_Joint_Declaration
(1998) US President Bill Clinton is impeached

The House of Representatives votes to remove President Clinton from office over charges relating to his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Clinton is just the second US president to be impeached, following Andrew Johnson in 1868. The Senate, however, will vote to acquit Clinton, and he will finish out his second term in office.
Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, was impeached by the House of Representatives on two charges, one of perjury and one of obstruction of justice, on December 19, 1998. Two other impeachment articles, a second perjury charge and a charge of abuse of power, failed in the House. He was acquitted of both charges by the Senate on February 12, 1999. Independent Counsel Ken Starr alleged that Clinton had broken the law during his handling of the Lewinsky scandal and the Paula Jones lawsuit. Four charges were considered by the full House of Representatives; only two passed, and those on a nearly party-line vote. It was only the second time in history that the House had impeached the President of the United States, and only the third that the full House had considered such proceedings. The trial in the United States Senate began right after the seating of the 106th Congress, in which the Republicans began with 55 senators. A two-thirds vote was required to remove Clinton from office. Fifty senators voted to remove Clinton on the obstruction … Start date: Dec 19, 1998 End date: Feb 12, 1999 — Source: wiki/Impeachment_of_Bill_Clinton
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A Historical Day

May 22, 2016 by GµårÐïåñ

(1455) Three decades of dynastic war begin in England
	The 30-year struggle to rule England begins as forces of King Henry VI meet those of the Duke of York at the First Battle of St Albans. The sitting House of Lancaster chooses the red rose as its symbol, while a white rose embodies the House of York, as the Wars of the Roses commence..
(1843) The Great Emigration wagon trains head west
Some 1,000 pioneers begin their journey to America’s West Coast via the Oregon Trail, a 2,200-mile wagon road spanning half a continent from the Missouri River to the Willamette Valley in the future state of Oregon. Upwards of 400,000 more emigrants will follow its wheel ruts west in the coming decades..
(1960) Strongest earthquake ever recorded slams Chile
	A magnitude 9.5 earthquake, the most powerful in recorded history, rocks the southern coast of Chile for more than 10 minutes, killing thousands, causing massive landslides, triggering volcanic eruptions, and spawning tsunamis so enormous that they cause 61 deaths in Hawaii..
(1980) A recreation revolution begins with a game that gobbles
Japanese company Namco introduces ‘Puck Man,’ an arcade maze game based on the idea of eating. Introduced months later to the US and renamed ‘Pac-Man,’ it will grow in popularity to become the most famous, most profitable, and some say most influential, arcade video game ever released..