Today in History ^05/01/17

May 1, 2017 by GµårÐïåñ

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

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.

/w/May_Day_Strike_of_1886

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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Today in History ^12/24/16

December 24, 2016 by GµårÐïåñ

(1851) Massive fire devastates Library of Congress

A large fire ravages the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, destroying about two-thirds of the collection, including books from Thomas Jefferson’s personal library. Congress will open its wallets to replace the lost volumes over the next several years.
The Library of Congress is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the de facto national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. The Library is housed in three buildings on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.; it also maintains the Packard Campus in Culpeper, Virginia, which houses the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center. Address: 101 Independence Ave, Washington, D.C. 20540 Phone: (202) 707-9779 Founded: Apr 24, 1800 · District of Columbia, United States Founder: John Adams Architects: Paul J. Pelz · John L. Smithmeyer · Edward Pearce Casey . Alfred Easton Poor — Source: wiki/Library_of_Congress
(1865) Ku Klux Klan is founded in Tennessee

In the aftermath of the Civil War, several Confederate veterans establish the secret vigilante group to threaten and murder freed blacks and their supporters and to restore white supremacy. The name reportedly is derived from the Greek word for circle, “kyklos.” Soon the KKK will spread to every state in the American South.
The Ku Klux Klan, or simply “the Klan”, is the name of three distinct movements in the United States that have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, anti-immigration, and, especially in later iterations, Nordicism, anti-Catholicism, and antisemitism, historically expressed through terrorism aimed at groups or individuals whom they opposed. All three movements have called for the “purification” of American society, and all are considered right wing extremist organizations. Founded: 1915 Founders: Frank O. McCord · John C. Lester · J. Calvin Jones · Richard R. Reed · James R. Crowe · John B. Kennedy — Source: wiki/Ku_Klux_Klan
(1955) NORAD’s newest mission: Tracking Santa

An ad in a Colorado newspaper gives children Santa’s phone number, but a misprint routes calls to a red phone at the NORAD air defense command center. Strait-laced Col. Harry Shoup adjusts on the fly and tells staff to give the kids Santa’s “current location.” A tradition is born.
NORAD Tracks Santa is an annual Christmas-themed entertainment program, which has existed since 1955, produced under the auspices of the North American Aerospace Defense Command. Every year on Christmas Eve, “NORAD Tracks Santa” purports to track Santa Claus as he leaves the North Pole and delivers presents to children around the world. First occurred: 1955 — Source: wiki/NORAD_Tracks_Santa
(1979) Soviet Union invades Afghanistan

Soviet forces enter the country under the guise of enforcing the Soviet-Afghan Friendship Treaty. Soon the Soviets will control Kabul and other cities, though guerilla fighters, the mujahidin, will hold onto the countryside. After nine years, the Soviets will withdraw, defeated.
The Soviet–Afghan War lasted over nine years from December 1979 to February 1989. Insurgent groups fought against the Soviet Army and allied Afghan forces. Between 850,000–2 million civilians were killed and millions of Afghans fled the country as refugees, mostly to Pakistan and Iran. The war is considered part of the Cold War. Start date: Dec 24, 1979 End date: Feb 15, 1989 — Source: wiki/Soviet–Afghan_War
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Today in History ^11/14/16

November 14, 2016 by GµårÐïåñ

(1851) Herman Melville’s story of the white whale is published in the US

	‘Call me Ishmael’ first appears in print in the United States, the opening line of a new novel by a former sailor. An earlier version of ‘Moby-Dick,’ entitled ‘The Whale,’ had been published in England. The novel will flop on both sides of the Atlantic, but long after Melville’s death, it will be hailed as a classic..
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is a novel by Herman Melville, in which Ishmael narrates the monomaniacal quest of Ahab, captain of the whaler Pequod, for revenge on the albino sperm whale Moby Dick, which on a previous voyage destroyed Ahab’s ship and severed his leg at the knee. Although the novel was a commercial failure and out of print at the time of the author’s death in 1891, its reputation grew immensely during the twentieth century. D. H. Lawrence called it “one of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world,” and “the greatest book of the sea ever written.” Moby-Dick is considered a Great American Novel and an outstanding work of the Romantic period in America and the American Renaissance. “Call me Ishmael” is one of world literature’s most famous opening sentences. The product of a year and a half of writing, the book is dedicated to Nathaniel Hawthorne, “in token of my admiration for his genius,” and draws on Melville’s experience at sea, on his reading in whaling literature, and on literary inspirations such as Shakespeare and the Bible. Author: Herman Melville First published: Nov 29, 2014 — Source: wiki/Moby-Dick — Additional Source: wiki/Herman_Melville
(1889) Journalist Nellie Bly sets out for around-the-world trip

A reporter ahead of her time, Nellie Bly begins what will be a successful attempt to travel around the world in less than 80 days, putting Jules Verne’s fictional story ‘Around the World in 80 days’ to a real-life test. Bly will complete the journey in 72 days, travelling alone for bulk of it. .
Around the World in Seventy-Two Days is a book by journalist Elizabeth Jane Cochrane, writing under her pseudonym, Nellie Bly. The chronicle details her 72-day trip around the world, which was inspired by the book, Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne. She carried out the journey for Joseph Pulitzer’s tabloid newspaper, the New York World. Author: Nellie Bly First published: 1890 Genre: Non-fiction — Source: wiki/Around_the_World_in_Seventy-Two_Days
(1969) Rocket lifts off in second manned mission to moon

	Apollo 12 takes off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida with three astronauts aboard: Charles Conrad, Jr.; Richard Gordon, Jr.; and Alan Bean. A few days later, Conrad and Bean will become the third and fourth persons to walk on the moon’s surface..
Apollo 12 was the sixth manned flight in the United States Apollo program and the second to land on the Moon. It was launched on November 14, 1969, from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, four months after Apollo 11. Mission commander Charles “Pete” Conrad and Lunar Module Pilot Alan L. Bean performed just over one day and seven hours of lunar surface activity while Command Module Pilot Richard F. Gordon remained in lunar orbit. The landing site for the mission was located in the southeastern portion of the Ocean of Storms. Mission start: Nov 14, 1969 Mission end: Nov 24, 1969 Space program: Apollo program Astronauts: Pete Conrad · Alan Bean · Richard Gordon Destination: Moon — Source: wiki/Apollo_12
(1973) Britain’s Princess Anne marries in a televised ceremony

Princess Anne, the only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, marries a commoner, Capt. Mark Phillips, in Westminster Abbey. An estimated 500 million people tune in to the worldwide broadcast of the ceremony. The couple will go on to have two children but will eventually divorce..
Anne, Princess Royal, KG KT GCVO GCStJ QSO GCL CD (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. At the time of her birth, she was third in the line of succession, behind her mother and elder brother Charles. She rose to second after her mother’s accession, but is currently 12th in line. Anne is known for her charitable work, and is patron of over 200 organizations. She is also known for equestrian talents; she won two silver medals (1975) and one gold medal (1971) at the European Eventing Championships, and is the first member of the British Royal Family to have competed in the Olympic Games. Princess Anne has held the title of Princess Royal since 1987 and is its seventh holder. Anne was married to Captain Mark Phillips in 1973; they divorced in 1992. They have two children and three grandchildren. In 1992, within months of her divorce, Anne married Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, whom she had met while he served as her mother’s equerry between 1986 and 1989. — Source: wiki/Anne,_Princess_Royal
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Today in History

October 18, 2016 by GµårÐïåñ

(1851) Tale of a white whale surfaces in England

	A London publisher releases a 927-page epic sea yarn, ‘The Whale,’ by American author Herman Melville. The US edition will be published a month later, almost 300 pages shorter, and re-titled ‘Moby-Dick.’ What will later be hailed as one of the greatest novels ever written will initially sell poorly..
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is a novel by American writer Herman Melville, published in 1851 during the period of the American Renaissance. Sailor Ishmael tells the story of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaler the Pequod, for revenge on Moby Dick, the white whale which on the previous whaling voyage destroyed his ship and severed his leg at the knee. The novel was a commercial failure and out of print at the time of the author’s death in 1891, but during the 20th century, its reputation as a Great American Novel was established. William Faulkner confessed he wished he had written it himself, and D. H. Lawrence called it “one of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world”, and “the greatest book of the sea ever written”. “Call me Ishmael” is among world literature’s most famous opening sentences. Author: Herman Melville First published: Oct 18, 1851 Characters: Captain Ahab · Ishmael · Queequeg · Elijah · Starbuck · Captain Boomer · Stubb · Moby Dick Genres: Novel · Nautical fiction · Fiction · Adventure fiction — Source: wiki/Moby-Dick
(1922) The ‘Beeb’ begins its broadcasting reign

After two years of government and military control over a new innovation, radio broadcasting, the British public wants entertainment over their airwaves, and following hundreds of license requests and thousands of petition signatures, the British Broadcasting Company, or BBC, is founded. .
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. It is headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, and is the world’s oldest national broadcasting organisation and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees, with over 20,950 staff in total, of whom 16,672 are in public sector broadcasting; including part-time, flexible as well as fixed contract staff, the total number is 35,402. Website: www.bbc.com (bbc.co.uk) Customer service: +1 208-743-8000 Founded: London, England Founder: John Reith, 1st Baron Reith Headquarters: London, England — Source: wiki/BBC
(1945) Argentina’s future president marries Evita

	Actress Maria Eva Duarte stands with Colonel Juan Perón as they exchange wedding vows. Less than a year later Perón will be Argentina’s president and his wife First Lady, where she will rise to prominence on the world stage known better by her affectionate nickname, Evita. .
Juan Perón Former Vice President of Argentina Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine lieutenant general and politician. After serving in several government positions, including Minister of Labour and Vice President, he was thrice elected President of Argentina, serving from June 1946 to September 1955, when he was overthrown in a coup d’état, and then from October 1973 until his death in July 1974. Eva Perón When the rich think about the poor, they have poor ideas. María Eva Duarte de Perón was the second wife of Argentine President Juan Perón and served as the First Lady of Argentina from 1946 until her death in 1952. She is usually referred to as Eva Perón, or by the affectionate Spanish language diminutive Evita. — Source: wiki/Juan_Perón — Source: wiki/Eva_Perón
(1968) ‘Black Power’ salutes lead to Olympic suspensions

Two days after sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos stood atop the Olympic medal stand and raised their fists in a ‘Black Power’ salute, they are suspended from the US team and banned from Mexico City’s Olympic village. Their civil rights protest draws both criticism and praise..
The 1968 Olympics Black Power salute was a political demonstration conducted by African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos during their medal ceremony at the 1968 Summer Olympics in the Olympic Stadium in Mexico City. After having won gold and bronze medals, respectively, in the 200 meter running event, they turned on the podium to face their flags, and to hear the American national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”. Each athlete raised a black-gloved fist, and kept them raised until the anthem had finished. In addition, Smith, Carlos, and Australian silver medalist Peter Norman all wore human rights badges on their jackets. In his autobiography, Silent Gesture, Smith stated that the gesture was not a “Black Power” salute, but a “human rights salute”. The event is regarded as one of the most overtly political statements in the history of the modern Olympic Games. Date: Oct 16, 1968 — Source: wiki/1968_Olympics_Black_Power_salute
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Today in History

September 18, 2016 by GµårÐïåñ

(1837) Future jewelry giant opens shop in Manhattan

	Charles Lewis Tiffany uses $1,000 borrowed from his father to open a “stationery and fancy goods emporium” in downtown Manhattan. While the iconic blue box is there at the beginning, a switch less than a decade later from costume jewelry to the precious stuff turns the sales tide at Tiffany’s..
Tiffany & Company (known colloquially as Tiffany or Tiffany’s) is an American luxury jewelry and specialty retailer, headquartered in New York City. — Source: wiki/Tiffany_&_Co.
(1851) The news world’s ‘Gray Lady’ is born

Whig Party politician Henry Raymond and ex-banker George Jones publish the inaugural issue of ‘The New-York Daily Times.’ It’ll become better known by a shortened name, ‘The New York Times,’ go on to win more than a hundred Pulitzer Prizes, and be deemed the US newspaper of record..
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper, founded and continuously published in New York City since September 18, 1851, by The New York Times Company. The New York Times has won 117 Pulitzer Prizes, more than any other news organization. Customer service: +1 800-698-4637 Headquarter: New York, NY Owner: The New York Times Company Nominations: Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting — Source: wiki/The_New_York_Times
(1870) Geyser gives expedition a spectacular show

	A cone geyser that shoots thousands of gallons of boiling water 125 feet into the air is named ‘Old Faithful’ by members of an expedition. The geyser’s astounding show, repeated at regular intervals, will soon make it a star attraction, with some visitors using it to wash laundry, at what will soon be the world’s first national park..
Old Faithful is a cone geyser located in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, United States. Old Faithful was named in 1870 during the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition and was the first geyser in the park to receive a name. It is one of the most predictable geothermal features on Earth,; since 2000, it has erupted every 44 to 125 minutes. The geyser, as well as the nearby Old Faithful Inn, is part of the Old Faithful Historic District. Address: In Yellowstone National Park, In Yellowstone National Phone: (307) 547-2750 Website: http://www.nps.gov/yell/ — Source: wiki/Old_Faithful
(1960) Cuba’s new leader pays a visit to the US

Leftist revolutionary Fidel Castro, prime minister of Cuba after his forces ousted Batista’s government the year before, arrives in New York to meet with Americans sympathetic to his cause, and will later speak at the UN. His visit, at the height of Cold War, causes consternation in some and sparks celebration in others. .
Fidel Castro arrives in New York City as the head of the Cuban delegation to the United Nations. Castro’s visit stirred indignation and admiration from various sectors of American society, and was climaxed by his speech to the United Nations on September 26. — Source: history.com/this-day-in-history/castro-arrives-in-new-york
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