Today in History ^03/27/17

March 27, 2017 by GµårÐïåñ

England national rugby union team in 1871 before their game with Scotland (Public domain)

(1871) Rugby’s first international match is played

England and Scotland scrum at Edinburgh’s Raeburn Place in the debut rugby football game between two countries. The rough and tumble match is won by Scotland, but England will beat the Scots the next year.

The 1871 rugby union match between Scotland and England was a single international rugby union match played between the Scotland and England national rugby union teams on 27 March 1871. This was the world’s very first international rugby union match, and was played at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh in front of 4,000 spectators. The match was won by Scotland which scored two tries and a goal to England’s single try.

Date: Mar 27, 1871

wiki/1871_Scotland_versus_England_rugby_union_match

Mary Mallon, aka 'Typhoid Mary,' during her first quarantine, 1907-1910 (Public domain)

(1915) ‘Typhoid Mary’ is quarantined for life

Irish immigrant Mary Mallon is isolated on North Brother Island in New York’s East River. As an asymptomatic typhus carrier she is believed to have unwittingly infected 51 people and killed three in her role as a family cook. She will spend nearly three decades in isolation before dying of pneumonia.

Mary Mallon, better known as Typhoid Mary, was the first person in the United States identified as an asymptomatic carrier of the pathogen associated with typhoid fever. She was presumed to have infected 22 people, three of whom died, over the course of her career as a cook. She was twice forcibly isolated by public health authorities and died after a total of nearly three decades in isolation.

Born: Sep 23, 1869 · Cookstown, United Kingdom
Died: Nov 11, 1938 · North and South Brother Islands, New York City, NY
Buried: Saint Raymond’s Cemetery
Highlights
1900: In 1900, she worked in Mamaroneck, New York, where, within two weeks of her employment, residents developed typhoid fever.

1901: In 1901, she moved to Manhattan, where members of the family for whom she worked developed fevers and diarrhea, and the laundress died.

1906: In 1906, she took a position in Oyster Bay, Long Island, and within two weeks 10 of the 11 family members were hospitalized with typhoid.

1915: In 1915, Mallon started another major outbreak, this time at Sloane Hospital for Women in New York City.

1915: After arresting her, public health authorities returned her to quarantine on North Brother Island on March 27, 1915.

1938: On November 11, 1938, she died of pneumonia at age 69.

wiki/Mary_Mallon

Street damaged by an earthquake in Anchorage, Alaska, on March 27, 1964 (U.S. Army)

(1964) Strongest quake in US history slams Alaska

The afternoon calm of Good Friday is shattered as a massively powerful 9.2 magnitude megathrust earthquake hits 78 miles east of Anchorage, Alaska. Fifteen people are killed by the earthquake itself, but tsunamis triggered by the quake will claim 124 additional victims, some as far away as California.

The 1964 Alaskan earthquake, also known as the Great Alaskan earthquake and Good Friday earthquake, occurred at 5:36 P.M. AST on Good Friday, March 27. Across south-central Alaska, ground fissures, collapsing structures, and tsunamis resulting from the earthquake caused about 139 deaths.

Date: Mar 27, 1964

wiki/1964_Alaska_earthquake

The remains of a KLM jumbo jet sits in ruins at Los Rodeos airport, Tenerife, on March 27, 1977 (© AP)

(1977) 583 die on Tenerife airport runway

Two airliners slam into each other during takeoff in foggy weather on Tenerife, an island off the coast of Spain. Only 61 of the 644 passengers and crew survive the fireball, making this history’s worst aviation disaster.

On March 27, 1977, two Boeing 747 passenger jets collided on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport (now Tenerife North Airport), on the Spanish island of Tenerife, Canary Islands. The crash killed 583 people, making it the deadliest accident in aviation history. As a result of the complex interaction of organizational influences, environmental conditions, and unsafe acts leading up to this aircraft mishap, the disaster at Tenerife has served as a textbook example for reviewing the processes and frameworks used in aviation mishap investigations and accident prevention.

A bomb explosion at Gran Canaria Airport, and the threat of a second bomb, caused many aircraft to be diverted to Los Rodeos Airport. Among them were KLM Flight 4805 and Pan Am Flight 1736 – the two aircraft involved in the accident. At Los Rodeos Airport, air traffic controllers were forced to park many of the airplanes on the taxiway, thereby blocking it. While authorities waited to reopen Gran Canaria, a dense fog had developed at Tenerife, which greatly reduced visibility and further complicated the situation.

When Gran Canaria reopened, the parked aircraft blocking the taxiway at Tenerife required both of the 747s to taxi on the only runway in order to get in position for takeoff. The fog was so thick that neither aircraft could be seen from the other, and the controller in the tower could not see the runway or the two 747s on it. As the airport did not have ground radar, the controller could only find where each airplane was by voice reports over the radio.

The disaster occurred in Spanish territory, making Spain responsible for investigating the accident. The crash involved aircraft from the United States and the Netherlands, and both of those countries appointed representatives to the investigation. The investigations revealed that the primary cause of the accident was the captain of the KLM flight taking off without clearance from air traffic control (ATC). The investigation specified that the captain did not intentionally take off without clearance; rather he fully believed he had clearance to take off due to misunderstandings between his flight crew and ATC. Dutch investigators placed a greater emphasis on this than their American and Spanish counterparts, but ultimately KLM admitted their crew was responsible for the accident, and the airline financially compensated the victims’ relatives.

The accident had a lasting influence on the industry, particularly in the area of communication. An increased emphasis was placed on using standardized phraseology in ATC communication by controllers and pilots alike, thereby reducing the chance for misunderstandings. As part of these changes, the word “takeoff” was removed from general usage, and is only spoken by ATC when clearing an aircraft to take off or when cancelling that same clearance. Less experienced flight crew members were encouraged to challenge their captains when they believed something was not correct, and captains were instructed to listen to their crew and evaluate all decisions in light of crew concerns. This concept was later expanded into what is known today as crew resource management (CRM), in which training is now mandatory for all airline pilots.

Date: Mar 27, 1977
Fatalities: 583

wiki/Tenerife_airport_disaster

3.3.f17

Today in History ^11/10/16

November 10, 2016 by GµårÐïåñ

(1871) Henry Stanley finds missing explorer Dr. David Livingstone

	‘Dr. Livingstone, I presume?’ Journalist Henry Stanley will claim he uttered those words on this day, upon finding David Livingstone after a harrowing search in central Africa. The quote, however, and even the date, will later come into question..
David Livingstone arrived in Africa in 1840 with two goals: to explore the continent and to end the slave trade (see Livingstone Discovers Victoria Falls, 1855). In England, his writings and lectures ignited the public’s imagination regarding the “Dark Continent” and elevated Livingstone to the status of a national hero. In 1864 Livingstone returned to Africa and mounted an expedition through the central portion of the continent with the objective of discovering the source of the Nile River. As months stretched into years, little was heard from the explorer. Rumors spread that Livingstone was being held captive or was lost or dead. Newspapers headlined the question “Where is Livingstone?” while the public clamored for information on the whereabouts of their national hero. By 1871, the ruckus had crossed to the shores of America and inspired George Bennett, publisher of the New York Herald, to commission newspaper reporter Henry Stanley to find Livingstone. Henry Stanley was a remarkable man. Orphaned at an early age he spent his formative years in a workhouse in Wales, crossed the Atlantic at age 15 as a crewman of a merchant ship and jumped ship in New Orleans. Befriended by a local merchant, he took the man’s name – Henry Stanley – as his own and went on to fight in the Civil War before working his way into a career in journalism. (see The Battle of Shiloh, 1862) Leading an expedition of approximately 200 men, Stanley headed into the interior from the eastern shore of Africa on March 21, 1871. After nearly eight months he found Livingstone in Ujiji, a small village on the shore of Lake Tanganyika on November 10, 1871. — Source: www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/stanley.htm — Additional Source: wiki/Henry_Morton_Stanley
(1969) ‘Sesame Street’ is introduced to the airwaves of American public television

‘Sesame Street,’ featuring Jim Henson’s Muppets, catchy songs, and animated shorts, aims to educate while it entertains young kids. The show will be a huge success, and will be credited as a valuable learning tool, but will also ruffle convention as it tackles serious subjects, such as death, poverty, and AIDS..
The setting is in a small street in a city where children and furry puppet monsters learn about numbers, the alphabet and other pre-school subjects taught in commercial spots, songs and games. First episode: Nov 10, 1969 Number of episodes: 4,378 Creators: Joan Ganz Cooney · Lloyd Morrisett Theme song: Sesame Street Theme Producers: Sesame Workshop · Kevin Clash · The Jim Henson Company · Jon Stone · Lisa Simon · Arlene Sherman · Carol-Lynn Parente · Dulcy Singer · Michael Loman · Mason Rather · Lewis Bernstein Awards: Peabody Award · TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming · Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding New Approaches – Daytime Children’s Website: www.sesamestreet.org — Source: wiki/Sesame_Street
(1982) Soviet leader Brezhnev dies at age 75

	Leonid Brezhnev, who ruled the USSR for 18 years during the height of the Cold War, dies of a heart attack. In poor health, he had been largely a figurehead during his final years. His death will start a long cycle of reform eventually leading to the country’s breakup..
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev was the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, presiding over the country from 1964 until his death in 1982. His eighteen-year term as General Secretary was second only to that of Joseph Stalin in duration. During Brezhnev’s rule, the global influence of the Soviet Union grew dramatically, in part because of the expansion of the Soviet military during this time. His tenure as leader was marked by the beginning of an era of economic and social stagnation in the Soviet Union. Lived: Dec 19, 1906 – Nov 10, 1982 (age 75) Height: 5′ 8″ (1.73 m) Spouse: Viktoria Brezhneva (m. 1928 – 1982) Previous office: General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1964 – 1982) Children: Galina Brezhneva (Daughter) · Yuri Brezhnev (Son) Buried: Kremlin Wall Necropolis Highlights 1928: Leonid Brezhnev married Viktoria Brezhneva in 1928. 1931: Brezhnev had met Khrushchev in 1931, shortly after joining the Party, and before long, as he continued his rise through the ranks, he became Khrushchev’s protégé. 1952: In 1952 Brezhnev became a member of the Central Committee, and during 1964, Brezhnev succeeded Nikita Khrushchev as First Secretary, while Alexei Kosygin succeeded Khrushchev in his post as Soviet premier. 1957: He was now a senior member of Khrushchev’s entourage, and in June 1957, he backed Khrushchev in his struggle with Malenkov’s Stalinist old guard in the Party leadership, the so-called “Anti-Party Group”. 1977: In 1977, he forced the retirement of Podgorny and became once again Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, making this position equivalent to that of an executive president. 1978: The most notable candidates were Suslov and Andrei Kirilenko, who were both older than Brezhnev, and Fyodor Kulakov and Konstantin Chernenko, who were younger; Kulakov died of natural causes in 1978. — Source: wiki/Leonid_Brezhnev
(1997) Judge frees British au pair

Louise Woodward, 19, a British au pair convicted for murdering an infant while he was in her care in Massachusetts, has been freed from prison, her conviction reduced from murder to involuntary manslaughter. Woodward’s case drew intense worldwide attention, especially in Britain..
The Louise Woodward manslaughter incident and trial concerned a young English au pair convicted, at age 19, of the 1997 involuntary manslaughter of eight-month-old Matthew Eappen while he was in her care in his home in Newton, Massachusetts, in the United States. Born: Feb 28, 1978 (age 38) · Elton, United Kingdom — Source: wiki/Louise_Woodward_case
DIH v2.9.o16

Today in History ^10/27/16

October 27, 2016 by GµårÐïåñ

(1275) Holland’s power center starts with a dam

	Catastrophic flooding in the Low Countries is all too common, so the River Amstel gets a dam and the community surrounding it gets a name, ‘Aemstelredamme.’ The small town will grow into the 17th-century’s richest city in the world and one of the most important capitals in history, Amsterdam. .
Amsterdam has a long and eventful history. The origins of the city lie in the 12th century, when fishermen living along the banks of the River Amstel built a bridge across the waterway near the IJ, which at the time was a large saltwater inlet. Wooden locks under the bridge served as a dam protecting the village from the rising IJ waters, which often flooded the early settlement. The mouth of the river Amstel, where the Damrak is now, formed a natural harbor, which became important for trading-exchange from the larger koggeships into the smaller ships that sailed the merchandise deeper into the hinterland. The oldest document referring to the settlement of “Aemstelredamme” (Amsterdam) ‘dam in the river Amstel’ comes from a document dated October 27, 1275 CE. Inhabitants of the village were, by this document, exempted from paying a bridge toll in the County of Holland by Count Floris V. Excavations between 2005 and 2012 found evidence that the origins of Amsterdam are much older than ‘only’ the twelfth century. During the construction of the Metro “Noord-Zuid lijn” archeologists discovered, some 30 meters below street level, pole-axes, a stone hammer and some pottery, all dating from the Neolithic era (New Stone Age). This would mean Amsterdam or its predecessor would have seen human habitation since about 2600 BCE. — Source: wiki/History_of_Amsterdam
(1659) Massachusetts shows no tolerance for the Boston martyrs

The gallows on Boston Common receive two condemned men, Marmaduke Stephenson and William Robinson, for the crime of practicing their Quaker religion in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Although the two had fled Oliver Cromwell’s intolerance in England, they’ve found no haven in this part of America. .
The Boston martyrs is the name given in Quaker tradition to the three English members of the Society of Friends, Marmaduke Stephenson, William Robinson and Mary Dyer, and to the Friend William Leddra of Barbados, who were condemned to death and executed by public hanging for their religious beliefs under the legislature of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1659, 1660 and 1661. Several other Friends lay under sentence of death at Boston in the same period, but had their punishments commuted to that of being whipped out of the colony from town to town. “The hanging of Mary Dyer on the Boston gallows in 1660 marked the beginning of the end of the Puritan theocracy and New England independence from English rule. In 1661 King Charles II explicitly forbade Massachusetts from executing anyone for professing Quakerism. In 1684 England revoked the Massachusetts charter, sent over a royal governor to enforce English laws in 1686, and in 1689 passed a broad Toleration act.” — Source: wiki/Boston_martyrs
(1871) The power of the press brings down a Boss

	Such is the dominance of New York power broker William ‘Boss’ Tweed’s well-oiled political machine, Tammany Hall, that his first arrest on corruption charges is achieved only through a long campaign of public shaming in the press, and a batch of brilliantly barbed political cartoons..
William Magear Tweed—often erroneously referred to as “William Marcy Tweed”, and widely known as “Boss” Tweed—was an American politician most notable for being the “boss” of Tammany Hall, the Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in the politics of 19th century New York City and State. At the height of his influence, Tweed was the third-largest landowner in New York City and a director of the Erie Railroad, the Tenth National Bank, and the New-York Printing Company, as well as proprietor of the Metropolitan Hotel. Lived: Apr 03, 1823 – Apr 12, 1878 (age 55) Spouse: Jane Skaden Party: Democratic Party Previous offices: Member of the New York Senate 4th (1868 – 1873) · Representative NY 5th District (1853 – 1855) Children: William Magaer Tweed, Jr. · Mary Amelia Tweed · Richard Tweed · Charles Cornell Tweed · Elizabeth Cornellson Maginnis Parents: Eliza Tweed · Richard Tweed — Source: wiki/William_M._Tweed
(1904) Transit gets rapid beneath the streets of New York City

More than 100,000 people pay a nickel each to take a first-day ride on something wondrous beneath New York City’s streets, the IRT Company’s new underground train system. The ‘subway’ will prove immediately popular to folks keen on escaping the crush of city streets above. .
At 2:35 on the afternoon of October 27, 1904, New York City Mayor George McClellan takes the controls on the inaugural run of the city’s innovative new rapid transit system: the subway. At 7 p.m. that evening, the subway opened to the general public, and more than 100,000 people paid a nickel each to take their first ride under Manhattan. IRT service expanded to the Bronx in 1905, to Brooklyn in 1908 and to Queens in 1915. Since 1968, the subway has been controlled by the Metropolitan Transport Authority (MTA). The system now has 26 lines and 468 stations in operation; the longest line, the 8th Avenue “A” Express train, stretches more than 32 miles, from the northern tip of Manhattan to the far southeast corner of Queens. — Source: wiki/New_York_City_Subway — Additional Source: www.history.com/this-day-in-history/new-york-city-subway-opens
DIH v2.9.o16

Today in History

October 8, 2016 by GµårÐïåñ

(1871) Winds whip a small Chicago blaze into a firestorm

	A long drought, strong winds, buildings made primarily of wood, and perhaps a twitchy cow all combine to stoke a minor fire into a conflagration the likes of which Chicago has never seen. Two days of ferocious flames will leave hundreds of thousands homeless and kill some 300 people. .
The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871. The fire killed up to 300 people, destroyed roughly 3.3 square miles of Chicago, Illinois, and left more than 100,000 residents homeless. Start date: Oct 08, 1871 End date: Oct 10, 1871 — Source: wiki/Great_Chicago_Fire
(1918) Alvin C. York goes above and beyond on the Western Front

Born poor in rural Tennessee, and a conscientious objector at the outbreak of WWI, Corporal Alvin York now fights against the Germans in the Argonne Forest, killing 25 and capturing 132 almost all on his own. This heroism will promote him to Sergeant York and merit him the Medal of Honor..
Alvin Cullum York, known also by his rank, Sergeant York, was one of the most decorated soldiers of the United States Army in World War I. He received the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine gun nest, taking 35 machine guns, killing at least 28 German soldiers, and capturing 132 others. This action occurred during the United States-led portion of the broader Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France to breach the Hindenburg line and make the opposing German forces surrender. Born: Dec 13, 1887 · Pall Mall, TN Died: Sep 02, 1964 · Nashville, TN Romance: Gracie Loretta York Founded: Alvin C. York Institute Children: woodrow wilson york Parents: Eliza Jane Livingston · Uriah York — Source: wiki/Alvin_York
(1952) Three trains involved in a deadly London-area collision

	In the worst railway accident in the UK’s peacetime history, 112 people die and more than 300 are injured when an express train collides into the rear of a morning commuter train, and both are then struck seconds later by a third train, at Harrow and Wealdstone Station near London. .
The Harrow and Wealdstone rail crash was a three-train collision at Harrow and Wealdstone station in London during the morning rush hour of 8 October 1952. 112 people were killed and 340 injured; it remains the worst peacetime rail crash in the United Kingdom. Date: Oct 08, 1952 — Source: wiki/Harrow_and_Wealdstone_rail_crash
(1967) A revolutionary’s journey ends in the Bolivian jungle

Native of Argentina, revolutionary in Cuba, writer and doctor, Che Guevara has spent the last two years traveling in Africa and South America championing the cause of Marxist ideology. He’s now caught in Bolivia after 1,800 CIA-backed soldiers surround his guerrilla encampment. .
Ernesto “Che” Guevara, commonly known as El Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. A major figure of the Cuban Revolution, his stylized visage has become a ubiquitous countercultural symbol of rebellion and global insignia in popular culture. Born: Ernesto Guevara, June 14, 1928 in Rosario, Santa Fe province, Argentina Died: October 9, 1967 (aged 39) in La Higuera, Vallegrande, Bolivia Cause of death: Ballistic trauma Buried: Che Guevara Mausoleum, Santa Clara, Cuba Education: University of Buenos Aires Occupations: Physician, author, guerrilla, government official Organizations: 26th of July Movement, United Party of the Cuban Socialist Revolution, National Liberation Army (Bolivia) Known for: Guevarism — Source: wiki/Che_Guevara
DIH v2.7.o16

A Historical Day

May 21, 2016 by GµårÐïåñ

(1871) Socialist rule in Paris is attacked
	The French Second Empire has collapsed and a working-class revolt in the nation’s capital has brought the Paris Commune to power. Having ruled Paris for two months, the Commune sees the French Army move in today to violently break up the insurrection. After a “Bloody Week” of fighting, the Commune will die..
(1881) Clara Barton founds the American Red Cross
Called “The Angel of the Battlefield” for her courageous service as a Civil War nurse, Clara Barton establishes an American branch of the Red Cross relief organization after working with an international unit in Europe during the Franco-Prussian War. .
(1927) Lucky Lindy flies alone across the Atlantic
	Thirty-three hours and 30 minutes after he took off from New York’s Roosevelt Field, aviator Charles Lindbergh lands 3,600 miles away at Paris’ Le Bourget Field. The Detroit native is the first person to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean, and becomes an international sensation. .
(1955) Chuck Berry pioneers rock & roll guitar
A part-time construction worker visits the studios of Chess Records and cuts his first record, a souped-up version of a traditional fiddle tune given new lyrics, a new title, and an unforgettable guitar riff. A smash crossover hit, ‘Maybellene’ will make Chuck Berry an overnight sensation and lead Rolling Stone magazine to later write, “Rock & roll guitar starts here.”.