1908

Today in History 12/26 (Kwanzaa)

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Maulana Karenga with his wife, Tiamoya, behind a table laid out for Kwanzaa circa 2000 (© Robert Abbott Sengstacke/Getty Images)(1966) The first Kwanzaa holiday is celebrated
Professor Maulana Karenga develops Kwanzaa in the wake of the deadly Watts riots to help build community among black people. The seven-day nonreligious holiday, inspired by African harvest festivals, focuses on seven principles, such as unity and purpose, to celebrate black culture.
Kwanzaa is a celebration held in the United States and in other nations of the African diaspora in the Americas and lasts a week. The celebration honors African heritage in African-American culture and is observed from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a feast and gift-giving. Kwanzaa has seven core principles. It was created by Maulana Karenga and was first celebrated in 1966–67.
Celebrations: UnityCreativityFaithGiving gifts
Observed by: African Americans, parts of African diaspora
Significance: Celebrates African heritage, unity, and culture.
Related to: Pan-Africanism
Date: December 26 to January 1

Kwanzaa candles (Kinara) cartoon-like image
Seven candles in a kinara symbolize the seven principles of Kwanzaa
wiki/Kwanzaa
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(1966) The first Kwanzaa holiday is celebrated.
Also on this day,

1908 | Jack Johnson is first black heavyweight boxing champion
American fighter Jack Johnson, the son of two former slaves, defeats Canadian Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia. The fight lasts 14 rounds until police stop it and the title is awarded to Johnson on a referee’s decision. Johnson will hold the title until 1915 when he’ll lose a grueling fight with a working cowboy.
1972 | Former US President Harry Truman dies at age 88
The 33rd president of the US dies of multiple-organ failure after several weeks in the hospital. His wife, Bess, will opt for a small private burial in their hometown of Independence, Missouri, instead of a state funeral in DC, thinking it a more fitting goodbye for the down-to-earth Truman.
2004 | Indian Ocean earthquake triggers tsunamis
A 9.3 magnitude underwater earthquake off the coast of Sumatra creates huge tsunamis that devastate Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, and other areas in the Indian Ocean, killing more than 230,000 people. Many of the countries hit lack tsunami warning systems, so people have little time to escape the deadly walls of water.

Today in History 12/26/17

Former President Harry S. Truman in 1972 (© ullstein bild/Getty Images)(1972) Former US President Harry Truman dies at age 88
The 33rd president of the US dies of multiple-organ failure after several weeks in the hospital. His wife, Bess, will opt for a small private burial in their hometown of Independence, Missouri, instead of a state funeral in DC, thinking it a more fitting goodbye for the down-to-earth Truman.
Harry S. Truman was an American statesman who served as the 33rd President of the United States, taking the office upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. A World War I veteran, he assumed the presidency during the waning months of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War. He is known for implementing the Marshall Plan to rebuild the economy of Western Europe, the establishment of the Truman Doctrine and NATO against Soviet and Chinese communism, and for intervening in the Korean War. In domestic affairs, he was a moderate Democrat whose liberal proposals were a continuation of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, but the conservative-dominated Congress blocked most of them. He used the veto power 180 times, more than any president since then, and saw 12 overridden by Congress; only Grover Cleveland and Franklin D. Roosevelt used the veto so often, and only Gerald Ford and Andrew Johnson saw so many veto overrides. He is the only world leader to have used nuclear weapons in war. He desegregated the U.S. Armed Forces, supported a newly independent Israel, and was a founder of the United Nations.
Lived: May 08, 1884 - Dec 26, 1972 (age 88)
Height: 5' 8" (1.73 m)
Party: Democratic Party
TV shows: Truman
Successor: Dwight D. Eisenhower (President)
Education: University of Missouri–Kansas City · University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law · William Chrisman High School
Highlights
  • 1919: After his wartime service, Truman returned to Independence, where he married Bess Wallace on June 28, 1919.

  • 1945: Truman was sworn in as vice president on January 20, 1945.

  • 1945: After serving as a United States Senator from Missouri (1935–45) and briefly as Vice President (1945), he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

  • 1950: On November 1, 1950, Puerto Rican nationalists Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo attempted to assassinate Truman at Blair House.

  • 1953: When he left office in 1953, Truman was one of the most unpopular chief executives in history.

  • 1957: He testified before Congress to have money appropriated to have presidential papers copied and organized, and was proud of the bill's passage in 1957.


Electoral College 1948
1948 electoral vote results

wiki/Harry_S._Truman
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Today in History 10/01 (NASA)

Partial view of the port wing of the space shuttle Discovery in 2011 (© NASA/Getty Images)(1958) A new space agency takes off
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) becomes active, replacing the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Congress had approved the new agency earlier in the year in response to the Soviet launch of Sputnik 1.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research.
Website: www.nasa.gov
Customer service: (202) 358-0001
Founded: Jul 29, 1958 · United States
Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States
Founder: Dwight D. Eisenhower
Space programs: Apollo program · Space Shuttle program · Project Mercury · Project Gemini · Voyager program · Mariner program · New Frontiers program · International Space Station program · Discovery Program · Mars Exploration Program · Lunar Orbiter program · Mars Scout Program · Mars Surveyor ’98 program · Small Explorer program · Deep …
Spacecraft: Curiosity · 2001 Mars Odyssey · Nautilus-X · Mariner 9 · Ulysses · Landsat 8 · Aqua · Terra · Solar Orbiter · International Cometary Explorer · Uhuru · Explorer 33 · Graham · LAGEOS-1 · LAGEOS-2

NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building
Vehicle Assembly and Launch Control at Kennedy Space Center
wiki/NASA
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(1958) A new space agency takes off.
Also on this day,

331 BCE | Alexander the Great defeats the Persians
His warriors severely outnumbered, Alexander shows why he’s called “Great,” routing Darius III’s Persian army at Gaugamela, Mesopotamia near modern day Mosul, Iraq. With the defeat, almost two centuries of Persian rule ends and over two centuries of Hellenistic rule begins.
1908 | Ford makes autos affordable to ‘the great multitude’ as Model T on market
Henry Ford’s new auto is offered to the public at a relatively economical $825, and buyers can choose any color Model T as long as it’s black. Offering a four-cylinder engine, around 20 mpg, and a top speed of 40 mph, the Detroit automaker markets his car to America’s burgeoning middle class.
1946 | Judgments at Nuremberg as Nazis are sentenced
After a war that decimated Europe, and a holocaust that killed upwards of 11 million people, 24 convicted Nazi war criminals hear their sentences read out in a Nuremberg, Germany court following nearly a year of trials. Twelve will be executed, including Gestapo chief Hermann Goering.

Today in History 10/01/17

Leading Nazi figures during courtroom proceedings for war crimes in Nuremberg, Germany (© Raymond D'Addario/Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images)(1946) Judgments at Nuremberg as Nazis are sentenced
After a war that decimated Europe, and a holocaust that killed upwards of 11 million people, 24 convicted Nazi war criminals hear their sentences read out in a Nuremberg, Germany court following nearly a year of trials. Twelve will be executed, including Gestapo chief Hermann Goering.
The Nuremberg trials were a series of military tribunals held by the Allied forces under international law and the laws of war after World War II. The trials were most notable for the prosecution of prominent members of the political, military, judicial and economic leadership of Nazi Germany, who planned, carried out, or otherwise participated in the Holocaust and other war crimes. The trials were held in the city of Nuremberg, Germany, and their decisions marked a turning point between classical and contemporary international law.
Start date: Nov 20, 1945
End date: Oct 01, 1946

wiki/Nuremberg_trials
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