Today in History ^11/11 (Tomb of the Unknown Soldier)

November 11, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

Honor guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Virginia, in 1921 (© Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-USZ62-94538])

(1921) The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is dedicated in Arlington

The remains of an unknown US soldier killed in the First World War have been interred in a tomb in Arlington National Cemetery, and US President Warren Harding consecrates the monument known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Many more soldier remains will follow.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or the Tomb of the Unknowns is a monument dedicated to U.S. service members who have died without their remains being identified. It is located in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, United States of America. The World War I “Unknown” is a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the Victoria Cross, and several other foreign nations’ highest service awards. The U.S. Unknowns who were interred are also recipients of the Medal of Honor, presented by U.S. Presidents who presided over their funerals. The monument has no officially designated name.

Address: Memorial Dr, Arlington, VA 22211
Phone: 1 (877) 907-8585
Opened: 1921
Architect: Thomas Hastings

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery, on 11 November 1922. View is of the south side of the Tomb looking north. Was replaced in 1931 by the present marble Tomb

Tomb as of November 11, 1922. The Tomb of 1931 would occupy this same location.
wiki/Tomb_of_the_Unknowns

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(1921) The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is dedicated in Arlington.
Also on this day,

1852 | Louisa May Alcott sees her first published story in print

American writer Lousia May Alcott, 21, receives $5 in payment from the Saturday Evening Gazette, a Boston weekly, for her story “The Rival Painters: A Story of Rome.” Alcott will go on to publish several more stories in the Gazette before writing the popular children’s novel, “Little Women.”

1918 | The ‘war to end all wars’ has itself finally ended as First World War ends

Germany and the Allies sign an armistice to end the war at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month. Over 16 million people have died in four years of fighting. The First World War is described as “the war to end all wars” due to the bloody devastation. This day will hereafter be known as Armistice Day.

2000 | Disaster strikes an Austrian train

A funicular railway crammed with skiers turns into death trap when it catches fire in an Alpine tunnel. Toxic smoke and flames overwhelm the passengers, which include many children, claiming 115 lives. Only 12 people escape. A heater turns out to be the source of the fire.

Today in History ^11/11/17

People celebrate along Broadway near Times Square in New York as news of the armistice spreads on November 11, 1918 (© AP)

(1918) The 'war to end all wars' has itself finally ended

Germany and the Allies sign an armistice to end the war at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month. Over 16 million people have died in four years of fighting. The First World War is described as "the war to end all wars" due to the bloody devastation. This day will hereafter be known as Armistice Day.

An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, since it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the Latin arma, meaning "arms" and -stitium, meaning "a stopping".

The announcing of the armistice on November 11, 1918, was the occasion for large celebrations in the allied nations.

wiki/Armistice

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Today in History ^10/8 (Alvin C. York)

October 8, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

Sgt. Alvin York of the US Army (© Department of US Army/AP)

(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, also known as Sergeant York, was one of the most decorated United States Army soldiers of World War I. He received the Medal of Honor for leading an attack on a German machine gun nest, taking at least one machine gun, killing at least 25 enemy soldiers and capturing 132. York’s Medal of Honor action occurred during the United States-led portion of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in France, which was intended to breach the Hindenburg line and force the Germans to surrender. He earned decorations from several allied countries during WWI, including France, Italy and Montenegro.

Lived: Dec 13, 1887 – Sep 02, 1964 (age 76)
Nationality: American
Spouse: Gracie Williams (m. 1919 – 1964)
Founded: Alvin C. York Institute
Children: woodrow wilson york (Son)
Siblings: Joseph Marion York (Brother) · Henry Singleton York (Brother) · John Samuel York (Brother) · Hattie M. York (Sister) · Lillie Mae York (Sister) · James Preston York (Brother) · Albert York (Brother) · Robert Daniel York (Brother) · Lucy Erma York (Sister) · George Alexander York (Brother)
Highlights
1919: Alvin C. York married Gracie Williams on June 01, 1919.

1919: He had been home for barely a week when, on June 7, 1919, York and Gracie Loretta Williams (February 7, 1900 – September 27, 1984) were married by Tennessee Governor Albert H. Roberts in Pall Mall.

1926: The Alvin C. York Institute was founded in 1926 as a private agricultural high school by Alvin York and residents of Fentress County.

1928: York Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City was named for the Sergeant in 1928.

1935: In 1935 York, sensing the end of his time with the institute, began to work as a project superintendent with the Civilian Conservation Corps overseeing the creation of Cumberland Mountain State Park’s Byrd Lake, one of the largest masonry projects the program ever undertook.

1964: York died at the Veterans Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, on September 2, 1964, of a cerebral hemorrhage.

Alvin York
wiki/Alvin_York

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(1918) Alvin C. York goes above and beyond on the Western Front.
Also on this day,

1871 | Great Chicago Fire as 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.

1956 | Yankees pitcher Larsen is perfect in World Series game

Yankees pitcher Don Larsen starts game five of the World Series at Yankee Stadium against local rivals, the Brooklyn Dodgers. Larsen completes the first perfect game in MLB postseason history, retiring 27 batters, and the Bronx Bombers will go on to win their 17th World Series.

1967 | A revolutionary’s journey ends in the Bolivian jungle as Che Guevara captured

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.

Today in History ^10/08/17

Revolutionary leader Ernesto 'Che' Guevara (© Tony Ortega/AP)

(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 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.

Lived: Jun 14, 1928 - Oct 09, 1967 (age 39)
Height: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
Spouse: Aleida March (m. 1959 - 1967) · Hilda Gadea (m. 1955 - 1959)
Movies: Che: Part Two · Os caminhos de Che: Um Diário de Motocicleta · Carnet de identidad
Children: Aleida Guevara (Daughter) · Hilda Guevara (Daughter) · Celia Guevara (Daughter) · Ernesto Guevara (Son) · Camilo Guevara (Son)
Related movies: The Motorcycle Diaries · Che: Part One
Highlights
1953: Upon returning to Argentina, he completed his studies and received his medical degree in June 1953, making him officially "Dr. Ernesto Guevara".

1955: In June 1955, López introduced him to Raúl Castro, who subsequently introduced him to his older brother, Fidel Castro, the revolutionary leader who had formed the 26th of July Movement and was now plotting to overthrow the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.

1958: Then in late July 1958, Guevara played a critical role in the Battle of Las Mercedes by using his column to halt a force of 1,500 men called up by Batista's General Cantillo in a plan to encircle and destroy Castro's forces.

1959: On June 2, 1959, he married Aleida March, a Cuban-born member of the 26th of July movement with whom he had been living since late 1958.

1965: Guevara left Cuba in 1965 to foment revolution abroad, first unsuccessfully in Congo-Kinshasa and later in Bolivia, where he was captured by CIA-assisted Bolivian forces and summarily executed.

1966: His diary documented events of the guerrilla campaign in Bolivia, with the first entry on November 7, 1966, shortly after his arrival at the farm in Ñancahuazú, and the last dated October 7, 1967, the day before his capture.

Popularized cropped version of Guerrillero Heroico - Che Guevara at the funeral for the victims of the La Coubre explosion

wiki/Che_Guevara

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Today in History ^09/29 (The Catch)

September 29, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

Willie Mays' famous catch in the 1954 World Series between the New York Giants and the Cleveland Indians (© Frank Hurley/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

(1954) The miraculous Mays makes an incredible catch

It’s Game 1 of baseball’s World Series and Cleveland Indians’ batter Vic Wertz hits a fly ball 450 feet into centerfield where the New York Giants’ Willie Mays is there to catch it. Over his shoulder. And with his back to home plate. ‘The Catch’ will live on in baseball lore.

The Catch refers to a defensive play made by New York Giants center fielder Willie Mays on a ball hit by Cleveland Indians batter Vic Wertz on September 29, 1954, during Game 1 of the 1954 World Series at the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan, New York City.

The Catch: Willie Mays hauls in Vic Wertz’s drive at the warning track in the 1954 World Series.
wiki/The_Catch_(baseball)

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(1954) The miraculous Mays makes an incredible catch.
Also on this day,

1918 | ‘The Great War’ nears its end as German defense is smashed as Hindenburg Line broken

Fourteen Allied divisions assault the Hindenburg Line, a series of heavily defended positions protecting a German army in semi-retreat. With help from a new weapon, the armored tank, the 30th Infantry breaks through at the Battle of St. Quentin Canal, dealing a decisive blow to the Germans.

1954 | ‘A Star Is Born’ premieres in Los Angeles

Judy Garland and James Mason star in a musical remake of a 1937 film. ‘A Star Is Born’ will be remade again in 1976 with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, and a third time for a planned 2018 release starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.

1955 | ‘A View from the Bridge’ debuts in New York

Arthur Miller’s drama ‘A View from the Bridge’ is performed at New York’s Coronet Theatre. It will later be adapted for film, TV, and radio, and be revived several times on Broadway and London’s West End.

Today in History ^09/29/17

A British tank breaking through wire on the Hindenburg Line in Cambrai, France, during World War I (© The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

(1918) 'The Great War' nears its end as German defense is smashed

Fourteen Allied divisions assault the Hindenburg Line, a series of heavily defended positions protecting a German army in semi-retreat. With help from a new weapon, the armored tank, the 30th Infantry breaks through at the Battle of St. Quentin Canal, dealing a decisive blow to the Germans.

The Battle of St Quentin Canal was a pivotal battle of World War I that began on 29 September 1918 and involved British, Australian and American forces operating as part of British Fourth Army under the overall command of General Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1st Baron Rawlinson. Further north part of the British Third Army also supported the attack, whilst to the south of the twelve-mile Fourth Army front the First French Army launched a coordinated attack on a six-mile front. The objective was to break through one of the most heavily defended stretches of the German Siegfriedstellung, which in this sector utilised the St Quentin Canal as part of its defences. The assault achieved its objectives, resulting in the first full breach of the Hindenburg Line, in the face of heavy German resistance. In concert with other attacks of the Great Offensive along the length of the line, Allied success convinced the German high command that there was little hope of an ultimate German victory.

Start date: Sep 29, 1918
End date: Oct 10, 1918

Map showing the operations of U.S. 27th and 30th Divisions affiliated to Australian Corps as part of British Fourth Army during the Battle of St Quentin Canal, 29 September 1918. The advance shown was actually made by combined American and Australian forces.

wiki/Battle_of_St._Quentin_Canal

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Today in History ^08/13 (Berlin Wall)

August 13, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ

Two East German workers put pieces of broken glass on the top of the Berlin wall in August 1961 (© Kreusch/AP)

(1961) East is sealed off from West in a divided capital

While the city sleeps, Soviet-backed East German soldiers begin erecting a barbed-wire barrier in Berlin, making solid what’s been for 15 years a geopolitical split within Germany’s capital. Transit between communist East Berlin and capitalist West Berlin is now strictly verboten.

The Berlin Wall was a guarded concrete barrier that physically and ideologically divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989. Constructed by the German Democratic Republic, starting on 13 August 1961, the Wall completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin until government officials opened it in November 1989. Its demolition officially began on 13 June 1990 and was completed in 1992. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, which circumscribed a wide area that contained anti-vehicle trenches, “fakir beds” and other defenses. The Eastern Bloc claimed that the Wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the “will of the people” in building a socialist state in East Germany. In practice, the Wall served to prevent the massive emigration and defection that had marked East Germany and the communist Eastern Bloc during the post-World War II period.

Address: Zimmer Street 88 · 10117 Berlin
Phone: 030 3087770
Construction started: Aug 13, 1961
Destroyed: Nov 09, 1989

Map of the Berlin Wall, showing checkpoints.

wiki/Berlin_Wall

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(1961) East is sealed off from West in a divided capital.
Also on this day,

1521 | Conquistadors capture capital city of the Aztecs

Conquistador Hernán Cortés and his troops have laid siege to Tenochtitlan for more than two months and now the Aztec empire’s sprawling capital surrenders. European military might, combined with a smallpox epidemic brought by the invading Spaniards, dooms what will become Mexico City.

1624 | France’s ‘Red Eminence’ gets a prime royal appointment

French clergyman Armand Jean du Plessis rose through Church ranks with impressive speed, becoming Cardinal Richelieu two years ago, and he’s now appointed King Louis XIII’s chief minister. Richelieu will hold considerable power and dodge some very wily conspiracies launched against him.

1918 | US Marines enlist their first female recruit

Her country embroiled in World War I, 39-year-old Opha Johnson is first in line to enlist at the US Marine Corps Reserves, becoming the first female Marine in history. More than 300 other women will follow Johnson’s lead and serve as Marines during the war, paving the way for future women in the US military.

Today in History ^08/13/17

Newly recruited Marine Opha Johnson at Marine Corps headquarters in Washington, DC (© Marine Corps Women's Marine Reserve/Marine Corps Archives & Special Collections)

(1918) US Marines enlist their first female recruit

Her country embroiled in World War I, 39-year-old Opha Johnson is first in line to enlist at the US Marine Corps Reserves, becoming the first female Marine in history. More than 300 other women will follow Johnson's lead and serve as Marines during the war, paving the way for future women in the US military.

Opha May Johnson was the first woman to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. She joined the Marine Corps Reserve in 1918, officially becoming the first female Marine.

Born: 1879 · Indiana, Midwestern United States
Died: Aug 11, 1955 · Washington, D.C., United States
Buried: Rock Creek Cemetery
Highlights
1898: Historical records identify she married Victor H. Johnson on 20 December 1898 at the Sixth Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC.

1918: According to 1918 newspaper articles, as well as the published history of Women Marines in World War I, Johnson's first duties were as a clerk at Marine Corps headquarters, managing the records of other female reservists who joined after she did.

1955: Opha May Johnson died on Thursday, 11 August 1955, at Mount Alto Veterans Hospital in Washington, D.C.

wiki/Opha_May_Johnson

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Today in History ^07/18 (Nelson Mandela)

July 18, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ

Nelson Mandela (© Allan Tannenbaum/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images)

(1918) A South African political icon is born

Rolihlahla Mandela, later given the name Nelson by a teacher, is born in Mvezo, South Africa. He will go on to become a lawyer and political activist, spending 27 years in prison for conspiring to overthrow the state, before serving as president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country’s first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by tackling institutionalised racism and fostering racial reconciliation. Ideologically an African nationalist and socialist, he served as President of the African National Congress party from 1991 to 1997.

Lived: Jul 18, 1918 – Dec 05, 2013 (age 95)
Height: 6′ 0″
Spouse: Graça Machel (m. 1998 – 2013) · Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (m. 1958 – 1996) · Evelyn Mase (m. 1944 – 1958)
Parties: African National Congress · South African Communist Party
Education: University of South Africa · University of the Witwatersrand (1943 – 1949) · University of Fort Hare (1939 – 1940) · University of London International Programmes · University of London · Healdtown Comprehensive School (1937 – 1939)
Founded: Umkhonto we Sizwe · Truth and Reconciliation Commission · African National Congress Youth League · The Elders

Photograph of young Mandela, taken in Umtata in 1937
wiki/Nelson_Mandela

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(1918) A South African political icon is born.
Also on this day,

1334 | First artist of the Renaissance, Giotto, begins work on a bell tower

Florence Cathedral needs a new campanile, or bell tower, and Italian artist Giotto di Bondone, famous for his paintings and frescoes, begins work on what will be a 277-foot structure made vibrant with geometric patterns of Carrara white, Prato green, and Siena red marble.

1927 | A ferocious batter, Ty Cobb, becomes the first to hit 4 grand

Once described as “daring to the point of dementia,” baseball player Ty Cobb has a surly reputation to match his spectacular play on the field, and now he adds to his legend by getting his 4,000th hit for a double off of his old Tigers teammate, pitcher Sam Gibson.

1976 | A Romanian gymnast, Comăneci, performs a flawless Olympic routine

Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci, 14, is rewarded for her Montreal Olympics uneven bars routine with the unprecedented score of a perfect 10. The first perfect score in modern Olympics history stuns the sports world and will catapult Comăneci to international fame.

Today in History ^07/18/17

Curious onlookers inspect Sen. Ted Kennedy's car in July 1969, Chappaquiddick Island, MA (© AP)

(1969) Senator Ted Kennedy drives off bridge and into scandal

Just after 11PM, Senator Ted Kennedy drives his colleague Mary Jo Kopechne away from a party near Martha's Vineyard, and about an hour later their car goes off a bridge and into a pond, where Kennedy escapes, but Kopechne does not. The ensuing scandal will be blamed for hindering Kennedy's presidential ambitions.

The Chappaquiddick incident was a single-vehicle car accident on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts, on July 18, 1969, that was the result of U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy's negligence and resulted in the death of his 28-year-old companion, Mary Jo Kopechne, who was trapped inside the vehicle.

Date: Jul 18, 1969

wiki/Chappaquiddick_incident

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