1940

Today in History 12/29 (Second Great Fire of London)

St Paul's Cathedral is seen through smoke from fires during the bombing of London by Germany on December 29, 1940 (© ullstein bild via Getty Images)(1940) The Blitz delivers the Second Great Fire of London
Germany firebombs London with more than 24,000 high explosive bombs and 100,000 incendiary bombs in one of its most aggressive attacks on the city, setting London afire. Firefighters work amid the dropping bombs and are able to save some of the city’s landmarks, such as St. Paul’s Cathedral, from total destruction.
The “Second Great Fire of London” refers to one of the most destructive air raids of the Blitz. An American correspondent in a cable to his office said, “The second Great Fire of London has begun”. The Luftwaffe raid caused fires over a greater area than the Great Fire of London in 1666.
Date: Dec 29, 1940
Location: London, England
Target: City of London
Attack type: Air raid
Deaths: 160
Non-fatal injuries: 250

Operations: A German Luftwaffe Heinkel He 111 bomber flying over Wapping and the Isle of Dogs in the East End of London at at the start of the Luftwaffe's evening raids of 7 September 1940
Operations: A German Luftwaffe Heinkel He 111 bomber flying over Wapping and the Isle of Dogs in the East End of London at at the start of the Luftwaffe’s evening raids of 7 September 1940. Copy negative of part of an aerial photograph taken from a German aircraft at 1848 hrs German time.
wiki/Second_Great_Fire_of_London
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(1940) The Blitz delivers the Second Great Fire of London.
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1170 | Archbishop Thomas Becket is murdered after king’s comment
When four knights hear King Henry II utter something like, “Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?,” they take it as a request to kill Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The knights confront and kill Becket at Canterbury Cathedral, shocking Christians, who canonize Becket just three years later.
1890 | US troops massacre Indians at Wounded Knee
When a detachment of the US 7th Cavalry tries to disarm a band of Lakota Sioux, led by peace-seeking Spotted Elk, near Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota, a gun goes off in a scuffle and the cavalry opens fire. More than 200 Lakota men, women, and children will be killed.
1998 | Khmer Rouge leaders apologize for Cambodia genocide
At a news conference, a Khmer Rouge leader whispers he is “sorry, very sorry” for the group’s murderous campaign to cleanse Cambodia of undesirables, including intellectuals and capitalists. The Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, ruled Cambodia from 1975-’79 and sought to create an agrarian society.

Today in History 12/29/17

Sign from 1940 at the site of the Wounded Knee Massacre in South Dakota (© John Vachon/Library of Congress/Getty Images)(1890) US troops massacre Indians at Wounded Knee
When a detachment of the US 7th Cavalry tries to disarm a band of Lakota Sioux, led by peace-seeking Spotted Elk, near Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota, a gun goes off in a scuffle and the cavalry opens fire. More than 200 Lakota men, women, and children will be killed.
The Wounded Knee Massacre occurred on December 29, 1890, near Wounded Knee Creek on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in the U.S. state of South Dakota.
Start date: Dec 28, 1890
End date: Dec 29, 1890

Wounded knee 1891
Burial of the dead after the massacre of Wounded Knee. U.S. Soldiers putting Indians in common grave; some corpses are frozen in different positions. South Dakota.

wiki/Wounded_Knee_Massacre
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Today in History 09/07 (Brazil Independence)

The announcement of Brazilian Independence from Portugal (© Revista de Historia da Biblioteca National)(1822) Brazil declares independence from Portugal
Prince Dom Pedro declares Brazil’s independence from Portugal in a dramatic fashion, unsheathing his sword and announcing, ‘For my blood, my honor, my God, I swear to give Brazil freedom.’ A few weeks later, he will be crowned Pedro I, though a formal treaty won’t come for three years.
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At 8.5 million square kilometers and with over 208 million people, Brazil is the world’s fifth-largest country by area and the sixth most populous. The capital is Brasília, and the most populated city is São Paulo. The federation is composed of the union of the Federal District, the 26 states, and the 5,570 municipalities. It is the largest country to have Portuguese as an official language and the only one in the Americas, besides being one of the most multicultural and ethnically diverse nations, due to the strong immigration from various places in the world.
Founded: Sep 07, 1822
GDP: $2.14 trillion USD (2018)
Population: 209.29 million (2017)
Calling code: 55
Area: 3.29 million sq miles
Travel tip: The wealth of flora and fauna and opportunities to observe them are unparalleled in the Amazon. Riverboats ply the waters of this fascinating wilderness, home to pink river dolphins, clamorous howler monkeys and raucous toucans. Photograph your adventure, run the rapids or stalk elusive jaguars by night. @tripadvisor

Announcement of Independence
Prince Pedro is surrounded by a cheering crowd in São Paulo after giving the news of the Brazilian independence on 7 September 1822
wiki/Brazil
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(1822) Brazil declares independence from Portugal.
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1940 | Nazi Germany unleashes a blitzkrieg on London
Bombs rain down on the British capital in a ‘lightning war,’ or ‘blitzkrieg,’ a favored tactic for the intimidation of Germany’s enemies. And while Hitler’s Luftwaffe will keep up the relentless attack for more than eight months, London’s populace will rise to the challenge of the Blitz.
1963 | Football gets into the fame game
Canton, Ohio, birthplace of the National Football League, opens the Pro Football Hall of Fame in homage to a sport that’s really catching on with the American public. Seventeen of the best players are inducted in the first ceremony, including Red Grange, Curly Lambeau, and Jim Thorpe.
1979 | Cable viewers get an all-sports network as ESPN launches
‘If you love sports…if you really love sports, you’ll think you’ve died and gone to sports heaven.’ With those words, anchor Lee Leonard introduces the small cable TV audience to the ESPN network and its highlights show, ‘SportsCenter,’ followed by a slow-pitch softball game.

Today in History 09/07/17

The effects of the first big concerted attack of the German air force in London, Sept 7, 1940 (© AP)(1940) Nazi Germany unleashes a blitzkrieg on London
Bombs rain down on the British capital in a 'lightning war,' or 'blitzkrieg,' a favored tactic for the intimidation of Germany's enemies. And while Hitler's Luftwaffe will keep up the relentless attack for more than eight months, London's populace will rise to the challenge of the Blitz.
The Blitz refers to bombing by the Luftwaffe over Britain in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press as an abbreviation of Blitzkrieg. The Germans conducted a mass air offensive against industrial targets, towns and cities, which began with raids on London towards the end of the Battle of Britain, a battle for air superiority over the United Kingdom. By September 1940 the Luftwaffe had failed to gain air superiority and the German air fleets were ordered to attack London, to draw RAF Fighter Command into a battle of annihilation. Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe, ordered the new policy on 6 September 1940. From 7 September 1940, London was systematically bombed by the Luftwaffe for 56 out of the following 57 days and nights. In a large daylight attack against London on 15 September, many German aircraft were shot down.
Start date: Sep 07, 1940
End date: May 10, 1941
Air Raid Damage in Britain during the Second World War
Air Raid Damage in Britain during the Second World War St Paul's Cathedral, rising above the bombed London skyline, is shrouded in smoke during the Blitz. The photograph was taken from the roof of the Daily Mail offices in Fleet Street

wiki/The_Blitz
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