1950

Today in History 12/09 (Harry Gold)

Harry Gold (center) with US deputy marshalls in New York in 1951 (© AP)(1950) Harry Gold goes to prison for atomic espionage
American Harry Gold is sentenced to 30 years for passing top-secret information about the atomic bomb from British spy Klaus Fuchs to Soviet agents. Gold admitted to his role and provided information that will lead to the arrest, and execution, of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
Harry Gold was a laboratory chemist and spy for a number of Soviet spy rings operating in the United States during the Manhattan Project.
Born: Dec 11, 1910 · Philadelphia, PA
Died: Aug 28, 1972 · Philadelphia, PA
Nationality: American
Buried: Philadelphia · Har Nebo Cemetery
Parents: Samson · Celia Gold
Highlights
  • 1910: Harry Gold was born on December 11, 1910, in Bern, Switzerland to Samson and Celia Gold.

  • 1929: He developed a pronounced interest in chemistry and graduated from South Philadelphia High School in 1929.

  • 1940: In 1940, Jacob Golos activated Harry Gold for Soviet espionage, but he was not a recruited agent of the rezidentura.

  • 1944: Semenov remained Gold’s control officer until March 1944.

  • 1951: In 1951, Gold was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment

  • 1972: In 1972, he died in Philadelphia, age 62; he was interred in Har Nebo Cemetery in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.

U.S. vs. Julius & Ethel Rosenberg and Martin Sobell, Government Exhibit 5, photograph of Harry Gold
U.S. vs. Julius & Ethel Rosenberg and Martin Sobell, Government Exhibit 5, photograph of Harry Gold – NARA – 278750
wiki/Harry_Gold
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(1950) Harry Gold goes to prison for atomic espionage.
Also on this day,

1965 | Charlie Brown’s ‘Christmas’ becomes a classic
Charles Schulz’ comic strip ‘Peanuts’ may be a huge hit, but CBS predicts disaster when ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ premieres tonight. Child actors voicing the characters, no laugh track, a jazz score, and a depressed lead character all spell doom. But the show will become an instant classic, airing every Christmas season since.
1990 | Lech Walesa elected president of Poland
In a landslide, the mustachioed labor leader and electrician becomes the first directly elected president of Poland in decades with the slogan: “I don’t want to, but I’ve got no choice.” Walesa rose to prominence in the Solidarity movement and was awarded the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize for his work.
2000 | Supreme Court halts Florida recount in presidential race
The US Supreme Court, in 5-to-4 ruling, dashes Vice President Al Gore’s hopes to win the presidency when it reverses a lower court ruling and suspends Florida’s hand recount of votes. This sets the stage for the Court’s final ruling three days later, allowing George W. Bush to keep his slim lead in Florida and win the White House.

Today in History 12/09/17

Protesters hold signs and flags in front of the US Supreme Court in Washington, December 11, 2000 (© Steve Helber/AP)(2000) Supreme Court halts Florida recount in presidential race
The US Supreme Court, in 5-to-4 ruling, dashes Vice President Al Gore's hopes to win the presidency when it reverses a lower court ruling and suspends Florida's hand recount of votes. This sets the stage for the Court's final ruling three days later, allowing George W. Bush to keep his slim lead in Florida and win the White House.

Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000), was a decision of the United States Supreme Court. It resolved the dispute surrounding the 2000 presidential election. The ruling was issued on December 12, 2000. On December 9, the Court had preliminarily halted the Florida recount that was occurring. Eight days earlier, the Court unanimously decided the closely related case of Bush v. Palm Beach County Canvassing Board, 531 U.S. 70 (2000). The Electoral College was scheduled to meet on December 18, 2000, to decide the election.

In a per curiam decision, the Court ruled that there was an Equal Protection Clause violation in using different standards of counting in different counties and ruled that no alternative method could be established within the time limit set by Title 3 of the United States Code (3 U.S.C.), § 5 ("Determination of controversy as to appointment of electors"), which was December 12. The vote regarding the Equal Protection Clause was 7–2, and regarding the lack of an alternative method was 5–4. Three concurring justices also asserted that the Florida Supreme Court had violated Article II, § 1, cl. 2 of the Constitution, by misinterpreting Florida election law that had been enacted by the Florida Legislature.

The Supreme Court decision allowed the previous vote certification to stand, as made by Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris, for George W. Bush as the winner of Florida's 25 electoral votes. Florida's votes gave Bush, the Republican candidate, 271 electoral votes, one more than the required 270 to win the Electoral College, and the defeat of Democratic candidate Al Gore, who received 266 electoral votes (a "faithless elector" from the District of Columbia abstained).

Media organizations subsequently analyzed the ballots and found that the originally proposed county-based recounts would have resulted in a different outcome (Bush victory) than a full statewide recount (Gore victory). Florida subsequently changed to new voting machines to avoid punch cards which had allowed dimpled or hanging chads.


wiki/Bush_v._Gore
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Today in History 10/31 (Indira Gandhi)

Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1982 (© AP)(1984) India’s first female prime minister is shot and killed
On a morning walk through her garden, India’s Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is shot multiple times by two of her own Sikh bodyguards. The daughter of India’s previous prime minister, Nehru, and the country’s first female leader, her assassination will spark deadly riots.
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated at 9:20 a.m. on 31 October 1984 at her residence in Safdarjung Road, New Delhi. She was killed by her bodyguards Satwant Singh and Beant Singh in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star, the Indian Army’s June 1984 assault on the Golden Temple in Amritsar which left the Sikh temple heavily damaged.
Date: Oct 31, 1984

Indira Gandhi Memorial
Memorial at the place of assassination, Safdarjung Road, New Delhi
wiki/Assassination_of_Indira_Gandhi
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(1984) India’s first female prime minister is shot and killed.
Also on this day,

1517 | The Protestant Reformation starts with a posting of Luther’s 95 Theses
According to tradition, German theologian Martin Luther nails a document to the door of the All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, questioning Catholic Church traditions that he sees as questionable and possibly corrupt. Luther’s ’95 Theses’ will lead to the founding of a new religion.
1950 | Sports pioneer Earl Lloyd integrates the NBA as racial barrier broken
Just three years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color line, Earl Lloyd does the same for the sport of basketball as he takes the court with the Washington Capitols. The first African American NBA player scores 6 points in his opening game against the Rochester Royals.
1974 | Manhattan streets transform with Halloween revels for NYC’s Halloween Parade
Puppeteer and mask maker Ralph Lee promenades with his creations through the streets of his New York City neighborhood. This whimsical start will launch the annual Village Halloween Parade, mixing huge puppets and costumed revelers in one of the largest nighttime parades on the planet.

Today in History 10/31/17

NBA player Earl Lloyd, circa 1950 (© The Stevenson Collection/ NBAE/ Getty Images)(1950) Sports pioneer Earl Lloyd integrates the NBA
Just three years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color line, Earl Lloyd does the same for the sport of basketball as he takes the court with the Washington Capitols. The first African American NBA player scores 6 points in his opening game against the Rochester Royals.
Earl Francis Lloyd was an American professional basketball player. He was the first black person to play in the National Basketball Association, in the 1950–51 NBA season. Three other African Americans played in the same season: Chuck Cooper, Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton, and Hank DeZonie.
Born: Apr 03, 1928 · Alexandria, VA
Died: Feb 26, 2015 · Crossville, TN
Height: 6' 5" (1.96 m)
Spouse: Charlita Lloyd
Education: West Virginia State University
Upcoming movies: The First To Do It
Earl Lloyd - CIAA HOF Brunch
Major General Walter E. Gaskin, left, greets with basketball hall of famer, Earl "The Pearl" Lloyd during the CIAA Hall of Fame brunch, March 3, 2006. Lloyd was the first African-American to play in an NBA game.
Highlights
  • 1948: Lloyd led West Virginia State to two CIAA Conference and Tournament Championships in 1948 and 1949.

  • 1951: Lloyd played in only seven games for the Washington Capitols before the team folded on January 9, 1951.

  • 1965: According to Detroit News sportswriter Jerry Green, in 1965 Detroit Pistons General Manager Don Wattrick wanted to hire Lloyd as the team's head coach.

  • 2007: On December 1, 2007, the newly constructed basketball court at T. C. Williams High School in Lloyd's home town of Alexandria, Virginia, was named in his honor.

  • 2015: In 2015 Lloyd, along with fellow basketball player Alonzo Mourning, was one of eight Virginians honored in the Library of Virginia's "Strong Men & Women in Virginia History" because of his contributions to the sport of basketball.

  • 2015: Earl resided in Fairfield Glade, Tennessee, just outside Crossville, until his death in February 2015.

wiki/Earl_Lloyd
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