Today in History ^11/12 (World Wide Web)

November 12, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

The world's first web page, created by Tim Berners-Lee in 1990, and photographed here in 2013 (Е FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

(1990) A worldwide web of internet communication is proposed

English computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee publishes a proposal to interlink communications via the internet through hypertext, like this, for a project called “WorldWideWeb,” a web of documents viewed by “browsers.” Within weeks, he’ll have built the necessary infrastructure and published the first web pages, describing this very project.

The World Wide Web is a global information medium which users can read and write via computers connected to the Internet. The term is often mistakenly used as a synonym for the Internet itself, but the Web is a service that operates over the Internet, just as e-mail also does. The history of the Internet dates back significantly further than that of the World Wide Web. Web is the global information system.

The NeXTcube used by Tim Berners-Lee at CERN became the first Web server.
wiki/History_of_the_World_Wide_Web

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(1990) A worldwide web of internet communication is proposed.
Also on this day,

1892 | Pudge Heffelfinger is the first professional football player

William ‘Pudge’ Heffelfinger is paid $500 to play a game in Pittsburgh. The 6′-3″, 200-pounder scores the only points in the Allegheny Athletic Association’s win over the Pittsburgh Athletic Club. Heffelfinger will go on to be a college football coach and mount an unsuccessful bid for US Congress.

1954 | Ellis Island closes its doors

Having processed about 12 million immigrants seeking entry to the US since it opened in 1892, Ellis Island shuts down operations. In the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, the processing center will fall into disrepair but the main building will be restored and will reopen in 1990 to host a museum of immigration.

1969 | Journalist Seymour Hersh breaks the My Lai massacre story

Freelance reporter Seymour Hersh breaks the story of a massacre in a Vietnamese village where hundreds of civilians were gunned down by US troops. The story of the horrific act and its subsequent cover-up gets widespread coverage and will help erode US public support for the Vietnam War.

Today in History ^11/12/17

Arne Petterson, the last immigrant to leave Ellis Island, waves from the ferry on November 12, 1954 (© AP)

(1954) Ellis Island closes its doors

Having processed about 12 million immigrants seeking entry to the US since it opened in 1892, Ellis Island shuts down operations. In the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, the processing center will fall into disrepair but the main building will be restored and will reopen in 1990 to host a museum of immigration.

Ellis Island, in Upper New York Bay, was the gateway for over 12 million immigrants to the United States as the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station for over sixty years from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with land reclamation between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the site of Fort Gibson and later a naval magazine. The island was made part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965 and has hosted a museum of immigration since 1990.

Website: www.libertyellisfoundation.org
Address: 17 Battery Pl Ste 210, New York, NY 10004
Phone: (212) 561-4588
Established: Jan 01, 1892
Managed by: National Park Service

Ellis Island's location in Upper New York Bay

wiki/Ellis_Island

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Today in History ^11/03 (Iran-Contra Affair)

November 3, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

Lt. Col. Oliver North reads his opening statement before a congressional committee holding hearings on the Iran-Contra affair in July 1987 (© J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

(1986) Lebanese magazine breaks story of US arms sales to Iran

The weekly ‘Ash-Shiraa’ reports that the US is secretly selling weapons to Iran in an attempt to get seven American hostages, held in Lebanon, released. The arms-for-hostages story quickly escalates into the Iran-Contra scandal.

The Iran–Contra affair, also referred to as Irangate, Contragate or the Iran–Contra scandal, was a political scandal in the United States that occurred during the second term of the Reagan Administration. Senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of arms to Iran, which was the subject of an arms embargo. They hoped, thereby, to fund the Contras in Nicaragua while at the same time negotiating the release of several U.S. hostages. Under the Boland Amendment, further funding of the Contras by the government had been prohibited by Congress.

Start date: Aug 20, 1985
End date: Mar 04, 1987

President Ronald Reagan with Caspar Weinberger, George Shultz, Ed Meese, and Don Regan discussing the President's remarks on the Iran-Contra affair, Oval Office

Reagan meets with (left to right) Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, Secretary of State George Shultz, Attorney General Ed Meese, and Chief of Staff Don Regan in the Oval Office
wiki/Iran–Contra_affair

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(1986) Lebanese magazine breaks story of US arms sales to Iran.
Also on this day,

1954 | Prehistoric sea creature revisits nuclear horror on Japan as ‘Godzilla’ premieres

The horrors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki fresh in their minds, Japanese moviegoers confront a new nuclear cataclysm: a prehistoric monster-lizard, resurrected because of nuclear tests in the Pacific, come to ravage Japan yet again. Premiering today in Tokyo, the original film won’t be released in the US until 2004.

1957 | Soviet dog becomes first living creature to orbit Earth

A Moscow stray, named Laika, launches into space aboard the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2. The dog is sent into orbit to test the effects of space travel on living animals. Unfortunately, no reentry plan exists and Laika dies during the experiment.

2004 | Hamid Karzai declared winner of Afghanistan’s first presidential election

The son of a prominent Afghan politician, Hamid Karzai had returned from exile after a US-led coalition toppled the Taliban regime. Chosen to lead the transitional government, he is today officially declared the winner of the constitutionally mandated presidential election.

Today in History ^11/03/17

Laika, the first dog in space, in the Sputnik 2 capsule (© Sovfoto/UIG via Getty Images)

(1957) Soviet dog becomes first living creature to orbit Earth

A Moscow stray, named Laika, launches into space aboard the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2. The dog is sent into orbit to test the effects of space travel on living animals. Unfortunately, no reentry plan exists and Laika dies during the experiment.

Laika was a Soviet space dog who became one of the first animals in space, and the first animal to orbit the Earth. Laika, a stray dog from the streets of Moscow, was selected to be the occupant of the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 that was launched into outer space on November 3, 1957.

Born: 1954
Died: Nov 03, 1957
Weight: 13.23 pound (6 kg)
Birth place: Moscow

Romanian stamp from 1959 with Laika (the caption reads "Laika, first traveller into Cosmos")

wiki/Laika

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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 ^09/27 (Stockton & Darlington Railway)

September 27, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

Opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825 in England (© Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

(1825) Northeast England’s coal boom leads to a railway first

Hauling coal from the mines to boats is the real motivation behind the creation of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, but passengers may find a seat inside one of the specially kitted-out coal wagons for the official opening of the world’s first public steam-locomotive railway.

The Stockton and Darlington Railway was a railway company that operated in north-east England from 1825 to 1863. The world’s first public railway to use steam locomotives, its first line connected collieries near Shildon with Stockton-on-Tees and Darlington, and was officially opened on 27 September 1825. The movement of coal to ships rapidly became a lucrative business, and the line was soon extended to a new port and town at Middlesbrough. While coal waggons were hauled by steam locomotives from the start, passengers were carried in coaches drawn by horses until carriages hauled by steam locomotives were introduced in 1833.

Opened: 1825
Length: 24.90 miles

Map by unsigned cartographer within 1821 Stockton and Darlington Railway report. A short pamphlet plus fold-out maps. The original from which this has been scanned is in the North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers. It is reference Tracts vol 57 p252. The scan and the upload to Wiki Commons have been made with the permission and direction of their librarian Jennifer Kelly.
wiki/Stockton_and_Darlington_Railway

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(1825) Northeast England’s coal boom leads to a railway first.
Also on this day,

1540 | Ignatius of Loyola and his ‘soldiers’ form the Jesuits

Ignatius of Loyola’s Society of Jesus becomes an official part of the Catholic Church. Known as the Jesuits, or ‘God’s Soldiers,’ the order will send missionaries throughout the world to evangelize their faith, and in 2013 Jorge Bergoglio will become the first Jesuit Pope, as Pope Francis.

1954 | ‘Tonight Show’ staring Steve Allen is king of late night

Comedian Steve Allen hosts the launch of TV’s first late-night talk show, ‘Tonight Starring Steve Allen.’ The innovative NBC program will go on to pioneer many late-night talk show traditions, and morph into the world’s longest-running talk fest, ‘The Tonight Show.’

1964 | The official word on JFK’s assassination is released as Warren Report published

The President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy release their final conclusions to the public. The Associated Press publishes the book containing the Warren Commission’s conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone when he killed President John F. Kennedy.

Today in History ^09/27/17

Chief Justice Earl Warren presenting the report of the Warren Commission to President Lyndon Johnson (© Jim McNamara/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

(1964) The official word on JFK's assassination is released

The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy release their final conclusions to the public. The Associated Press publishes the book containing the Warren Commission's conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone when he killed President John F. Kennedy.

The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, was established by President Lyndon B. Johnson through Executive Order 11130 on November 29, 1963 to investigate the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy that had taken place on November 22, 1963. The U.S. Congress passed Senate Joint Resolution 137 authorizing the Presidential appointed Commission to report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, mandating the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of evidence. Its 888-page final report was presented to President Johnson on September 24, 1964 and made public three days later. It concluded that President Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald and that Oswald acted entirely alone. It also concluded that Jack Ruby also acted alone when he killed Oswald two days later. The Commission's findings have proven controversial and have been both challenged and supported by later studies.

The Commission took its unofficial name—the Warren Commission—from its chairman, Chief Justice Earl Warren. According to published transcripts of Johnson's presidential phone conversations, some major officials were opposed to forming such a commission and several commission members took part only reluctantly. One of their chief reservations was that a commission would ultimately create more controversy than consensus.

Final report cover

wiki/Warren_Commission

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Today in History ^09/09 (California Statehood)

September 9, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

(1850) New state takes up most of the USA’s West Coast

The United States officially admits more than 160,000 square miles of West Coast territory, stretching from arid semi-desert lands near the Mexican border northwards to the evergreen forests of the Pacific Northwest, as the new state of California.

California is a U.S. state in the Pacific Region of the United States. With 39.5 million residents, California is the most populous state in the United States and the third largest by area. The state capital is Sacramento. The Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation’s second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, with 18.7 million and 8.8 million residents respectively. Los Angeles is California’s most populous city, and the country’s second-most populous, after New York City. California also has the nation’s most populous county, Los Angeles County; its largest county by area, San Bernardino County; and its fifth most densely populated county, San Francisco.

Population: 39.54 million (2017)
Capital: Sacramento
Area: 163,696 sq miles
Colleges and universities: Stanford University · University of California, Berkeley · University of California, Los Angeles · University of Southern California · California Institute of Technology · University of California, Santa Barbara · University of California, Davis · California State University, Los Angeles · University of California, San Diego · University of Californi…
Senators: Dianne Feinstein · Kamala Harris
Governor: Jerry Brown

Map of the United States with California highlighted
wiki/California

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(1850) New state takes up most of the USA’s West Coast.
Also on this day,

1839 | Inventor makes pioneering photograph

England’s John Herschel is a true Renaissance man, and now the mathematician, inventor, chemist, and discoverer of the stunningly beautiful cyanotype process, makes the first photograph on a glass plate.

1948 | Socialist state is created on the Korean Peninsula

Following post-WWII annexations by the USSR in the north and the US in the south, the country of Korea is further split as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is announced. The new socialist dictatorship, led by Kim Il Sung, takes over the north, and will close its borders and grow increasingly isolated.

1954 | Bell becomes the first person to swim Lake Ontario

Marilyn Bell arrives in Toronto, having swum across Lake Ontario from Youngstown, NY. The 16-year-old Canadian swimmer took off the night before with two other swimmers (including American Florence Chadwick), but after nearly 21 hours of swimming, only Bell completed the crossing.

Today in History ^09/09/17

Kim Il Sung gives a broadcast speech in June 1950 to all North Korean citizens regarding the breakout of the Korean war (© Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

(1948) Socialist state is created on the Korean Peninsula

Following post-WWII annexations by the USSR in the north and the US in the south, the country of Korea is further split as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is announced. The new socialist dictatorship, led by Kim Il Sung, takes over the north, and will close its borders and grow increasingly isolated.

North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia constituting the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. Pyongyang is the nation's capital and largest city. To the north and northwest the country is bordered by China and by Russia along the Amnok and Tumen rivers; it is bordered to the south by South Korea, with the heavily fortified Korean Demilitarized Zone separating the two. Nevertheless, North Korea, like its southern counterpart, claims to be the legitimate government of the entire Korean peninsula.

Population: 25.37 million (2016)
Official language: Korean
Capital: Pyongyang
GDP: $25 billion USD (2015)
Area: 46,541 sq miles (120,540 km²)
Calling code: 850

Area controlled by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea shown in dark green; claimed but uncontrolled regions shown in light green.

wiki/North_Korea

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