1955

Today in History 08/27 (Renée Richards)

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Renee Richards during a match at the Orange Lawn Tennis Club in South Orange, NJ, on Aug 26, 1976 (© Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)(1976) Tennis bars a transgender pioneer from competition
Nine months after her sex-reassignment surgery, Dr. Renée Richards refuses to take a chromosome test mandated by tennis authorities and is banned from playing in the US Open. A court order will later admit Richards to 1977’s tournament.
Renée Richards is an American ophthalmologist and former tennis player who had some success on the professional circuit in the 1970s, and became widely known following male-to-female sex reassignment surgery, when she fought to compete as a woman in the 1976 US Open.
Born: Aug 19, 1934 (age 84) · New York, NY
Height: 6′ 1″
Turned pro: 1977
Nationality: American
Children: Nicholas Raskind (Son)
Parents: David Raskind (Father)

the semis, against Lea Antonopolis
When Richards’ run in New Jersey came to an end in the semis, against Lea Antonopolis, she thought she would repeat her breakthrough at the US Open. After all, that loss proved a woman could beat her.
wiki/Renée_Richards
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(1976) Tennis bars a transgender pioneer from competition.
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1776 | Washington loses to Howe in Brooklyn Heights
Less than two months a nation, the United States fights the largest Revolutionary War battle yet when George Washington and his 10,000 Continental Army troops battle General William Howe’s 20,000-strong British force at Gowanus Pass in Brooklyn Heights to control New York City’s strategic port.
1883 | A Dutch East Indies island volcano blows its top
Dormant for 200 years, the volcanic island of Krakatoa began erupting yesterday, and today explodes with the loudest sounds in recorded history, destroying two-thirds of the island, causing more than 36,000 deaths, and generating multiple tsunamis, green moonlight, and a weather-altering volcanic winter.
1955 | Amazing accomplishments and freaky facts get their tome in Guinness Records
Inspired by an argument over whether the red grouse or golden plover flies faster, the marketing director at Guinness Breweries and fact-finding colleagues compile a reference book to answer such weird and wonderful questions, and the first ‘Guinness Book of Records’ is published.

Today in History 08/27/17

Painting of the Delaware Regiment at the Battle of Long Island in 1776 (© Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty images)(1776) Washington loses to Howe in Brooklyn Heights
Less than two months a nation, the United States fights the largest Revolutionary War battle yet when George Washington and his 10,000 Continental Army troops battle General William Howe's 20,000-strong British force at Gowanus Pass in Brooklyn Heights to control New York City's strategic port.
The Battle of Long Island is also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights. It was fought on August 27, 1776 and was the first major battle of the American Revolutionary War to take place after the United States declared its independence on July 4, 1776. It was a victory for the British Army and the beginning of a successful campaign that gave them control of the strategically important city of New York. In terms of troop deployment and fighting, it was the largest battle of the entire war.
Date: Aug 27, 1776
Brooklyn Map 1766
American strategy called for the first line of defense to be based on the Heights of Guan, a series of hills which stretched northeast across King's County. The main defensive works were a series of forts and entrenchments located in the northwest of the county, in and around the Dutch-founded town of Brookland. The "Road to Narrows" is the Gowanus Road. No. 5 is the "Old Stone House". Map by Bernard Ratzer based on his 1766-1767 survey.

wiki/Battle_of_Long_Island
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Today in History 07/17 (Battle of Castillon)

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Painting depicting the Battle of Castillon (1453) by the French painter Charles-Philippe Larivière (© Art Media/Print Collector/Getty Images)(1453) France bests England in last battle of Hundred Years’ War
Famous and feared, Commander John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, falls in battle at a Frenchman’s axe, and with his death ends England’s hold on their neighbor across the Channel. The rout of English forces near Gascony, France, will begin the closing of the epic Hundred Years’ War.
The Battle of Castillon was a battle fought on 17 July 1453 in Gascony near the town of Castillon-sur-Dordogne. A decisive French victory, it is considered to mark the end of the Hundred Years’ War. As a result of the battle, the English lost all landholdings in France, except Calais.
Date: Jul 17, 1453

The death of John Talbot
The death of John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury at the battle of Castillon from Vigilles de Charles VII by Martial d’Auvergne
wiki/Battle_of_Castillon
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(1453) France bests England in last battle of Hundred Years’ War.
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1945 | New global superpowers plot post-war strategy at Potsdam
More than two weeks of diplomatic talks begin outside Berlin, Germany, as WWII’s victors decide what to do about the losing side, the devastation wreaked on Europe, and the continuing war with Japan. The Potsdam Conference will be the last time the ‘Big Three’ Allied leaders meet.
1955 | Walt Disney opens a new theme park in Anaheim, California
Animation mogul Walt Disney introduces Disneyland, his new theme park, to a live TV audience and 28,000 people in attendance. Employees will later refer to this day as ‘Black Sunday’ due to technical glitches. Disneyland would open to the public the following day.
1979 | Nicaraguan Sandinistas force a dictator to flee the country
Leftist Sandinista revolutionaries are one step closer to controlling Nicaragua after General Anastasio Somoza Debayle resigns and flees the country, ending his family’s dictatorial control after 43 years. The Sandinistas will take full power two days later.

Today in History 07/17/17

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, US President Harry S. Truman, and Soviet Premier and Supreme Commander Josef Stalin pose at the entrance of Schloss Cecilienhof in Potsdam, Germany, on July 23, 1945 (© AP)(1945) New global superpowers plot post-war strategy at Potsdam
More than two weeks of diplomatic talks begin outside Berlin, Germany, as WWII's victors decide what to do about the losing side, the devastation wreaked on Europe, and the continuing war with Japan. The Potsdam Conference will be the last time the 'Big Three' Allied leaders meet.
The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm, in Potsdam, occupied Germany, from 17 July to 2 August 1945. Participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The three powers were represented by Communist Party General Secretary Joseph Stalin, Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and, later, Clement Attlee, and President Harry S. Truman.
End date: 1945
Start date: Jul 17, 1945
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-R67561, Potsdamer Konferenz, Konferenztisch

wiki/Potsdam_Conference
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Today in History 07/09 (Russell-Einstein Manifesto)

Bertrand Russell in 1953 (© ullstein bild/ullstein bild/Getty Images)(1955) A plea for sanity in an age of nuclear menace
Remember your humanity, and forget the rest, is Bertrand Russell’s warning on the threat posed by nuclear weapons and the possibility of global annihilation. The English philosopher is joined by 10 other prominent thinkers, including Albert Einstein, in signing a Manifesto seeking peaceful alternatives.
The Russell–Einstein Manifesto was issued in London on 9 July 1955 by Bertrand Russell in the midst of the Cold War. It highlighted the dangers posed by nuclear weapons and called for world leaders to seek peaceful resolutions to international conflict. The signatories included eleven pre-eminent intellectuals and scientists, including Albert Einstein, who signed it just days before his death on 18 April 1955. A few days after the release, philanthropist Cyrus S. Eaton offered to sponsor a conference—called for in the manifesto—in Pugwash, Nova Scotia, Eaton’s birthplace. This conference was to be the first of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, held in July 1957.
wiki/Russell–Einstein_Manifesto
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(1955) A plea for sanity in an age of nuclear menace.
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1816 | Argentina declares independence from Spain
After six years of fighting the Argentine War of Independence, the United Provinces of South America declare independence from Spain. It will take decades and a civil war before Argentina can establish a constitution and have its independence recognized by Spain in 1857.
1877 | Wimbledon hosts its first tennis championship
The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, London, hosts the Gentlemen’s Singles Competition in lawn tennis. Tennis will prove a more enduring spectator sport than croquet, and Wimbledon will go on to become the world’s premiere tennis venue.
1995 | Jerry Garcia jams at his final concert with the Dead
After delighting Deadheads for decades, Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead play their last concert featuring all the band’s core members at Chicago’s Soldier Field, capping a touring career that logged more than 2,300 concerts. Garcia, their lead guitarist and unofficial spokesman, will die exactly a month later.

Today in History 10/26/17

'The Village Voice' newspaper (© Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images)(1955) First issue of ‘Village Voice’ published
A new arts and culture newspaper is published from an apartment in New York’s Greenwich Village, pioneering the concept of an alternative weekly. It will win three Pulitzer Prizes and help launch the careers of many notable writers before publishing its final print edition on September 21, 2017.
The Village Voice is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country’s first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher and Norman Mailer, the Voice began as a platform for the creative community of New York City. Since its founding, The Village Voice has received three Pulitzer Prizes, the National Press Foundation Award and the George Polk Award. The Village Voice has hosted a variety of writers and artists, including writer Ezra Pound, cartoonist Lynda Barry, and art critics Robert Christgau, Andrew Sarris, and J. Hoberman. In addition to daily coverage through its website and a weekly print edition that circulates in New York City, the Voice issues a weekly digital edition of its magazine.
Website: www.villagevoice.com
Founded: Oct 26, 1955
Headquarter: Manhattan, NY
Owner: Village Voice Media
1955 October cover The Village Voice
1955 October cover The Village Voice

wiki/The_Village_Voice
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Today in History 07/09/17

Bertrand Russell in 1953 (© ullstein bild/ullstein bild/Getty Images)(1955) A plea for sanity in an age of nuclear menace
Remember your humanity, and forget the rest, is Bertrand Russell’s warning on the threat posed by nuclear weapons and the possibility of global annihilation. The English philosopher is joined by 10 other prominent thinkers, including Albert Einstein, in signing a Manifesto seeking peaceful alternatives.
The Russell–Einstein Manifesto was issued in London on 9 July 1955 by Bertrand Russell in the midst of the Cold War. It highlighted the dangers posed by nuclear weapons and called for world leaders to seek peaceful resolutions to international conflict. The signatories included eleven pre-eminent intellectuals and scientists, including Albert Einstein, who signed it just days before his death on 18 April 1955. A few days after the release, philanthropist Cyrus S. Eaton offered to sponsor a conference—called for in the manifesto—in Pugwash, Nova Scotia, Eaton’s birthplace. This conference was to be the first of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, held in July 1957.
wiki/Russell–Einstein_Manifesto
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