1956

Today in History 10/10 (Windscale Fire)

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Calder Hall and Windscale (now known as Sellafield) power stations in Cumbria, England, October 1957 (© Harold Clements/Express/Getty Images)(1957) Fire at England’s Windscale nuclear reactor
A fuel cartridge has burst in one of the channels of England’s Windscale nuclear weapons facility and catches fire, sending iodine-131 radioactive contamination into the air. Eleven tons of uranium will be ablaze before the world’s first known nuclear accident is contained two days later.
The Windscale fire of 10 October 1957 was the worst nuclear accident in Great Britain’s history, ranked in severity at level 5 out of a possible 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale. The fire took place in Unit 1 of the two-pile Windscale facility on the northwest coast of England in Cumberland. The two graphite-moderated reactors, referred to at the time as “piles”, had been built as part of the British atomic bomb project. Windscale Pile No. 1 was operational in October 1950 followed by Pile No. 2 in June 1951.
Date: Oct 10, 1957
Location: Windscale, Seascale, Cumbria (now Sellafield)
Non-fatal injuries: Estimated 240 additional cases of thyroid cancer
Outcome: INES Level 5 (accident with wider consequences)

Windscale Schematic
Cutaway diagram of Windscale reactor
wiki/Windscale_fire
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(1957) Fire at England’s Windscale nuclear reactor.
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1845 | US Navy’s officer’s training school opens at Chesapeake Bay
Seven professors will teach 50 midshipmen in Annapolis, Maryland, as the Naval School, later known as the United States Naval Academy, begins its first term. Commodore Matthew Perry has helped plan the five-year curriculum, with the first and last year taught on land, and the middle three at sea.
1911 | Chinese Revolution begins as 2,000 years of imperial rule crumbles in China
The building of railways by foreign powers in China stokes nationalistic fervor, and unfair financial gain for those same foreign powers leads to violent protests. Today’s Wuchang Uprising will start the Xinhai Revolution, the overthrow of more than 2 millennia of imperial rule.
1956 | James Dean’s final film debuts posthumously ‘Giant’ premieres
The drama starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean debuts, telling the tumultuous story of a Texas ranching family. It marks Dean’s third and final big-screen role, as he had died in a car accident a year earlier after completing work on the film.

Today in History 10/10/17

The Imperial army in white uniforms marching in single file in front of a Pagoda during the Chinese Revolution, October 1911 (© Topical Press Agency/Getty Images)(1911) 2,000 years of imperial rule begins to crumble in China
The building of railways by foreign powers in China stokes nationalistic fervor, and unfair financial gain for those same foreign powers leads to violent protests. Today's Wuchang Uprising will start the Xinhai Revolution, the overthrow of more than 2 millennia of imperial rule.
The Xinhai Revolution, also known as the Chinese Revolution or the Revolution of 1911, was a revolution that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty and established the Republic of China. The revolution was named Xinhai because it occurred in 1911, the year of the Xinhai stem-branch in the sexagenary cycle of the Chinese calendar.
Start date: Oct 10, 1911
End date: Feb 12, 1912
Xinhai Revolution (Chinese characters)
Xinhai Revolution in Chinese characters

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

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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
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.

Museo Che Guevara, Havana Cuba
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 10/23/17

Hungarian rebels wave their national flag from a tank captured in the main square of Budapest, Hungary, in 1956 (© AP)(1956) Hungarians stage popular uprising against USSR
Seven years of Soviet domination is more than enough for 20,000 Hungarians who gather in Budapest calling for their country’s independence. Some 180,000 more join them, but state police fire on the crowd, marking the start of a crackdown that will eventually crush the nascent revolution.
The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 or the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 was a nationwide revolt against the government of the Hungarian People’s Republic and its Soviet-imposed policies, lasting from 23 October until 10 November 1956. Though leaderless when it first began, it was the first major threat to Soviet control since the USSR’s forces drove Nazi Germany from its territory at the end of World War II.
Start date: Oct 23, 1956
End date: Nov 10, 1956
Hole in flag - Budapest 1956
Hole in flag – Budapest 1956

wiki/Hungarian_Revolution_of_1956
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Today in History 06/05/17

Elvis Presley rehearsing for his performance on the Milton Berle show on June 4, 1956 (© Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)(1956) The Milton Berle Show features a scandalous Elvis
New singing sensation Elvis Presley makes his second appearance on NBC’s ‘Milton Berle Show,’ this time to perform his single ‘Hound Dog.’ Teenagers swoon, while the older set and most critics are outraged at Presley’s indecent gyrations. Future TV gigs will film Elvis from the waist up.
Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer-songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century, he is often referred to as the “King of Rock and Roll” or simply “the King”.
Lived: Jan 08, 1935 – Aug 16, 1977 (age 42)
Height: 6′ 0″ (1.82 m)
Spouse: Priscilla Presley (m. 1967 – 1973)
Partner: Linda Thompson (1972 – 1976)
Children: Lisa Marie Presley (Daughter)
Buried: Graceland

wiki/Elvis_Presley
John Profumo leaves his car on returning to his London home on June 18, 1963 (© AP )(1963) ‘Profumo Affair’ rocks the British government
Teenage showgirls, possible prostitution, and the British War Secretary sharing a lover with a Soviet diplomat are the ingredients in a stew of a scandal forcing the resignation of John Profumo, and ultimately leading to the fall of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan’s Conservative government.
The Profumo affair was a British political scandal that originated with a brief sexual relationship in 1961 between John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan’s government, and Christine Keeler, a 19-year-old would-be model. In March 1963, Profumo denied any impropriety in a personal statement to the House of Commons, but was forced to admit the truth a few weeks later. He resigned from the government and from Parliament. The repercussions of the affair severely damaged Macmillan’s self-confidence, and he resigned as prime minister on health grounds in October 1963. His Conservative Party was marked by the scandal, which may have contributed to its defeat by Labour in the 1964 general election.
wiki/Profumo_affair
Israeli Sherman M4 tanks are seen moving towards the Sinai during Israel's invasion of the Sinai in the six day war of Israel on June 6, 1967 (© AP )(1967) Israel launches preemptive attack on Egyptian air power
Citing an Arab military build-up near its border with Egypt, Israel launches air strikes on Egyptian airfields, destroying upwards of 400 aircraft. The Six-Day War will grow to include Syria and Jordan, and Israel will capture the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights.
The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War, or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967 by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria.
Start date: Jun 05, 1967
End date: Jun 10, 1967

wiki/Six-Day_War
Presidential candidate Sen. Robert F. Kennedy speaks to campaign workers in Los Angeles minutes before he was shot on June 5, 1968 (© Dick Strobel/AP )(1968) Robert F. Kennedy brought down by assassin’s bullets
Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy is shot three times as he departs the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after giving a victory speech following his California Democratic Primary win. He will die the next day from his wounds, almost five years after his brother John was assassinated.
On June 5, 1968, presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was fatally shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, shortly after winning the California presidential primaries in the 1968 election, and died the next day while hospitalized.
Date: Jun 05, 1968

wiki/Assassination_of_Robert_F._Kennedy
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Today in History 05/24/17

Woodcut of horsedrawn carriage on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, circa 1830 (© Universal History Archive/Getty Images)(1830) Passenger rail service begins in US
Horse-drawn rail coaches begin scheduled runs on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad between Baltimore, Maryland, and Ellicott’s Mills, Maryland. Three months later, after a rail race between the ‘Tom Thumb’ steam engine and a horse-drawn car, steam-powered travel will come to the route.
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which would have connected Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. At first this railroad was located entirely in the state of Maryland with an original line from the port of Baltimore west to Sandy Hook. At this point to continue westward, it had to cross into Virginia over the Potomac River, adjacent to the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. From there it passed through Virginia from Harpers Ferry to a point just west of the junction of Patterson Creek and the North Branch Potomac River where it crossed back into Maryland to reach Cumberland. From there it was extended to the Ohio River at Wheeling and a few years later also to Parkersburg, West Virginia.
Founded: 1827
Headquarters: Baltimore, MD
Founders: William Patterson · John W. Garrett

wiki/Baltimore_and_Ohio_Railroad
Brooklyn Bridge under construction in 1883 (© Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty images)(1883) The East River’s Brooklyn Bridge is open to traffic
A neo-Gothic bridge connecting Manhattan to Brooklyn is officially opened amid fireworks and naval gun salutes. The mayors of the two boroughs, and President Chester Arthur, make the trip across the Brooklyn Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in the world.
The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridge in New York City and is one of the oldest bridges of either type in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River. It has a main span of 1,595.5 feet and was the first steel-wire suspension bridge constructed. It was originally referred to as the New York and Brooklyn Bridge and as the East River Bridge, but it was later dubbed the Brooklyn Bridge, a name coming from an earlier January 25, 1867, letter to the editor of the The Brooklyn Daily Eagle and formally so named by the city government in 1915. Since opening, it has become an icon of New York City and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1972.
Address: Brooklyn Brg, New York, NY 10038
Opened: May 24, 1883
Length: 5,988 feet (1,825 m)
Width: 85′ 4″ (26 m)
Longest span: 1,595 feet (486.30 m)
Clearance below: 135 feet (41 m)
Brooklyn Bridge Schematic

wiki/Brooklyn_Bridge
Swiss singer Lys Assia, shortly after winning the very first Eurovision Song Contest with her song 'Refrain,' May 1956 (© Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)(1956) First broadcast of continental crooning competition
Celebrating the new sensation of TV as much as songwriting and singing, the Eurovision Song Contest debuts in Switzerland as seven European nations vie for the top tune. Swiss singer Lys Assia will win the inaugural contest. In decades to come, the increasingly spectacular show will be seen by as many as 600 million viewers annually.
The Eurovision Song Contest is the longest-running annual international TV song competition, held, primarily, among the member countries of the European Broadcasting Union since 1956. The competition was based upon the existing Sanremo Music Festival held in Italy since 1951.
Episode duration: 120 minutes
First episode: May 24, 1956
Creator: Marcel Bezençon

wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest
Susan Sarandon (left) and Geena Davis in 'Thelma & Louise' (© Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty Images)(1991) ‘Thelma and Louise’ get on the road
Ridley Scott’s road movie starring Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis hits theaters. It will become an iconic feminist film as well as a commercial success. The movie will also put one of its supporting actors on the road to superstardom.
Louise is working in a diner as a waitress and has some problems with her boyfriend Jimmy, who, as a musician, is always on the road. Thelma is married to Darryl who likes his wife to stay quiet in the kitchen so that he can watch football on TV. One day they decide to break out of their normal life and jump in the car and hit the road. Their journey, however, turns into a flight when Louise kills a man who threatens to rape Thelma. They decide to go to Mexico, but soon they are hunted by American police.
IMDB: www.imdb.com/title/tt0103074
Release date: May 24, 1991 (United States)
Director: Ridley Scott
Gross revenue: $45.40 million USD
Screenwriter: Callie Khouri
Awards: Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay · Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay · Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay · National Board of Review Award for Best Actress · National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor · David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actress · London Film Critics’ Circle Award for Director of the Year
Music by: Hans Zimmer

wiki/Thelma_&_Louise
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