1956

Today in History 12/22 (Dostoevsky Gets Reprieve)

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Fyodor Dostoevsky in 1863 (© Elizaveta Becker/ullstein bild/Getty Images)(1849) Dostoevsky spared at last minute from firing squad
Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky stands before a firing line but as the guns are about to fire gets a reprieve and is sent into exile. A member of an underground intellectual group, he’d been condemned to die for antigovernment activities. He’ll go on to write ‘Crime and Punishment’ and ‘The Brothers Karamazov.’
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, sometimes transliterated Dostoyevsky, was a Russian novelist, short story writer, essayist, journalist and philosopher. Dostoevsky’s literary works explore human psychology in the troubled political, social, and spiritual atmospheres of 19th-century Russia, and engage with a variety of philosophical and religious themes. His most acclaimed works include Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Demons and The Brothers Karamazov. Dostoevsky’s oeuvre consists of 11 novels, three novellas, 17 short stories and numerous other works. Many literary critics rate him as one of the greatest psychologists in world literature. His 1864 novella Notes from Underground is considered to be one of the first works of existentialist literature.
Lived: Nov 11, 1821 – Feb 09, 1881 (age 59)
Spouse: Anna Dostoyevskaya (m. 1867 – 1881) · Marya Dimiitryevna Isayeva (m. 1857 – 1864)
Siblings: Andrey Dostoyevsky (Brother) · Mikhail Dostoyevsky (Brother) · Varvara Dostoyevskaya (Sister) · Aleksandra Dostoyevskaya (Sister) · Vera Dostoyevskaya (Sister) · Nikolai Dostoyevsky (Brother) · Lyubov Dostoyevskaya (Sister)
Children: Lyubov Dostoevskaya (Daughter) · Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Son) · Sonya Dostoyevskaya (Daughter) · Alexey Dostoyevsky (Son)
Parents: Maria Nechayeva (Mother) · Mikhail Dostoyevsky (Father)
Education: Military Engineering-Technical University

Dostoevsky in 1876
Dostoevsky in 1876
wiki/Fyodor_Dostoyevsky
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(1849) Dostoevsky spared at last minute from firing squad.
Also on this day,

1956 | Ohio zoo welcomes the first gorilla born in captivity
Colo is born at the Columbus Zoo on this day in 1956. Her parents had been surreptitiously put together at night by a zookeeper going against his boss’s orders to keep them separated. The success of Colo’s birth will spur a captive-breeding program for western lowland gorillas in zoos.
1967 | ‘The Graduate’ seduces movie audiences
Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft star in a new film by Mike Nichols. The story of an aimless recent college graduate resonates with audiences and critics alike. The movie also helps a folk duo from Queens, NY, graduate to superstardom.
2000 | Madonna marries British movie director
The pop star marries Guy Ritchie at a heavily guarded castle in the Scottish Highlands. The wedding is shrouded in so much secrecy that it’s 12 hours before the world’s media can confirm the ceremony has taken place. The couple will divorce in 2008.

Today in History 12/22/17

General William T. Sherman circa 1854-65 (Public domain)(1864) Sherman gives Lincoln the city of Savannah as a Christmas present
Union Gen. William T. Sherman wires President Abraham Lincoln a message: "I beg to present you, as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah." The telegraph relieves Lincoln who had not heard from Sherman for weeks on his infamous March to the Sea across the South, but the capture of Savannah demonstrates the campaign's success.
Sherman's March to the Sea, more formally known as the Savannah Campaign, was a military campaign of the American Civil War conducted through Georgia from November 15 to December 21, 1864 by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army. The campaign began with Sherman's troops leaving the captured city of Atlanta on November 15 and ended with the capture of the port of Savannah on December 21. His forces destroyed military targets as well as industry, infrastructure, and civilian property and disrupted the Confederacy's economy and its transportation networks. The operation broke the back of the Confederacy and helped lead to its eventual surrender. Sherman's bold move of operating deep within enemy territory and without supply lines is considered to be one of the major achievements of the war.
Start date: Nov 15, 1864
End date: Dec 21, 1864

Savannah Campaign
Savannah Campaign (Sherman's March to the Sea).

wiki/Sherman's_March_to_the_Sea
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Today in History 12/04 (George Washington)

Engraving depicting George Washington bidding farewell to his officers at Fraunces Tavern in 1783 (© Archive Photos/Getty Images)(1783) George Washington says a tearful farewell to officers
United States Gen. George Washington gathers his men at a tavern in New York City to announce he’s retiring and plans to return to Mount Vernon. Washington is “suffused in tears” as he hugs each officer goodbye. His retirement won’t last long. In a few years, he’ll be elected as the first president of the US.
George Washington was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America and served as the nation’s first President. He commanded Patriot forces in the new nation’s vital American Revolutionary War and led them to victory over the British. Washington also presided at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, which established the new federal government. For his manifold leadership he has been called the “Father of His Country”.
Lived: Feb 22, 1732 – Dec 14, 1799 (age 67)
Height: 6′ 2″
Spouse: Martha Washington (m. 1759 – 1799)
Structures: Mount Vernon
Children: Martha Parke Custis (Daughter) · Frances Custis (Daughter) · Daniel Parke Custis, Jr. (Son) · Daniel Parke Custis Jr (Son)
Buried: Mount Vernon
Highlights
  • 1759: Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis on January 6, 1759, the wealthy widow of Daniel Parke Custis.

  • 1774: In July 1774, George Mason arrived at Mount Vernon with a list of resolutions which he and Washington worked overnight to refine.

  • 1787: He appeared at the convention as a delegate from Virginia, and he was unanimously elected its president in 1787.

  • 1789: Washington was inaugurated on April 30, 1789 at age 57, taking the first presidential oath of office at Federal Hall in New York City.

  • 1779: He died peacefully with Martha calmly composed at the foot of his bed around 10 p.m. on Saturday, December 14, 1799 at age 67.

George Washington presiding the Philadelphia Convention
Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States by Howard Chandler Christy, 1940. Washington, presiding officer, stands at right.
wiki/George_Washington
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(1783) George Washington says a tearful farewell to officers.
Also on this day,

1945 | US joins UN as senate approves US participation in the UN
The Senate votes 65-7 to allow the United States to participate in the newly formed United Nations. The international organization, to be headquartered in New York City, aims to foster cooperation among nations, settle disputes peacefully to prevent wars, and establish wartime rules of conduct.
1956 | Supergroup jams as the ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ records in Memphis
Rockabilly hit-maker Carl Perkins is recording at the Sun Record Studios when he’s joined by up-and-comer pianist Jerry Lee Lewis. Later, stars Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash drop by, and the four musicians begin an impromptu jam session. The first recordings of the session won’t be released for another 25 years.
1991 | American hostage Terry Anderson is freed
Islamic militants free Anderson after nearly seven years of captivity in dismal conditions in Beirut. He is the last and longest-held Western hostage in Lebanon. After his release, Anderson will meet his child, born after his abduction, and win a multimillion-dollar settlement against Iran.

Today in History 12/04/17

World flags at the United Nations headquarters in New York (© Education Images/UIG via Getty Images)(1945) Senate approves US participation in the United Nations
The Senate votes 65-7 to allow the United States to participate in the newly formed United Nations. The international organization, to be headquartered in New York City, aims to foster cooperation among nations, settle disputes peacefully to prevent wars, and establish wartime rules of conduct.
The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization tasked to promote international cooperation and to create and maintain international order. A replacement for the ineffective League of Nations, the organization was established on 24 October 1945 after World War II in order to prevent another such conflict. At its founding, the UN had 51 member states; there are now 193. The headquarters of the UN is in Manhattan, New York City, and is subject to extraterritoriality. Further main offices are situated in Geneva, Nairobi, and Vienna. The organization is financed by assessed and voluntary contributions from its member states. Its objectives include maintaining international peace and security, promoting human rights, fostering social and economic development, protecting the environment, and providing humanitarian aid in cases of famine, natural disaster, and armed conflict. The UN is the largest, most familiar, most internationally represented and most powerful intergovernmental organization in the world.
Website: www.un.org
Founded: Oct 24, 1945 · Lake Success, NY
Headquarters: New York, NY
Founders: United States · Argentina · Norway · Dominican Republic · Haiti · Guatemala · El Salvador · Denmark
Subsidiaries: World Health Organization · Food and Agriculture Organization · International Monetary Fund · UNICEF · International Telecommunication Union · World Intellectual Property Organization · United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees · World Food Programme · International Maritime Organization · United Nations Environment Programme

UN Member Countries World
Map of the current UN member states by their dates of admission. B 1945 (original members) T 1946–1959 G 1960–1989 O 1990–present Y non-member observer states

wiki/United_Nations
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