Today in History ^05/09/17

May 9, 2017 by GµårÐïåñ

Illustration of Colonel Thomas Blood (G Scott)

(1671) Captain Blood tries to pinch England’s Crown Jewels

Following an elaborate ruse played on the Tower of London’s custodian, Captain Thomas Blood and his henchmen attempt to steal the Crown Jewels. The Sceptre is sawn in two, the Crown flattened, and the Sovereign’s Orb hidden down a pair of trousers. Blood will be captured, but pardoned by King Charles II.

Colonel Thomas Blood was an Anglo-Irish officer and self-styled colonel best known for his attempt to steal the Crown Jewels of England from the Tower of London in 1671. Described in an American source as a “noted bravo and desperado,” he was known for his attempt to kidnap and, later, to kill, his enemy, the Duke of Ormonde. He had switched allegiances from Royalist to Roundhead during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and despite his subsequent notoriety received a Royal free pardon and found favour at the court of King Charles II.

Born: 1618 · County Meath, Ireland
Died: Aug 24, 1680 · Westminster, England
Buried: St Margaret’s, Westminster
Highlights
1642: At the outbreak of the First English Civil War in 1642, Blood returned to England and initially took up arms with the Royalist forces loyal to Charles I. As the conflict progressed he switched sides and became a lieutenant in Oliver Cromwell’s Roundheads.

1653: In 1653 at the cessation of hostilities Cromwell awarded Blood land grants as payment for his service and appointed him a justice of the peace.

1660: Following the Restoration of King Charles II to the Crowns of the Three Kingdoms in 1660, Blood fled with his family to Ireland.

1670: In 1670, despite his status as a wanted man, Blood returned to England and is believed to have taken the name Ayloffe and practised as a doctor or an apothecary in Romford Market, east of London.

1671: On 9 May 1671, in furtherance of the deception, Blood convinced Edwards to show the jewels to him, his supposed nephew, and two of his friends while they waited for a dinner that Mrs Edwards was to put on for Blood and his companions.

1674: He died in 1674 and his tomb rests in the chapel of St Peter’s Ad Vincula, at the Tower of London.

wiki/Thomas_Blood

Anna M. Jarvis, founder of Mother's Day (© Bettmann/CORBIS)

(1914) President Wilson makes Mother’s Day a federal holiday

Since 1905, Anna Jarvis has lobbied various officials to adopt a holiday honoring mothers, and she’s succeeded in convincing many US states to take part. Today, President Woodrow Wilson proclaims the second Sunday in May to be Mother’s Day and a US federal holiday.

Mother’s Day in the United States is an annual holiday celebrated on the second Sunday in May. Mother’s Day recognizes mothers, motherhood and maternal bonds in general, as well as the positive contributions that they make to society. It was established by Anna Jarvis, with the first official Mother’s Day was celebrated at St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, on May 10, 1908.
wiki/Mother’s_Day_(United_States)

L. Ron Hubbard addresses the first national meeting of Dianetics Auditors in 1951. (© AP)

(1950) ‘Dianetics’ self-help book published

L. Ron Hubbard publishes ‘Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health,’ a system of self-help psychology. Though the American Psychological Association and other organizations will criticize Hubbard’s work, his book will go on to sell millions of copies and become the basis for Scientology.

Lafayette Ronald Hubbard, better known as L. Ron Hubbard and often referred to by his initials, LRH, was an American author and the founder of the Church of Scientology. In 2014, Hubbard was cited by the Smithsonian magazine as one of the 100 most significant Americans of all time, as one of the eleven religious figures on that list. After establishing a career as a writer, becoming best known for his science fiction and fantasy stories, he developed a system called Dianetics which was first expounded in book form in May 1950. He subsequently developed his ideas into a wide-ranging set of doctrines and practices as part of a new religious movement that he called Scientology. His writings became the guiding texts for the Church of Scientology and a number of affiliated organizations that address such diverse topics as business administration, literacy and drug rehabilitation. The Church’s dissemination of these materials led to Hubbard being listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most translated and published author in the world. The Guinness World Record for the most audio books published for one author is also held by Hubbard.

Website: www.lronhubbard.org
Lived: Mar 13, 1911 – Jan 24, 1986 (age 74)
Height: 6′ 0″ (1.83 m)
Spouse: Mary Sue Hubbard (m. 1952 – 1986) · Sara Northrup Hollister (m. 1946 – 1951) · Margaret Grubb (m. 1933 – 1947)
Parents: Harry Ross Hubbard (Father) · Ledora May (Mother)
Children: Quentin Hubbard (Son) · Ronald DeWolf (Son) · Arthur Hubbard (Son) · Diana Hubbard (Daughter) · Suzette Hubbard (Daughter) · Alexis Valerie Hubbard (Daughter)
Education: George Washington University · Helena High School

wiki/L._Ron_Hubbard

James Stewart in 'Vertigo,' 1958 (© Everett Collection/REX)

(1958) Hitchcock’s ‘Vertigo’ premieres in San Francisco

A tale of manic obsession and cruel deception, Alfred Hitchcock’s latest thriller has its world premiere. ‘Vertigo’ will disappoint at the box office and receive lukewarm reviews, but will grow in stature to be considered one of history’s greatest films.

A San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend’s wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.

Release date: May 09, 1958 (United States)
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Gross revenue: $7.30 million USD
Music by: Bernard Herrmann
Screenwriters: Maxwell Anderson · Samuel A. Taylor · Alec Coppel
Story by: Pierre Boileau · Thomas Narcejac

wiki/Vertigo_(film)

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Today in History ^01/04/17

January 4, 2017 by GµårÐïåñ

United Nations soldiers watch flames consume a pontoon bridge across the ice-choked Han River in South Korea on Jan. 4, 1951 during the Korean War (© AP)

(1951) Chinese forces capture Seoul

The Third Battle of Seoul sees Chinese forces crossing the 38th parallel, forcing the US Eighth Army to evacuate Seoul, but ultimately drawing the United Nation’s support to South Korea’s side.

The Third Battle of Seoul, also known as the Chinese New Year’s Offensive, the January–Fourth Retreat or the Third Phase Campaign Western Sector, was a battle of the Korean War, which took place from December 31, 1950 to January 7, 1951 around the South Korean capital of Seoul. In the aftermath of the major Chinese victory at the Battle of the Ch’ongch’on River, the United Nations Command started to contemplate the possibility of evacuation from the Korean Peninsula. Upon learning of this development, China’s Chairman Mao Zedong ordered the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army to cross the 38th parallel in an effort to pressure the United Nations forces to withdraw from South Korea.

Start date: Dec 31, 1950
End date: Jan 07, 1951

wiki/Third_Battle_of_Seoul

Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand stands in front of a snow tractor after arriving at the American Scientific Station at the South Pole, Jan. 4, 1958 (© Rennie Taylor/AP)

(1958) Edmund Hillary reaches the South Pole

For the first time since 1912, an overland expedition reaches the South Pole, this time headed by New Zealander Edmund Hillary, who is also the first man to have reached the summit of Mt. Everest.

Sir Edmund Percival “Ed” Hillary KG ONZ KBE was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953, Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest. They were part of the ninth British expedition to Everest, led by John Hunt. TIME magazine named Hillary one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.
Hillary became interested in mountaineering while in secondary school. He made his first major climb in 1939, reaching the summit of Mount Ollivier. He served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force as a navigator during World War II. Prior to the 1953 Everest expedition, Hillary had been part of the British reconnaissance expedition to the mountain in 1951 as well as an unsuccessful attempt to climb Cho Oyu in 1952. As part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition he reached the South Pole overland in 1958. He subsequently reached the North Pole, making him the first person to reach both poles and summit Everest.
Following his ascent of Everest, Hillary devoted most of his life to helping the Sherpa people of Nepal through the Himalayan Trust, which he founded. Through his efforts, many schools and hospitals were built in Nepal.
wiki/Edmund_Hillary

President Richard Nixon answers questions about the Watergate scandal in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, Oct. 1973 (© David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images)

(1974) Nixon refuses order to release Watergate tapes

US President Richard Nixon defies the Senate Watergate Committee’s subpoena to turn over recordings he made of Oval Office conversations, but this doesn’t help his cause and he will resign eight months later.

The Nixon White House tapes are audio recordings of conversations between U.S. President Richard Nixon and Nixon administration officials, Nixon family members, and White House staff, produced between 1971 and 1973.
In February 1971, a sound-activated taping system was first installed in the Oval Office, using Sony TC-800B open-reel tape recorders to capture audio transmitted by telephone taps and concealed microphones. The system was subsequently expanded to include other rooms within the White House and Camp David. The recording system was turned off on July 18, 1973, two days after they became public knowledge as a result of the Senate Watergate Committee hearings.
Nixon was not the first president to record his White House conversations; the practice was initiated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940.
The tapes’ existence came to light during the Watergate scandal of 1973 and 1974, when the system was mentioned during the televised testimony of White House aide Alexander Butterfield before the Senate Watergate Committee. Nixon’s refusal of a congressional subpoena to release the tapes constituted an article of impeachment against Nixon, and led to his subsequent resignation on August 9, 1974.
On August 19, 2013, the Nixon Library and the National Archives and Records Administration released the final 340 hours of the tapes that cover the period from April 9 through July 12, 1973.
wiki/Watergate_tapes

Burj Khalifa skyscraper in Dubai (© FUTURE LIGHT/Getty Images)

(2010) World’s tallest building opens

The Burj Khalifa officially opens, soaring 2,722 feet over Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. It features the world’s highest restaurant at the 122nd floor and the highest nightclub at the 144th.

The Burj Khalifa, known as the Burj Dubai before its inauguration, is a megatall skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is the tallest structure in the world, standing at 829.8 m.

Address: 1 Emaar Boulevard, Dubai
Opened: Jan 04, 2010
Floors: 163
Height: 2,717 feet (828 m) (Architectural) · 2,722 feet (829.80 m) (Tip)
Architects: Adrian Smith · Marshall Strabala · George J. Efstathiou
Architecture firm: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

wiki/Burj_Khalifa

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Today in History ^12/28/16

December 28, 2016 by GµårÐïåñ

(1065) Westminster Abbey is consecrated in London

King Edward the Confessor is near death and unable to attend the consecration ceremony of the church he commissioned as a burial place and to atone to the pope for a broken vow. Edward will die eight days later. The abbey will be completed in 1090 but rebuilt in the Gothic style by Henry III.
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, is a large, mainly Gothic abbey church in the City of Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United Kingdom’s most notable religious buildings and the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English and, later, British monarchs. Between 1540 and 1556, the abbey had the status of a cathedral. Since 1560, however, the building is no longer an abbey nor a cathedral, having instead the status of a Church of England “Royal Peculiar”—a church responsible directly to the sovereign. The building itself is the original abbey church. Address: 20 Dean’s Yard, London SW1P 3PA Phone: 020 7222 5152 Opened: 1090 Height: 225 feet (68.70 m) (Architectural) Architects: Christopher Wren · Henry Yevele · Nicholas Hawksmoor · John of Gloucester · Robert of Beverley · Henry of Reyns Burials: Elizabeth I of England · Edward the Confessor · The Unknown Warrior · Mary I of England · Isaac Newton · Henry III of England · Edward I of England · Edward III of England · Edward VI of England . Anne, Queen of Great Britain — Source: wiki/Westminster_Abbey
(1846) Iowa becomes the 29th US state

President James K. Polk signs a law making an area that was part of the Louisiana Purchase the 29th state. Iowa, named for a Native American tribe, joins the nation as a slave-free state and will support the Union in the Civil War.
Iowa is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States, bordered by the Mississippi River on the east and the Missouri River and the Big Sioux River on the west. Surrounding states include Wisconsin and Illinois to the east, Missouri to the south, Nebraska and South Dakota to the west, and Minnesota to the north. Population: 3.12 million (2015) Area: 56,272 sq miles (145,743 km²) Colleges and universities: Iowa State University · University of Iowa · University of Northern Iowa · Grinnell College · Upper Iowa University · Drake University · Morningside College · Simpson College Capital: Des Moines Website: www.iowa.gov Senators: Joni Ernst · Chuck Grassley · Tom Harkin · Roger Jepsen · Smith W. Brookhart · Clyde L. Herring · Richard L. Murphy · George A. Wilson · Thomas E. Martin · Dick Clark · Albert B. Cummins Governor: Terry Branstad — Source: wiki/Iowa
(1895) Audience pays admission to see a movie

At the Grand Cafe in Paris, brothers Louis and Auguste Lumière charge admission to see short films they made about ordinary French life. It marks the first time an audience has paid money to see a movie. The films are shown on a hand-cranked camera-projector the brothers invented: the Cinematographe.
The Lumière brothers, Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas and Louis Jean, were among the first filmmakers in history. They patented the cinematograph, which in contrast to Edison’s “peepshow” kinetoscope allowed simultaneous viewing by multiple parties. — Source: wiki/Auguste_and_Louis_Lumière
(1958) Baltimore Colts win ‘Greatest Game Ever Played’

The 1958 National Football Championship Game between the Colts and the New York Giants is the first playoff game in NFL history to go into sudden-death overtime. The Colts win 23-17 in Yankee Stadium and the matchup will become known as the ‘Greatest Game Ever Played.’
The 1958 National Football League Championship Game was the 26th NFL championship game, played on December 28 at Yankee Stadium in New York City. It was the first NFL playoff game to go into sudden death overtime. The final score was Baltimore Colts 23, New York Giants 17, and the game has since become widely known as “The Greatest Game Ever Played.” — Source: wiki/1958_NFL_Championship_Game
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Today in History

October 13, 2016 by GµårÐïåñ

(54 CE) A powerful Roman emperor is poisoned

	He’s been the leader of Rome for 13 years, after having assassinated his nephew Caligula, and now Emperor Claudius is poisoned and dies. Some historians will suspect mushrooms, others a poison-dipped feather, but most agree that the culprit was his wife, Agrippina. .
Claudius was Roman emperor from 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, he was the son of Drusus and Antonia Minor. He was born at Lugdunum in Gaul, the first Roman Emperor to be born outside Italy. Because he was afflicted with a limp and slight deafness due to sickness at a young age, his family ostracized him and excluded him from public office until his consulship, shared with his nephew Caligula in 37. Lived: 10 BC – 54 AD (age 64) Spouse: Agrippina the Younger · Plautia Urgulanilla · Aelia Paetina · Messalina Parents: Nero Claudius Drusus (Father) · Antonia Minor (Mother) Children: Britannicus (Son) · Claudia Octavia (Daughter) · Claudia Antonia (Daughter) · Claudius Drusus (Son) Siblings: Germanicus (Brother) · Livilla (Sister) Buried: Mausoleum of Augustus — Source: wiki/Claudius
(1773) Messier spots another otherworldly ‘object’

While searching the skies for celestial objects that might mislead comet seekers, French astronomer Charles Messier finds a cluster of stars that will later be named the Whirlpool Galaxy. It will eventually be found to have a spiral structure, the first spiral galaxy discovered, and will be plotted at over 23 million light-years away..
The Whirlpool Galaxy, also known as Messier 51a, M51a, or NGC 5194, is an interacting grand-design spiral galaxy with a Seyfert 2 active galactic nucleus in the constellation Canes Venatici. It was the first galaxy to be classified as a spiral galaxy. Recently it was estimated to be 23 ± 4 million light-years from the Milky Way, but different methods yield distances between 15 and 35 million light-years. Messier 51 is one of the best known galaxies in the sky. The galaxy and its companion, NGC 5195, are easily observed by amateur astronomers, and the two galaxies may even be seen with binoculars. The Whirlpool Galaxy is also a popular target for professional astronomers, who study it to further understand galaxy structure and galaxy interactions. Apparent magnitude: 8.40 Absolute magnitude: 8.40 Apparent mass: 160 billion solar-mass Distance to Earth: 23,157,103 light-year (7,100,000 parsec) Constellation: Canes Venatici Galactic group: M51 Group — Source: wiki/Whirlpool_Galaxy
(1958) Deepest, darkest Peru sends a small bear to London

	A small stowaway bear with a distinct fondness for marmalade has turned up at London’s bustling Paddington Railway Station, where Mr. and Mrs. Brown decide to take him home. Author Michael Bond’s book for children, ‘A Bear Called Paddington,’ will launch this upstanding ursine into enduring fame. .
Paddington Bear is a fictional character in children’s literature. He first appeared on 13 October 1958 and has been featured in more than twenty books written by Michael Bond and illustrated by Peggy Fortnum and other artists. The friendly bear from deepest, darkest Peru—with his old hat, battered suitcase, duffle coat and love of marmalade—has become a classic character from English children’s literature. Paddington books have been translated into 30 languages across 70 titles and sold more than 30 million copies worldwide. Related movies: Paddington Creator: Michael Bond Place of Birth: Peru Species: Bear — Source: wiki/Paddington_Bear
(1962) George and Martha invite their new friends over for drinks

Edward Albee’s new play, ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ opens on Broadway, featuring four characters, a three-hour performance, and dialogue so barbed it could be weaponized. The chronicle of social niceties shredded by drink and neurosis will be adapted into an equally famous film. .
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a 1962 play by Edward Albee. It examines the breakdown of the marriage of a middle-aged couple, Martha and George. Late one evening, after a university faculty party, they receive an unwitting younger couple, Nick and Honey, as guests, and draw them into their bitter and frustrated relationship. The play is in three acts, normally taking a little less than three hours to perform, with two 10-minute intermissions. The title is a pun on the song “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” from Walt Disney’s Three Little Pigs, substituting the name of the celebrated English author Virginia Woolf. Martha and George repeatedly sing this version of the song throughout the play. Author: Edward Albee First published: 1962 First performed: Oct 13, 1962 Adaptations: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) — Source: wiki/Who’s_Afraid_of_Virginia_Woolf?
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Today in History

August 4, 2016 by GµårÐïåñ

(1821) An icon of Americana publishes its first Post
	A new weekly paper is published using Benjamin Franklin’s printing presses, and its four pages of news and a few ads will grow to become The Saturday Evening Post, a defining magazine of American life featuring great writers and iconic illustrators, most memorably Norman Rockwell..
(1914) World powers take sides as the guns of August loom
A global conflagration flares higher as the United Kingdom joins France, Russia, Belgium, and other European powers in either mobilizing armies or declaring war on an aggressive Germany, whose support of Austria-Hungary advances what will be a war of immense destruction..
(1936) Triumph for Owens at Hitler’s Olympics
	Adolf Hitler is not pleased as US track-and-field star Jesse Owens, an African American, continues to rack up wins at the Summer Olympics held in Hitler’s Germany. But the Berlin stadium crowds cheer Owens’ long jump win and the show of camaraderie with his competitor, Germany’s Luz Long..
(1958) Hot tunes get their definitive US ranking
Ricky Nelson’s ‘Poor Little Fool’ takes the top spot on a new Billboard Magazine countdown of America’s most popular songs. The Billboard Hot 100 rankings are based on a combination of in-store singles record sales, radio DJ airplay, and jukebox purchases. .