Today in History ^09/28 (William the Conqueror)

September 28, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

Portrayal of the Battle of Hastings in 1066 (© The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images)

(1066) A Norman duke bent on conquest lands in England

Duke William I of Normandy and his invasion force land at Pevensey on the Sussex coast to begin what will be nothing less than the conquest of England. By Christmas, ‘William the Conqueror’ is crowned king in London’s Westminster Abbey as England’s age of Anglo-Saxon rule ends.

William I, usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman King of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087. A descendant of Rollo, he was Duke of Normandy from 1035 onward. After a long struggle to establish his power, by 1060 his hold on Normandy was secure, and he launched the Norman conquest of England six years later. The rest of his life was marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over England and his continental lands and by difficulties with his eldest son.

Lived: 1028 – Sep 09, 1087
Spouse: Matilda of Flanders
Children: Robert Curthose (Son) · Henry I of England (Son) · William II of England (Son) · Adela of Normandy (Daughter) · Cecilia of Normandy (Daughter) · Constance of Normandy (Daughter) · Richard of Normandy (Son) · Adeliza (Daughter) · Agatha of Normandy (Daughter) · Matilda
Buried: Abbey of Saint-Étienne, Caen
Parents: Robert I, Duke of Normandy (Father) · Herleva (Mother)
Siblings: Odo of Bayeux (Brother) · Adelaide of Normandy (Sister) · Robert, Count of Mortain (Brother)
Highlights
1053: In England, Earl Godwin died in 1053 and his sons were increasing in power: Harold succeeded to his father’s earldom, and another son, Tostig, became Earl of Northumbria.

1065: In 1065 Northumbria revolted against Tostig, and the rebels chose Morcar, the younger brother of Edwin, Earl of Mercia, as earl in place of Tostig.

1066: Harold’s brother Tostig made probing attacks along the southern coast of England in May 1066, landing at the Isle of Wight using a fleet supplied by Baldwin of Flanders.

1066: Harold’s brother Tostig and Harald Hardrada invaded Northumbria in September 1066 and defeated the local forces under Morcar and Edwin at the Battle of Fulford near York.

1083: More difficulties struck in 1083, when William’s eldest son Robert rebelled once more with support from the French king.

1087: He was taken to the priory of Saint Gervase at Rouen, where he died on 9 September 1087.

Location of major events during the Norman conquest of England in 1066

Locations of some of the events in 1066
wiki/William_the_Conqueror

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(1066) A Norman duke bent on conquest lands in England.
Also on this day,

1928 | Bacteria finally, and accidentally, meet their match as Penicillin discovered by Alexander Fleming

On his return from vacation, Scottish biologist Alexander Fleming finds a staphylococci culture has been sullied by a mold that is destroying the bacteria. With this accidental discovery, Fleming has found penicillin, an antibiotic that will change the world and save countless lives.

1963 | Pop art explodes with the first showing of ‘Whaam!’

Roy Lichtenstein’s new art exhibition includes a big, bold diptych titled, quite appropriately, ‘Whaam!’ Zooming across canvas is the artist’s reworking of a panel from a war comic book. At once shocking, amusing, and utterly modern, it will become one of pop art’s emblematic works.

1981 | Olivia Newton-John gets ‘Physical’ hit single

The Australian singer—and ‘Grease’ star—releases the saucy single and its suggestive fitness-themed video. The song will become her biggest US hit, topping Billboard’s singles chart for 10 weeks.

Today in History ^09/28/17

Scottish biologist Sir Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin (© Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

(1928) Bacteria finally, and accidentally, meet their match

On his return from vacation, Scottish biologist Alexander Fleming finds a staphylococci culture has been sullied by a mold that is destroying the bacteria. With this accidental discovery, Fleming has found penicillin, an antibiotic that will change the world and save countless lives.

Sir Alexander Fleming FRS FRSE FRCS was a Scottish physician, biologist, pharmacologist and botanist. His best-known discoveries are the enzyme lysozyme in 1923 and the world's first antibiotic substance benzylpenicillin from the mould Penicillium notatum in 1928, for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1945 with Howard Florey and Ernst Boris Chain. He wrote many articles on bacteriology, immunology, and chemotherapy.

Lived: Aug 06, 1881 - Mar 11, 1955 (age 73)
Spouse: Amalia Fleming (m. 1953 - 1955) · Sarah Fleming (m. 1915 - 1949)
Inventions: Penicillin
Awards: Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1945) · John Scott Medal (1944)
Education: St Mary's Hospital Medical School (1903 - 1906) · Imperial College London · University of Westminster · Kilmarnock Academy
Highlights
1915: Alexander Fleming married Sarah Fleming on December 22, 1915; their marriage lasted 34 years till October 28, 1949.

1927: By 1927, Fleming had been investigating the properties of staphylococci.

1929: He identified the mould as being from the Penicillium genus, and, after some months of calling it "mould juice", named the substance it released penicillin on 7 March 1929.

1940: Shortly after the team published its first results in 1940, Fleming telephoned Howard Florey, Chain's head of department, to say that he would be visiting within the next few days.

1945: Fleming, Florey and Chain jointly received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1945.

1955: On 11 March 1955, Fleming died at his home in London of a heart attack.

Synthetic Production of Penicillin Professor Alexander Fleming, holder of the Chair of Bacteriology at London University, who first discovered the mould Penicillin Notatum. Here in his laboratory at St Mary's, Paddington, London.

wiki/Alexander_Fleming

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Today in History ^09/15 (Birmingham Church Bombing)

September 15, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

A civil defense worker and firemen walk through debris from an expolsion which struck the 16th street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama on Sept 15, 1963 (© AP)

(1963) Four young girls killed in Birmingham church bombing

Addie Mae Collins, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson, and Carol Denise McNair, all under 15, are killed when a KKK bomb explodes at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Twenty-two others are injured in the deadliest act of racist violence in the US civil rights era.

The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing was an act of white supremacist terrorism which occurred at the African American 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, on Sunday, September 15, 1963, when four members of the Ku Klux Klan planted at least 15 sticks of dynamite attached to a timing device beneath the steps located on the east side of the church.

Date: Sep 15, 1963
Fatalities: 4
Location: Birmingham
Target: 16th Street Baptist Church
Attack type: Church bombing, terrorism, hate crime, mass murder
Deaths: 4

The four girls killed during the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. Clockwise from top left: Addie Mae Collins (aged 14), Cynthia Wesley (aged 14), Carole Robertson (aged 14) and Denise McNair (aged 11)
wiki/16th_Street_Baptist_Church_bombing

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(1963) Four young girls killed in Birmingham church bombing.
Also on this day,

1821 | Act of Independence of Central America is enacted

The Province of Guatemala proclaims the independence of Central America from the Spanish Empire and invites other provinces to meet and determine a path forward. Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua will all briefly become part of the Mexican Empire before forming the Federal Republic of Central America.

1950 | General MacArthur lands US Marines at Inchon, Korea

General Douglas MacArthur commands a joint US-United Nations force in a bold invasion of South Korea 25 miles from communist-held Seoul. The amphibious landing of some 50,000 troops 100 miles south of the 38th parallel will end North Korea’s string of victories and cut their forces in two.

1978 | Boxer Muhammad Ali is a triple threat as he wins record 3rd title

Fighting against an opponent 11 years his junior at the Superdome in New Orleans, boxer Muhammad Ali, 36, scores a unanimous win after 15 rounds against Leon Spinks to take the world heavyweight boxing title. Ali becomes the first boxer to win the heavyweight championship belt three times.

Today in History ^09/15/17

General Douglas MacArthur is shown after he stepped ashore at Inchon, South Korea, Sept 17, 1950 (© Frank Noel/AP)

(1950) General MacArthur lands US Marines at Inchon, Korea

General Douglas MacArthur commands a joint US-United Nations force in a bold invasion of South Korea 25 miles from communist-held Seoul. The amphibious landing of some 50,000 troops 100 miles south of the 38th parallel will end North Korea's string of victories and cut their forces in two.

The Battle of Inchon was an amphibious invasion and battle of the Korean War that resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favor of the United Nations. The operation involved some 75,000 troops and 261 naval vessels, and led to the recapture of the South Korean capital of Seoul two weeks later. The code name for the operation was Operation Chromite.

Start date: Sep 10, 1950
End date: Sep 19, 1950

Incheon, South Korea, in pink coloring.

The landing at Incheon.

wiki/Battle_of_Inchon

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Today in History ^09/07 (Brazil Independence)

September 7, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

The announcement of Brazilian Independence from Portugal (© Revista de Historia da Biblioteca National)

(1822) Brazil declares independence from Portugal

Prince Dom Pedro declares Brazil’s independence from Portugal in a dramatic fashion, unsheathing his sword and announcing, ‘For my blood, my honor, my God, I swear to give Brazil freedom.’ A few weeks later, he will be crowned Pedro I, though a formal treaty won’t come for three years.

Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At 8.5 million square kilometers and with over 208 million people, Brazil is the world’s fifth-largest country by area and the sixth most populous. The capital is Brasília, and the most populated city is São Paulo. The federation is composed of the union of the Federal District, the 26 states, and the 5,570 municipalities. It is the largest country to have Portuguese as an official language and the only one in the Americas, besides being one of the most multicultural and ethnically diverse nations, due to the strong immigration from various places in the world.

Founded: Sep 07, 1822
GDP: $2.14 trillion USD (2018)
Population: 209.29 million (2017)
Calling code: 55
Area: 3.29 million sq miles
Travel tip: The wealth of flora and fauna and opportunities to observe them are unparalleled in the Amazon. Riverboats ply the waters of this fascinating wilderness, home to pink river dolphins, clamorous howler monkeys and raucous toucans. Photograph your adventure, run the rapids or stalk elusive jaguars by night. @tripadvisor

Prince Pedro is surrounded by a cheering crowd in São Paulo after giving the news of the Brazilian independence on 7 September 1822
wiki/Brazil

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(1822) Brazil declares independence from Portugal.
Also on this day,

1940 | Nazi Germany unleashes a blitzkrieg on London

Bombs rain down on the British capital in a ‘lightning war,’ or ‘blitzkrieg,’ a favored tactic for the intimidation of Germany’s enemies. And while Hitler’s Luftwaffe will keep up the relentless attack for more than eight months, London’s populace will rise to the challenge of the Blitz.

1963 | Football gets into the fame game

Canton, Ohio, birthplace of the National Football League, opens the Pro Football Hall of Fame in homage to a sport that’s really catching on with the American public. Seventeen of the best players are inducted in the first ceremony, including Red Grange, Curly Lambeau, and Jim Thorpe.

1979 | Cable viewers get an all-sports network as ESPN launches

‘If you love sports…if you really love sports, you’ll think you’ve died and gone to sports heaven.’ With those words, anchor Lee Leonard introduces the small cable TV audience to the ESPN network and its highlights show, ‘SportsCenter,’ followed by a slow-pitch softball game.

Today in History ^09/07/17

The effects of the first big concerted attack of the German air force in London, Sept 7, 1940 (© AP)

(1940) Nazi Germany unleashes a blitzkrieg on London

Bombs rain down on the British capital in a 'lightning war,' or 'blitzkrieg,' a favored tactic for the intimidation of Germany's enemies. And while Hitler's Luftwaffe will keep up the relentless attack for more than eight months, London's populace will rise to the challenge of the Blitz.

The Blitz refers to bombing by the Luftwaffe over Britain in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press as an abbreviation of Blitzkrieg. The Germans conducted a mass air offensive against industrial targets, towns and cities, which began with raids on London towards the end of the Battle of Britain, a battle for air superiority over the United Kingdom. By September 1940 the Luftwaffe had failed to gain air superiority and the German air fleets were ordered to attack London, to draw RAF Fighter Command into a battle of annihilation. Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring, commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe, ordered the new policy on 6 September 1940. From 7 September 1940, London was systematically bombed by the Luftwaffe for 56 out of the following 57 days and nights. In a large daylight attack against London on 15 September, many German aircraft were shot down.

Start date: Sep 07, 1940
End date: May 10, 1941

Air Raid Damage in Britain during the Second World War St Paul's Cathedral, rising above the bombed London skyline, is shrouded in smoke during the Blitz. The photograph was taken from the roof of the Daily Mail offices in Fleet Street

wiki/The_Blitz

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Today in History ^08/28 (St. Augustine)

August 28, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

Drawing of Pedro Menéndez de Avilés (© Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

(1565) Spanish explorer finds site for an American settlement

Rushing to beat Huguenot French settlers, Spanish explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés speeds his fleet towards what will become ‘La Florida,’ where he today sights land, and will soon settle St. Augustine. It will become one of the oldest continuously settled European-founded cities in the continental US.

St. Augustine is a city in the Southeastern United States, on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established settlement within the borders of the continental United States.

Population: 14,280 (2016)
Area: 12.76 sq miles
Travel tip: Saint Augustine is a luxurious, romantic vacation spot—you’ll find classic hotels and intimate restaurants. Those can be a dime a dozen, though. What sets Saint Augustine apart is its history—it’s the oldest European settlement in the U.S. And nowhere else in the world can you taste the waters of the Fountain of Youth … @tripadvisor
Colleges and universities: Flagler College · University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences · Saint Joseph College of Florida · First Coast Technical College

Top, left to right: Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine Light, Flagler College, Lightner Museum, statue near the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine, St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park, Old St. Johns County Jail
wiki/St._Augustine,_Florida

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(1565) Spanish explorer finds site for an American settlement.
Also on this day,

1898 | Indigestion gets an intervention with a brand-new brew Pepsi-Cola

Pharmacist Caleb Bradham has developed a digestion aid at his North Carolina drug store concocted with sugar, water, caramel, lemon, nutmeg, and what he terms ‘rare oils.’ Today he names it ‘Pepsi-Cola,’ a play on the word ‘dyspepsia,’ the ailment that the drink purports to soothe.

1963 | Dr. King delivers a speech of dreams in Washington, DC

Standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial, his voice ringing out to some 250,000 listeners, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers a stirring speech that will galvanize the civil rights movement and be heralded as one of the greatest orations in American history.

1968 | Protesters clash with police at Chicago convention

Tens of thousands of anti-war activists and an even larger number of police officers and federal troops meet in a fray of batons, fists, and tear gas in Chicago, and TV cameras capture the melee as it arrives on the doorstep of the Democratic National Convention at the Hilton Hotel.

Today in History ^08/28/17

Martin Luther King, Jr. addresses the crowd during the March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC, where he gave his 'I Have a Dream' speech (© Central Press/Getty Images)

(1963) Dr. King delivers a speech of dreams in Washington, DC

Standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial, his voice ringing out to some 250,000 listeners, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers a stirring speech that will galvanize the civil rights movement and be heralded as one of the greatest orations in American history.

"I Have a Dream" is a public speech delivered by American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, in which he calls for an end to racism in the United States and called for civil and economic rights. Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the speech was a defining moment of the Civil Rights Movement.
wiki/I_Have_a_Dream

An officer from the Chicago police department struggles with a protestor outside the Democratic National Convention headquarters on Aug 28, 1968 (© APA/Getty Images)

(1968) Protesters clash with police at Chicago convention

Tens of thousands of anti-war activists and an even larger number of police officers and federal troops meet in a fray of batons, fists, and tear gas in Chicago, and TV cameras capture the melee as it arrives on the doorstep of the Democratic National Convention at the Hilton Hotel.

Protest activity took place prior to and during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. In 1967, counterculture and anti-Vietnam War protest groups had been promising to come to Chicago and disrupt the convention, and the city promised to maintain law and order. For eight days, the protesters and the Chicago Police Department met in the streets and parks of Chicago while the U.S. Democratic Party met at the convention in the International Amphitheater.

Date: 1968

1968 Democratic National Convention, Chicago. Sept 68 C15 8 1313 , Photo by Bea A Corson, Chicago. Purchased at estate sale in 2011 by Victor Grigas Released Public Domain

wiki/1968_Democratic_National_Convention_protest_activity

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Today in History ^08/18 (Henry IV of France)

August 18, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

Henry of Navarre and Marguerite of Valois as depicted in Catherine de' Medici's Book of Hours (Public Domain)

(1572) A royal wedding bids to bridge religions in France

Notre Dame Cathedral hosts the nuptials of France’s Protestant Huguenot Henry III of Navarre and Margaret of Valois, a Catholic. The marriage will not heal the country’s religious schism, and just five days later Catholic mobs will attack and kill thousands of Huguenots, Henry barely escaping.

Henry IV, also known by the epithet Good King Henry, was King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610 and King of France from 1589 to 1610. He was the first monarch of France from the House of Bourbon, a cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty. He was assassinated in 1610 by François Ravaillac, a fanatical Catholic, and was succeeded by his son Louis XIII.

Lived: Dec 13, 1553 – May 14, 1610 (age 56)
Nationality: French
Spouse: Marie de’ Medici (m. 1600) · Margaret of Valois (m. Aug 18, 1572)
Children: Louis XIII of France (Son) · Henrietta Maria of France (Daughter) · Catherine Henriette de Bourbon (Daughter) · Gaston, Duke of Orléans (Son) · Christine Marie of France (Daughter) · Elisabeth of France (Daughter) · César, Duke of Vendôme (Son) · Nicolas Henri, Duke of Orléans (Son)
Parents: Jeanne d’Albret (Mother) · Antoine of Navarre (Father)
Siblings: Catherine de Bourbon (Sister)
Highlights
1572: Baptised as a Catholic but raised in the Protestant faith by his mother Jeanne d’Albret, Queen of Navarre, Henry inherited the throne of Navarre in 1572 on the death of his mother.

1572: In 1572, after the massacre of French Calvinists, he was forced by Catherine de’ Medici and other powerful Roman Catholic royalty to convert.

1572: Henry IV of France married Margaret of Valois on August 18, 1572.

1594: Since Reims, the traditional location for the coronation of French kings, was still occupied by the Catholic League, Henry was crowned King of France at the Cathedral of Chartres on 27 February 1594.

1598: In 1598 he issued the Edict of Nantes, which granted circumscribed toleration to the Huguenots.

1610: Although a formal Roman Catholic, he valued his Calvinist upbringing and was tolerant toward the Huguenots until his death in 1610, and issued the Edict of Nantes which granted many concessions to them.

Henry III of France on his deathbed designating Henry IV of Navarre as his successor (1589)
wiki/Henry_IV_of_France

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(1572) A royal wedding bids to bridge religions in France.
Also on this day,

1612 | Lancashire Witch trials begin in England

Twelve citizens of Lancashire, England have been accused of 10 murders by way of witchcraft. A brew of familial bad blood, local leaders keen to please King James, and the reputation of Pendle Hill, a wild and wooly part of Lancashire, will lead to the mass hanging of 10 “witches.”

1920 | American women get the right to vote

The US women’s suffrage movement has walked an arduous road, from 1848’s Seneca Falls Convention, through decades of activism, and some violent resistance, but the journey ends as the Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution is ratified 42 years after Congress first introduced it.

1963 | Ole Miss graduates its first African American student

Congratulations are in order as James Meredith graduates with a political science degree from the segregated University of Mississippi, or ‘Ole Miss,’ less than a year after federal troops had to quell racist violence when he became the first African American to enroll in the history of the school.

Today in History ^08/18/17

Women line up to vote for the first time in New York after the passing of the 19th Amendment (© Underwood Archives/Getty Images)

(1920) American women get the right to vote

The US women's suffrage movement has walked an arduous road, from 1848's Seneca Falls Convention, through decades of activism, and some violent resistance, but the journey ends as the Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution is ratified 42 years after Congress first introduced it.

The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits the states and the federal government from denying the right to vote to citizens of the United States on the basis of sex. It was adopted on August 18, 1920. Until the 1910s, most states did not give women the right to vote. The amendment was the culmination of the women's suffrage movement in the United States, which fought at both state and national levels to achieve the vote. It effectively overruled Minor v. Happersett, in which a unanimous Supreme Court ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment did not give women the right to vote.

Nineteenth Amendment in the National Archives

wiki/Nineteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

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