1979

Today in History 09/07 (Brazil Independence)

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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

Announcement of Independence
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
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 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 05/04/18

Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, with husband Denis Thatcher, waves to well-wishers outside Number 10 Downing Street following her election victory on May 4, 1979, in London (© Tim Graham/Getty Images)(1979) Thatcher sworn in as Britain’s first female prime minister
The first woman prime minister in British history arrives at at 10 Downing Street after her Conservative Party sweeps the elections. Margaret Thatcher will prove to be one of the country’s longest tenured PMs as well as one of the most controversial.
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS, FRIC was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the longest-serving British prime minister of the 20th century and the first woman to have been appointed. A Soviet journalist dubbed her the “Iron Lady”, a nickname that became associated with her uncompromising politics and leadership style. As Prime Minister, she implemented policies that have come to be known as Thatcherism.
Lived: Oct 13, 1925 – Apr 08, 2013 (age 87)
Height: 5′ 5″ (1.66 m)
Spouse: Denis Thatcher (m. 1951 – 2003)
Related movies: The Iron Lady
Children: Carol Thatcher (Daughter) · Mark Thatcher (Son)
Education: City Law School (1952 – 1954) · Somerville College, Oxford (1943 – 1947) · Kesteven and Grantham Girls’ School (1936 – 1943)
Highlights
  • 1951: During the campaigns, she was supported by her parents and by husband Denis Thatcher, whom she married in December 1951.

  • 1979: Thatcher became Prime Minister on 4 May 1979.

  • 2005: Upon leaving the House of Commons, Thatcher became the first former Prime Minister to set up a foundation; the British wing of the Margaret Thatcher Foundation was dissolved in 2005 due to financial difficulties.

  • 2005: In 2005, Thatcher criticised the way the decision to invade Iraq had been made two years previously.

  • 2009: Thatcher returned to 10 Downing Street in late November 2009 for the unveiling of an official portrait by artist Richard Stone, an unusual honour for a living former Prime Minister.

  • 2013: In 2013 she died of a stroke in London at the age of 87.

Margaret Thatcher at Cabinet table in the White House
Margaret Thatcher in the White House Cabinet Room meeting with President Jimmy Carter.
wiki/Margaret_Thatcher
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(1979) Thatcher sworn in as Britain’s first female prime minister.
Also on this day,
1959 | Grammys debut
1961 | Freedom Riders
1970 | Kent State shootings

Today in History 03/28/18

Aerial view of Three Mile Island nuclear plant near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on March 28, 1979 (© AP)(1979) Three Mile Island plant suffers a partial meltdown
Fears of radioactive contamination run rampant after a coolant leak causes a reactor at Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island to overheat. The power plant, just 10 miles from the state capital, is stabilized before complete meltdown. The accident will swell anti-nuclear sentiment in the public.
The Three Mile Island accident occurred on March 28, 1979, in reactor number 2 of Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, near Harrisburg. It was the most significant accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant history. The incident was rated a five on the seven-point International Nuclear Event Scale: Accident with wider consequences.
Date: Mar 28, 1979

Carter TMI
President Jimmy Carter touring the TMI-2 control room with (l to r) Harold Denton, Governor Dick Thornburgh, and James Floyd, supervisor of TMI-2 operations, on April 1.
wiki/Three_Mile_Island_accident
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Today in History 03/26/18

(From left) Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat, President Jimmy Carter, and Israeli Premier Menachem Begin in a three-way handshake at the White House on March 26, 1979 (© AFP/Getty Images)(1979) Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty ends 30-year war
Seven months after meeting with US President Jimmy Carter for peace talks at Camp David, Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Menachem Begin of Israel sign a treaty ending decades of conflict between their two countries.
The Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty was signed in Washington, D.C., United States on 26 March 1979, following the 1978 Camp David Accords. The Egypt–Israel treaty was signed by Egyptian president Anwar Sadat and Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin, and witnessed by United States president Jimmy Carter.
Sadat Carter Begin handshake
Library of Congress: “Photograph shows President Jimmy Carter shaking hands with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the signing of the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty on the grounds of the White House.”
wiki/Egypt-Israel_Peace_Treaty
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