1981

Today in History 10/06 (Anwar Sadat)

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Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1978 (© Bill Foley/AP)(1981) Egypt’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning president is slain
Eight years to the day after launching the Yom Kippur War against Israel, and just over three years since signing the Camp David Accords that would lead to a peace treaty with Israel, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt is killed by militant fundamentalists as he reviews a Cairo army parade.
The assassination of Anwar Sadat occurred on 6 October 1981. Anwar Sadat, the President of Egypt, was assassinated during the annual victory parade held in Cairo to celebrate Operation Badr, during which the Egyptian Army had crossed the Suez Canal and taken back a small part of the Sinai Peninsula from Israel at the beginning of the Yom Kippur War. A fatwa approving the assassination had been obtained from Omar Abdel-Rahman, a cleric later convicted in the US for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The assassination was undertaken by members of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad.
Date: Oct 06, 1981

President Jimmy Carter welcomes Egyptian President Anwar Sadat at the White House, Washington, D.C.
Sadat (left), with President Jimmy Carter, in Washington, D.C. on April 8, 1980, during a visit to the White House.
wiki/Assassination_of_Anwar_Sadat
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(1981) Egypt’s Nobel Peace Prize-winning president is slain.
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1889 | Moulin Rouge opens as cabaret’s crimson windmill marks a Parisian hot spot
The Red Mill, or ‘Moulin Rouge,’ opens its doors in Paris, just a can-can away from the bohemian Montmartre neighborhood, and the glitzy nightclub will go on to attract not just starving artists but also hordes of the well-heeled looking for a little scandalous entertainment.
1945 | Blackballed billy goat curses the Cubs
Billy Sianis and his pet goat are asked to leave game 4 of baseball’s World Series between home team Chicago Cubs and the Detroit Tigers because of the goat’s odor. Outraged, Sianis allegedly declares, “Them Cubs, they ain’t gonna win no more.” Thus cursed, as some fans would come to believe, the Cubs will lose the game, the series, and never play in a series again until 2016, when they beat the Cleveland Indians 4 games to 3, winning the World Series for the first time in 108 years, thus finally breaking the curse.
1973 | A Mideast clash with far-ranging implications as Arab-Israeli War begins
Egypt and Syria strike Israeli-held territory in a two-front surprise attack aimed at regaining land lost in 1967’s Six Day War. The Yom Kippur War ratchets up conflict between its combatants as well as their allies and arms-suppliers, the US for Israel and the USSR for Egypt and Syria.

Today in History 10/06/17

Israeli troops maneuvring to block the Syrian attack during the Yom Kippur War (© Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)(1973) A Mideast clash with far-ranging implications
Egypt and Syria strike Israeli-held territory in a two-front surprise attack aimed at regaining land lost in 1967's Six Day War. The Yom Kippur War ratchets up conflict between its combatants as well as their allies and arms-suppliers, the US for Israel and the USSR for Egypt and Syria.
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War, or October War, also known as the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, was a war fought by a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria against Israel from October 6 to 25, 1973. The fighting mostly took place in the Sinai and the Golan Heights, territories that had been occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967. Egyptian President Anwar Sadat also wanted to reopen the Suez Canal. Neither specifically planned to destroy Israel, although the Israeli leaders could not be sure of that.
Start date: Oct 06, 1973
End date: Oct 26, 1973
1973 sinai war maps
The 1973 War in the Sinai, October 6–15.

wiki/Yom_Kippur_War
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Today in History 09/28 (William the Conqueror)

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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.
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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 TR1468
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 08/12 (Cleopatra)

Detail of the painting 'The Suicide of Cleopatra' (© DeAgostini/Getty Images)(30 BCE) Queen of the Nile dies
With her partner Mark Antony already dead by his own hand and her country controlled by Octavian’s Roman forces, Egyptian ruler Cleopatra VII kills herself by either drinking poison or suffering the bite of an asp (historians will differ on the cause of death). The last of the Ptolemaic Dynasty’s active pharaohs will not be lost to the ages.
Cleopatra VII Philopator was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, nominally survived as pharaoh by her son Caesarion. She was also a diplomat, naval commander, polyglot, and medical author. As a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, she was a descendant of its founder, Ptolemy I Soter, a Macedonian Greek general and companion of Alexander the Great. After the death of Cleopatra, Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire, marking the end of the Hellenistic period that had lasted since the reign of Alexander. Her native language was Koine Greek and she was the first Ptolemaic ruler to learn the Egyptian language.
Born: 69 BC · Alexandria, Egypt
Children: Caesarion (Son) · Cleopatra Selene II (Daughter) · Alexander Helios (Son) · Ptolemy Philadelphus (Son)
Siblings: Ptolemy XIV of Egypt (Brother) · Berenice IV of Egypt (Sister) · Arsinoe IV of Egypt (Sister) · Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator (Brother) · Cleopatra VI of Egypt (Sister)
Parents: Ptolemy XII Auletes (Father) · Cleopatra V of Egypt (Mother)
Buried: Tomb of Antony and Cleopatra

The Death of Cleopatra
The Death of Cleopatra (1658), by Guido Cagnacci
wiki/Cleopatra
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(30 BCE) Queen of the Nile dies.
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1676 | Native American leader killed in early clash with colonists
Decades of peace between Plymouth’s English colonists and local Native American tribes has come to an end, and the Wampanoags’ war chief Metacomet, or ‘King Philip,’ is launching raids against the settlers. Metacomet meets his end today at the hand of a Native American fighting with the English.
1981 | IBM makes it personal with the 5150 computer
$1,565 will get you 16K of RAM, a 4.77 MHz CPU, and DOS 1.0 on IBM’s new entry into the marketplace, a machine marketed as a personal computer, or ‘PC.’ Open standards mean third parties can write software or build peripherals, which will contribute to the 5150’s huge success.
1990 | Last-minute look yields largest T. rex ever found
While waiting for her truck’s flat tire to be fixed, paleontologist Sue Hendrickson notices a few small bones in an area her group had not explored during their western South Dakota dig. What will be uncovered is the biggest, and most complete, T. rex skeleton yet discovered.

Today in History 08/12/17

IBM 5150 personal computer (© SSPL/Getty Images)(1981) IBM makes it personal with the 5150 computer
$1,565 will get you 16K of RAM, a 4.77 MHz CPU, and DOS 1.0 on IBM's new entry into the marketplace, a machine marketed as a personal computer, or 'PC.' Open standards mean third parties can write software or build peripherals, which will contribute to the 5150's huge success.
The IBM Personal Computer, commonly known as the IBM PC, is the original version and progenitor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. It is IBM model number 5150, and was introduced on August 12, 1981. It was created by a team of engineers and designers under the direction of Don Estridge of the IBM Entry Systems Division in Boca Raton, Florida.
Inventor: Philip Don Estridge
IBM PC Motherboard (1981)
Original IBM Personal Computer motherboard, IBM 5150. It has five 8-bit Industry Standard Architecture slots, and two DIN connectors for keyboard and cassette interface.

wiki/IBM_Personal_Computer
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Today in History 08/01 (Federal Charter of 1291)

Fireworks over the Jet d'Eau fountain during a Swiss National Day celebration in Geneva (© Valentin Flauraud/Reuters)(1291) Agreement lays groundwork for modern Switzerland
Sometime in early August, the Federal Charter of 1291 is signed, documenting the alliance of the three cantons in central Switzerland. While the exact date is unknown, years later it will be regarded as the founding of Switzerland and the basis for celebrating Swiss National Day on August 1.
The Federal Charter or Letter of Alliance documents the Eternal Alliance or League of the Three Forest Cantons, the union of three cantons in what is now central Switzerland. It is dated in early August 1291 and initiates the current 1 August Swiss National Day. This agreement, in Latin, cites a previous similar pact. It is currently exhibited at the Museum of the Swiss Charters of Confederation in Schwyz.
The Swiss Federal Charter of 1291
The Swiss Federal Charter of 1291, Union of three cantons in what is now central Switzerland
wiki/Federal_Charter_of_1291
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(1291) Agreement lays groundwork for modern Switzerland.
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1714 | A German takes the throne of Great Britain
German-born George Louis now reigns over Britain following the death of Queen Anne, with the 54-year-old becoming the first monarch of the House of Hanover. Much of the British public will deem him “too German,” but art and architecture will flourish in the new Georgian Era.
1966 | Charles Whitman shoots 48 in Texas killing spree
Former Eagle Scout, ex-Marine, and engineering student Charles Whitman murders his mother and wife, then carries a cache of firearms to the top of a 300-foot tower on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, where in 90 minutes he kills 14 and wounds 32 with sniper fire.
1981 | Music videos get their own channel as MTV launches
Cashing in on a new form of popular entertainment, the MTV network debuts, complete with “video jockeys” (VJs) introducing music videos, a way of both listening to and watching popular songs. The first video shown, ‘Video Killed the Radio Star,’ will prove partially prophetic.

Today in History 08/01/17

Bullet holes in a store window made by sniper Charles Whitman in Austin, Texas, on Aug. 1, 1966 (© Shel Hershorn/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)(1966) Charles Whitman shoots 48 in Texas killing spree
Former Eagle Scout, ex-Marine, and engineering student Charles Whitman murders his mother and wife, then carries a cache of firearms to the top of a 300-foot tower on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, where in 90 minutes he kills 14 and wounds 32 with sniper fire.
Charles Joseph Whitman was an American mass murderer who became infamous as the "Texas Tower Sniper". On August 1, 1966, he murdered his mother and wife in their homes, then went to the University of Texas at Austin where he shot and killed three people inside the university's tower. He then went to the tower's 28th-floor observation deck, where he fired at random for some 96 minutes, killing an additional eleven people and wounding thirty-one before being shot and killed by police. Sixteen people were killed in total; a 17th victim died in 2001 from injuries sustained in the attack.
Born: 24 Jun 1941 · Lake Worth, FL
Died: 01 Aug 1966 · Austin, TX
Height: 6' 0"
Spouse: Kathy Leissner (m. 1962 - 1966)
Education: University of Texas at Austin
Parents: Margaret Whitman
Highlights
  • 1941: Whitman was born on June 24, 1941, in Lake Worth, Florida, the eldest of three sons born to Margaret E. (Hodges) and Charles Adolphus "C. A."

  • 1961: Whitman entered the mechanical engineering program at the University of Texas at Austin on September 15, 1961.

  • 1962: On August 17, 1962, Whitman and Leissner were married in a Catholic ceremony held in Leissner's hometown of Needville, Texas.

  • 1966: Whitman met with Dr. Maurice Dean Heatly, the staff psychiatrist at the University of Texas Health Center, on March 29, 1966.

  • 1966: At approximately 4:00 p.m. on July 31, 1966, Charles and Kathy Whitman visited their close friends John and Fran Morgan.

  • 1966: On August 1, 1966, he murdered his mother and wife in their homes, then went to the University of Texas at Austin where he shot and killed three people inside the university's tower.

Charles Whitman (1963)
Description: Charles Whitman
Source: 1963 Cactus, the student yearbook of the University of Texas. Copy found at "Charles Whitman Images and Documents," The Austin History Center. Reference AR.2000.002, Austin History Center, Austin Public Library
Date: c 1963

wiki/Charles_Whitman
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Today in History 07/29 (Battle of Gravelines)

Arc de Triomphe in Paris in 1856 (© SSPL/Getty Images)(1588) English spoil the Spanish Armada’s invasion plans
The Spanish Armada, a force of 130 ships and 20,000 soldiers bent on invading England and overthrowing its monarch Queen Elizabeth I, is cunningly repelled off the coast of France at Gravelines by England’s navy under commanders Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake.
The Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the center of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Place de l’Étoile — the étoile or “star” of the juncture formed by its twelve radiating avenues.
Opened: 1836
Height: 164 feet (Architectural)
Architect: Jean Chalgrin
Architectural style: Neoclassicism

Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, Paris, France
Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile, Paris, France
wiki/Battle_of_Gravelines_(1558)
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(1588) English spoil the Spanish Armada’s invasion plans.
Also on this day,

1836 | France honors its war veterans with a triumphal arch in Paris
Standing 164 feet tall and 148 feet wide, Paris’ Arc de Triomphe, a neoclassical monument to the heroism of Revolutionary and Napoleonic War veterans, creates a breathtaking sight and will quickly become a favorite backdrop for struggles and celebrations in the City of Light.
1976 | ‘Son of Sam’ shootings begin, terrorizing New York City
Just after 1 AM in New York City’s Bronx borough, David Berkowitz approaches a car and shoots two teenage girls, killing one and wounding the other. He will continue his serial shooting spree for a year, killing five and injuring six more, sparking citywide paranoia before he’s arrested.
1981 | London’s royal wedding transfixes millions
Deemed the ‘wedding of the century,’ the nuptials between Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles are broadcast live to more than 700 million global viewers. Over 2,000 guests, including the groom’s mother, Queen Elizabeth II, witness the vows at London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Today in History 07/29/17

Police photo of David Berkowitz, the 'Son of Sam' killer, circa 1977 (© NYPD/AP)(1976) Shootings begin, terrorizing New York City
Just after 1 AM in New York City's Bronx borough, David Berkowitz approaches a car and shoots two teenage girls, killing one and wounding the other. He will continue his serial shooting spree for a year, killing five and injuring six more, sparking citywide paranoia before he's arrested.
David Richard Berkowitz, known also as the Son of Sam and the.44 Caliber Killer, is an American serial killer who was convicted of eight separate shooting attacks that began in New York City during the summer of 1976. The crimes were perpetrated with a.44 caliber Bulldog revolver. He killed six people and wounded seven others by July 1977. As the number of victims increased, Berkowitz eluded the biggest police manhunt in the history of New York City while leaving letters that mocked the police and promised further crimes, which were highly publicized by the press. The killing spree terrorized New Yorkers and achieved worldwide notoriety.
Born: Jun 01, 1953 (age 64) · Brooklyn, NY
Height: 5' 8" (1.73 m)
Parents: Betty Broder · Joseph Kleinman
David Berkowitz
Highlights
  • 1953: Three years later she became pregnant with a child to whom she chose to give the surname Falco—Richard David Falco was born on June 1, 1953 in Brooklyn, New York.

  • 1977: Not until August 9, 1977, did NYPD detective James Justis telephone Yonkers police to ask them to schedule an interview with Berkowitz.

  • 1978: On June 12, 1978, Berkowitz was sentenced to 25-years-to-life in prison for each murder, to be served consecutively.

  • 2002: Before his first parole hearing in 2002, Berkowitz sent a letter to New York Governor George Pataki asking that it be canceled.

  • 2006: Neysa Moskowitz, who previously had not hidden her hatred of Berkowitz, wrote him a letter shortly before her own death in 2006, forgiving him for killing her daughter, Stacy.

  • 2006: In October 2006, Berkowitz and Harmatz settled out of court, with Harmatz agreeing to return the disputed items and to donate part of his book profits to the New York State Crime Victims Board.

wiki/David_Berkowitz
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