1984

Today in History 12/19 (Sino-British Joint Declaration)

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British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang in Beijing during the signing ceremony agreement over the Hong Kong handover (© Pierre-Antoine Donnet/AFP/Getty Images))(1984) Britain agrees to give Hong Kong back to China
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang sign an agreement that will end 155 years of British rule over Hong Kong. The agreement stipulates that the island will remain a capitalist economy and residents will enjoy existing freedoms for 50 years.
The Sino–British Joint Declaration is an international bilateral treaty signed between the People’s Republic of China and the United Kingdom on 19 December 1984 in Beijing. The Declaration stipulates the sovereign and administrative arrangement over Hong Kong after 1 July 1997, when the lease of the New Territories was set to expire according to the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory.
Sino–British Joint Declaration (中英联合声明)
Joint Declaration of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on the Question of Hong Kong (中华人民共和国政府和大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国政府关于香港问题的联合声明)

Hong Kong Skyline
Hong Kong Skyline
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(1984) Britain agrees to give Hong Kong back to China.
Also on this day,

1777 | Troops go to Valley Forge as General George Washington leads
The Continental Army commander takes his 11,000 men to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to rest for the winter. However, the beleaguered troops will not get the recuperation they need. Basic supplies, such as food and clothing, will run low. Starvation and exposure will kill about 2,500 soldiers.
1843 | ‘A Christmas Carol’ is published in Britain
The novella by British writer Charles Dickens tells the story of miser Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation to a kinder soul following visits from the ghost of his old business partner and the ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come. The story is an immediate success, and will remain one of Dickens’ most beloved works.
1998 | US President Bill Clinton is impeached
The House of Representatives votes to remove President Clinton from office over charges relating to his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Clinton is just the second US president to be impeached, following Andrew Johnson in 1868. The Senate, however, will vote to acquit Clinton, and he will finish out his second term in office.

Today in History 12/19/17

President Clinton addresses Democratic lawmakers after the House of Representatives voted to impeach him, December 19, 1998 (© Doug Mills/AP)(1998) US President Bill Clinton is impeached
The House of Representatives votes to remove President Clinton from office over charges relating to his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Clinton is just the second US president to be impeached, following Andrew Johnson in 1868. The Senate, however, will vote to acquit Clinton, and he will finish out his second term in office.
The impeachment process of Bill Clinton was initiated by the House of Representatives on December 19, 1998, against Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States, on two charges, one of perjury and one of obstruction of justice. These charges stemmed from a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against Clinton by Paula Jones. Clinton was subsequently acquitted of these charges by the Senate on February 12, 1999. Two other impeachment articles – a second perjury charge and a charge of abuse of power – failed in the House.
Start date: Dec 19, 1998
End date: Feb 12, 1999

Congressional Record
Congressional Record from February 12, 1999, showing the end of Clinton's impeachment trial

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Today in History 11/15 (Lewis and Clark Expedition)

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The site of Fort Clatsop established by Lewis & Clark’s expedition in 1805 (© Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)(1805) Lewis and Clark reach the Pacific
About 18 months into their Corps of Discovery expedition, Lewis and Clark reach the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the Columbia River. The expedition will camp at Fort Clatsop for the winter before its return trip east begins in March.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition from May 1804 to September 1806, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the first American expedition to cross the western portion of the United States. It began near St. Louis, made its way westward, and passed through the Continental Divide of the Americas to reach the Pacific coast. The Corps of Discovery was a selected group of US Army volunteers under the command of Captain Meriwether Lewis and his close friend Second Lieutenant William Clark.
Start date: May 14, 1804
End date: Sep 23, 1806

Route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Route of the expedition
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(1805) Lewis and Clark reach the Pacific.
Also on this day,

1777 | 1st US constitution as thirteen colonies unite to form a new country
The Second Continental Congress approves the Articles of Confederation, which unifies the 13 American colonies under a weak central government and names this new country the United States of America. The document, a precursor to the Constitution, will be ratified by the states on March 1, 1781.
1864 | Gen. Sherman begins his March to the Sea
Union General William T. Sherman and his troops torch the captured city of Atlanta, leaving it a smoldering ruin before riding out to begin their five-week march through Georgia to the port of Savannah. In their wake, they’ll leave a trail of destroyed industry, ransacked private property, and a huge number of refugees.
1984 | Baby Fae who received transplanted baboon heart dies
Month-old Baby Fae passes away 20 days after an operation to replace her deformed heart with one from a baboon. It was the first baboon-to-human heart transplant ever done. The case will spark vigorous debate about inter-species transplants and medical experimentation.

Today in History 11/15/17

Drawing of (from left) John Adams, Governor Morris, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson of the Continental Congress (Public domain)(1777) Thirteen colonies unite to form a new country
The Second Continental Congress approves the Articles of Confederation, which unifies the 13 American colonies under a weak central government and names this new country the United States of America. The document, a precursor to the Constitution, will be ratified by the states on March 1, 1781.

The Articles of Confederation, formally the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement among the 13 original states of the United States of America that served as its first constitution. Its drafting by a committee appointed by the Second Continental Congress began on July 12, 1776, and an approved version was sent to the states for ratification on November 15, 1777. The Articles of Confederation came into force on March 1, 1781, after being ratified by all 13 states. A guiding principle of the Articles was to preserve the independence and sovereignty of the states. The federal government received only those powers which the colonies had recognized as belonging to king and parliament.

The Articles formed a war-time confederation of states, with an extremely limited central government. While unratified, the document was used by the Congress to conduct business, direct the American Revolutionary War, conduct diplomacy with foreign nations, and deal with territorial issues and Native American relations. The adoption of the Articles made few perceptible changes in the federal government, because it did little more than legalize what the Continental Congress had been doing. That body was renamed the Congress of the Confederation; but Americans continued to call it the Continental Congress, since its organization remained the same.

As the Confederation Congress attempted to govern the continually growing American states, delegates discovered that the limitations placed upon the central government rendered it ineffective at doing so. As the government's weaknesses became apparent, especially after Shays' Rebellion, individuals began asking for changes to the Articles. Their hope was to create a stronger national government. Initially, some states met to deal with their trade and economic problems. However, as more states became interested in meeting to change the Articles, a meeting was set in Philadelphia on May 25, 1787. This became the Constitutional Convention. It was quickly realized that changes would not work, and instead the entire Articles needed to be replaced. On March 4, 1789, the government under the Articles was replaced with the federal government under the Constitution. The new Constitution provided for a much stronger federal government by establishing a chief executive (the President), courts, and taxing powers.


Articles of Confederation - Page 1
The Articles of Confederation, ratified in 1781. This was the format for the United States government until the Constitution.

wiki/Articles_of_Confederation
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