1984

Today in History 09/14 (Luna 2)

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Luna 2 Soviet moon probe, 1959 (© Sovfoto/UIG via Getty Images)(1959) Spacecraft lands on the moon
Two days after launching, the Soviet Union’s space probe ‘Luna 2’ crash-lands on the moon’s surface near Mare Imbrium in the Palus Putredinis region. The spherical spacecraft becomes the first man-made object to reach another celestial body, and the first of many future moon visitors.
Luna 2 or Lunik 2 was the second of the Soviet Union’s Luna programme spacecraft launched to the Moon. It was the first spacecraft to reach the surface of the Moon, and the first man-made object to land on another celestial body. On September 13, 1959, it hit the Moon’s surface east of Mare Imbrium near the craters Aristides, Archimedes, and Autolycus.
Date: Sep 12, 1959

Luna 2 Soviet moon probe
Luna 2 Soviet moon probe.
Moon map Luna 17 Luna 2 Apollo 15 Surveyor 6 Surveyor 4 Luna 7 Luna 8 Luna 11
Luna 2 site is near the right of the image, close to the Apollo 15 landing site
wiki/Luna_2
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(1959) Spacecraft lands on the moon.
Also on this day,

1812 | Napoleon enters Moscow as retreating Russians lead him to his downfall
Napoleon Bonaparte and his troops enter Moscow as conquerors only to find the huge Russian city virtually abandoned. Almost all have fled ahead of the French forces, and fires begin to break out that will burn almost the entire city, dooming Napoleon to a disastrous retreat from Russia.
1901 | VP Roosevelt becomes US president after McKinley’s assassination
President William McKinley dies eight days after being shot by an assassin, and Vice President Theodore Roosevelt is sworn in as the 26th president of the United States. At 42, Teddy is the youngest US president, and will go on to be reelected in 1904 in a landslide victory.
1984 | MTV starts its own VMAs awards show
Dan Aykroyd and Bette Midler host the first MTV Video Music Awards at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. The Cars take home Video of the Year for ‘You Might Think,’ but Madonna takes the cake with her performance of ‘Like a Virgin.’

Today in History 09/14/17

President Theodore Roosevelt pictured in the White House in 1908 (© AP)(1901) Roosevelt becomes US president after McKinley's assassination
President William McKinley dies eight days after being shot by an assassin, and Vice President Theodore Roosevelt is sworn in as the 26th president of the United States. At 42, Teddy is the youngest US president, and will go on to be reelected in 1904 in a landslide victory.
The first inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt as the 26th President of the United States, took place on Saturday, September 14, 1901 at the Ansley Wilcox House, at 641 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo, New York, following the death of President William McKinley earlier that day. The inauguration marked the commencement of the first term of Theodore Roosevelt as President. John R. Hazel, U.S. District Judge for the Western District of New York, administered the Oath of office.
Date: Sep 14, 1901

wiki/First_inauguration_of_Theodore_Roosevelt
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Today in History 08/05 (Cowra Breakout)

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Cowra Prisoner of War Compound site in New South Wales, Australia (© Claver Carroll/Getty Images)(1944) More than 1,000 POWs attempt largest WWII escape
A prisoner of war camp near Cowra, Australia, is plunged into chaos as 1,100 Japanese POWs storm barbed wire fences, set fires, and attack guards. Four Australian soldiers and 231 Japanese will be killed, while some 359 POWs manage to flee before later being caught.
The Cowra breakout occurred on 5 August 1944, when at least 1,104 Japanese prisoners of war attempted to escape from a prisoner of war camp near Cowra, in New South Wales, Australia. It was the largest prison escape of World War II, as well as one of the bloodiest. During the escape and ensuing manhunt, four Australian soldiers and 231 Japanese soldiers were killed. The remaining escapees were captured and imprisoned.
Date: Aug 05, 1944

Cowra POW camp
Sourced from: http://www.awm.gov.au/database/collection.asp Copyright: The AWM record for this photo states that the copyright status is ‘clear’. The photo was taken on 1944-07-01. The AWM requests that you assist their record keeping by keeping the image number and watermark intact. Given that this image is in the public domain, it is not clear that the AWM has any legal basis to enforce their request. AWM Caption: Cowra, NSW. 1944-07-01. Japanese prisoners of war practising baseball on their sports ground near their quarters, at the 12th prisoner of war camp. These photographs were taken for the far east liaison office as a basis for propaganda leaflets to be dropped over Japnanese held islands and the Japanese mainland. No. 12 Prisoner of War Camp, Cowra, Australia. 1 July, 1944. Japanese prisoners of war practice baseball on the sportsground near their quarters, several weeks before the Cowra breakout. This photograph was taken for the Allied Far Eastern Liaison Office, with the intention of using it in propaganda leaflets, to be dropped over Japanese held islands and Japan itself. (The copyright was owned by the Australian War Memorial.
wiki/Cowra_breakout
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(1944) More than 1,000 POWs attempt largest WWII escape.
Also on this day,

1926 | A master magician, Houdini, defies death and debunks fraud
Magician Harry Houdini beats rival Rahman Bey today by remaining in a sealed casket at the bottom of a swimming pool for 91 minutes, with honest Houdini admitting the amazing feat was not accomplished with magical powers but instead his own concentration and controlled breathing.
1957 | Philadelphia’s dance show, American Bandstand, debuts on nationwide TV
A low-budget show featuring dancing teens and lip-syncing musical acts is a hit on local Philadelphia stations, and now ‘American Bandstand’ makes its US network debut on ABC. The show, with its host Dick Clark, will prove popular and enduring, lasting another 32 years.
1984 | Women’s marathon makes dramatic Olympic debut
Female runners get their ultimate test of endurance at the first Olympic women’s marathon in Los Angeles. The field includes Joan Benoit of the US, who wins the gold medal with a time of 2:24:52, and Switzerland’s Gabriela Andersen-Schiess, who completes the course despite suffering from heat stroke.

Today in History 08/05/17

Joan Benoit breaks away from the pack of women marathoners during the summer Olympics in Los Angeles on Aug 5, 1984 (© Ron Heflin/International Olympic Photography Pool/AP)(1984) Women's marathon makes dramatic Olympic debut
Female runners get their ultimate test of endurance at the first Olympic women's marathon in Los Angeles. The field includes Joan Benoit of the US, who wins the gold medal with a time of 2:24:52, and Switzerland's Gabriela Andersen-Schiess, who completes the course despite suffering from heat stroke.
The Women's Marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California was held on August 5, 1984. It was the first time a women's marathon had been held at the Olympic Games. The 50 competitors came from 28 countries. 44 finished the race. The world record holder Joan Benoit of the United States won the gold medal, with the silver medal going to the 1983 World champion Grete Waitz of Norway, and bronze to Rosa Mota of Portugal.
Date: Aug 05, 1984
Olympic Athletics

wiki/Athletics_at_the_1984_Summer_Olympics_–_Women's_marathon
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Today in History 08/05/17

Joan Benoit breaks away from the pack of women marathoners during the summer Olympics in Los Angeles on Aug 5, 1984 (© Ron Heflin/International Olympic Photography Pool/AP)(1984) Women’s marathon makes dramatic Olympic debut
Female runners get their ultimate test of endurance at the first Olympic women’s marathon in Los Angeles. The field includes Joan Benoit of the US, who wins the gold medal with a time of 2:24:52, and Switzerland’s Gabriela Andersen-Schiess, who completes the course despite suffering from heat stroke.
The Women’s Marathon at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California was held on August 5, 1984. It was the first time a women’s marathon had been held at the Olympic Games. The 50 competitors came from 28 countries. 44 finished the race. The world record holder Joan Benoit of the United States won the gold medal, with the silver medal going to the 1983 World champion Grete Waitz of Norway, and bronze to Rosa Mota of Portugal.
Date: Aug 05, 1984
Olympic Athletics

wiki/Athletics_at_the_1984_Summer_Olympics_–_Women’s_marathon
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Today in History 07/12/17

Walter Mondale smiles as Rep. Geraldine Ferraro spoke to the press after their meeting on July 12, 1984 in North Oaks, Minnesota (© Larry Salzman/AP)(1984) US gender barrier broken as female veep nominee is chosen
Democratic presidential nominee Walter Mondale chooses Representative Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate. The first woman, and first Italian-American, to be on a major party presidential ticket in US history will give a rousing acceptance speech at her party’s convention a week later.
Geraldine Anne “Gerry” Ferraro was an American attorney, a Democratic Party politician, and a member of the United States House of Representatives. In 1984, she was the first female vice presidential candidate representing a major American political party.
Lived: Aug 26, 1935 – Mar 26, 2011 (age 75)
Spouse: John Zaccaro (m. 1960 – 2011)
Children: Laura Zaccaro (Daughter) · Donna Zaccaro (Daughter) · John Jr. Zaccaro
Party: Democratic Party
Parents: Dominick Ferraro · Antonetta L. Ferraro
Education: Fordham University School of Law · Marymount Manhattan College · Fordham University
Highlights
  • 1956: Ferraro received a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1956; she was the first woman in her family to gain a college degree.

  • 1960: Geraldine Ferraro married John Zaccaro on July 16, 1960.

  • 1984: During September 2008, Ferraro gained attention yet again after the announcement of Sarah Palin as the Republican vice-presidential nominee, the first such major party bid for a woman since her own in 1984.

  • 1985: Her husband John Zaccaro had pleaded guilty in January 1985, to fraudulently obtaining bank financing in a real estate transaction and had been sentenced to 150 hours of community service.

  • 1992: Ferraro ran campaigns for a seat in the United States Senate from New York in 1992 and 1998, both times starting as the front-runner for her party’s nomination before losing in the primary election.

  • 2011: Unable to return to her New York home, Ferraro died at Massachusetts General on March 26, 2011.

wiki/Geraldine_Ferraro
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Today in History 06/25/17

Painting entitled 'The Death Of General Custer At The Battle Of The Little Big Horn' (© Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)(1876) Native tribes battle Custer’s 7th Cavalry in Montana
A coalition of Native American tribes, resisting a forced move onto reservations, array themselves against George Armstrong Custer’s US 7th Cavalry at the Battle of Little Bighorn in Montana Territory. A vastly overconfident Custer advance is met and wiped out in a matter of an hour.
The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass and commonly referred to as Custer’s Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes and the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army. The battle, which occurred June 25–26, 1876, along the Little Bighorn River in eastern Montana Territory, was the most significant action of the Great Sioux War of 1876.
Start date: Jun 25, 1876
End date: Jun 26, 1876

wiki/Battle_of_the_Little_Bighorn
A copy of 'The Diary of a Young Girl: Anne Frank' on display at the Anne Frank Center USA in New York City (© Andrew Burton/Getty Images)(1947) Anne Frank’s ‘The Diary of a Young Girl’ is released
Two years after her death at 15 in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, Anne Frank’s account of her time hiding from the Nazis with her Jewish family in Amsterdam is published. The diary, which Frank began on her 13th birthday, is heartbreaking and hopeful in equal measure.
The Diary of a Young Girl, also known as The Diary of Anne Frank, is a book of the writings from the Dutch language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. The family was apprehended in 1944, and Anne Frank died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945. The diary was retrieved by Miep Gies, who gave it to Anne’s father, Otto Frank, the family’s only known survivor, just after the war was over. The diary has since been published in more than 60 languages.
Author: Anne Frank
First published: 1947
ATOS reading level: 6.50
Number of pages: 283
Adaptations: The Diary of Anne Frank · Anne Frank Remembered (1995) · The Diary of Anne Frank · Anne no nikki (1995) · Das Tagebuch der Anne Frank (2016) · Dagboek van Anne Frank (1962) · Episode #1.2 · Episode #1.4 · The Diary of Anne Frank: Echoes from the Past · Anne Frank’s Diary · Episode #1.3 · Episode #1.1
Genres: Biography · Children’s literature · High fantasy

wiki/The_Diary_of_a_Young_Girl
American howitzer team in action in Korea on July 24, 1950 (© AP)(1950) North invades south and the Korean War begins
After Japan surrendered at the end of World War II and relinquished control of Korea, the nation has been divided between communist and capitalist powers. With support from the Soviet Union, North Korea now invades US-supported South Korea in a bid to reunify the country, and a bloody 3-year war ensues.
The Korean War began when North Korea invaded South Korea. The United Nations, with the United States as the principal force, came to the aid of South Korea. China came to the aid of North Korea, and the Soviet Union gave some assistance.
Start date: Jun 25, 1950
End date: Jul 27, 1953

wiki/Korean_War
Prince performing on stage during the Purple Rain Tour on Sept. 13, 1984. (© Richard E. Aaron/Redferns/Getty Images)(1984) ‘Purple Rain’ album hits stores
Prince releases his sixth album, which also serves as the soundtrack to his film debut. ‘Purple Rain’ will boost The Purple One to new levels of stardom, producing five hit singles, winning two Grammys and an Oscar, and eventually selling more than 20 million copies.
Purple Rain is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Prince, the first to feature his backing band The Revolution, and is the soundtrack album to the 1984 film of the same name. It was released on June 25, 1984 by Warner Bros. Records. To date, it has sold over 22 million copies worldwide, making it the sixth-best-selling soundtrack album of all time.
Release year: 1984
Genre: Pop music, Contemporary Pop
Label: Rhino/Warner Bros.
Artists: The Revolution · The Purple Ones
Movie: Purple Rain
Awards: Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media · Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal · Grammy Hall of Fame · American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Album · American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Album · Brit Award for Best Soundtrack/Cast Recording

wiki/Purple_Rain_(album)
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