1990

Today in History 09/13 (Church of the Holy Sepulchre)

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Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, Israel (© Jivko Kazakov/Getty Images)(335) A church is consecrated on Christendom’s hallowed ground
In Jerusalem, Constantine the Great consecrates a new church built over the purported sites of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. Christendom’s holiest place, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre will be destroyed and rebuilt more than once.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a church in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The church contains, according to traditions dating back to at least the fourth century, the two holiest sites in Christianity: the site where Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, at a place known as “Calvary” or “Golgotha”, and Jesus’s empty tomb, where he is said to have been buried and resurrected. The tomb is enclosed by the 19th-century shrine, called the Aedicule. The Status Quo, a 150-year-old understanding between religious communities, applies to the site.
Construction completed: 335 AD
Capacity: 8,000
Founder: Constantine the Great
Burials: Godfrey of Bouillon · Baldwin I of Jerusalem · Baldwin IV of Jerusalem · Baldwin II of Jerusalem · Baldwin V of Jerusalem · Fulk, King of Jerusalem · Baldwin III of Jerusalem · Cecile of France
Religion: Christianity
Architectural styles: Romanesque architecture · Baroque architecture · Church · Baroque

Plan of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and adjacent structures in Jerusalem
Top view of the church and surrounding areas, detailed descriptions in Greek, 1807
wiki/Church_of_the_Holy_Sepulchre
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(335) A church is consecrated on Christendom’s hallowed ground.
Also on this day,

1848 | ‘American Crowbar Case’ influences ideas on brain function
Phineas Gage is working on a Vermont railroad when a 3-foot 7-inch iron tamping rod is driven through his head with explosive force. The resulting injury, which Gage will survive for another 12 years, changes both his personality and doctors’ opinions in the field of neurology.
1990 | Two separate yet equally important groups debut on NBC as Law & Order premieres
Detective Mike Logan arrests the perpetrators and DA Ben Stone prosecutes them as ‘Law & Order,’ a combo of police procedural and courtroom drama, makes its prime-time bow. The show will go on to be the longest-running crime drama on US television and spawn spin-offs galore.
1993 | Arab-Israeli peace process gets a boost at the White House as Oslo Accords signed
US President Bill Clinton hosts Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat at the White House as their representatives sign the ‘Oslo Accords,’ another step in the complex Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Today in History 09/13/17

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, left, and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat, right, shake hands as President Bill Clinton presides over the ceremony marking the signing of the 1993 Oslo peace accord, Sept 13, 1993 (© Ron Edmonds/AP)(1993) Arab-Israeli peace process gets a boost at the White House
US President Bill Clinton hosts Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat at the White House as their representatives sign the 'Oslo Accords,' another step in the complex Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
The Oslo Accords are a set of agreements between the Government of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization: the Oslo I Accord, signed in Washington, D.C., in 1993; and the Oslo II Accord, signed in Taba, Egypt, in 1995. The Oslo Accords marked the start of the Oslo process, a peace process aimed at achieving a peace treaty based on United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, and at fulfilling the "right of the Palestinian people to self-determination." The Oslo process started after secret negotiations in Oslo, resulting in the recognition by the PLO of the State of Israel and the recognition by Israel of the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people and as a partner in negotiations.
Israel-Palestine peace

wiki/Oslo_Accords
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Today in History 08/12 (Cleopatra)

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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.
Also on this day,

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 02/11/18

Nelson Mandela is accompanied by his former wife Winnie, moments after his release from prison Feb 11, 1990, after serving 27 years in jail (© Reuters)(1990) Nelson Mandela freed after 27 years in prison
South Africa’s most prominent anti-apartheid activist, Nelson Mandela, is released after almost three decades of captivity. He will go on to win the Nobel Peace Prize and become the nation’s president.
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist, who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country’s first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by tackling institutionalised racism and fostering racial reconciliation. Ideologically an African nationalist and socialist, he served as President of the African National Congress party from 1991 to 1997.
Lived: Jul 18, 1918 – Dec 05, 2013 (age 95)
Height: 6′ 0″ (1.83 m)
Spouse: Graça Machel (m. 1998 – 2013) · Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (m. 1958 – 1996) · Evelyn Mase (m. 1944 – 1958)
Parties: African National Congress · South African Communist Party
Education: University of South Africa · University of the Witwatersrand (1943 – 1949) · University of Fort Hare (1939 – 1940) · University of London International Programmes · University of London · Healdtown Comprehensive School (1937 – 1939)
Children: Makgatho Mandela (Son) · Makaziwe Mandela (Daughter) · Zindzi Mandela (Daughter) · Zenani Mandela-Dlamini (Daughter) · Madiba Thembekile Mandela (Son) · Madiba (Thembi) Thembekile Mandela (Son)

Nelson Mandela tributes in Parliament Square - London
Flowers left at the Mandela statue in London’s Parliament Square following his death
wiki/Nelson_Mandela
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Today in History 02/02/18

South African State President F.W. de Klerk, announces the unconditional release of jailed ANC leader Nelson Mandela and the unbanning of the ANC, PAC, and South African Communist party in Cape Town, South Africa, on Feb. 2, 1990 (© Dana Le Roux-Argus/AP)(1990) Ban on anti-apartheid groups lifted, Nelson Mandela promised freedom
South African President F.W. de Klerk outlines sweeping reforms in a parliamentary speech, setting the stage for the dismantling of apartheid. The reforms lift bans on anti-apartheid groups and promise the release of political prisoner Nelson Mandela.
Frederik Willem de Klerk DMS is a South African politician who served as State President of South Africa from 1989 to 1994 and as Deputy President from 1994 to 1996. South Africa’s last head of state from the era of white-minority rule, his government focused on dismantling the apartheid system and introducing universal suffrage. Ideologically a conservative and an economic liberal, he led the National Party from 1989 to 1997.
Born: Mar 18, 1936 (age 81) · Johannesburg, South Africa
Height: 5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
Awards: Nobel Peace Prize (1993) · Time Person of the Year (1993) · Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize (1991) · Philadelphia Liberty Medal (1993) · Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation (1992)
Parties: National Party · New National Party
Education: Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education
Previous offices: Deputy President of South Africa (1994 – 1996) · State President of South Africa (1989 – 1994)
Highlights
  • 1989: After Botha succumbed to ill health, in 1989 de Klerk replaced him, first as leader of the National Party and then as State President.

  • 1996: In May 1996, after the National Party objected to the new constitution, de Klerk withdrew it from the coalition government.

  • 1998: F.W. de Klerk married Elita Georgiades on November 07, 1998.

  • 2001: On 3 December 2001, Marike de Klerk was found stabbed and strangled to death in her Cape Town flat.

  • 2003: On 15 May 2003, he received two life sentences for murder, as well as three years for breaking into Marike de Klerk’s apartment.

  • 2009: After the inauguration of Jacob Zuma as South Africa’s president in May 2009, de Klerk said he is optimistic that Zuma and his government can “confound the prophets of doom”.

Frederik de Klerk with Nelson Mandela - World Economic Forum Annual Meeting Davos 1992
Frederik de Klerk and Nelson Mandela shake hands at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum held in Davos in January 1992.
wiki/F._W._de_Klerk
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Today in History 11/22/17

President and Mrs. John F. Kennedy smile at the crowds lining their motorcade route in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963 (© Corbis)(1963) President John F. Kennedy shot and killed in Dallas
A sniper kills John F. Kennedy, the 35th US president, as his motorcade wends through Dallas, Texas. Kennedy’s wife, Jacqueline, and the Texas governor are traveling with him. Lee Harvey Oswald will soon be arrested for the shooting, but will be shot and killed himself shortly thereafter.
John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was assassinated on Friday, November 22, 1963 at 12:30 p.m. in Dallas, Texas while riding in a presidential motorcade in Dealey Plaza. Kennedy was riding with his wife Jacqueline, Texas Governor John Connally, and Connally’s wife, Nellie, and was fatally shot by former U.S. Marine Lee Harvey Oswald. A ten-month investigation by the Warren Commission from November 1963 to September 1964 concluded that Oswald acted alone in shooting Kennedy, and that Jack Ruby also acted alone when he killed Oswald before he could stand trial. Kennedy’s death marked the fourth and most recent assassination of an American President. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson automatically became President upon Kennedy’s death.
Date: Nov 22, 1963

JFK limousine
Picture of President Kennedy in the limousine in Dallas, Texas, on Main Street, minutes before the assassination. Also in the presidential limousine are Jackie Kennedy, Texas Governor John Connally, and his wife, Nellie.
wiki/Assassination_of_John_F._Kennedy
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher leaves her 10 Downing Street residence in London, November 22, 1990 for Buckingham Palace to inform Queen Elizabeth II of her decision to resign (© Gillian Allen/AP)(1990) Margaret Thatcher resigns as prime minister of Britain
Having served 11 years as prime minister, Margaret Thatcher quits after losing the support of her cabinet in a run-off election for the leadership of the Conservative Party. The ‘Iron Lady,’ so nicknamed for her tough demeanor, was Britain’s first female prime minister.
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS, FRIC was a British stateswoman who was 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)
Children: Mark Thatcher (Son) · Carol Thatcher (Daughter)
Related movies: The Iron Lady
Party: Conservative Party
Highlights
  • 1951: During the campaigns, she was supported by her parents and by Denis Thatcher, whom she married in December 1951.

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

  • 1989: Thatcher was challenged for the leadership of the Conservative Party by the little-known backbench MP Sir Anthony Meyer in the 1989 leadership election.

  • 1990: On 1 November 1990, Geoffrey Howe, the last remaining member of Thatcher’s original 1979 cabinet, resigned from his position as Deputy Prime Minister over her refusal to agree to a timetable for Britain to join the European Exchange Rate Mechanism.

  • 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 because of financial difficulties.

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


Thatcher reviews troops
Thatcher reviews Royal Bermuda Regiment troops, 1990

wiki/Margaret_Thatcher
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