1998

Today in History 12/29 (Second Great Fire of London)

St Paul's Cathedral is seen through smoke from fires during the bombing of London by Germany on December 29, 1940 (© ullstein bild via Getty Images)(1940) The Blitz delivers the Second Great Fire of London
Germany firebombs London with more than 24,000 high explosive bombs and 100,000 incendiary bombs in one of its most aggressive attacks on the city, setting London afire. Firefighters work amid the dropping bombs and are able to save some of the city’s landmarks, such as St. Paul’s Cathedral, from total destruction.
The “Second Great Fire of London” refers to one of the most destructive air raids of the Blitz. An American correspondent in a cable to his office said, “The second Great Fire of London has begun”. The Luftwaffe raid caused fires over a greater area than the Great Fire of London in 1666.
Date: Dec 29, 1940
Location: London, England
Target: City of London
Attack type: Air raid
Deaths: 160
Non-fatal injuries: 250

Operations: A German Luftwaffe Heinkel He 111 bomber flying over Wapping and the Isle of Dogs in the East End of London at at the start of the Luftwaffe's evening raids of 7 September 1940
Operations: A German Luftwaffe Heinkel He 111 bomber flying over Wapping and the Isle of Dogs in the East End of London at at the start of the Luftwaffe’s evening raids of 7 September 1940. Copy negative of part of an aerial photograph taken from a German aircraft at 1848 hrs German time.
wiki/Second_Great_Fire_of_London
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(1940) The Blitz delivers the Second Great Fire of London.
Also on this day,

1170 | Archbishop Thomas Becket is murdered after king’s comment
When four knights hear King Henry II utter something like, “Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?,” they take it as a request to kill Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The knights confront and kill Becket at Canterbury Cathedral, shocking Christians, who canonize Becket just three years later.
1890 | US troops massacre Indians at Wounded Knee
When a detachment of the US 7th Cavalry tries to disarm a band of Lakota Sioux, led by peace-seeking Spotted Elk, near Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota, a gun goes off in a scuffle and the cavalry opens fire. More than 200 Lakota men, women, and children will be killed.
1998 | Khmer Rouge leaders apologize for Cambodia genocide
At a news conference, a Khmer Rouge leader whispers he is “sorry, very sorry” for the group’s murderous campaign to cleanse Cambodia of undesirables, including intellectuals and capitalists. The Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, ruled Cambodia from 1975-’79 and sought to create an agrarian society.

Today in History 12/29/17

Sign from 1940 at the site of the Wounded Knee Massacre in South Dakota (© John Vachon/Library of Congress/Getty Images)(1890) US troops massacre Indians at Wounded Knee
When a detachment of the US 7th Cavalry tries to disarm a band of Lakota Sioux, led by peace-seeking Spotted Elk, near Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota, a gun goes off in a scuffle and the cavalry opens fire. More than 200 Lakota men, women, and children will be killed.
The Wounded Knee Massacre occurred on December 29, 1890, near Wounded Knee Creek on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in the U.S. state of South Dakota.
Start date: Dec 28, 1890
End date: Dec 29, 1890

Wounded knee 1891
Burial of the dead after the massacre of Wounded Knee. U.S. Soldiers putting Indians in common grave; some corpses are frozen in different positions. South Dakota.

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

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
wiki/Sino-British_Joint_Declaration
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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

wiki/Impeachment_of_Bill_Clinton
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