assassination

Today in History 11/02 (Hughes H-4 Hercules)

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Howard Hughes' flying boat, nicknamed the 'Spruce Goose,' glides over the water on November 2, 1947, in Long Beach, California (© AP)(1947) Howard Hughes flies the ‘Spruce Goose’
Howard Hughes pilots his huge, multimillion dollar wooden plane, the ‘Spruce Goose,’ in California. Designed to transport troops during WWII, the aircraft is completed two years late, after the war has ended. This short test flight is the only time the Goose will fly.
The Hughes H-4 Hercules is a prototype strategic airlift flying boat designed and built by the Hughes Aircraft Company. Intended as a transatlantic flight transport for use during World War II, it was not completed in time to be used in the war. The aircraft made only one brief flight on November 2, 1947, and the project never advanced beyond the single example produced. Built from wood because of wartime restrictions on the use of aluminum and concerns about weight, it was nicknamed by critics the Spruce Goose, although it was made almost entirely of birch. The Hercules is the largest flying boat ever built, and it has the largest wingspan of any aircraft that has ever flown. The aircraft remains in good condition. After being displayed to the public for almost 11 years in Long Beach, California from 1980 to 1991, it is now displayed at the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, United States.
Range: 2,983 miles
Maiden flight: Nov 02, 1947
Length: 219 feet
Wingspan: 320 feet
Passengers: 3
Retired: Apr 05, 1976

H-4 Hercules
H-4 Hercules “Spruce Goose”
wiki/Hughes_H-4_Hercules
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(1947) Howard Hughes flies the ‘Spruce Goose’.
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1948 | President Harry Truman defeats Thomas Dewey
By a narrow margin, President Harry Truman wins an upset victory over Republican challenger Thomas Dewey, the governor of New York in the race for the US presidency. Truman’s win will be considered the greatest upset in the history of US presidential elections.
1959 | Quiz show scandal as Charles Van Doren admits role in TV quiz show scandal
American intellectual Charles Van Doren confesses to a US House subcommittee that he’d been given answers prior to his appearances on TV’s game show ‘Twenty-One.’ During Van Doren’s so-called winning streak, he’d found fame, fortune, and made the cover of ‘Time.’
1963 | Coup in Vietnam as a presidential assassination sends Vietnam into chaos
Ngo Dinh Diem had been president of South Vietnam since 1955 and enjoyed US support until his strong-armed tactics, particularly against Buddhists, soured the relationship, and now a US-backed coup has brought him down. Vietnam will erupt into civil war following his assassination.

Today in History 11/02/17

President Ngo Dinh Diem (© AP)(1963) A presidential assassination sends Vietnam into chaos
Ngo Dinh Diem had been president of South Vietnam since 1955 and enjoyed US support until his strong-armed tactics, particularly against Buddhists, soured the relationship, and now a US-backed coup has brought him down. Vietnam will erupt into civil war following his assassination.
The arrest and assassination of Ngô Đình Diệm, the president of South Vietnam, marked the culmination of a successful CIA-backed coup d'état led by General Dương Văn Minh in November 1963. On 2 November 1963, Diệm and his adviser, his younger brother Ngô Đình Nhu, were arrested after the Army of the Republic of Vietnam had been successful in a bloody overnight siege on Gia Long Palace in Saigon. The coup was the culmination of nine years of autocratic and nepotistic family rule in South Vietnam. Discontent with the Diệm regime had been simmering below the surface, and exploded with mass Buddhist protests against long-standing religious discrimination after the government shooting of protesters who defied a ban on the flying of the Buddhist flag.
Corpse of Ngô Đình Diệm in the 1963 coup
The corpse of Ngô Đình Diệm in the back of the APC, having been executed on the way to military headquarters

wiki/Arrest_and_assassination_of_Ngo_Dinh_Diem
4.5.o17


Today in History 10/31 (Indira Gandhi)

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Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1982 (© AP)(1984) India’s first female prime minister is shot and killed
On a morning walk through her garden, India’s Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is shot multiple times by two of her own Sikh bodyguards. The daughter of India’s previous prime minister, Nehru, and the country’s first female leader, her assassination will spark deadly riots.
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated at 9:20 a.m. on 31 October 1984 at her residence in Safdarjung Road, New Delhi. She was killed by her bodyguards Satwant Singh and Beant Singh in the aftermath of Operation Blue Star, the Indian Army’s June 1984 assault on the Golden Temple in Amritsar which left the Sikh temple heavily damaged.
Date: Oct 31, 1984

Indira Gandhi Memorial
Memorial at the place of assassination, Safdarjung Road, New Delhi
wiki/Assassination_of_Indira_Gandhi
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(1984) India’s first female prime minister is shot and killed.
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1517 | The Protestant Reformation starts with a posting of Luther’s 95 Theses
According to tradition, German theologian Martin Luther nails a document to the door of the All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, questioning Catholic Church traditions that he sees as questionable and possibly corrupt. Luther’s ’95 Theses’ will lead to the founding of a new religion.
1950 | Sports pioneer Earl Lloyd integrates the NBA as racial barrier broken
Just three years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color line, Earl Lloyd does the same for the sport of basketball as he takes the court with the Washington Capitols. The first African American NBA player scores 6 points in his opening game against the Rochester Royals.
1974 | Manhattan streets transform with Halloween revels for NYC’s Halloween Parade
Puppeteer and mask maker Ralph Lee promenades with his creations through the streets of his New York City neighborhood. This whimsical start will launch the annual Village Halloween Parade, mixing huge puppets and costumed revelers in one of the largest nighttime parades on the planet.

Today in History 10/31/17

NBA player Earl Lloyd, circa 1950 (© The Stevenson Collection/ NBAE/ Getty Images)(1950) Sports pioneer Earl Lloyd integrates the NBA
Just three years after Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color line, Earl Lloyd does the same for the sport of basketball as he takes the court with the Washington Capitols. The first African American NBA player scores 6 points in his opening game against the Rochester Royals.
Earl Francis Lloyd was an American professional basketball player. He was the first black person to play in the National Basketball Association, in the 1950–51 NBA season. Three other African Americans played in the same season: Chuck Cooper, Nathaniel "Sweetwater" Clifton, and Hank DeZonie.
Born: Apr 03, 1928 · Alexandria, VA
Died: Feb 26, 2015 · Crossville, TN
Height: 6' 5" (1.96 m)
Spouse: Charlita Lloyd
Education: West Virginia State University
Upcoming movies: The First To Do It
Earl Lloyd - CIAA HOF Brunch
Major General Walter E. Gaskin, left, greets with basketball hall of famer, Earl "The Pearl" Lloyd during the CIAA Hall of Fame brunch, March 3, 2006. Lloyd was the first African-American to play in an NBA game.
Highlights
  • 1948: Lloyd led West Virginia State to two CIAA Conference and Tournament Championships in 1948 and 1949.

  • 1951: Lloyd played in only seven games for the Washington Capitols before the team folded on January 9, 1951.

  • 1965: According to Detroit News sportswriter Jerry Green, in 1965 Detroit Pistons General Manager Don Wattrick wanted to hire Lloyd as the team's head coach.

  • 2007: On December 1, 2007, the newly constructed basketball court at T. C. Williams High School in Lloyd's home town of Alexandria, Virginia, was named in his honor.

  • 2015: In 2015 Lloyd, along with fellow basketball player Alonzo Mourning, was one of eight Virginians honored in the Library of Virginia's "Strong Men & Women in Virginia History" because of his contributions to the sport of basketball.

  • 2015: Earl resided in Fairfield Glade, Tennessee, just outside Crossville, until his death in February 2015.

wiki/Earl_Lloyd
4.5.o17


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
4.4.j17


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.
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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 09/06 (Baltic States)

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Pro-independence rally of 300,000 people in Vilnius, Lithuania, Apr 7, 1990 (© Chip HIRES/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)(1991) Three Baltic states break free
Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are officially independent republics after more than half a century of Soviet rule. The Baltic States have been vying for independence for almost that long, with the late ’80s’ ‘Singing Revolution’ and ‘Baltic Way’ human chain paving the way for autonomy.
The Baltic states, also known as the Baltic countries, Baltic republics, Baltic nations or simply the Baltics, is a geopolitical term used for grouping the three sovereign states in Northern Europe on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The term is not used in the context of cultural areas, national identity or language. The three countries cooperate on a regional level in several intergovernmental organizations.
Area: 67,574 sq miles
Colleges and universities: University of Tartu · Vilnius University · Vytautas Magnus University · University of Latvia · Riga Technical University · Kaunas University of Technology · Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre · Tallinn University · Lithuanian University of Health Sciences · LCC International University · Baltic Defence College

The Baltic states
   (Green) The Baltic states.
   (Dark-grey) Europe.

wiki/Baltic_states
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(1991) Three Baltic states break free.
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1522 | Nao Victoria sails into Seville after a historic journey round world
After three years, 42,000 miles, and the first circumnavigation of the world, the Nao Victoria sails back into her Spanish home port. Of the original five ships and more than 200 sailors that started Magellan’s expedition, only the Victoria and 18 men have returned from the globe-spanning voyage.
1901 | President William McKinley assassinated
Visiting the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, half a year into his second term, US President William McKinley is shot twice by anarchist Leon Czolgosz. McKinley will at first survive, and even seem to be improving after doctors operate, but will succumb to his wounds eight days later.
1995 | Cal Ripken Jr. breaks Lou Gehrig’s record
The Baltimore Orioles’ shortstop plays in his 2,131st consecutive game, breaking Lou Gehrig’s record which had stood since 1939. Ripken will continue his streak for three more years, ending it in 1998 after 2,632 games played over 16 years.

Today in History 09/06/17

US President William McKinley (left) on the day he was shot, Sept 6, 1901, with John G. Milburn at the Pan American Exposition (© AP)(1901) President William McKinley assassinated
Visiting the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, half a year into his second term, US President William McKinley is shot twice by anarchist Leon Czolgosz. McKinley will at first survive, and even seem to be improving after doctors operate, but will succumb to his wounds eight days later.
On September 6, 1901, William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States, was shot on the grounds of the Pan-American Exposition at the Temple of Music in Buffalo, New York. He was shaking hands with the public when Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist, shot him twice in the abdomen. McKinley died eight days later on September 14 of gangrene caused by the gunshot wounds. He was the third American president to have been assassinated, following Abraham Lincoln in 1865 and James A. Garfield in 1881.
Date: Sep 06, 1901

wiki/Assassination_of_William_McKinley
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