Today in History ^09/17 (United States Constitution)

September 17, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

The signing of the Constitution of the United States at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 (© GraphicaArtis/Getty Images)

(1787) Delegates sign the Constitution in Philadelphia

Following Benjamin Franklin’s speech, delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia sign the Constitution. The day will later be observed as I Am an American Day, which will be renamed to Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.

The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States. The Constitution, originally comprising seven articles, delineates the national frame of government. Its first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, whereby the federal government is divided into three branches: the legislative, consisting of the bicameral Congress; the executive, consisting of the President; and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts. Articles Four, Five and Six embody concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments and of the states in relationship to the federal government. Article Seven establishes the procedure subsequently used by the thirteen States to ratify it. It is regarded as the oldest written and codified national constitution in force of the world.

Page one of the original copy of the Constitution
wiki/United_States_Constitution

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(1787) Delegates sign the Constitution in Philadelphia.
Also on this day,

1859 | Emperor Norton I begins his 21-year reign over the US

San Franciscan Joshua A. Norton, frustrated by government bureaucracy, declares himself, ‘Norton I, Emperor of the United States.’ His edicts, including the abolition of the US Congress, endear him to many of his fellow residents, who encourage his delusions of grandeur.

1862 | Sun sets on bloodiest battle in American history as Battle of Antietam ends

George McClellan’s Army of the Potomac stems the tide of Robert E. Lee’s Confederate advance into Union territory, but the Battle of Antietam near Sharpsburg, Maryland, exacts a terrible toll with 22,000 dead, injured, or missing by the end of the bloodiest day in US military history.

1976 | NASA unveils a new spaceship Enterprise in the California desert

NASA’s new reusable orbital space vehicle, the space shuttle, is rolled out for its first public viewing in front of thousands of invited guests in Palmdale, California. It’s christened the ‘Enterprise’ after a write-in campaign by ‘Star Trek fans, and most of the show’s original cast is on hand for the unveiling.

Today in History ^09/17/17

President Lincoln and General McClellan seated inside a tent on the Battlefield of Antietam (Alexander Gardner/Library of Congress)

(1862) Sun sets on bloodiest battle in American history

George McClellan's Army of the Potomac stems the tide of Robert E. Lee's Confederate advance into Union territory, but the Battle of Antietam near Sharpsburg, Maryland, exacts a terrible toll with 22,000 dead, injured, or missing by the end of the bloodiest day in US military history.

The Battle of Antietam, also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the South, was fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland and Antietam Creek as part of the Maryland Campaign. It was the first field army–level engagement in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War to take place on Union soil and is the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with a combined tally of 22,717 dead, wounded, or missing.

Date: Sep 17, 1862

Maryland Campaign, actions September 3 to 15, 1862 RED - Confederate, BLUE - Union

wiki/Battle_of_Antietam

Star Trek' cast members (from left) Leonard Nimoy, George Takei and DeForest Kelly in front of the unveiling of the Space Shuttle in Palmdale, California, in 1976 (© AP)

(1976) NASA unveils a new spaceship in the California desert

NASA's new reusable orbital space vehicle, the space shuttle, is rolled out for its first public viewing in front of thousands of invited guests in Palmdale, California. It's christened the 'Enterprise' after a write-in campaign by 'Star Trek fans, and most of the show's original cast is on hand for the unveiling.

Space Shuttle Enterprise was the first orbiter of the Space Shuttle system. Rolled out on September 17, 1976, it was built for NASA as part of the Space Shuttle program to perform atmospheric test flights after being launched from a modified Boeing 747. It was constructed without engines or a functional heat shield, and was therefore not capable of spaceflight.

Manufacturer: Rockwell International

Low angle view of gantry and Space Shuttle Enterprise in launch position on the Vandenberg Air Force Base's Space Launch Complex 6 (commonly known as "SLICK 6"), in California, during the ready-to-launch checks to verify launch procedures.

wiki/Space_Shuttle_Enterprise

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Today in History ^09/09 (California Statehood)

September 9, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

(1850) New state takes up most of the USA’s West Coast

The United States officially admits more than 160,000 square miles of West Coast territory, stretching from arid semi-desert lands near the Mexican border northwards to the evergreen forests of the Pacific Northwest, as the new state of California.

California is a U.S. state in the Pacific Region of the United States. With 39.5 million residents, California is the most populous state in the United States and the third largest by area. The state capital is Sacramento. The Greater Los Angeles Area and the San Francisco Bay Area are the nation’s second- and fifth-most populous urban regions, with 18.7 million and 8.8 million residents respectively. Los Angeles is California’s most populous city, and the country’s second-most populous, after New York City. California also has the nation’s most populous county, Los Angeles County; its largest county by area, San Bernardino County; and its fifth most densely populated county, San Francisco.

Population: 39.54 million (2017)
Capital: Sacramento
Area: 163,696 sq miles
Colleges and universities: Stanford University · University of California, Berkeley · University of California, Los Angeles · University of Southern California · California Institute of Technology · University of California, Santa Barbara · University of California, Davis · California State University, Los Angeles · University of California, San Diego · University of Californi…
Senators: Dianne Feinstein · Kamala Harris
Governor: Jerry Brown

Map of the United States with California highlighted
wiki/California

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(1850) New state takes up most of the USA’s West Coast.
Also on this day,

1839 | Inventor makes pioneering photograph

England’s John Herschel is a true Renaissance man, and now the mathematician, inventor, chemist, and discoverer of the stunningly beautiful cyanotype process, makes the first photograph on a glass plate.

1948 | Socialist state is created on the Korean Peninsula

Following post-WWII annexations by the USSR in the north and the US in the south, the country of Korea is further split as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is announced. The new socialist dictatorship, led by Kim Il Sung, takes over the north, and will close its borders and grow increasingly isolated.

1954 | Bell becomes the first person to swim Lake Ontario

Marilyn Bell arrives in Toronto, having swum across Lake Ontario from Youngstown, NY. The 16-year-old Canadian swimmer took off the night before with two other swimmers (including American Florence Chadwick), but after nearly 21 hours of swimming, only Bell completed the crossing.

Today in History ^09/09/17

Kim Il Sung gives a broadcast speech in June 1950 to all North Korean citizens regarding the breakout of the Korean war (© Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

(1948) Socialist state is created on the Korean Peninsula

Following post-WWII annexations by the USSR in the north and the US in the south, the country of Korea is further split as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is announced. The new socialist dictatorship, led by Kim Il Sung, takes over the north, and will close its borders and grow increasingly isolated.

North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia constituting the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. Pyongyang is the nation's capital and largest city. To the north and northwest the country is bordered by China and by Russia along the Amnok and Tumen rivers; it is bordered to the south by South Korea, with the heavily fortified Korean Demilitarized Zone separating the two. Nevertheless, North Korea, like its southern counterpart, claims to be the legitimate government of the entire Korean peninsula.

Population: 25.37 million (2016)
Official language: Korean
Capital: Pyongyang
GDP: $25 billion USD (2015)
Area: 46,541 sq miles (120,540 km²)
Calling code: 850

Area controlled by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea shown in dark green; claimed but uncontrolled regions shown in light green.

wiki/North_Korea

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Daily Pic ^08/25/18 (NPS Founders Day)

August 25, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

Happy trails for the 21st century

We celebrate National Park Service Founders Day today with this photo from the John Muir Trail near Mammoth Lakes in California. The 210-mile trail is so long, to hike it all would take you through three national parks: Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia. At 102 years old, the National Park Service continues to do the day-to-day work of preserving our parks ‘for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.’

Daily Pic ^08/25/17

Chulilla, Spain

Daily Pic ^08/21/18 (Santa Monica Pier)

August 21, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

Ingenuity in action on the Santa Monica Pier

The story of the Ferris wheel, first invented for the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, is a prime example of human ingenuity in urban environments, which happened to be the theme of our most recent photo contest. Congrats to contest winner Chris Fabregas, who captured this shot of human ingenuity in action on the Santa Monica Pier in California. The operators of Pacific Park debuted its Ferris wheel here in 1996 and then adapted it two years later to make it the world’s first solar-powered Ferris wheel, using clean energy for the ride that propelled about 800 passengers an hour. In 2014 it was replaced with a newer solar-powered version that sports 174,000 LED lights, providing for glittering nighttime scenes just like this.

Daily Pic ^08/21/17

The Jantar Mantar observatory complex in New Delhi, India

Today in History ^08/11 (Watts Riots)

August 11, 2018 by GµårÐïåñ Leave a Comment

Fires burn in Los Angeles' Watts neighborhood during the fourth day of rioting and looting that began on Aug 11, 1965 (© Bettmann/Corbis)

(1965) South Central Los Angeles engulfed in flames and rioting

Spurred by poverty, racism, and tension between residents and the city’s police, riots break out in L.A.’s Watts neighborhood. Lasting six days, the worst rioting yet seen in the city’s history will count more than 3,000 people arrested, over 1,000 injured, and 34 dead.

The Watts riots, sometimes referred to as the Watts Rebellion, took place in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles from August 11 to 16, 1965. On August 11, 1965, Marquette Frye, an African-American motorist on parole for robbery, was pulled over for reckless driving. A minor roadside argument broke out, and then escalated into a fight with police. False rumors spread that the police had hurt a pregnant woman, and six days of looting and arson followed. Los Angeles police needed the support of nearly 4,000 members of the California Army National Guard to quell the riots, which resulted in 34 deaths and over $40 million in property damage. The riots were blamed principally on police racism. It was the city’s worst unrest until the Rodney King riots of 1992.

Start date: Aug 11, 1965
End date: Aug 16, 1965

Burning buildings during the riots
wiki/Watts_riots

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(1965) South Central Los Angeles engulfed in flames and rioting.
Also on this day,

1973 | DJ Kool Herc’s Bronx party kick-starts hip-hop music

Clive ‘Kool Herc’ Campbell is throwing a party in the rec room of his South Bronx, New York, apartment building and he plays dance music on the ‘Merry Go Round,’ two manually-controlled turntables. It’s a great success, and DJ Kool Herc will be hailed by many as the father of hip-hop.

1973 | ‘American Graffiti’ cruises into theaters

Writer/director George Lucas takes moviegoers back to the early 1960s with stories of drive-ins, high-school sock hops, and cruising the strip. The cast includes Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Mackenzie Phillips, and Cindy Williams, as well as a cameo from another future TV star.

2016 | Japan first celebrates Mountain Day

A law passed two years earlier takes effect, and Mountain Day is an official holiday in Japan. The idea came from hiking groups who wanted a holiday to celebrate the country’s terrain and geography. This date (8/11) was chosen since the Kanji character for 8 looks like a mountain, and 11 looks like two trees.

Today in History ^08/11/17

German flags in front of the of Reichstag building in Berlin (© Westend61/Getty Images)

(1919) From the ashes of war Germany's first democracy emerges

A constitutional assembly in Weimar, Germany, adopts a parliamentary democracy, the first in the country's history, replacing centuries of imperial rule. The massive chaos and loss caused by German defeat in World War I has led to the Weimar Republic, but Nazi rule is less than 15 years away.

Weimar Republic was an unofficial, historical designation for the German state between 1919 and 1933. The name derives from the city of Weimar, where its constitutional assembly first took place. The official name of the state was Deutsches Reich; it had remained unchanged since 1871. In English the country was usually known simply as Germany. A national assembly was convened in Weimar, where a new constitution for the Deutsches Reich was written, and adopted on 11 August 1919. In its fourteen years, the Weimar Republic faced numerous problems, including hyperinflation, political extremism, as well as contentious relationships with the victors of the First World War. The people of Germany blamed the Weimar Republic rather than their wartime leaders for the country's defeat and for the humiliating terms of the Treaty of Versailles. However, the Weimar Republic government successfully reformed the currency, unified tax policies, and organized the railway system. Weimar Germany fulfilled most of the requirements of the Treaty of Versailles although it never completely met its disarmament requirements, and eventually paid only a small portion of the war reparations. Under the Locarno Treaties, Germany accepted the western borders of the republic, but continued to dispute the Eastern border.

Founded: Nov 09, 1918
Dissolved: 1933
Population: 62.41 million (1925)
Area: 181,000 sq miles (468,787 km²)
Capital: Berlin
Official language: German

Map of the German Reich, (Republic of Weimar/Third Reich) 1919–1937

wiki/Weimar_Republic

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