Harry Truman

Today in History 12/31 (Ottawa Named Capital)

Houses of Parliament in Ottawa, Ontario, pre-1940 (© The Print Collector/Getty Images)(1857) Britain’s Queen Victoria makes Ottawa the capital of Canada
Queen Victoria follows the advice of her advisors and selects a lumber town, called Bytown, to be Canada’s capital. She chooses the outpost that will become Ottawa because its backcountry location will make it easier to defend against an American invasion and because it stands midway between Toronto and Quebec.
The History of Ottawa, capital of Canada, was shaped by events such as the construction of the Rideau Canal, the lumber industry, the choice of Ottawa as the location of Canada’s capital, as well as American and European influences and interactions. By 1914, Ottawa’s population had surpassed 100,000 and today it is the capital of a G7 country whose metropolitan population exceeds one million.
A view of Ottawa, some of Hull and of the Ottawa River circa 1859, including views of the Chaudière Falls and of Parliament Hill (formerly Barrack Hill) prior to the construction of the Parliament Buildings. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Lithograph, hand-coloured, some discolouration, water mark at top left. Crack in paper, upper centre
View of Parliament Hill and Chaudière Falls, Ottawa, ca. 1859. The hill is the second high landmass jutting into the Ottawa River on the right. It still contains barracks here, its last year with them, for construction of the Parliament Builds is about to begin. The Union Bridge is in the foreground, but its main span has been replaced, after many years of ferry service only, with a steel suspension bridge.
wiki/History_of_Ottawa
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(1857) Britain’s Queen Victoria makes Ottawa the capital of Canada.
Also on this day,

1879 | Thomas Edison lights a street with his incandescent bulbs
On New Year’s Eve, American inventor Thomas Edison demonstrates his incandescent light bulbs in Menlo Park, New Jersey, by lighting a street in front of about 3,000 spectators. Edison isn’t the first to design such a light bulb, though his is the first to burn steadily for hours.
1946 | US President Truman officially ends hostilities in World War II
Truman signs the Presidential Proclamation 2714 to officially cease all hostilities in World War II, more than a year after combat ended in Europe and the Pacific. But the state of war against Germany and Japan will continue until 1951 so that Allies can keep troops in these countries.
1985 | Singer Ricky Nelson dies in plane crash
Traveling to Dallas, Texas, to perform in New Year’s Eve concert, the 45-year-old singer, actor, ex-teen idol, and son of Ozzie and Harriet, is on a chartered DC-3 when the cockpit fills with smoke. All seven passengers will die in the emergency landing, though the pilots will survive.

Today in History 12/31/17

President Harry S. Truman in 1946 (© Toronto Star Archives/Toronto Star via Getty Images)(1946) US President Truman officially ends hostilities in World War II
Truman signs the Presidential Proclamation 2714 to officially cease all hostilities in World War II, more than a year after combat ended in Europe and the Pacific. But the state of war against Germany and Japan will continue until 1951 so that Allies can keep troops in these countries.

Presidential Proclamation 2714 was signed by President Harry S. Truman on December 31, 1946, to officially declare the cessation of all hostilities in World War II. Even though the actual combat of the war ended May 8, 1945, in Europe and September 2, 1945, in the Pacific, the state of war was not lifted off of Japan and Germany in order to give a reason for the necessity of occupation troops in these countries. Once the War Crimes Trials were over, the hostilities were seen as over. The signing of Proclamation 2714 is the reason why the U.S. recognizes its World War II veterans as anyone who has served between the dates of December 7, 1941, and December 31, 1946.

The declarations of war against Japan and Germany in 1941 were officially lifted as follows:

  • September 8, 1951: Forty-nine nations sign the Japanese Peace Treaty in San Francisco, officially ending World War II and re-establishing Japanese sovereignty.

  • October 19, 1951: President Truman signs an act formally ending World War II, after having Congress abolish the state of war with Germany (Pub.L. 82–181).


    • wiki/Proclamation_2714
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    Today in History 12/26 (Kwanzaa)

    Maulana Karenga with his wife, Tiamoya, behind a table laid out for Kwanzaa circa 2000 (© Robert Abbott Sengstacke/Getty Images)(1966) The first Kwanzaa holiday is celebrated
    Professor Maulana Karenga develops Kwanzaa in the wake of the deadly Watts riots to help build community among black people. The seven-day nonreligious holiday, inspired by African harvest festivals, focuses on seven principles, such as unity and purpose, to celebrate black culture.
    Kwanzaa is a celebration held in the United States and in other nations of the African diaspora in the Americas and lasts a week. The celebration honors African heritage in African-American culture and is observed from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a feast and gift-giving. Kwanzaa has seven core principles. It was created by Maulana Karenga and was first celebrated in 1966–67.
    Celebrations: UnityCreativityFaithGiving gifts
    Observed by: African Americans, parts of African diaspora
    Significance: Celebrates African heritage, unity, and culture.
    Related to: Pan-Africanism
    Date: December 26 to January 1

    Kwanzaa candles (Kinara) cartoon-like image
    Seven candles in a kinara symbolize the seven principles of Kwanzaa
    wiki/Kwanzaa
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    (1966) The first Kwanzaa holiday is celebrated.
    Also on this day,

    1908 | Jack Johnson is first black heavyweight boxing champion
    American fighter Jack Johnson, the son of two former slaves, defeats Canadian Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia. The fight lasts 14 rounds until police stop it and the title is awarded to Johnson on a referee’s decision. Johnson will hold the title until 1915 when he’ll lose a grueling fight with a working cowboy.
    1972 | Former US President Harry Truman dies at age 88
    The 33rd president of the US dies of multiple-organ failure after several weeks in the hospital. His wife, Bess, will opt for a small private burial in their hometown of Independence, Missouri, instead of a state funeral in DC, thinking it a more fitting goodbye for the down-to-earth Truman.
    2004 | Indian Ocean earthquake triggers tsunamis
    A 9.3 magnitude underwater earthquake off the coast of Sumatra creates huge tsunamis that devastate Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, and other areas in the Indian Ocean, killing more than 230,000 people. Many of the countries hit lack tsunami warning systems, so people have little time to escape the deadly walls of water.

    Today in History 12/26/17

    Former President Harry S. Truman in 1972 (© ullstein bild/Getty Images)(1972) Former US President Harry Truman dies at age 88
    The 33rd president of the US dies of multiple-organ failure after several weeks in the hospital. His wife, Bess, will opt for a small private burial in their hometown of Independence, Missouri, instead of a state funeral in DC, thinking it a more fitting goodbye for the down-to-earth Truman.
    Harry S. Truman was an American statesman who served as the 33rd President of the United States, taking the office upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt. A World War I veteran, he assumed the presidency during the waning months of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War. He is known for implementing the Marshall Plan to rebuild the economy of Western Europe, the establishment of the Truman Doctrine and NATO against Soviet and Chinese communism, and for intervening in the Korean War. In domestic affairs, he was a moderate Democrat whose liberal proposals were a continuation of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, but the conservative-dominated Congress blocked most of them. He used the veto power 180 times, more than any president since then, and saw 12 overridden by Congress; only Grover Cleveland and Franklin D. Roosevelt used the veto so often, and only Gerald Ford and Andrew Johnson saw so many veto overrides. He is the only world leader to have used nuclear weapons in war. He desegregated the U.S. Armed Forces, supported a newly independent Israel, and was a founder of the United Nations.
    Lived: May 08, 1884 - Dec 26, 1972 (age 88)
    Height: 5' 8" (1.73 m)
    Party: Democratic Party
    TV shows: Truman
    Successor: Dwight D. Eisenhower (President)
    Education: University of Missouri–Kansas City · University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Law · William Chrisman High School
    Highlights
    • 1919: After his wartime service, Truman returned to Independence, where he married Bess Wallace on June 28, 1919.

    • 1945: Truman was sworn in as vice president on January 20, 1945.

    • 1945: After serving as a United States Senator from Missouri (1935–45) and briefly as Vice President (1945), he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

    • 1950: On November 1, 1950, Puerto Rican nationalists Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo attempted to assassinate Truman at Blair House.

    • 1953: When he left office in 1953, Truman was one of the most unpopular chief executives in history.

    • 1957: He testified before Congress to have money appropriated to have presidential papers copied and organized, and was proud of the bill's passage in 1957.


    Electoral College 1948
    1948 electoral vote results

    wiki/Harry_S._Truman
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