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Today in History 12/06 (Finland Independence)

Citizens gather on the Senate Square in Helsinki, Finland, Dec. 6, 1917 (© 12/UIG/Getty Images)(1917) Finland declares independence from Russia
The Republic of Finland declares independence from the Russian empire. While Russia will quickly acknowledge Finland’s independence, it will take a civil war to determine a system of government. Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg will become the nation’s first president.
Finland, officially the Republic of Finland is a country in Northern Europe bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Norway to the north, Sweden to the northwest, and Russia to the east. Finland is a Nordic country and is situated in the geographical region of Fennoscandia. The capital and largest city is Helsinki. Other major cities are Espoo, Vantaa, Tampere, Oulu and Turku.
Founded: Mar 29, 1809
Population: 5.51 million (2017)
GDP: $277 billion USD (2018)
Calling code: 358
Area: 130,559 sq miles
Capital: Helsinki

Flag of Finland
Flag of Finland
wiki/Finland
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(1917) Finland declares independence from Russia.
Also on this day,

1865 | Slavery is abolished in the United States
Eight months after the end of the Civil War, the 13th amendment is ratified by the required number of states, abolishing slavery in the US. Its passage was secured after intense lobbying by President Abraham Lincoln, whose Emancipation Proclamation had declared slaves free, but their status after the war was still uncertain.
1884 | US capital welcomes a towering marble obelisk as Washington Monument done
Workers have put the aluminum apex atop the 555-foot-high marble obelisk built in honor of George Washington. Construction began in 1848 but stalled during the Civil War. At the time of its completion, it’s the tallest structure in the world and will remain the tallest in the capital, thanks to city law.
1964 | Christmas show debuts as ‘Rudolph’ lights up TV for the first time
The stop-motion animation special airs on NBC as part of General Electric’s ‘Fantasy Hour.’ Created by Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass and filmed in Japan, the show will become a holiday classic for generations, moving to CBS in 1972.

Today in History 12/06/17

Abraham Lincoln's signature is seen on the final 13th amendment at the National Archives (© Jacquelyn Martin/AP)(1865) Slavery is abolished in the United States
Eight months after the end of the Civil War, the 13th amendment is ratified by the required number of states, abolishing slavery in the US. Its passage was secured after intense lobbying by President Abraham Lincoln, whose Emancipation Proclamation had declared slaves free, but their status after the war was still uncertain.
The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. In Congress, it was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, and by the House on January 31, 1865. The amendment was ratified by the required number of states on December 6, 1865. On December 18, 1865, Secretary of State William H. Seward proclaimed its adoption. It was the first of the three Reconstruction Amendments adopted following the American Civil War.
Scars of a whipped Mississippi slave
Scars of a whipped Mississippi slave, photo taken (April 2, 1863, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA. Original caption: "Overseer Artayou Carrier whipped me. I was two months in bed sore from the whipping. My master come after I was whipped; he discharged the overseer. The very words of poor Peter, taken as he sat for his picture."

wiki/Thirteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution
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Today in History 11/17 (Suez Canal)

Ships entering the Suez Canal at its inauguration in Egypt in 1869 (© LL/Roger-Viollet/Getty Images)(1869) Egypt’s canal brings Europe and Asia closer together
After 10 years of construction, the Suez Canal finally opens. Stretching across Egypt to connect the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, the 100-mile-long artificial waterway allows ships to travel between Europe and Asia without having to make the long and dangerous trip around Africa.
The Suez Canal is an original sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez. Constructed by the Suez Canal Company between 1859 and 1869, it was officially opened on 17 November 1869. The canal offers watercraft a shorter journey between the North Atlantic and northern Indian Oceans via the Mediterranean and Red Seas by avoiding the South Atlantic and southern Indian Oceans, reducing the journey by approximately 6,000 kilometres. It extends from the northern terminus of Port Said to the southern terminus of Port Tewfik at the city of Suez. Its length is 193.30 km, including its northern and southern access channels. In 2012, 17,225 vessels traversed the canal.
Navigation authority: Suez Canal Authority
Original owner: Suez Canal Company
Start point: Port Said
End point: Port Tewfik, Suez
Maximum boat beam: 77.5 m (254 ft 3 in)
Bridges: Suez Canal Bridge · El Ferdan Railway Bridge

Suez Canal, between Kantara and El-Fedane. The first vessels through the Canal. 19th century image
Suez Canal, 1869
wiki/Suez_Canal
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(1869) Egypt’s canal brings Europe and Asia closer together.
Also on this day,

1558 | ‘The Virgin Queen’ as Queen Elizabeth I ascends to the throne in England
The 25-year-old Elizabeth becomes queen after the death of her half-sister, Queen Mary I. Elizabeth, the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, will reign for 44 years. In that time, Protestantism will flourish as well as the arts and exploration. ‘The Virgin Queen’ will never marry.
1968 | ‘The Heidi Game’ as NBC cuts away from thrilling NFL game for ‘Heidi’ movie
NBC stuns football fans when it breaks away from an intense Raiders-Jets game in the final seconds for the scheduled made-for-TV movie ‘Heidi,’ about a young girl in the Alps. The Raiders score twice and win the game 43-32, but only the fans in the stadium get to see it.
1973 | US President Richard Nixon to reporters: “I’m not a crook”
‘People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I’m not a crook.’ Nixon offers this declaration at a press conference where he had come to defend his record amid the Watergate scandal and allegations of financial impropriety. The quote will become one of his most infamous lines.

Today in History 11/17/17

President Richard Nixon speaks to the Associated Press Managing Editors annual meeting on November 17, 1973 (© AP)(1973) US President Richard Nixon to reporters: "I'm not a crook"
'People have got to know whether or not their president is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook.' Nixon offers this declaration at a press conference where he had come to defend his record amid the Watergate scandal and allegations of financial impropriety. The quote will become one of his most infamous lines.
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States from 1969 until 1974, when he resigned from office, the only U.S. president to do so. He had previously served as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961, and prior to that as a U.S. Representative and also Senator from California.
Lived: Jan 09, 1913 - Apr 22, 1994 (age 81)
Height: 5' 11" (1.80 m)
Spouse: Pat Nixon (m. 1940 - 1993)
Vice Presidents: Gerald Ford · Spiro Agnew
Party: Republican Party
Children: Julie Nixon Eisenhower (Daughter) · Tricia Nixon Cox (Daughter)
Highlights
  • 1940: Richard Nixon married Pat Nixon on June 21, 1940; their marriage lasted 53 years till June 22, 1993.

  • 1952: He was the running mate of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Republican Party presidential nominee in the 1952 election.

  • 1969: Nixon was inaugurated as president on January 20, 1969, sworn in by his onetime political rival, Chief Justice Earl Warren.

  • 1973: In July 1973, White House aide Alexander Butterfield testified under oath to Congress that Nixon had a secret taping system that recorded his conversations and phone calls in the Oval Office.

  • 1974: The legal battle over the tapes continued through early 1974, and in April 1974 Nixon announced the release of 1,200 pages of transcripts of White House conversations between him and his aides.

  • 1994: He died at 9:08 p.m. on April 22, 1994, with his daughters at his bedside.

Nixon edited transcripts
Nixon announces the release of edited transcripts of the Watergate tapes, April 29, 1974.

wiki/Richard_Nixon
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