History

Daily historical topics that remind what binds us, what divides us, what has changed us – for both better and worse – with the hope that lessons of the past will inform our future so we won’t repeat our mistakes.

Today in History 11/17 (Suez Canal)

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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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Today in History 11/16 (UNESCO’s World Heritage)

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UNESCO world heritage site Easter Island, or Hanga Roa (© Andia/UIG/Getty Images)(1972) UNESCO’s World Heritage program created
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) creates its World Heritage program to protect cultural, historic, scientific, and natural heritage sites. The program will grow to include more than 1,000 areas around the world.
A World Heritage site is a landmark or area which is selected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization as having cultural, historical, scientific or other form of significance, and is legally protected by international treaties. The sites are judged important to the collective interests of humanity.
Map of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites
UNESCO World Heritage sites
wiki/World_Heritage_Site
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(1972) UNESCO’s World Heritage program created.
Also on this day,

1933 | FDR reaches out to the Soviets as United States opens diplomacy with Soviet Union
US President Franklin Roosevelt tells Soviet senior diplomat Maxim Litvinov in a telegram that he hopes the two countries will “forever remain normal and friendly.” This simple note establishes diplomatic relations between the nations. The US had broken off Soviet relations after the 1917 Russian Revolution.
1959 | A stage on Broadway is alive with the ‘Sound of Music’
A governess, the children she teaches, and their father whom she’s come to love are forced to flee the Nazi occupation of Austria in the latest musical by Rogers and Hammerstein that opens on this day. Based on the story of the Von Trapp family, many of the show’s songs will become standards, particularly after the release of a popular 1965 film adaptation.
1966 | Dr. Sam Sheppard acquitted of murder in second trial
A jury acquits Sheppard for the 1954 murder of his pregnant wife. The US Supreme Court had thrown out his earlier conviction for, among other things, the “carnival atmosphere” of that trial. The notoriety of the case will spur TV shows, movies, books, and the career of lawyer F. Lee Bailey.

Today in History 11/16/17

Russian diplomat Maxim Litvinov, circa 1935 (© Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)(1933) United States opens diplomacy with Soviet Union
US President Franklin Roosevelt tells Soviet senior diplomat Maxim Litvinov in a telegram that he hopes the two countries will "forever remain normal and friendly." This simple note establishes diplomatic relations between the nations. The US had broken off Soviet relations after the 1917 Russian Revolution.
The relations between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (1922–1991) succeeded the previous relations from 1776 to 1917 and predate today's relations that began in 1992. Full diplomatic relations between the two countries were established late due to mutual hostility. During World War II, the two countries were briefly allies. At the end of the war, the first signs of post-war mistrust and hostility began to appear between the two countries, escalating into the Cold War; a period of tense hostile relations, with periods of détente.
United States Soviet Union Locator
Map indicating locations of United States and Soviet Union (including spheres of influence relations)

wiki/Soviet_Union–United_States_relations
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Today in History 11/15 (Lewis and Clark Expedition)

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The site of Fort Clatsop established by Lewis & Clark’s expedition in 1805 (© Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)(1805) Lewis and Clark reach the Pacific
About 18 months into their Corps of Discovery expedition, Lewis and Clark reach the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the Columbia River. The expedition will camp at Fort Clatsop for the winter before its return trip east begins in March.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition from May 1804 to September 1806, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the first American expedition to cross the western portion of the United States. It began near St. Louis, made its way westward, and passed through the Continental Divide of the Americas to reach the Pacific coast. The Corps of Discovery was a selected group of US Army volunteers under the command of Captain Meriwether Lewis and his close friend Second Lieutenant William Clark.
Start date: May 14, 1804
End date: Sep 23, 1806

Route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Route of the expedition
wiki/Lewis_and_Clark_Expedition
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(1805) Lewis and Clark reach the Pacific.
Also on this day,

1777 | 1st US constitution as thirteen colonies unite to form a new country
The Second Continental Congress approves the Articles of Confederation, which unifies the 13 American colonies under a weak central government and names this new country the United States of America. The document, a precursor to the Constitution, will be ratified by the states on March 1, 1781.
1864 | Gen. Sherman begins his March to the Sea
Union General William T. Sherman and his troops torch the captured city of Atlanta, leaving it a smoldering ruin before riding out to begin their five-week march through Georgia to the port of Savannah. In their wake, they’ll leave a trail of destroyed industry, ransacked private property, and a huge number of refugees.
1984 | Baby Fae who received transplanted baboon heart dies
Month-old Baby Fae passes away 20 days after an operation to replace her deformed heart with one from a baboon. It was the first baboon-to-human heart transplant ever done. The case will spark vigorous debate about inter-species transplants and medical experimentation.

Today in History 11/15/17

Drawing of (from left) John Adams, Governor Morris, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson of the Continental Congress (Public domain)(1777) Thirteen colonies unite to form a new country
The Second Continental Congress approves the Articles of Confederation, which unifies the 13 American colonies under a weak central government and names this new country the United States of America. The document, a precursor to the Constitution, will be ratified by the states on March 1, 1781.

The Articles of Confederation, formally the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement among the 13 original states of the United States of America that served as its first constitution. Its drafting by a committee appointed by the Second Continental Congress began on July 12, 1776, and an approved version was sent to the states for ratification on November 15, 1777. The Articles of Confederation came into force on March 1, 1781, after being ratified by all 13 states. A guiding principle of the Articles was to preserve the independence and sovereignty of the states. The federal government received only those powers which the colonies had recognized as belonging to king and parliament.

The Articles formed a war-time confederation of states, with an extremely limited central government. While unratified, the document was used by the Congress to conduct business, direct the American Revolutionary War, conduct diplomacy with foreign nations, and deal with territorial issues and Native American relations. The adoption of the Articles made few perceptible changes in the federal government, because it did little more than legalize what the Continental Congress had been doing. That body was renamed the Congress of the Confederation; but Americans continued to call it the Continental Congress, since its organization remained the same.

As the Confederation Congress attempted to govern the continually growing American states, delegates discovered that the limitations placed upon the central government rendered it ineffective at doing so. As the government's weaknesses became apparent, especially after Shays' Rebellion, individuals began asking for changes to the Articles. Their hope was to create a stronger national government. Initially, some states met to deal with their trade and economic problems. However, as more states became interested in meeting to change the Articles, a meeting was set in Philadelphia on May 25, 1787. This became the Constitutional Convention. It was quickly realized that changes would not work, and instead the entire Articles needed to be replaced. On March 4, 1789, the government under the Articles was replaced with the federal government under the Constitution. The new Constitution provided for a much stronger federal government by establishing a chief executive (the President), courts, and taxing powers.


Articles of Confederation - Page 1
The Articles of Confederation, ratified in 1781. This was the format for the United States government until the Constitution.

wiki/Articles_of_Confederation
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Today in History 11/14 (Around the World in 72 Days)

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Nellie Bly circa 1890 (Public domain)(1889) Journalist Nellie Bly sets out for around-the-world trip
A reporter ahead of her time, Nellie Bly begins what will be a successful attempt to travel around the world in less than 80 days, putting Jules Verne’s fictional story ‘Around the World in 80 days’ to a real-life test. Bly will complete the journey in 72 days, travelling alone for bulk of it.
Around the World in Seventy-Two Days is an 1890 book by journalist Elizabeth Jane Cochrane, writing under her pseudonym, Nellie Bly. The chronicle details her 72-day trip around the world, which was inspired by the book, Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne. She carried out the journey for Joseph Pulitzer’s tabloid newspaper, the New York World.
Author: Nellie Bly
First published: 1890
Number of pages: 331
Genre: Non-fiction
Original language: English

American journalist Nellie Bly, in a publicity photo for her around-the-world voyage. Caption on the original photo reads:
A publicity photograph taken by the New York World newspaper to promote Bly’s around-the-world voyage
wiki/Around_the_World_in_Seventy-Two_Days
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(1889) Journalist Nellie Bly sets out for around-the-world trip.
Also on this day,

1840 | Monet’s birthday as Impressionist painting pioneer is born
Oscar-Claude Monet is born in Paris. He will show an interest in art at a young age, enrolling in Le Havre secondary school of the arts at age 10. Monet will go on to become one of the creators of impressionism, and some of his works will sell posthumously for tens of millions of dollars.
1851 | ‘Moby Dick’ in US as Herman Melville’s story of the white whale is published in the US
‘Call me Ishmael’ first appears in print in the United States, the opening line of a new novel by a former sailor. An earlier version of ‘Moby-Dick,’ entitled ‘The Whale,’ had been published in England. The novel will flop on both sides of the Atlantic, but long after Melville’s death, it will be hailed as a classic.
1969 | Rocket lifts off in second manned mission to moon as Apollo 12 blasts off
Apollo 12 takes off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida with three astronauts aboard: Charles Conrad, Jr.; Richard Gordon, Jr.; and Alan Bean. A few days later, Conrad and Bean will become the third and fourth persons to walk on the moon’s surface.

Today in History 11/14/17

Apollo 12 being launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on November 14, 1969 (© NASA)(1969) Rocket lifts off in second manned mission to moon
Apollo 12 takes off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida with three astronauts aboard: Charles Conrad, Jr.; Richard Gordon, Jr.; and Alan Bean. A few days later, Conrad and Bean will become the third and fourth persons to walk on the moon's surface.
Apollo 12 was the sixth manned flight in the United States Apollo program and the second to land on the Moon. It was launched on November 14, 1969, from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, four months after Apollo 11. Mission commander Charles "Pete" Conrad and Lunar Module Pilot Alan L. Bean performed just over one day and seven hours of lunar surface activity while Command Module Pilot Richard F. Gordon remained in lunar orbit. The landing site for the mission was located in the southeastern portion of the Ocean of Storms.
Mission start: Nov 14, 1969
Mission end: Nov 24, 1969
Space program: Apollo program
Astronauts: Alan Bean · Pete Conrad · Richard Gordon
Destination: Moon

Surveyor 3 - Apollo 12
Charles Conrad Jr., Apollo 12 Commander, examines the unmanned Surveyor III spacecraft during the second extravehicular activity (EVA-2). The Lunar Module (LM) "Intrepid" is in the right background. This picture was taken by astronaut Alan L. Bean, Lunar Module pilot. The "Intrepid" landed on the Moon's Ocean of Storms only 600 feet from Surveyor III. The television camera and several other components were taken from Surveyor III and brought back to earth for scientific analysis. Surveyor III soft-landed on the Moon on April 19, 1967.

wiki/Apollo_12
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Today in History 11/13 (Vietnam Veterans Memorial)

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An Army veteran stops to salute his fallen comrades on Memorial Day at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, in 2015 (© J. David Ake/AP )(1982) Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington, DC
Thousands of Vietnam War veterans march to the site and contemplate a wall of black granite sunk into the ground and etched with names of the more than 58,000 of their comrades killed in the war. Maya Lin’s stark design will prove controversial, but ‘The Wall’ will have a lasting impact.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a 2-acre U.S. national memorial in Washington D.C. It honors service members of the U.S. armed forces who fought in the Vietnam War, service members who died in service in Vietnam/South East Asia, and those service members who were unaccounted for during the war.
Website: www.nps.gov/vive
Address: 5 Henry Bacon Dr NW, Washington, DC 20050
Phone: (202) 426-6841
Established: Nov 13, 1982
Area: 86,111 sq feet
Annual visitors: 5.60 million (2015)

Names of Vietnam veterans at Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
One panel of ‘The Wall’, displaying some of the names of fallen U.S. service members from the Vietnam War.
wiki/Vietnam_Veterans_Memorial
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(1982) Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington, DC.
Also on this day,

1956 | Bus segregation overturned as US Supreme Court rules racial segregation on buses illegal
In Browder v. Gayle, the Supreme Court strikes down Alabama laws requiring racial segregation on public buses. The high court rules these laws violate the 14h Amendment, which provides for equal protection under the law. The Montgomery Bus Boycott will end soon after the decision.
1974 | Union activist Karen Silkwood dies in suspicious car crash
Karen Silkwood, a technician at a Kerr-McGee nuclear facility in Crescent, Oklahoma, dies in a one-car crash on her way to meet a journalist to reportedly show him documents that reveal safety issues at the plant. The documents, however, will not be in the car when her body is found.
1998 | President Bill Clinton settles sexual harassment lawsuit
President Clinton agrees to pay Paula Jones, an ex-Arkansas state worker, $850,000 to drop her lawsuit claiming that he exposed himself to her in a hotel room in 1991. The settlement follows a series of appeals and denials that included an argument before the US Supreme Court.

Today in History 11/13/17

Paula Jones leaves a Little Rock, Arkansas, office after depositions in her sexual harassment lawsuit against President Bill Clinton in 1998 (© Reuters)(1998) President Bill Clinton settles sexual harassment lawsuit
President Clinton agrees to pay Paula Jones, an ex-Arkansas state worker, $850,000 to drop her lawsuit claiming that he exposed himself to her in a hotel room in 1991. The settlement follows a series of appeals and denials that included an argument before the US Supreme Court.
Paula Corbin Jones is a former Arkansas state employee who sued U.S. President Bill Clinton for sexual harassment. The Paula Jones case precipitated Clinton's impeachment in the House of Representatives and the subsequent acquittal by the Senate on February 12, 1999. Charges of perjury and obstruction of justice were brought against Clinton. Eventually, the court dismissed the Paula Jones harassment lawsuit, before trial, on the grounds that Jones failed to demonstrate any damages. However, while the dismissal was on appeal, Clinton entered into an out-of-court settlement by agreeing to pay Jones $850,000.
Born: Sep 17, 1966 (age 51) · Lonoke, AR
Height: 5' 3" (1.59 m)
Spouse: Steven Mark McFadden (m. 2001) · Stephen Jones (m. 1991 - 1999)
Children: Preston Jones (Son) · Stephen Jones (Son)
Movies: The Hunting of the President · The Clinton Chronicles
Siblings: Charlotte Corbin Brown (Sister) · Lydia Corbin Cathey (Sister)
Highlights
  • 1991: Paula Jones married Stephen Jones on December 01, 1991; their marriage lasted 8 years till June 01, 1999.

  • 1994: Jones filed a sexual harassment suit against Clinton on May 6, 1994, two days before the three-year statute of limitations, and sought $750,000 in damages.

  • 1997: In December 1997, Jones reduced the damages sought in her suit against Clinton to $525,000 and agreed to remove Clinton's co-defendant and former bodyguard, Danny Ferguson, from the suit.

  • 1998: On April 2, 1998, before the case could reach trial, Judge Wright granted President Clinton's motion for dismissal, ruling that Jones could not show that she had suffered any damages.

  • 1999: The Paula Jones case precipitated Clinton's impeachment in the House of Representatives and the subsequent acquittal by the Senate on February 12, 1999.

  • 1999: In April 1999, Judge Wright found Clinton in civil contempt of court for misleading testimony in the Jones case.

wiki/Paula_Jones
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