Today in History

[tonyb]

Had humanity understood the value of using their various technological achievements to cooperate with each other for the common good rather than using them to kill and conquer each other in the name of gods and flags and profit, we'd be a much more advanced civilization all around.

What? No genocide? No divine rights?
Pinko.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

You can lead someone to history, but you can't always make them drink from the fount of knowledge.

It's very honest of you to admit it.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

On this day in 1994, my daughter, Charlotte, was born.

On this day in 1947, the first United Nations meeting was held.

On this day in 1843, the outlaw Frank James, brother of Jesse, was born in clay county, "Missourah !"

On this day in 1961, author Dashiell Hammett, died of lung cancer, aged 66.

On this day in 1976, this reached # 1 in the U.S. pop charts.( the movie, inspired by the song, was released in 1978)

 

[Fading Fast]

On this day in 1994, my daughter, Charlotte, was born.

On this day in 1947, the first United Nations meeting was held.

On this day in 1843, the outlaw Frank James, brother of Jesse, was born in clay county, "Missourah !"

On this day in 1961, author Dashiell Hammett, died of lung cancer, aged 66.

On this day in 1976, this reached # 1 in the U.S. pop charts.( the movie, inspired by the song, was released in 1978)

Best wishes to your daughter and the family for a fun birthday celebration.

 

[scotrace]

The Tube opens for business in London in 1863.
In 1920 (I'm surprised so late), the treaty of Versailles "officially" ends WWI. Though it wasn't fully resolved until the reunified Germany made its last reparation payment in Oct 3, 2010.
Seven years later, Jan. 10, 1927, Metropolis was released in Germany.

 

[MissMittens]

Today in 1901 marks the start of the "black gold" rush, when at Spindletop TX, a derrick created a gusher that coated the ground for several acres and ushered in the age of oil, petroleum, plastics, the automobile as viable means of transport, and smog.

Also today in 1901, the Automobile Club of America placed the first road signs on U.S. roadways.

Today in 1923, to touch on Scotrace's post, the last U.S. troops were withdrawn from Germany following Versailles

 

[Fading Fast]

The Tube opens for business in London in 1863....

And beat the United States by 34 years.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

On this day in 1908, president Theodore Roosevelt, declared the 'Grand Canyon' a national monument.

On this day in 1927, Charlie Chaplin had his assets frozen (painful !) after his second wife, Lita Grey Chaplin, sued for divorce. The long-drawn-out process ended a 3 year marriage with a $1 million settlement. Lita was only 16 when 35-year old Charlie married her.

On this day in 1935, Amelia Earhart, flew solo from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Oakland, California. It was the first flight of it's kind & Hawaiian business interests offered a $10,000 award to the first person who achieved it.

 

[MissMittens]

Today in 1904, British troops massacred more than 1,000 "whirling" Dervishes in Somaliland.

In 1940 on this day, Benjamin O. Davis became the U.S. Army's first Black general. An interesting tidbit is his son also became a general decades later.

And in 1943 on this day, the Soviet Army successfully encircled the German troops in Stalingrad, effectively shutting off German supplies and choking off the Wehrmacht's advance.

 

[GHT]

Today in 1970, The Boeing 747 completed its first transatlantic flight, from New York to Heathrow. It is still often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet. The 747 was the first 'wide-body' ever produced. It held the passenger capacity record of 660 (in single class layout) for 37 years until October 2007 when the Airbus A380 took to the skies, with a maximum passenger capacity of 850.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

On this day in 1976, Dame Agatha Christie died, aged 85.

On this day in 1876, novelist & journalist (& many other things) Jack London, was born in San Francisco.

On this day in 1981, the TV soap 'Dynasty' was premiered on ABC....
Let me take you back to when tv show themes contained actual music.

 

[GHT]

On this day in:
1785 John Walter publishes 1st issue of "The Times" of London.
1794 Congress changes US flag to 15 stars & 15 stripes.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

On this day in 1929, Wyatt Earp, died in Los Angeles of chronic cystitis, aged 80.

On this day in 1941, Irish novelist & poet, James Joyce, died from complications following surgery for a perforated duodenal ulcer. He was 58.

 

[MissMittens]

Today in 1915, British authorities obtained Franz von Papen's papers confirming spying activities in the U.S.

Today in 1920, martial law as declared in Berlin after more than 40,000 proto-Nazis rushed the German parliament, the Reichstag, in a coup attempt. 42 were killed.

 

[LizzieMaine]

On this date in 1952, "Today" premiered over NBC Television, the first weekday-morning network "infotainment" program, created and initially produced by Sylvester "Pat" Weaver. Former Chicago radio personality Dave Garroway was the first host of the program, continuing in that role for nearly a decade until personal problems and his addiction to Dexedrine compromised his ability to do the job. Garroway, once hailed as the epitome of relaxed cool, took his own life in 1982.

In February 1953, Garroway was joined at the anchor desk by a new co-host, chimpanzee J. Fred Muggs, who lives today in quiet retirement in in Citrus Park Florida, where he pursues a career as a fine artist.

 

[GHT]

In February 1953, Garroway was joined at the anchor desk by a new co-host, chimpanzee J. Fred Muggs, who lives today in quiet retirement in in Citrus Park Florida, where he pursues a career as a fine artist.

He should have taken up music, it's far more lucrative:

 

[GHT]

Benedict Arnold, the American general during the Revolutionary War who betrayed his country and became synonymous with the word “traitor,” was born on this day in 1741.

Arnold, who was raised in a respected family in Norwich, Connecticut, apprenticed with an apothecary and was a member of the militia during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). He later became a successful trader and joined the Continental Army when the Revolutionary War broke out between Great Britain and its 13 American colonies in 1775.

During the war, Arnold proved himself to be a brave, skilled leader, helping Ethan Allen’s troops capture Fort Ticonderoga in 1775 and then taking part in the unsuccessful attack on British Quebec later that year, which earned him a promotion to brigadier general. Arnold distinguished himself in campaigns at Lake Champlain, Ridgefield and Saratoga, and gained the support of George Washington. However, Arnold had enemies within the military and in 1777, a group of lower-ranking men were promoted ahead of him. Over the next several years, Arnold married a second time and he and his wife led a lavish lifestyle in Philadelphia, racking up substantial debt. Money problems and the resentment Arnold felt over not being promoted faster were factors in his decision to become a turncoat.

In 1780, Arnold was given command of West Point, the American fort on the Hudson River in New York (and future home of the United States Military Academy, established in 1802). Arnold contacted Sir Henry Clinton, head of the British forces, and proposed handing over West Point and its men. On September 21 of that year, Arnold met with British Major John Andre and made his traitorous pact, in which the American was to receive a large sum of money and a high position in the British army. However, the conspiracy was uncovered and Andre was captured and killed. Arnold fled to the enemy side and went on to lead British troops in Virginia and Connecticut. He later moved to England, though he never received all of what he’d been promised by the British. The former American hero and patriot died in London, in relative obscurity, on June 14, 1801.

 

[vitanola]

He should have taken up music, it's far more lucrative:

Really?

 

[LizzieMaine]

On this date in 1967, the Green Bay Packers of the NFL defeated the Kansas City Chiefs of the AFL 35-10 in the first "NFL-AFL Championship Game," soon to be known as "The Super Bowl." The game was telecast over both NBC and CBS, but neither television network kept a recording, and for decades the game topped all American lists of "most-wanted lost television programs."

Then, in 2005, against all odds, the son of a former local-television employee from Shamokin, Pa. surfaced with two reels of 2-inch quadruplex video tape his father had recorded off the CBS network line and had smuggled home as a souvenir -- no small feat given the size and weight of the reels. The tapes sat in an attic for 38 years and when played confirmed that they contained most of the broadcast, minus halftime and part of the third quarter. The family offered to sell the reels to the NFL for $1 million, but the NFL refused the offer, claiming to already own the material under copyright law, and demanded that the family surrender the tapes. The family declined to do so, and as if to say "who needs you," the NFL prepared a pastiche "telecast" of its own using game film and the surviving radio broadcast which now stands as the official visual record of the game. The Shamokin tapes have been digitally preserved, but remain inaccessible to the public, as they will remain as long as the impasse continues.

 

[Lean'n'mean]

On this day in 2009, captain chesley Burnett Sullenberger ("Sully") executed an emergency landing on the Hudson River, after a bird strike destroyed both engines soon after take off. All passengers & crew survived.

On this day in 1929, Martin Luther King was born in Atlanta, Georgia.

On this day in 1559, the 25 year old Elizabeth Tudor, daughter of king Henry Vlll & Anne Boleyn, was crowned Queen Elizabeth 1 in Westminster Abbey, London.

On this day in 1972, this hit #1 in the US pop charts.