Wednesday, May 08, 2024
Wednesday Morning in the Blogosphere
Today in Labor History May 8th
A. Philip Randolph
Important Events From This day in History May 8
8 May, 1945 VE Day / Victory In Europe Declared
1945 : President Truman and Prime minister Churchill declared victory in Europe today, celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany. Following the announcement huge crowds, many dressed in red, white and blue, gathered outside Buckingham Palace in London and were cheered as the King, Queen and two Princesses came out onto the balcony.
8 May, 1970 UK The Beatles "Let It Be" Released
1970 : Just shortly after the Break Up of the Beatles is announced The Beatles Final original album "Let It Be" is released by Apple Records.
8 May, 1978 U.S.A. David Berkowitz ( Son of Sam )
1978 : David Berkowitz ( Son of Sam ) admitted guilty to 6 son of Sam killings in court, he has also claimed responsibility for 2000 fires in a 4 year period under the alias of "The Phantom of the Bronx," it was revealed a diary found detailed 1,411 of the fires during this time period.
8 May, 1942 World War II The Battle of Coral Sea
1942 : The Battle of Coral Sea, between the Japanese Navy and the United States and Australian Navies ends with the loss of the carrier USS Lexington and the Japanese carrier Shōhō.
1927 U.S.A. Mississippi Floods
1927 : The Mississippi floods are continuing the path of destruction. The Mississippi has seen many floods in previous years and thankfully most residents heeded the flood warnings saving many lives but this flood will be the most costly in many years.
8 May, 1929 U.S.A. Gangsters Murdered
1929 : Three gangsters from Chicago were found murdered today and riddled with bullets in retaliation for the "St Valentines Day Massacre" earlier in the year, so far 2 have been identified as 2 of Scarface Al Capone's henchmen.
1939 Europe On the Brink Of War
1939 : Calls for peace continue with Europe on the brink of war including Pope Pius XII who asks the nations involved to try to come to a peaceful settlement , Currently Britain is worried as if the Soviets and Nazis do make a pact to join forces, war could be that much closer and will involve all the countries in Europe.
1941 U.S.A. "Let Me Off Uptown"
1941 : Anita O’Day recorded "Let Me Off Uptown" with Gene Krupa and his band. O'Day was one of the more prominent jazz singers of her day and has often been compared to greats like Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn and Ella Fitzgerald.
1927 France Transatlantic White Bird
1927 : The Bi-Plane the "Transatlantic White Bird" Piloted by the french Aviator Captain Nungesser attempting to be the first to cross the Atlantic non stop from Paris to New York is spotted in the early morning off Nova Scotia fighting strong head winds and heading for the Maine Seaboard and had been in the Air for approximately 33 hours. Shortly after the sighting they mysteriously disappeared while trying to be the first to complete the non-stop transatlantic flight, flying from Paris to New York City . The plane, pilot and navigator have never been seen since and two weeks later American aviator Charles Lindbergh, flying solo, successfully crossed from New York to Paris.
1948 Germany Berlin Issue
1948 : Following the end of the World War more problems are appearing in how Germany will be split with the Russians stating the plan put forward by Britain, France and the United States will cause Germany and the rest Europe to be divided and is not in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement. So far no word has been given by Russia on what they will do. What did happen is that Berlin was split and the Berlin Wall was built as part of the cold war over the next 40 years.
1959 Egypt Pleasure Boat Sinks On The Nile
1959 : A 200 ton pleasure boat carrying some of Egypt's top agriculture engineers and their families on a picnic sank with loss of 200 lives on the Nile.
1967 U.S.A. Ralph Nader
1967 : Following the publication of his book "unsafe at any speed" published in 1965 which highlights the Chevrolet Corvair as an unsafe and unreliable example of automobiles offered to American Consumers. Ralph Nader is part of a symposium on "Automobile Crash Injuries" at the Upstate Medical Center as part of the pressure on the government and the automobile industry to improve safety in cars.
Tuesday, May 07, 2024
Tuesday Morning in the Blogosphere
Today in Labor History May 7th
Bloody Tuesday – San Francisco
The Knights of St. Crispin union was formed at a secret meeting in Milwaukee. It grew to 50,000 members before being crushed by employers later that year. – 1867
Important Events From This day in History May 7
7 May, 2008 Oil Price Could Reach $200.00 per barrel in 6 months
2008 : Argun Murti the Goldman Sachs energy strategist has warned oil price 'may hit $200 a barrel' in 6 months due to the available supply to demand needs. Oil peaked at just under $150.00 per barrel July 2008 -- ( current price May 5thth 2021 -- $60.97 )
7 May, 1915 World War I Lusitania Sunk By Torpedo
1915 : A German torpedo sinks the British Ocean liner Lusitania off the Irish coast, killing nearly 1,200 people.
1945 Germany Surrenders
1945 : Germany signs unconditional surrender at Rheims in France bringing to an end six years of war in Europe.
7 May, 1941 U.S.A. "Chattanooga Choo Choo"
1941 : Glenn Miller and His Orchestra recorded "Chattanooga Choo Choo." The song was first featured in the 1941 movie "Sun Valley Serenade," a movie that starred many of the biggest names of the day. It became one of the most popular hits from the era and even has its own website.
1971 France The Concorde
1971 : The Concorde, the worlds first faster than sound passenger plane, took off for a 75 minute publicity flight to Toulouse carrying the french president on board.
1956 UK Health Minister Rejects Call for Smoking Bans
1956 : The British Health Minister RH Turton, rejects calls for a government campaign against smoking, saying no ill-effects have actually been proven from smoking and the link between smoking and lung Cancer has not been proved.
7 May, 1921 Ireland Starving
1921 : Over 5000 people have already starved to death in Ireland in 1921 and it is feared many more will follow.
7 May, 1931 U.S.A. Pay Cuts
1931 : A survey of Employers has revealed that those companies who are surviving since the stock market crash have drastically cut their work force and implemented wide ranging pay cuts among those employees who are still employed by up to 40% during the 1930s great depression.
1934 Philippines World's largest Pearl Found
1934 : The 9.45-inch, 14.1 lb "Pearl of Lao Tzu" is found by a diver in a giant clam in the Palawan Sea. Gemologists do not consider this to be a true pearl, as it does not have the mother of pearl, i.e. it does not have the iridescence that true pearls (which come from pearl oysters and pearl characteristics ). Clam pearls have no intrinsic value as a "gemstone", but only as a curiosity.
1941 Germany Bombing UK Cities
1941 : Germany continues to send large numbers of Bombers laden with bombs targeting Liverpool, North East, North West, Bristol and London, and each night British fighters go out trying to stop the destruction to towns and cities around the country , during last nights raids some 40 + German bombers were downed by British fighter pilots.
1947 U.S.A. Levittown, New York
1947 : Levitt and Sons, Builders announce a 2,000 home rental community at Island Trees later becoming Levittown, Hempstead, Long Island, New York ideal for GI's returning home following the end of World War II, the project used a new type of construction based on mass-production housing never used before, due to the prefabricated design they could build 30 houses a day. Following the success of the project they announced a further 4,000 homes which would be for sale not rental, offering ownership on a 30-year mortgage with no down payment and monthly costs the same as rental. After two years they began offering a larger home "a ranch house" 32 feet by 25 feet ( 800 Sq Ft ) for $7,990. The concept was copied all over the United States and modern suburbia was born.
1950 U.S.A. Major Storm
1950 : A major storm on the East Coast has caused a number of deaths and major flooding between New York and Boston with winds reaching 65 MPH.
1962 U.S.A. Wage Restraint Urged
1962 : JFK has warned unions to show responsible wage restraint or inflation could damage the US Economy the UAW was a big supporter for the JFK presidency.
1965 Rhodesia Ian Smith Wins
1965 : White voters in Rhodesia have overwhelmingly backed Prime Minister Ian Smith's Rhodesian Front which will unilaterally declare independence from the UK.
1977 U.S.A. Seattle Slew
1977 : Seattle Slew won the Kentucky Derby, the first of his Triple Crown victories for three-year-old thoroughbred horses. The Three Races for the Triple Crown in the US are (1) The Kentucky Derby, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky; (2) The Preakness Stakes, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland; (3) The Belmont Stakes, at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.
Monday, May 06, 2024
Monday Morning in the Blogosphere
Today in Labor History May 6th
Important Events From This day in History May 6
6 May, 1937 U.S.A. Airship Hindenburg
1937 : The German airship Hindenburg the largest dirigible ever built burst into flames and collapsed to the ground while attempting to moor at Lakehurst, New Jersey. As the airship burst into flames it crashed 200 feet to the ground and the hull of the airship incinerated within seconds as the hydrogen core ignited.
1954 England Four Minute Mile Broken
1954 : Roger Bannister becomes the first man to run a mile in less than 4 minutes, making the new record in 3mins 59.4 seconds at the Iffley Road track in Oxford, England.
6 May, 1882 U.S.A. Chinese Exclusion Act
1882 : Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which barred Chinese immigrants from the United States for 10 years.
6 May, 1910 England King Edward VII Dies
1910 : King Edward VII dies after being Britain's King for 9 years following the death of his mother Queen Victoria died. You will often see him referred as Bertie which was the name the royal family used for him.
6 May, 1924 China Japanese Warships
1924 : Japanese warships have entered Chinese waters and Chinese troops are being rushed to coastal areas to fend off possible attacks.
1928 St. Francis Dam
1928 : Construction of the St. Francis Dam Completed St. Francis Dam Collapse TimeLine
6 May, 1935 U.S.A. Works Progress Administration (WPA) Opens
1935 : The Works Progress Administration (WPA), opens allowing thousands of unemployed Americans decent-paying jobs on a wide range of public works projects including parks, playgrounds, major infrastructure projects, schools and post-offices. During it's existence the WPA was responsible for employing 8.5 million Americans during its eight-years. Although most politicians here and around the world use the quote that this is the worst recession since the great depression of the thirties by comparison the current thinking is unemployment is below 10% or 1 in 10 but in the worst period of the great depression that number was nearer to 25% or or 1 in 4.
1936 Airship Hindenburg
1936 : The Airship Hindenburg on its first flight from Europe to New York in the United States is near the Azores, the Hindenburg is like an ocean liner with an elegant interior and 15 of the passengers are Americans.
1945 Germany World War II Europe Ends
1945 : The war in Europe is over when German forces are to sign full surrender on 7th May 1945. President Truman and Prime Minister Churchill will make public radio broadcasts and speak to the people tomorrow and and VE day has been announced for the 8th May. The war in Europe has cost over 8 million lives.
1960 England Princess Margaret
1960 : Princess Margaret marries Anthony Armstrong Jones, a commoner, at Westminster Abbey.
1966 England Moors Murderers
1966 : The Moors murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley are jailed for life. They were tried and found guilty for the murder of three children (Edward Evans, 17, Lesley Ann Downey, aged 10, and 12-year-old John Kilbride). The pair preyed on children by luring the children into their home in Manchester then torturing and killing them, they performed terrible acts on them prior to murdering them and dumped them on Saddleworth Moor in the Pennines.
1967 Vietnam B52 Bombers
1967 : B52 Bombers dropped tons of explosives on North Vietnamese bunkers and troop positions.
1976 Italy Earthquake
1976 : A powerful earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale strikes in the small town of Maiano in north-east Italy leaving at least 60 people dead and many more buried under rubble.
1979 U.S.A. Anti Nuclear Power Demonstrators
1979 : Over 65,000 anti-nuclear power demonstrators marched on the capitol in protest against more nuclear power plants, the consumer advocate Ralph Nader describes nuclear power as "our countries technological Vietnam." The group was formed after the accident at The Three Mile Island nuclear plant.
Friday, May 03, 2024
Screams Before Silence (Extended Trailer)
A must-watch documentary. #ScreamsBeforeSilence sheds light on the unspeakable sexual violence committed on October 7. As heartbreaking as these stories in the documentary are, we cannot afford to look away.
Today in Labor History May 3rd, 2024
Four striking workers are killed, at least 200 wounded, when police attack a demonstration on Chicago’s south side at the McCormick Harvesting Machine plant. The Haymarket Massacre is to take place the following day - 1886
(Attacks against strikers and the very existence of organized labor persist to this day. From Blackjacks to Briefcases is the first book to document the systematic and extensive use by American corporations of professional unionbusters, an ugly profession that surfaced after the Civil War and has grown bolder and more sophisticated with the passage of time.)
Eugene V. Debs and other leaders of the American Railway Union are jailed for six months for contempt of court in connection with Pullman railroad car strike - 1895
Pete Seeger, folksinger and union activist, born in Patterson, N.Y. Among his songs: “If I Had A Hammer” and “Turn, Turn, Turn” - 1919
Important Events From This day in History May 3
3 May, 1991 U.S.A. Last Dallas Episode Shown
1991 : "Dallas " goes off the air after running from Saturday, September 23rd, 1978 on CBS for more than 13 seasons.
3 May, 1943 England Possible German Invasion
1943 : Plans are in place to combat an invasion by Germany of England later this year as they are thought to favor invading England which would complete the conquest of Western Europe rather than continuing into Russia. ( History tells us that the decision in the end was to march into Russia and many historians wonder if the war would have been very different if they had gone for England )
3 May, 1920 Northern Ireland Sinn Feinn
1920 : Sinn Feinn staged a protest in Belfast a number of windows were smashed during the protest of local protestant churches.
3 May, 1926 England General Strike
1926 : A General Strike is called by the General Council of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) in an attempt to force the government to act to prevent wage reduction and worsening conditions for coal miners. The strike lasted 9 days with about 1.5 - 1.75 million taking part and included workers from key industries, such as railwaymen, transport workers, printers, dockers and ironworkers and steelworkers, the strike did not achieve it's objective in fact many miners did not get their jobs back and those that were employed were forced to accept longer hours and lower wages. 1926
3 May, 1930 Germany Graf Zeppelin Airship
1930 : Preparations are being made for the first flight across the South Atlantic From Germany to Brazil of the Graf Zeppelin Airship later this month via Spain, and it is hoped this will then be a long term flight destination.
1939 U.S.A. "Roll Out the Barrel"
1939 : "Beer Barrel Polka" was recorded by The Andrews Sisters. The song, also known as "Roll Out the Barrel" became a popular standard during World War II and became a favorite of music lovers around the world. More about the year 1939
1944 U.S.A. Meat Rationing Ends
1944 : Meat Rationing ends for all meats, except for beef steaks and beef roasts.
1946 Japan War Crimes Trials
1946 : The International Military Tribunals for the Far East starts conducting trials for those military and government officials accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during World War II. At the end of the trial seven are sentenced to death including General Hideki Tojo ( Japanese premier during the war) Iwane Matsui ( who organized the Rape of Nanking ) , and Heitaro Kimura ( Who brutalized Allied prisoners of war ) sixteen others are sentenced to life imprisonment.
1948 U.S.A. Sale Of Property Covenants
1948 : The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that covenants prohibiting the sale of real estate to blacks and other minorities were legally unenforceable.
1950 U.S.A. Chrysler Strike Ends
1950 : The United Auto Workers Union called off their 100 day strike against Chrysler Corporation sending 144,000 back to work.
1951 UK Festival of Britain
1951 : The Festival of Britain is opened at the Royal Festival Hall by King George VI. The festival marks the centenary of the Great Exhibition of 1851.
Thursday, May 02, 2024
Thursday Morning in the Blogosphere
Today in Labor History May 2nd
Chicago's first Trades Assembly, formed three years earlier, sponsors a general strike by thousands of workers to enforce the state's new 8-hour-day law. The one-week strike was unsuccessful - 1867
Birth of Richard Trevellick, a ship carpenter, founder of American National Labor Union and later head of the National Labor Congress, America’s first national labor organization - 1830
First Workers’ Compensation law in U.S. enacted, in Wisconsin - 1911
President Herbert Hoover declares that the stock market crash six months earlier was just a "temporary setback" and the economy would soon bounce back. In fact, the Great Depression was to continue and worsen for several more years - 1930
German police units occupied all trade unions headquarters in the country, arresting union officials and leaders. Their treasuries were confiscated and the unions abolished. Hitler announced that the German Labour Front, headed by his appointee, would replace all unions and look after the working class - 1933
A fire at the Sunshine silver mine in Kellogg, Idaho, caused the death of 91 workers who died from carbon monoxide poisoning, likely caused by toxic fumes emitted by burning polyurethane foam, used as a fire retardant - 1972
Important Events From This day in History May 2
2 May, 1930 Hoover Says Stock Market Crash Temporary Setback
1930 : President Hoover in a speech said that the stock market crash of last year was just a temporary setback and would soon pass and that the economy would soon bounce back (this was 6 months after the stock market crash and the great depression of the 1930s would continue and worsen over the next 5 years).
2 May, 1952 England First commercial Jet Airliner
1952 : The worlds first commercial Jet Airliner a De Havilland Comet with 36 passengers paying up to £315 for a return ticket took off from London for Johannesburg, this will cut up to a third of the time from traditional aircraft flight times.
2 May, 1927 U.S.A. Prohibition
1927 : Despite the prohibition law to stop alcohol consumption the sale of hip flasks continues to grow which many say is encouraging the sale of alcohol and women's pressure groups are trying to ban the sale of hip flasks.
2 May, 1969 U.S.A. Student Protests
1969 : Police forces in the United States are cracking down on student protests on campuses across the US using a number of means at their disposal including warrants and an increased police presence. The universities include some of the most well known institutions including Columbia, Harvard, Cornell and Stanford Universities.
2 May, 2011 Osama Bin Laden Killed by US Forces
2011 : Barack Obama announced that Osama Bin Laden had been found and killed in Abbottabad, Pakistan in an operation carried out by United States Navy Seals. He announced the raid on Bin Laden's compound had lasted about forty minutes, four other people had been killed in the raid, and that Bin Laden's body was buried at sea according to Islamic standards. The death of the man many believed to be responsible for the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks was celebrated across the United States and many other parts of the world.
2 May, 1929 U.S.A. Tornado
1929 : A devastating tornado sweeps through Morgantown, West Virginia with the path roughly quarter mile wide and ran through the Riverside, Seneca and Walnut Hill areas.
1933 Scotland Loch Ness Monster
1933 : A local Inverness newspaper "The Inverness Courier" publishes an account by a local couple who claimed to have seen "an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface" of Loch Ness.
1938 U.S.A. Ella Fitzgerald
1938 : Ella Fitzgerald recorded "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" with Chick Webb’s band. Fitzgerald soon became known as "The First Lady of Song" and is one of the most successful and influential jazz artists in history.
1945 Germany Fall Of Berlin
1945 : Russia announced the fall of Berlin and the capture of 70,000 Germans who had surrendered.
1946 U.S.A. Alcatraz
1946 : Alcatraz convicts fought a raging gun battle with guards at the rock for their freedom after they seized the guns from the armory and passed them out to fellow prisoners, one guard has been killed and 3 injured. The Guards still do not have control of the Island fully and the fighting continues.
1966 Cambodia
1966 : The United States has admitted firing an artillery barrage into Neutralist Cambodia as part of an offensive against Viet Cong troops, the B52 bombers were sent from Guam to help slow the north Vietnamese offensive.
Wednesday, May 01, 2024
Wednesday Morning in the Blogosphere
Today in Labor History May 1st
(The Autobiography of Mother Jones: Mary Harris Jones—“Mother Jones”—was the most dynamic woman ever to grace the American labor movement. Employers and politicians around the turn of the century called her “the most dangerous woman in America” and rebellious working men and women loved her as they never loved anyone else.)
Important Events From This day in History May 1
1 May, 1931 U.S.A. The Empire State Building
1931 : The Empire State Building in New York Officially opens.
1 May, 2003 U.S.A. George W. Bush announces major combat in Iraq is over
2003 : President George W. Bush on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off the California coast announces in a speech to the nation, major combat in Iraq is over.
1 May, 1960 Soviet Union American U–2 spy plane
1960 : An American U–2 spy plane is shot down over the Soviet Union near Sverdlovsk. The Soviet Union captured the pilot Gary Powers which prompted continuing deterioration in relations between the US and the Soviet Union.
1 May, 1962 U.S.A. First KMART Department Store
1962 : The first Kmart department store opens in Garden City, Michigan selling a range of Clothes, shoes, housewares, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, and electronics. Kmart went through a period of rapid expansion up to the early eighties but from the late 80's due to lack of investment in technology and increased competition from the growing Walmart and Target stores and change in customer tastes sales continued to decline. In 2005 following sales decline Kmart merged with Sears, Roebuck and Company.
1 May, 1942 World War II The Fighting Forces
1942 :
United Nations Total Fighting Men and Women 12 - 18 million
Axis Powers Total Fighting Men and Women 12 - 14 million
1 May, 1941 U.S.A. Code Talkers
1941 : The first "Code talkers" Navajo Indians are specially recruited by the Marines to serve in their standard communications units in the Pacific Theater, they provide an unbreakable combat voice communications code.
1941 U.S.A. Citizen Kane
1941 : The movie "Citizen Kane," the first feature film directed by Orson Welles, also starring Orson Welles as Charles Foster Kane premiers in New York.
1925 Germany Field Marshall Hinderburg
1925 : Field Marshall Hinderburg a right wing conservative was elected as the president of Germany.
1931 U.S.A. Al Capone
1931 : The Gangster Al Capone is being sought for questioning over the murder of Mike De Pike Hitler from a rival gang by detectives in Chicago a number of other members of his gang.
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Tuesday Morning in the Blogosphere
Today in Labor History April 30, 2024
Important Events From This day in History April 30
1952 England Diary of Anne Frank
1952: The diary of Anne Frank, a Jewish victim of the Holocaust is to be published in English titled "The Diary of a Young Girl". Her diary, later entitled "The Diary of Anne Frank", becomes one of the most popular books in the world and is included in most schools as recommended reading. The diary provides a disturbing account of a teenager living in hiding with seven others in fear of their lives in occupied Holland, Anne Frank died of typhus just before her 16th birthday in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945. Find More What happened in 1952 Webmaster's note: I read this very moving journal after my daughter read it in high school a few years ago and was amazed at how well it was written under terrible circumstances.
1789 USA George Washington Inaugurated
1789: George Washington Inaugurated as the First President of the United States at Federal Hall in New York City (New York City was the first capital of the United States) New York State.
1921 England Treaty of Versailles
1921: The discussions over Germany sticking to the Treaty of Versailles and steps to enforce reparations by Germany for the World War are causing rifts between England , France and Italy with the British prime minister Lloyd George calling an emergency meeting of the cabinet . The French and Italians want immediate occupation of the Ruer region of Germany while Britain wishes to pursue more diplomatic means.
1932 USA Tuberculosis
1932: The continued growth in TB / Tuberculosis is becoming more widespread and with more variations and the worst affected are infants and young children. It is often transmitted through milk from diseased cows. It can be diagnosed by a chest X-ray and is highly contagious. Side note - this was the most important reason the milk we now buy is pasteurized / homogenized.
1939 USA New York World's Fair
1939: 200,000 people attended New York World’s Fair, officially opening. President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the opening day address, which was not only broadcast over the various radio networks but also was televised. New York World's Fair allowed visitors to look at "The world of tomorrow." The General Motors exhibit was titled Futurama. Philo T. Farnsworth premiered some of the first televisions at the fair. AT&T presented its first Picture Phone at the World's Fair. Salvador Dali created a pavilion that was called “Dream of Venus” The IBM Pavilion featured electric typewriters, and a fantastic machine called the electric calculator that used punched cards to enter the information for the computer to calculate the results.
1939 USA First Regular Television Service
1939: President Franklin D. Roosevelt appeared on television for the opening of the New York World's Fair. His appearance started the first regular television service in America.
1940 Norway German Conquest
1940: Germany has stated that the conquest of Norway is now complete and has captured most British servicemen who are now in Prison Camps.
1940 USA Jimmy Dorsey
1940: Jimmy Dorsey and his band recorded the song "Contrasts." Along with his brother Tommy, the Dorsey Brothers eventually became an unmatched rival during the big band and swing era.
1943 Spain "The Man Who Never Was"
1943: "The Man Who Never Was" is pushed into the sea off the coast of Spain where the tide would bring the body ashore into German Hands. This was known as operation "Mincemeat." The operation was a British deception plan to convince the German High Command that allied forces would be invading the Balkans and Sardinia instead of the island of Sicily, by planting invasion plans on a corpse the Germans would find. The full deception is very complicated but great detail can be found on Wikipedia by searching for "The Man Who Never Was." The operation was a complete success which makes it even more interesting reading.
1945 Germany Hitler Commits Suicide
1945: German dictator Adolf Hitler and his wife Eva Braun committed suicide one day after they were married, just before the Russian troops entered his Berlin bunker at the end of World War II.
1948 England First Land Rover
1948: The Land Rover (Land Rover Series I) is shown for the first time at the Amsterdam Car Show, many of the original components were from Rover saloon cars including the 1.6 engine from the Rover P3 60 saloon. The car featured four-wheel drive.
1951 Iran Nationalize Oil Fields
1951: The Iranian government has voted to nationalize the countries oil fields which will be taken over from Anglo Iranian Co immediately and transferred to Government Ownership to ensure the wealth created from the nations reserves is used for the Iranian People.
1973 USA Watergate
1973: As part of the investigation of the Watergate bugging scandal 4 of President Nixon's closest aides resigned including Attorney General Richard G. Kleindienst, H.R. Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman and John W. Dean II.
1975 South Vietnam Surrenders
1975: South Vietnam unconditional surrender to North Vietnam and the war in Vietnam is over with the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army and Government now in control.
1978 Bottled Water
1978: A debate is happening in the Soft Drink Industry and if the sales of bottled water by Perrier and others will ever make an impact on sales of more traditional sugary soft drinks in America.
1980 UK Terrorist Group Takes Iran Embassy Hostages
1980: Six terrorists take control of the Iranian Embassy in Prince's Gate, South Kensington in central London. The terrorists calling themselves the "Democratic Revolutionary Movement for the Liberation of Arabistan" take 26 hostages including the Metropolitan Police constable " PC Trevor Lock" on official protection duty at the main entrance. Their demands included the release of 91 political prisoners held in Iran as well as an aircraft to take them and the hostages out of the UK. The Iran embassy siege ends when SAS storms embassy on May 5th.
1984 Chad Civil War
1984: The Libya Prime minister has offered to withdraw Libyan troops from Chad if France will also withdraw from the former French African Colony, The French are supporting the current regime while the Libyans are supporting the rebel army.
1993 Germany Monica Seles Stabbed
1993: A man leans over a three-feet-high barrier at the quarter final tennis match in Hamburg and stabs Monica Seles from behind in the back. She is expected to be out of tennis for the next month while she recovers.
1999 England Nail Bomb
1999: A third Nail bomb attack in London at the Admiral Duncan pub, in Soho, leaves two dead and at least 30 injured.
2007 U.S. and E.U. Sign for Single Market
2007: The United States and European Union have committed themselves to a new transatlantic economic partnership at a summit in Washington. The pact will attempt to boost trade and investment by harmonizing regulatory standards, and laying down the basis for a US-EU single market. The two sides have also signed an Open Skies deal, which is designed to reduce fares and boost traffic on transatlantic flights.