This Day in History

[Gravdigr]

April 12

Today is observed as an International Day of Human Space Flight (Cosmonautics Day in Russia), marking the anniversary of the first human space flight. Tonight is Yuri's Night, named for Yuri Gagarin, the first human being in space.

Also observed today, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, is Halifax Day, commemorating the Halifax Resolves the first official call for independence from Britain by any of the colonies.


Events

1204 – The Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade breach the walls of Constantinople and enter the city, which they completely occupy the following day.

1776 – American Revolution: With the Halifax Resolves, the North Carolina Provincial Congress authorizes its Congressional delegation to vote for independence from Britain.

1831 – Soldiers marching on the Broughton Suspension Bridge in Manchester, England cause it to collapse.

1861 – American Civil War: Battle of Fort Sumter. The war begins with Confederate forces firing on Fort Sumter, in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina.

1862 – American Civil War: The Andrews Raid (the Great Locomotive Chase) occurs, starting from Big Shanty, Georgia (now Kennesaw).

1917 – World War I: Canadian forces successfully complete the taking of Vimy Ridge from the Germans.

1927 – Rocksprings, Texas was hit by an F5 tornado that destroyed 235 of the 247 buildings in the town and killed 72 townspeople and injured 205; third deadliest tornado in Texas history.

1934 – The strongest surface wind gust in the world at the time of 231 mph, is measured on the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire. It has since been surpassed.

1934 – The U.S. Auto-Lite strike begins, culminating in a five-day melee between Ohio National Guard troops and 6,000 strikers and picketers.

1945 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies in office; Vice President Harry Truman, becomes President upon Roosevelt's death.

1955 – The polio vaccine, developed by Dr. Jonas Salk, is declared safe and effective.

1961 – The Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human to travel into outer space and perform the first manned orbital flight, Vostok 1.

1966 - Jan Berry (Jan and Dean) was almost killed when he crashed his car into a parked truck a short distance from Dead Man's Curve in Los Angeles. Berry was partially paralysed and suffered brain damage. Berry was able to walk again after extensive therapy.

1970 – Soviet submarine K-8, carrying four nuclear torpedoes, sinks in the Bay of Biscay four days after a fire on board.

1975 - During an interview with Playboy Magazine David Bowie announced his second career retirement, saying, "I've rocked my roll. It's a boring dead end, there will be no more rock 'n' roll records from me. The last thing I want to be is some useless fucking rock singer."

1981 – The first launch of a Space Shuttle (Columbia) takes place: The STS-1 mission.

1990 - The Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center announced that Asteroids 4147-4150, would be named Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr after the four members of The Beatles.

1995 - Two weeks after her death, George W. Bush, (then the governor of Texas), declared "Selena Day" in Texas.

1999 – United States President Bill Clinton is cited for contempt of court for giving "intentionally false statements" in a civil lawsuit; he is later fined and disbarred.

Births

1777 – Henry Clay, 1898 – Lily Pons♪ ♫, 1912 – Hound Dog Taylor♪ ♫, 1923 – Ann Miller, 1932 – Tiny Tim, 1936 – Charles Napier, 1944 – John Kay♪ ♫(Steppenwolf), 1946 – Ed O'Neill, 1947 – Tom Clancy, 1947 – Dan Lauria, 1947 – David Letterman, 1949 – Scott Turow, 1950 – David Cassidy♪ ♫, 1951 – Tom Noonan ('The Ripper' in Last Action Hero, the preacher in Hell On Wheels), 1954 – Pat Travers♪ ♫("Snortin' Whiskey, Drinkin' Cocaine", Boom! Boom! Out Go The Lights"), 1956 – Andy Garcia, 1957 – Vince Gill♪ ♫, 1958 – Will Sergeant♪ ♫(Echo & The Bunnymen), 1971 – Shannen Doherty, 1979 – Claire Danes, 1979 – Jennifer Morrison (House), 1987 – Brooklyn Decker

Deaths

238 – Gordian I, 238 – Gordian II, 1817 – Charles Messier, 1878 – William M. 'Boss' Tweed, 1912 – Clara Barton (founded the American Red Cross), 1945 – Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1966 – Sydney Allard(founded Allard car company), 1981 – Joe Louis, 1989 – Abbie Hoffman (co-founded Youth International Party), 1989 – Sugar Ray Robinson, 1999 – Boxcar Willie♪ ♫, 2001 – Harvey Ball (created the smiley face), 2016 – Anne Jackson (actress, wife of Eli Wallach)

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Except Nigel XII, you must call him your majesty.

Not my majesty...

[xoxoxoBruce]

Not here, but when you're over there, don't say Hi Liz.

It's april 12th, spring is in the air, and a young man's fancy turns to killing. Lots of war stuff on this date.


Correction: ...an old man's fancy turns to sending young men for killing.

[BigV]

gonna miss this thread

[xoxoxoBruce]

Yeah, me too. Maybe we could get him to do it once a week so Christmas won't sneak up on us, I'd hate to miss that.

[Gravdigr]

Perhaps there won't be a full on abandonment. Maybe a branch to music history. Or random weirdness, which is always a possibility.

[Gravdigr]

April 13

Today the United States celebrates Thomas Jefferson's birthday, by Presidential Proclamation (2276).


Events

1111 – Henry V is crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

1204 – Constantinople (♪ ♫Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople♪ ♫) falls to the Crusaders of the Fourth Crusade, temporarily ending the Byzantine Empire.

1613 – Samuel Argall captures Native American princess Pocahontas in Passapatanzy, Virginia to ransom her for some English prisoners held by her father, Powhatan; she is brought to Henricus as hostage.

1742 – Handel's Messiah makes its world-premiere in Dublin, Ireland.

1743 - Thomas Jefferson is born in Shadwell, Virginia Colony.

1902 – James C. Penney opens his first store in Kemmerer, Wyoming.

1919 – Eugene V. Debs is imprisoned at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia, for speaking out against the draft during World War I.

1943 – The Jefferson Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C., on the 200th anniversary of President Thomas Jefferson's birth.

1945 – World War II: German troops kill more than 1,000 political and military prisoners in Gardelegen, Germany.

1953 – CIA director Allen Dulles launches the mind-control program Project MKUltra.

1958 – American pianist Van Cliburn wins the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.

1960 – The United States launches Transit 1-B, the world's first satellite navigation system.

1964 – At the Academy Awards, Sidney Poitier becomes the first African-American male to win the Best Actor award for the 1963 film Lilies of the Field.

1970 – An oxygen tank aboard Apollo 13 explodes, putting the crew in great danger and causing major damage to the spacecraft while en route to the Moon.

1972 – Vietnam War: The Battle of An Lộc begins.

1974 – Western Union (in cooperation with NASA and Hughes Aircraft) launches the United States' first commercial geosynchronous communications satellite, Westar 1.

1976 – The United States Treasury Department reintroduces the two-dollar bill as a Federal Reserve Note on Thomas Jefferson's 233rd birthday as part of the United States Bicentennial celebration.

1976 – Forty workers at the Lapua ammunition factory die in an explosion, the deadliest accidental disaster in modern history in Finland.

1992 – Basements throughout the Chicago Loop are flooded, forcing the Chicago Board of Trade Building and the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to close.

1997 – Tiger Woods becomes the youngest golfer to win the Masters Tournament.

Births

1570 – Guy Fawkes (Gunpowder Plot), 1743 – Thomas Jefferson (23rd POTUS), 1852 – Frank Winfield Woolworth (yeah, that Woolworth), 1866 – Butch Cassidy, 1899 – Alfred Mosher Butts (created Scrabble), 1906 – Samuel Beckett, 1909 – Eudora Welty, 1917 – Robert Orville Anderson (founded Atlantic Richfield Oil Co.), 1919 – Howard Keel♪ ♫, 1923 – Don Adams (Get Smart), 1931 – Dan Gurney, 1933 – Ben Nighthorse Campbell, 1937 – Edward Fox ('Jackal' in The Day of the Jackal (1973)), 1939 – Paul Sorvino (Good Fellas, Nixon), 1943 – Billy Kidd, 1945 – Tony Dow ('Wally' on Leave It To Beaver), 1945 – Lowell George♪ ♫(Little Feat), 1946 – Al Green♪ ♫, 1949 – Christopher Hitchens, 1950 – Ron Perlman, 1951 – Peabo Bryson♪ ♫, 1951 – Max Weinberg(E Street Band, Conan O'Brien), 1961 – Hiro Yamamoto(Soundgarden), 1962 – Hillel Slovak(Red Hot Chili Peppers), 1963 – Garry Kasparov, 1964 – Davis Love III, 1964 – Caroline Rhea, 1966 – Marc Ford♪ ♫(Black Crowes), 1970 – Ricky Schroder (The Champ, Silver Spoons, NYPD Blue), 1972 – Aaron Lewis♪ ♫(Staind), 1975 – Lou Bega♪ ♫, 1976 – Jonathan Brandis

Deaths

1641 – Richard Montagu, 1941 – Annie Jump Cannon, 1997 – Bryant Bowles (founded the National Association for the Advancement of White People, I shit you not), 2005 – Johnnie Johnson, 2013 – Vincent Montana, Jr.(MFSB)

[Gravdigr]

Una más, señoras y señores, una más.

[DanaC]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Yeah, me too. Maybe we could get him to do it once a week so Christmas won't sneak up on us, I'd hate to miss that.

Yeah, me too!

I don't always comment, and I don't read every day, but I always come here at least 3-4 times a week, and I always catch up the missed days

You've done a sterling job this past year, Grav, but it's a hell of a commitment doing something like this daily, and a mad source of frustration when the Cellar eats a post and you have to piece it all together again:P

Any occasional random historical happenings you feel like sharing will be gratefully accepted and no pressure

[Gravdigr]

Y'all are too kind.

It's made the time go by.

[xoxoxoBruce]

1976 – The United States Treasury Department reintroduces the two-dollar bill as a Federal Reserve Note on Thomas Jefferson's 233rd birthday as part of the United States Bicentennial celebration.

I get a hundred of these from the bank every year, they're a double edged sword. Happily received in a gift or tip, not so much by nasty cashiers I punish with them, because there's no slot in the register for them. Hey, just the evil ones, I swear.

[BigV]

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

Perhaps there won't be a full on abandonment. Maybe a branch to music history. Or random weirdness, which is always a possibility.

A REPRIEVE!

[Gravdigr]

April 14

Today is Good Friday, commemorating the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and his death at Calvary.

The Americas are celebrating Pan American Day today, commemorating the First International Conference of American States.


Events

43 BC – Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Caesar's assassin, Decimus Brutus, in Mutina, defeats the forces of the consul Pansa, but is then immediately defeated by the army of the other consul, Aulus Hirtius.

70 – Siege of Jerusalem: Titus, son of emperor Vespasian, surrounds the Jewish capital with four Roman legions (12,000 - 20,000 soldiers).

1294 – Temür, grandson of Kublai, is elected Khagan of the Mongols and Emperor of the Yuan dynasty with the reigning titles Oljeitu and Chengzong.

1434 – The foundation stone of Nantes Cathedral, in France is laid. The cathedral is completed 457 years later.

1561 – A Celestial phenomenon is reported over Nuremberg, described as an aerial battle.

1828 – Noah Webster copyrights the first edition of his dictionary.

1865 – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln takes in a show.

1881 – The Four Dead in Five Seconds Gunfight is fought in El Paso, Texas.

1890 – The Pan-American Union is founded by the First International Conference of American States in Washington, D.C.

1908 – Hauser Dam, a steel dam on the Missouri River in Montana, U.S., fails, sending a surge of water 25 to 30 feet (7.6 to 9.1 m) high downstream.

1912 – The "unsinkable" British passenger liner RMS Titanic hits an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 23:40 (she sinks morning of April 15th).

1939 – The Grapes of Wrath, by American author John Steinbeck is first published.

1944 – The freighter SS Fort Stikine, carrying a mixed cargo of cotton bales, gold and ammunition, exploded in the harbour in Bombay, India, sinking 13 surrounding ships and killing about 800 people, and wounding 2,400.

1986 – In retaliation for the April 5 bombing in West Berlin in which two U.S. servicemen were killed, U.S. president Ronald Reagan orders major bombing raids against Libya, killing 60 people.

1986 – The heaviest hailstones ever recorded (1 kilogram (2.2 lb)) fall on the Gopalganj district of Bangladesh, killing 92.

1994 – In a U.S. friendly fire incident during Operation Provide Comfort in northern Iraq, two United States Air Force aircraft mistakenly shoot-down two United States Army helicopters, killing 26 people.

1999 – A severe hailstorm strikes Sydney, Australia, dropping an estimated 500,000 tonnes of hailstones, causing A$2.3 billion in insured damages, the most costly natural disaster in Australian insurance history.

2003 – The Human Genome Project is completed with 99% of the human genome sequenced to an accuracy of 99.99%.

2014 – Two hundred seventy-six schoolgirls are abducted by Boko Haram in Chibok, Nigeria.

Births

1629 – Christiaan Huygens, 1866 – Anne Sullivan (Helen Keller's teacher/companion), 1904 – John Gielgud, 1907 – François 'Papa Doc' Duvalier, 1925 – Rod Steiger, 1930 – Bradford Dillman, 1932 – Loretta Lynn♪ ♫, 1936 – Frank Serpico (subject of the Al Pacino movie Serpico), 1940 – Julie Christie, 1941 – Pete Rose(STILL holds MLB records for hits (4,256), games played (3,562), at-bats (14,053), singles (3,215), and outs (10,328)), 1945 – Ritchie Blackmore(Deep Purple, Rainbow, Blackmore's Night), 1948 – Berry Berenson (model/actress/wife of Anthony Perkins, died on AA Flight 11 when it hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11), 1958 – Peter Capaldi (the 12th Doctor/Doctor Who), 1960 – Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond), 1961 – Robert Carlyle, 1967 – Barrett Martin(Screaming Trees), 1968 – Anthony Michael Hall, 1969 – Martyn LeNoble(Porno For Pyros), 1973 – Adrien Brody, 1977 – Sarah Michelle Gellar, 1996 – Abigail Breslin (Signs "There's a monster in my room, can I have a glass of water?")

Deaths

1759 – George Frideric Handel, 1975 – Fredric March, 1995 – Burl Ives, 1999 – Ellen Corby ('Grandma Walton' on The Waltons), 1999 – Anthony Newley, 2000 – Phil Katz (co-created the zip file format), 2007 – Don Ho (sang "Tiny Bubbles"), 2010 – Peter Steele(Type O Negative), 2012 – Jonathan Frid ('Barnabas' on Dark Shadows), 2015 – Percy Sledge

[Gravdigr]

Aaaand there ya go.

Hope ya learned something.

Hope ya laughed, or at least smiled.

[DanaC]

Party's over kids