Today in History

1690
The clarinet was invented in Nurnberg,Germany
1873
"Celluloid" was registered as a trademark by its inventor,John Wesley Hyatt
1963
book'The Bell Jar' by Sylvia Path was published in U.K,sadly one month later she committed suicide
 

15th January

1559 Elizabath I was crowned Queen of England at the age of 26. She was the daughter of Henry VIII's second wife, Anne Boleyn and the last monarch of the Tudor dynasty.

1797 The first top hat was worn by John Hetherington, a London haberdasher. He was fined £500 the first time he wore his new creation, 'for causing a disturbance'. The officers of the Crown stated that several women fainted at the unusual sight, while children screamed, dogs yelped, and a younger son of Cordwainer Thomas, who was returning from a chandler’s shop, was thrown down by the crowd which had collected, and had his right arm broken. For these reasons the defendant was seized by the guards and taken before the Lord Mayor.
 

1870
cartoonist,Thomas Nast became famous by creating the donkey symbol used by the Democratic Party.It was 1st published in Harper's Weekly
1942
Pres Franklin D.Roosevelt sent his famous'Green Light Letter' to major league baseball commissioner,Judge Landes,encouraging the league to continue playing baseball during WWII.It was up to the club owners to decide,they did using other people while the players served our country
2009
US Air pilot,Chesley'Sully' Sullenberger lands the USAirways plane on the Hudson River after shortly taking off from LaGuardia Airport,after losing power in both engines.All passengers and crew members survived,became known as'Miracle on the Hudson"
The movie version 'Sully' starring Tom Hanks came out in 2016
 
16th January

1581 The English Parliament banned Roman Catholicism throughout the country during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. From that time on, Catholicism declined in England until the Catholic Emancipation of the late 18th century.

1769 One of the worst riots in theatre history occured at the Haymarket Theatre, London. Crowds had packed out the venue to see a conjuror who claimed he would get himself out of a quart tavern bottle. The conjuror never arrived and the crowds erupted.

1909 Ernest Shakleton's British expedition reached the area of the South Magnetic Pole.
 
15 January
535 Henry VIII declares himself head of the Church in England
Did you know that although he became head of the protestant Church of England, he never converted.

Theoretically he died a Catholic - his beliefs never changed. However, he had a very uncomfortable death. Arch Bishop, Thomas Cranmer was at his bed side, waiting to give him the last rites - as Henry had insisted that this is what he wanted.

Unfortunately, he was not very lucid and Cranmer was concerned about getting his last confession. The problem was that to “compass the King’s death” - that is to predict it or suggest it would be soon, was treason. In an effort to make a case for having Anne Boleyn and her brother executed (the case was very weak) they were both indicted for this act of treason and found guilty.
As Henry’s illness had reached the death bed stage, no one would tell him that he was dying, for fear of him suddenly gaining awareness that he was about to die. Cranmer would get the charge of treason for “compassing” (by the very act of giving the last rites) and this would be a last wish that would not be ignored by the Lords attending the sick bed. So Thomas Cranmer delayed and Henry died un-shriven.

Interestingly, when Thomas Cromwell, was sent to the block for treason (by Henry) the last words of this radical protestant were to deny his new faith and embrace the Catholic church. Very odd.
 
16th January

1581 The English Parliament banned Roman Catholicism throughout the country during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. From that time on, Catholicism declined in England until the Catholic Emancipation of the late 18th century.

1769 One of the worst riots in theatre history occured at the Haymarket Theatre, London. Crowds had packed out the venue to see a conjuror who claimed he would get himself out of a quart tavern bottle. The conjuror never arrived and the crowds erupted.

1909 Ernest Shakleton's British expedition reached the area of the South Magnetic Pole.
1581 The English Parliament banned Roman Catholicism throughout the country during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Such a cruel decision, its consequences prevailed for years, I remember growing up in my home town - the division between the Catholic and protestant communities divided the town. The hatred towards each other was palpable. King Henry created a division that still prevails today.
 
The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, prohibiting the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes,” is ratified by the requisite number of states on January 16, 1919.

The movement for the prohibition of alcohol began in the early 19th century, when Americans concerned about the adverse effects of drinking began forming temperance societies. By the late 19th century, these groups had become a powerful political force, campaigning on the state level and calling for total national abstinence. In December 1917, the 18th Amendment, also known as the Prohibition Amendment, was passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification.

Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man’s appetite by legislation, and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.
-Abraham Lincoln

There has never been a more advantageous time to be a criminal in America than during the 13 years of Prohibition. At a stroke, the American government closed down the fifth largest industry in the United States – alcohol production – and just handed it to criminals – a pretty remarkable thing to do.
-Bill Bryson
 
Did you know that although he became head of the protestant Church of England, he never converted.

Theoretically he died a Catholic - his beliefs never changed. However, he had a very uncomfortable death. Arch Bishop, Thomas Cranmer was at his bed side, waiting to give him the last rites - as Henry had insisted that this is what he wanted.

Unfortunately, he was not very lucid and Cranmer was concerned about getting his last confession. The problem was that to “compass the King’s death” - that is to predict it or suggest it would be soon, was treason. In an effort to make a case for having Anne Boleyn and her brother executed (the case was very weak) they were both indicted for this act of treason and found guilty.
As Henry’s illness had reached the death bed stage, no one would tell him that he was dying, for fear of him suddenly gaining awareness that he was about to die. Cranmer would get the charge of treason for “compassing” (by the very act of giving the last rites) and this would be a last wish that would not be ignored by the Lords attending the sick bed. So Thomas Cranmer delayed and Henry died un-shriven.

Interestingly, when Thomas Cromwell, was sent to the block for treason (by Henry) the last words of this radical protestant were to deny his new faith and embrace the Catholic church. Very odd.
I didn't know Henry never converted, what a rat, he kept his options open. lol
 
Jan 16th
1868
William Davis,a fish dealer in Detroit,MI patented the refrigerator car
1938
The 1st jazz concert held at Carneige Hall in NYC featuring clarinet/bandleader, Benny Goodman
1951
the world's largest gas pipeline opens runs from Brownsville,Texas to 134 St in NYC
1991
"Operation Desert Storm' begins after United Nations deadline for Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait expired.The U.S. led military coalition attacked targets in &around Bagdad.The world watched live events unfolding via TV satellites.
 
The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, prohibiting the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes,” is ratified by the requisite number of states on January 16, 1919.

The movement for the prohibition of alcohol began in the early 19th century, when Americans concerned about the adverse effects of drinking began forming temperance societies. By the late 19th century, these groups had become a powerful political force, campaigning on the state level and calling for total national abstinence. In December 1917, the 18th Amendment, also known as the Prohibition Amendment, was passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification.

Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man’s appetite by legislation, and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.
-Abraham Lincoln

There has never been a more advantageous time to be a criminal in America than during the 13 years of Prohibition. At a stroke, the American government closed down the fifth largest industry in the United States – alcohol production – and just handed it to criminals – a pretty remarkable thing to do.
-Bill Bryson
Great info, reminds me of this very funny pic. lol

women.jpg
 
On this day in History

17/01/1991

'Mother of all Battles' begins

The Gulf War Allies have sent hundreds of planes on bombing raids into Iraq, at the start of Operation Desert Storm.
The American, British, French, Saudi and Kuwaiti aircraft took off at 2330 GMT last night.

Their bombs were aimed at military and strategic targets, including an oil refinery and Baghdad airport.

At least 400 raids took place. Latest reports say all the Allied aircraft have returned home safely, although France says four of its planes were hit.

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Tornado down 17/01/1991

Flight Lieutenant John Nichol was shot down on 17 January 1991 on the first low-level daylight raid of Operation Desert Storm.
He was captured, tortured and paraded on television by the Iraqis.

Twelve years later - and with war in Iraq yet again threatening - the former Tornado navigator told On This Day about his experience.

We took the last few drops of fuel from the tanker and then dropped down over the Saudi-Iraq border and we headed straight in towards the target.

It was about a 20-minute run-in at low-level high-speed. In the final stages of the attack we were probably flying in at 600 mph [965 kmh] and were maybe 25 or 30 ft [7.6 - 9.1 m] above the desert.

No aircraft has any real defence against visually-aimed anti-aircraft fire - apart from trying to dodge it or put your head down in the cockpit and try and make yourself as small as possible.

It's not that effective as a weapon, but it's terrifying when you see it.
At the time we didn't know we were being hit because we were concentrating on the task of trying to get the weapons on the target.
After our attack failed we were running back home when suddenly we were hit by a heat-seeking missile - a SAM 7 or a SAM 14.
You certainly know you've been hit by that - it's a supersonic telegraph pole.
It knocked the aircraft sideways and almost out of the sky - we were within a few feet of hitting the ground.
I can still visualise the missile hitting home and the aircraft tumbling around the sky with absolute clarity.

John, my pilot, managed to get back in control and righted the aircraft so we could begin to limp home.

But all the computer systems and fly-by-wire computer technology had been knocked out and the aircraft was on fire.

The first stages of that were absolute chaos and panic. But you've practised for the situation, and the training brought itself to the fore.

We were desperately trying to go through the drills that might get us back into a controlled situation and give us enough systems and power to get back to the Saudi border.

Ejecting from a military combat aircraft is a phenomenal experience

But it wasn't to be - the aircraft was on fire and the flames were marching steadily to where I was sitting in the rear cockpit.
There was no choice but to eject - and ejecting from a military combat aircraft is a phenomenal experience.

Technology does all of the work - you pull the black and yellow handle that's on the seat and the straps tighten to hold you in - your arms are dragged in, your legs are dragged in.
The Perspex cockpit explodes and the rocket motors in the ejection seat fire - it's like sitting on a large rocket-propelled grenade.

Enemy lines
You're shot out of the aircraft at something like 0 - 200 mph in just under a second and at 18 times the force of gravity.

From pulling the handle to the parachute opening is about one and a half seconds - it's over in the snap of a finger.

You've gone from a burning aircraft to silence and floating down in a parachute and finding yourself sitting deep behind enemy lines.

I think we were on the ground for about three hours. We were trying to make our way to one of the search and rescue points where perhaps some Special Forces would be waiting or a helicopter could come in and rescue us.

But this was the first day of the war and it was unlikely that was going to happen immediately.

The Iraqis saw us and fired their AK-47 assault rifles at us.

It was a surreal situation. Five or six hours before I'd been having breakfast on my military base in Bahrain, and here I was being shot at by Iraqi troops in the middle of the desert.


Some of my friends didn't make it through the Gulf War - so I guess I'm very lucky

We were captured pretty quickly and dragged off to Baghdad - there was no point in trying to have a gun battle.

I suppose even 12 years after the event I still wish the attack had gone well and we had got back to base.

But it's because of my blackest cloud that everything I now do has come about. Some of my friends didn't make it through the Gulf War - so I guess I'm very lucky.

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Earthquake devastates Kobe 1995

Hundreds of people are feared dead and thousands injured after a powerful earthquake struck Japan at dawn.
Worst hit was the port of Kobe, a city of 1.5 million. Whole buildings, apartment blocks and an elevated highway collapsed killing at least 200 people and injuring some 13,000.

Osaka and the ancient city of Kyoto were also severely damaged.
The earthquake measured 7.2 magnitude and was the biggest to hit Japan for 47 years.
It struck at 0546 local time just as commuters were starting their journey into work.
The whole room was moving around like it was made of jelly
The prime minister, Tomiichi Muruyama, has ordered the creation of an emergency committee to handle the effects of the quake and sent troops to help the rescue operation.

1994 - Massive earthquake hits Los Angeles
A huge earthquake has rocked Los Angeles, killing more than 20 people.
The earthquake, which measured 6.6 on the Richter scale and lasted for 40 seconds, struck at 0431 local time (1231 GMT).

More than 1,000 people have been injured and the death toll is expected to rise as rescuers continue to pull bodies from collapsed buildings.

Mayor of Los Angeles Richard Riordan has declared a state of emergency and an evening curfew has been imposed.

The airport has been closed due to a lack of power and doctors are having to perform surgery in the open air because hospital buildings are severely damaged.

'Stay home, stay calm'

The area worst hit is reported to have been the San Fernando Valley where the quake is likely to have affected up to three million people.
Los Angeles emergency services are stretched to the limit and using heat detecting cameras and listening equipment to trace signs of life beneath the rubble.
One of the city's fire fighters, Grove Lumas, said it was fortunate the quake had struck during the night.
He said: "If this had happened in the middle of the day we would have been stacking up the bodies."

Experts are warning of potential aftershocks and police have issued a statement warning of isolated cases of looting.

The authorities have told residents to "stay home" and "stay calm".

1983: BBC wakes up to morning TV
People have been switching on their televisions a little earlier than usual to catch Britain's first breakfast news programme.
The BBC's new Breakfast Time programme went on air at 0630 GMT, presented by Nationwide's Frank Bough and former ITN news reader Selina Scott.

1977: Gilmore executed by firing squad
Gary Gilmore, the convicted murderer, was executed today by firing squad in the Utah state prison in Salt Lake City.
This is the first execution to have been carried out in the United States for almost 10 years.
Gilmore, 36, was sentenced to death for the murder in 1976 of a motel clerk in Provo, Utah.

An appeals court in Denver overturned a restraining order on the execution in the early hours of this morning.

Gilmore's body was taken to the University of Utah Medical Center where his organs will be used for medical research.

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January 17
1946 United Nations Security Council holds its 1st meeting

I wonder how many lives have been saved because of the UN - all those thousands of refugees who have to be housed, fed and clothed.
 
Jan 17th
1871
The 1st U.S. cable car was patented by Andrew Smith
1945
Swedish diplomat,Rauol Wallenberg who was credited for saving thousands of Jews from the Nazis,is arrested by secret Soviet police in Hungary
1984
U.S. Supreme Court rules 5-4 private use of home VCRs taping of TV programs for later use does not violate federal copyright laws
 
Today In History


18/1/1991: Iraqi Scud missiles hit Israel


Iraq has attacked two Israeli cities with Scud missiles, prompting fears that Israel may be drawn into the Gulf War.
Israel's largest city, Tel Aviv, and Haifa, its main seaport, were hit in the attacks, which began at 0300 local time (0100 GMT), when most residents were asleep.

Reports from Tel Aviv say the air was filled with the wail of sirens and minutes later up to eight missiles streaked in and exploded in balls of flame.
Residents scrambled for protective clothing and gas masks, issued to most of the population before the conflict began.
Casualties are believed to have been light - nobody was killed, and only a few people injured.
It is the first time Tel Aviv has been hit in the history of the Israel-Arab conflict.

Meanwhile, the Allied air bombardment of Iraqi military targets is continuing at the rate of 2,000 sorties a day.

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18/01/1967: 'Boston Strangler' sentenced to life

The man who claims to be the 'Boston Strangler' has been jailed for life after being found guilty of assault and armed robbery against four women in Connecticut.
Albert DeSalvo says he murdered 13 single women in the Boston area between June 1962 and January 1964, creating a climate of fear in the city.

The women, aged between 19 and 85, were sexually assaulted and then strangled to death in their homes.
Some were found with trademark ribbons around their necks.

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18/01/1963: Labour leader Hugh Gaitskell dies
The leader of the Labour party, Hugh Gaitskell, has died this evening after a sudden deterioration in his heart condition.
Mr Gaitskell, who was 56, died at 2120 this evening in the Middlesex hospital in Marylebone. His wife, Dora, was at his bedside.

A short statement issued to journalists after his death said, "Mr Gaitskell's heart condition deteriorated suddenly and he died peacefully".

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18/01/1972: Rhodesia's former leader arrested
Two leading white campaigners for black majority rule in Rhodesia have been arrested.
The former Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia, Garfield Todd, and his daughter, Judith, were seized after violence erupted over Anglo-Rhodesian plans for independence.

No reason was given for their arrests, but Mr Todd has a ranch in Shabani, which is recognised as a hotbed of nationalist activity. Last week, police shot dead a man and nine others were injured after 400 miners rioted.
 
18th January

1670 Henry Morgan captured Panama. Morgan was a privateer who made a name for himelf during activities in the Caribbean, primarily raiding Spanish settlements. Morgan was one of the most notorious and successful privateers of all time, and one of the most ruthless.

1888 Birth of Sir Thomas Sopwith, British aviation pioneer. It was a Sopwith Camel that shot down Von Richthofen, the Red Baron. On Sopwith's 100th birthday, a Sopwith Pup built after World War I, led a fly-past over his home in Hampshire.

1934 The first arrest was made in Britain as a result of issuing pocket radios to police. A Brighton shoplifter was arrested just 15 minutes after stealing three coats.

2014 Lewis Clarke, a 16 year old boy from Bristol set a new record by becoming the youngest person to trek to the South Pole. He spent 48 days at temperatures as low as -58F and winds of up to 120 mph, covering a distance of 702 miles.
 
1919
The Paris Peace Conference opens to draw up treaties formally ending WWI
1944
In NYC at the Metropolitian Opera House,a jazz concert was held for the 1st time.The concert featured,Louis Armstrong,Benny Goodman,Artie Shaw,Lionel Hampton,Roy Eldridge,Jack Teagarden
1991
Eastern Airlines after 62 yrs goes out of business because of financial problems
1993
Martin Luther Ling, Jr holiday is observed in all 50 U.S. states for the 1st time
 
This day in History

19/01/1966: Indira Gandhi takes charge in India

The only daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, becomes the first woman prime minister of India.

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19/01/1973: Super tug to defend fishing fleet
A super tug is sent to protect British trawlers from Icelandic patrol boats as the dispute over cod fishing rights intensifies.

19/01/1990: Rebel cricketers face storm of protest
Police in Johannesburg armed with batons and dogs break up a demonstration against the rebel cricketers who are defying a ban on playing in segregated South Africa.

19/01/001: 'Internet twins' taken into care
The American twin girls at the centre of an internet adoption scandal are seized from a hotel in north Wales and taken into care.

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19/01/1988: Disabled author wins Whitbread
Writer Christopher Nolan, who cannot move or speak because of an accident at birth, wins the Whitbread Book of the Year prize.

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Jan 19th
1825
Ezra Daggett and his nephew,Thomas Kensett patented food storage in tin cans
1903
new bicycle race'Tour de France' is announced
1955
Pres. Dwight Eisenhower delivers 1st Televised press conference,NBC aired it.They shared it with other networks including rivals CBS,ABC.It lasted 33 min,start of new media era that connects President with American people
2013
cyclist, Lance Armstrong finally admits he doped in all of his Tour de France wins
 
This day in history

20/01/1961: John F Kennedy sworn in as US president

The Democrat John F Kennedy is sworn in as the youngest ever elected president of the United States.

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20/01/2002: Camp X-Ray pictures spark outrage
Photographs showing al-Qaeda and Taleban suspects shackled and masked are published by the United States military.

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20/01/1958: Explorers meet at South Pole
Members of the team attempting the first surface crossing of the Antarctic have joined up at the South Pole.

20/01/1972: UK unemployment tops one million
The number of people out of work and claiming benefit rises above one million, causing uproar in the House of Commons.

1987: Police crack down on soccer hooligans
Police carry out a series of dawn raids and make 26 arrests in their biggest operation so far against violence in and around football stadiums.
 


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