On This Day In History
Did You Know?
“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee is first published by J. B. Lippincott & Co.
Today in History in 1960
Would You Believe?
Mexican drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán escapes from Altiplano maximum-security prison west of Mexico City via a specially constructed 1.5 km tunnel from his cell to a nearby house
Today in History in 2015
July 12th
1679 Britain’s King Charles II ratifies Habeas Corpus Act allowing prisoners right to be imprisoned to be examined by a court
1690 Battle of Boyne: in Ireland, Protestant King William III defeats English Catholic King James II
1790 French Revolution: The Civil Constitution of the Clergy is adopted, putting the Catholic Church in France under the control of the state
1804 Former United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton dies after being shot in a pistol duel the previous day by Vice President Aaron Burr
1863 In New Zealand, British forces invade the Waikato, home of the Māori King Movement, beginning a new phase of the New Zealand Wars between the colonial government and allied Māori tribes on one side and Māori on the other
1913 150,000 Ulstermen gather and resolve to resist Irish Home Rule by force of arms; since the British Liberals have promised the Irish nationalists Home Rule, civil war appears imminent
1943 World War II: Battle of Prokhorovka – Russia defeats German forces in one of the largest ever tank battles
1957 US Surgeon General Leroy Burney connects smoking with lung cancer
Did You Know?
Mormon leader Joseph Smith says God allows polygamy
Today in History in 1843
Would You Believe?
Joseph Dunn (14) is attacked by a shark, suffering non-fatal wounds in New Jersey, the final episode in a spate of shark attacks along the Jersey coast where 4 people died over 12 days
Today in History in 1916
July 13th
1772 Captain James Cook begins his second voyage to the South Seas aboard HMS Resolution to search for Terra Australis (Southern continent)
1832 Source of Mississippi River discovered by American geographer Henry Schoolcraft
1835 Swedish-American inventor John Ericsson files for a patent for his screw propeller design
1870 King Wilhelm I of Prussia sends the “Emser Depeche (Ems Telegram)” to Otto von Bismarck who publishes an edited version to purposely offend the French government precipitating the Franco-German War
1966 A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada founds the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Hare Krishna movement) in New York City
Did You Know?
Horace Greeley, founder and editor of the “New-York Tribune” reputedly advises his readers to “Go west young man”
Today in History in 1865
Would You Believe?
Dean of St. Paul’s London, Alexander Nowell perfects a way to bottle beer
Today in History in 1568
July 14th
1789 Bastille Day – the French Revolution begins with the storming of the Bastille Prison in Paris (now celebrated as France’s national day)
1798 US Sedition Act prohibits “false, scandalous & malicious” writing against government
1850 1st public demonstration of ice made by refrigeration by Florida physician John Gorrie
1933 All non-Nazi parties are banned in Germany
1941 6,000 Lithuanian Jews are exterminated at Viszalsyan Camp
1992 386BSD is released by Lynne Jolitz and William Jolitz, starting the open source operating system revolution. Linus Torvalds release “Linux” soon afterwards
Did You Know?
Dr Benjamin Spock‘s “Common Sense Book of Baby & Child Care” published
Today in History in 1946
Would You Believe?
WYHY radio offers $1M to anyone who can prove Elvis is still alive
Today in History in 1988
July 15th
1099 City of Jerusalem is captured and plundered by Christian forces during the First Crusade
1381 John Ball, a leader in the Peasants’ Revolt, is hung, drawn and quartered in the presence of Richard II of England
1410 Battle of Grunwald (First Battle of Tannenburg, Battle of Žalgiris), one of Medieval Europe’s largest battles during Poland-Lithuanian Teutonic War. Polish King Władysław Jagiełło and Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas defeat Teutonic Ulrich von Jungingen
1799 The Rosetta Stone is found in the Egyptian village of Rosetta by French Captain Pierre-François Bouchard during Napoleon‘s Egyptian Campaign
1955 18 Nobel laureates sign the Mainau Declaration against nuclear weapons, later co-signed by 34 more laureates
Did You Know?
Alcoholic Anonymous founded in Britain
Today in History in 1948
Would You Believe?
Margarine is patented by Hippolye Méga-Mouriès for use by French Navy
Today in History in 1869
July 16th
622 Muslim Era begins – Muhammad begins flight from Mecca to Medina (Hijra)
1519 Public debate between Martin Luther and theologian Johann Eck at Pleissenburg Castle in Liepzig, during which Luther denies the divine right of the Pope
1809 La Paz, Bolivia declares its independence from the Spanish Crown and forms the Junta Tuitiva led by Pedro Domingo Murillo, the 1st independent government in Spanish America
1940 Adolf Hitler orders preparations for the invasion of Britain (Operation Sealion)
Did You Know?
1st banknotes in Europe are issued by Bank of Stockholm
Today in History in 1661
Would You Believe?
Kissing is banned in England (to stop the Black Death from spreading)
Today in History in 1439
July 17th
180 6 inhabitants of Carthage, North Africa executed for being Christians. Earliest record of Christianity in this part of the world.
1203 Siege of Constantinople begins during the fourth Crusade; Roman Catholic Crusaders aboard a Venetian fleet attack the city
1762 Catherine II becomes Tsarina of Russia following the murder of Peter III
1918 The Romanov royal family and several of their retainers are executed by a Bolshevik firing squad in the basement of Ipatiev House, in Yekaterinburg, Siberia
1936 Spanish generals Francisco Franco and Emilio Mola lead a right-wing uprising, starting the Spanish Civil War
1945 Potsdam Conference: Harry Truman, Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill hold 1st post-World War II meeting
2014 Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 is shot down over Eastern Ukraine by a Buk surface-to-air missile launched from pro-Russian separatist-controlled territory, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew on board
Did You Know?
“L’Argus” accidentally discovers raft holding survivors from wrecked French frigate “Méduse.” After 13 days at sea only 15 of 151 remain, the rest having been cannibalised, murdered, or committed suicide. This event was made famous by Théodore Gericault’s painting “The Raft of the Medusa”
Today in History in 1816
Would You Believe?
“Variety” publishes famous headline “Sticks Nix Hick Pix”
Today in History in 1935