On This Day In History
August 30th
1146 European leaders outlaw the crossbow, intending to end war for all time
1363 Beginning of the Battle of Lake Poyang; two Chinese rebel leaders Chen Youliang and Zhu Yuanzhang are pitted against each other in what was one of the largest naval battles in history during Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty
1590 Tokugawa Ieyasu enters Edo Castle (Traditional Japanese date: August 1, 1590)
1682 William Penn leaves England to sail to the New World
1862 Second Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia, ends with a Confederate victory over Union forces
1914 Battle of Tannenberg (WWI) in East Prussia ends in destruction of the Russian Second Army with 122,000-170,000 killed, injured or captured by the German 8th Army led by Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff
1928 Jawaharlal Nehru requests independence of India
Did You Know?
Hotline communication link between the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and the Kremlin in Moscow installed. Often known as the “red telephone” no phones were ever used, relying instead on Teletype equipment, fax machines and most recently secure email.
Today in History in 1963
Would You Believe?
1st recorded occurrence of a comet hitting the sun, releases energy equal to one million hydrogen bombs
Today in History in 1979
August 31st
1142 Possible date for establishment of the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) League [disputed date – other research places date between 1450 and 1660]
1888 The body of Jack the Ripper’s first victim, Mary Ann Nichols, is found in Whitechapel in London’s East End
1917 In China, Sun Yat-sen and his supporters’ ‘rump’ parliament establishes a military government and elects Sun Yat-sen as commander-in-Chief
1945 The Liberal Party of Australia is founded by Robert Menzies
1957 Federation of Malaya gains independence from Great Britain
1994 The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Sinn Féin) declares a ceasefire in Northern Ireland
1997 Diana, Princess of Wales, dies in a car crash in a road tunnel in Paris
Did You Know?
A. J. Reach Co. patents cork-centered baseball
Today in History in 1909
Would You Believe?
Pentium computer beats world chess champ Garry Kasparov
Today in History in 1994
September 2nd
31 BC Battle of Actium: decisive naval battle that effectively ends the Roman Republic. Octavian‘s forces defeat those under Mark Antony and Cleopatra off the western coast of Greece.
1192 Sultan Saladin and King Richard the Lionheart of England sign treaty over Jerusalem, at end of the Third Crusade
1666 Great Fire of London begins at 2am in Pudding Lane, 80% of London is destroyed
1792 September Massacres of the French Revolution: In Paris rampaging mobs slaughter 3 Roman Catholic bishops, more than two hundred priests, and prisoners believed to be royalist sympathizers.
1864 Union General William T. Sherman captures and burns Atlanta during Savannah Campaign (US Civil War)
1945 V-J Day, formal Surrender of Japan aboard USS Missouri marks the end of World War II (Japanese date, 1st September in US)
Did You Know?
The first automatic teller machine (ATM) in the United States is installed in Rockville Center, New York.
Today in History in 1969
Would You Believe?
“A Trip To The Moon”, the first sci-fi film, released
Today in History in 1902
September 3rd
301 San Marino, one of the smallest nations in the world and the world’s oldest republic still in existence, founded by Saint Marinus
1650 Battle of Dunbar; Oliver Cromwell‘s English New Model Army defeats Scottish force in surprise attack
1783 Treaty of Paris signed in Paris ends the American Revolutionary War between Great Britain and United States of America
1791 French Revolution: The new French Constitution, declaring France a constitutional monarchy, is passed by the National Assembly
1900 With a proclamation by General Lord Roberts, Britain annexes the Boer Republic of South Africa
1939 World War II: Britain declares war on Germany after invasion of Poland. France follows 6 hours later quickly joined by Australia, New Zealand, South Africa & Canada
1944 Holocaust diarist Anne Frank sent to Auschwitz concentration camp [1]
1988 Estimated by this date 50,000 Kurdish civilians and soldiers killed by Iraq, many using chemical weapons, in aftermath of Iran-Iraq War
Did You Know?
Flag of the United States flown in battle for the 1st time at Cooch’s Bridge, Delaware, a skirmish during American Revolutionary War
Today in History in 1777
Would You Believe?
Britain and the British Empire (including the American colonies) adopt the Gregorian Calendar, losing 11 days. People riot thinking the government stole 11 days of their lives
Today in History in 1752