On This Day In History
In 1978 Polish gynaecologist & sexologist Michalina Wisłocka's Sztuka kochania (The Art of Loving) became the first guide to sex published in a communist country, selling 7 million copies. Co-founder of the Soc for Conscious Motherhood, she researched infertility & birth control. pic.twitter.com/Ucig8PxHj1
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) December 13, 2021
On this day in 1893, a judge in Knoxville, Tennessee, sent an entire multiracial family to jail on felony miscegenation charges. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/iGXo6U8mKM
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) December 13, 2021
14th December:
Besides, BR's birthday...
644 Uthman ibn Affan, companion of Muhammad, appointed 3rd Caliph of Islam
1287 During St. Lucia's Flood in Northwest Netherlands the Zuiderzee seawall collapses with loss of over 50,000 lives. Fifth largest recorded flood in history
1542 Princess Mary Stuart succeeds her father James V and becomes Queen Mary I of Scotland at 6 days old
1774 First incident of American Revolution - 400 New Hampshire militiamen successfully attack Fort William and Mary
1911 Norwegian Roald Amundsen's expedition is the 1st to each the South Pole
1995 The Dayton Agreement is signed in Paris by leaders of various governments ending the conflict in the former Yugoslavia including Slobodan Milošević, Alija Izetbegović, Franjo Tuđman and Bill Clinton
This day 103 years ago – 14 December 1918 – Sinn Féin, led by Éamon de Valera, won 73 of the 105 Irish seats in the U.K. general election.
For more info, pick up a copy of This Day in Irish History. Perfect for those with an interest in Ireland's past!https://t.co/Y4VENuK4Fb pic.twitter.com/I7btPXKkvg
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) December 14, 2021
#otd in 1542, 6-day-old Mary Stuart became Scottish queen on her father's death. Forced to abdicate in 1567, and considered heir to the English throne by many Catholics, she was found guilty of plotting to assassinate Elizabeth I and beheaded in 1587. https://t.co/mc6Nau1aIj pic.twitter.com/oibUvCliP9
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) December 14, 2021
#otd in 1867 Nadezhda Suslova became Russia's first female doctor, graduating in Zurich after the govt banned women from Russian universities. She worked in gynaecology and paediatrics and researched public health in in St Petersburg's slums. https://t.co/w0aF8o0owu #WomenInSTEM pic.twitter.com/lzfxWcxSVU
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) December 14, 2019
On this day in 1948, police wrongfully arrested 17 Black men after 2 white girls falsely reported that they’d been attacked by a Black man. The girls later admitted they had lied. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/RcMv2v1wmG
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) December 14, 2021
December 15th
533 Byzantine General Belisarius defeats the Vandals, under King Gelimer, at the Battle of Ticameron
1256 Hulagu Khan captures and destroys Hashshashin stronghold at Alamut, in present-day Iran, part of the Mongol offensive on Islamic southwest Asia
1488 Bartolomeu Dias returns to Portugal after becoming 1st known European to sail round the Cape of Good Hope
1612 German Astronomer Simon Marius is 1st to observe Andromeda galaxy through a telescope
1791 US Bill of Rights ratified when Virginia gives its approval, becomes amendments 1-10 of the US constitution
1840 Napoleon Bonaparte receives a French state funeral in Paris 19 years after his death
1973 American Psychiatric Association declares homosexuality is not a mental illness
This day 28 years ago – 15 December 1993 – the Downing Street Declaration was issued by Albert Reynolds and John Major.
For more info, pick up a copy of This Day in Irish History. Perfect for those with an interest in Ireland's past!https://t.co/Y4VENuK4Fb pic.twitter.com/xE7lsH1pO4
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) December 15, 2021
#otd in 1908, Melitta Bentz founded a company from her Dresden flat to market her recently-patented invention: the paper coffee filter, which she'd made by punching holes in a piece of blotting paper from her son's schoolbook. Melitta now operates in 50 countries worldwide. pic.twitter.com/oDwCaDPWPL
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) December 15, 2021
On this day in 1897, a mob of 400 white men lynched a Black man named Tom Waller in Lawrence County, Mississippi. They had a large picnic while preparing to hang him. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/EIpytu4Gsi
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) December 15, 2021
December 16th
755 An Lushan revolts against Chancellor Yang Guozhong at Fanyang, initiating the An Shi Rebellion during Chinese Tang Dynasty
1598 Seven Year War: Battle of Noryang Point – in the final battle of the war Korean navy decisively defeats the Japanese
1653 Parliamentarian General Oliver Cromwell appointed as Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland
1773 Boston tea party incident – Sons of Liberty protesters throw tea shipments into Boston harbour in protest against British imposed Tea Act
1920 8.5 earthquake rocks the Gansu province in China, killing an estimated 200,000
1944 Nazi Germany launches a counteroffensive against the Allies in the Ardennes region of Belgium, beginning the ‘Battle of the Bulge'
1998 Iraq disarmament crisis: Operation Desert Fox – the United States and United Kingdom bomb targets in Iraq
Did You Know
English Parliament passes Bill of Rights establishing limits on crown powers and requirement for regular elections
Today in history in 1689
Would You Believe?
Theodore Cole and Ralph Roe attempt to escape from American federal prison Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay; neither is ever seen again.
Today in History in 1937
This day 38 years ago – 16 December 1983 – Irish soldier Patrick Kelly and Garda recruit Gary Sheehan were both shot dead by the Provisional IRA in Co Leitrim, during the rescue of Quinnsworth boss Don Tidey, who had been kidnapped on 24 November.
Kelly was 35; Sheehan was 23. pic.twitter.com/Askqu8VCm1
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) December 16, 2021
#otd in 1903 Australians Selina Anderson, Vida Goldstein, Nellie Martel & Mary Moore-Bentley became the first women in the British Empire to run in national parliament elections. They weren't elected; Edith Cowan became Australia's first female MP in 1921. https://t.co/mHXcF1XILN pic.twitter.com/c9MgasKhRp
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) December 16, 2021
On this day in 1945, the home of the Shorts, the first Black family to live in Fontana, CA, erupted in flames, killing Mrs. Short and her two children. Mr. Short later died from his injuries. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/NNNWt1XRLd
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) December 16, 2021
December 17th
1398 Tamerlane captures and sacks Delhi, defeating Sultan Nasir-u Din Mehmud's armies by setting camels loaded with hay alight and charging them at the Sultan's armored elephants
1526 Pope Clemens VII publishes decree Cum ad zero - forms Inquisition
1788 Russian army of Grigory Potemkin occupies Ocharov
1903 The Wright brothers make the 1st sustained motorized aircraft flight at 10:35 AM, piloted by Orville Wright at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina
1986 Mrs Davina Thompson makes medical history by having the 1st heart, lung & liver transplant at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, England
Did You Know?
1st prize of 100,000 francs offered for communications with extraterrestrials. Martians excluded-considered too easy.
Today in history in 1900
Would You Believe?
Harold Holt, Prime Minister of Australia, vanishes in mysterious circumstances while swimming near Melbourne
Today in History in 1967