On This Day In History
August 29th
1526 Battle of Mohács: In a decisive battle the Hungarian Empire is conquered by the Ottoman Empire led by Suleiman the Magnificent
1825 Portugal recognizes the Independence of Brazil
1842 Great Britain and China sign Treaty of Nanking, ending the Opium war
1862 Second Battle of Bull Run, fought in Manassas, Virginia begins, Confederate victory (US Civil War)
1949 USSR performs its first nuclear test at Semipalatinsk, Kazakh SSR
2005 Hurricane Katrina makes 2nd and 3rd landfall as a category 3 hurricane, devastating much of the U.S. Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Florida Panhandle. Kills more than 1,836, causes over $115 billion in damage.
Did You Know?
Seismic sea waves created by Krakatoa eruption create a rise in English Channel 32 hrs after explosion
Today in History in 1883
Would You Believe?
Ishi, considered the last Native American to make contact with European Americans, emerges from the wilderness of north-eastern California.
Today in History in 1911
An icon for some, a terrorist for others: #OTD in 1969, Leila Khaled was amongst the hijackers of TWA Flight 840, en route to Tel Aviv. After a second hijack she was jailed, then released in a prisoner exchange. She is now a prominent Palestinian activist. https://t.co/bfpMp7lLUH pic.twitter.com/cwaLc2Wt1G
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) August 29, 2022
On this day in 1961, a white man brutally beat civil rights leader Bob Moses as he accompanied Black residents of Amite County, Mississippi, to the county courthouse to register to vote. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/YIh2qF0Pg0
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) August 29, 2022
29 August 1782. HMS Royal George sank, while undergoing repairs off Spithead, with 800 crew killed. With 100 guns on three decks, it was the largest warship in the world at the time. Its construction at Woolwich Dockyard had taken 10 years. pic.twitter.com/jMV7VCqv2m
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 29, 2022
29 August 1842. The Treaty of Nanking was signed by Britain and China to settle the 1st Opium War. It originally gave Hong Kong to Britain “in perpetuity”. In 1898, however, this was revised to a 99-year lease. pic.twitter.com/3Qg9rCN2Pc
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 29, 2022
29 August 1882, After Australia beat England at cricket in England for the 1st time, the Sporting Times printed the obituary of “English cricket”, and announced its cremation. Ever since the England v Australia test series has been called “The Ashes”. pic.twitter.com/suSL7kR0hA
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 29, 2022
29 August 1885. German engineer, Gottlieb Daimler, patented the World’s first internal combustion motorcycle. pic.twitter.com/z5Kpa3HfCr
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 29, 2022
29 August 1885. Boxing legend, John L. Sullivan (pictured), beat Dominick McCaffery in 6 rounds in Cincinnati in the first fight under the new “Queensberry Rules”, which outlawed bare knuckle fights and restricted each round to three minutes with one minute’s rest in between. pic.twitter.com/lzd3VhXpiY
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 29, 2022
29 August 1927. Tennis legend, Althea Gibson, was born in South Carolina, USA. In 1957 she became the first black athlete male or female to win a Singles Title at the Wimbledon Championships. She defeated American, Darlene Hard, 6–3, 6–2 in the Women’s Singles Final. pic.twitter.com/WOzwbX2qo5
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 29, 2022
29 August 1977. Three people were arrested in Memphis for trying to steal the corpse of Elvis Presley. After this, he was reburied in the grounds of the Graceland mansion. pic.twitter.com/trvNeciTdy
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 29, 2022
29 August 1987. Hollywood legend, Lee Marvin, died (aged 63). He played many tough guy roles and appeared regularly in westerns and gangster films. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual roles in Cat Ballou. He also gained an unexpected UK No.1 with Wanderin’ Star. pic.twitter.com/so5Rz7oJ8W
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 29, 2022
29 August 2005. Hurricane Katrina devastated much of the US Gulf Coast, killing an estimated 1,836 people. pic.twitter.com/POdBSwvvWI
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 29, 2022
29 August 2016. Hollywood legend, Gene Wilder, died (aged 83). He was one of the best loved film actors. Films include: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Silver Streak Stir Crazy and The Woman in Red. pic.twitter.com/K30ESjknOB
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 29, 2022
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
This day 49 years ago - 30 August 1969 - Taoiseach Jack Lynch ordered General Sean MacEoin, the Chief of Staff of the Irish Army, to draw up plans for possible incursions into Northern Ireland to protect the Catholic population.
This plan was known as ‘Exercise Armageddon’. pic.twitter.com/Lv1bXAbHen
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) August 30, 2018
#otd in 2014, US chess prodigy Carissa Yip became the youngest person to beat a Grandmaster when (aged 10) she defeated Alexander Ivanov. In October 2019, she became the youngest American woman ever to qualify for the title of International Master. https://t.co/KwTKeaIZl1 pic.twitter.com/IlWw5IqcQY
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) August 30, 2022
On this day in 1956, mobs of white citizens blocked Mansfield High School to prevent Black children from registering. The mob also burned a Black effigy at the top of the school’s flagpole. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/Kg7eHFS5Hb
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) August 30, 2022