On This Day In History
On this day in 1916, a white mob lynched William Spencer, a 30-year-old Black man, husband, and father of four children, near Graceton, Texas. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/HUkKCSThEs
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) October 4, 2022
4 October 1936. The Battle of Cable Street took place in Cable Street and Whitechapel in the East End of London. It was a clash during a march by members of the British Union of Fascists, led by Oswald Mosley, and anti-fascist demonstrators, including Jewish and socialist groups. pic.twitter.com/PqSX2G0L1H
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 4, 2022
4 October 1947. Acclaimed German physicist, Max Planck, died (aged 89). He’a best known for his role as a key developer of quantum theory, which revolutionised understanding of atomic and subatomic processes. He won the Nobel Prize for his contribution in this area in 1918. pic.twitter.com/3qiMV7p0we
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 4, 2022
4 October 1957. The Space Age began when the Soviet Union launched the satellite, Sputnik I, into orbit around the Earth. It was a 58 centremetre-wide polished metal sphere, with four external radio antennas to broadcast radio pulses. pic.twitter.com/qxOIhgt1qi
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 4, 2022
4 October 1970. Blues legend, Janis Joplin (aged 27), was found dead in Room 105 of the Landmark Hotel in Hollywood, after an accidental heroin overdose. The Los Angeles Times described her as “the biggest female star in the history of rock ‘n’ roll”. pic.twitter.com/B2UDXf9eTL
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 4, 2022
4 October 1989. Monty Python star, Graham Chapman, died (aged 48). He played Brian in the comedy film, Life of Brian, which tells the story of Brian Cohen, a Jewish man who is born on the same day as, and next door to, Jesus Christ, and is subsequently mistaken for the Messiah. pic.twitter.com/oPmkUi4zrZ
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 4, 2022
4 October 2006. Wikileaks was launched by Julian Assange. It released top secret information from governments around the world. Over 10 million documents were released in its first 10 years. Since September 2018, Kristinn Hrafnsson has served as its new editor-in-chief. pic.twitter.com/YHiFWdPIOb
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 4, 2022
4 October 2010. Much loved comedy star, Norman Wisdom, died (aged 95). In the 1950s, his films were huge box office hits. Charlie Chaplin once said Wisdom was his “favourite clown”. pic.twitter.com/NarDGyLODL
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 4, 2022
PHOTO OF THE DAY: Spectators at a drive-in movie theatre in Utah watching Charlton Heston in the Ten Commandments (1958). pic.twitter.com/4SVLLh1Sql
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 4, 2022
October 5th
1274 Around 1,000 soldiers of the Mongol army land on the Japanese island of Tsushima, the first attack of Kublai Khan's Mongol invasion of Japan
1789 French Revolution: Women of Paris march to Versailles in the March on Versailles to confront Louis XVI about his refusal to promulgate the decrees on the abolition of feudalism, demand bread, and have the King and his court moved to Paris
1813 Battle of the Thames; American forces under General William Henry Harrison defeat Tecumseh's Confederacy and their British allies led by Henry Procter near Chatham, Upper Canada
1864 Most of Calcutta destroyed by cyclone, approx 60,000 die
1978 Over 30 major nations ratify the Environmental Modification Convention which prohibits weather warfare that has widespread, long-lasting or severe effects
1988 Chile votes in a referendum 56-44 against extending Augusto Pinochet's regime by 8 years thus ending the dictator's 16½ years in power
2000 Mass demonstrations in Belgrade culminate in the resignation of Serbian strongman Slobodan Milošević, often called the Bulldozer Revolution
2020 US President Donald Trump leaves Walter Reed National Military Medical Center while still infectious with COVID-19 and returns to the White House
Did You Know?
Monty Python's Flying Circus begins airing on BBC TV
Today in History in 1969
Would You Believe?
A strong hurricane known as the Saxby Gale devastates the Bay of Fundy region in Maritime Canada. Incredibly British naval officer Stephen Martin Saxby predicted the storm 10 months earlier in December 1868 via astronomy.
Today in History in 1869
This day 53 years ago – 5 October 1968 – the route of a protest march organised by the DHAC, supported by the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association, was blocked by police, who forced the crowd back with batons.
This event has been described as 'the day the Troubles started.’ pic.twitter.com/pmuJBBSsq0
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) October 5, 2021
In October 1897, Ellen Willmott won the Royal Horticultural Society's inaugural Victoria Medal of Honour Award. In her 30-acre garden—Warley Place, Essex—she grew over 10,000 different species & made an alpine ravine. Over 50 cultivars are named after her. https://t.co/GSqQhbwpGN pic.twitter.com/sYBMw8LTvz
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) October 5, 2022
On this day in 1920, a white mob lynched four innocent Black men in Macclenny, Florida—most Black residents later fled in fear of further violent attacks. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/fe2o9wKDk4
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) October 5, 2022
5 October 1918. French aviator, Roland Garros (aged 29), was killed when his plane was shot down near Vouziers, Ardennes, during WW1. He was the first person to fly a plane across the Mediterranean. The French Open Tennis complex and championships are named in his honour. pic.twitter.com/keTWc4bqWM
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 5, 2022
5 October 1922. Legendary Celtic and Scotland manager, Jock Stein, was born in Burnbank, Scotland. He was the first British manager to win the European Cup in 1967, with Celtic. Stein also led Celtic to 9 successive Scottish League championships between 1966 and 1974. pic.twitter.com/J3Cmu5S8f5
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 5, 2022
5 October 1930. The British airship, R101, crashed on a hill in Beauvais, France. The impact was survivable, but as the ship was inflated with hydrogen the resulting fire killed 48 passengers and crew. pic.twitter.com/FDW67Osgb9
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 5, 2022
5 October 1936. Vaclav Havel was born in Prague. He served as the last President of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992, and then as the first President of the Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003. pic.twitter.com/BWcyxNhX2u
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 5, 2022
5 October 1936. A group of 200 unemployed men from the north-eastern town of Jarrow marched 300 miles to London. They wanted Parliament, and the people in the south to understand the plight of the unemployed, and to take action to remedy it. pic.twitter.com/Ns7qjvn3bq
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 5, 2022
5 October 1938. The Reich Ministry of the Interior invalidated all German passports held by Jews, and requested all Jews to surrender their old passports, which would only become valid again after the letter “J” meaning Jude=Jew, was stamped on them. pic.twitter.com/cszAJfzXsZ
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 5, 2022