On This Day In History
On this day in 1883, the Supreme Court struck down the Civil Rights Act of 1875 which forbade racial discrimination in access to public accommodations and facilities. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/wC8v75M28l
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) October 15, 2022
15 October 1666. Samuel Pepys (left) recorded in his London diary that Charles II (right), had started wearing what is thought to have been the first known waistcoat (though others claimed it resembled a tunic). pic.twitter.com/HUX7MaObVl
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 15, 2022
15 October 1815. Napoleon Bonaparte began his exile on the remote island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic. The British government had chosen St. Helena due to its remote position, with little possibility of escape. Napoleon remained there until he died on 5 May 1821. pic.twitter.com/ySHT9UhP3T
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 15, 2022
15 October 1844. German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, was born in Röcken, Prussia. His writings became associated with National Socialist ideology, but some philosophers and historians have recently contested this interpretation, and it’s now thought the link was overstated. pic.twitter.com/gMjXUm7B8k
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 15, 2022
15 October 1888. A letter “From Hell” along with part of a human kidney, was sent to George Lusk, the Chairman of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee (left). The author of the letter claimed to be “Jack the Ripper”. pic.twitter.com/4Gm2GNZJUf
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 15, 2022
15 October 1917. Dutch exotic dancer, Mata Hari (aged 41), was executed by a firing squad in France. She was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War 1. She did admit she was paid to work as a German spy, but some historians think this might not be true. pic.twitter.com/Up3ujb2tTF
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 15, 2022
15 October 1945. Pierre Laval (aged 62), the former premier of the Vichy French government, was executed for treason by a firing squad. He had openly collaborated with Hitler’s government during the war. pic.twitter.com/lLghOJmmv1
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 15, 2022
15 October 1946. Leading Nazi, Hermann Goering (aged 53), founder of the Gestapo, head of the Luftwaffe, poisoned himself, just hours before his scheduled hanging for war crimes in Nuremberg, using a cyanide capsule. pic.twitter.com/iCsYtkXnLW
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 15, 2022
15 October 1964. The Labour Party, led by Harold Wilson, won the general election with a majority of just 4 seats thereby ending 13 years of Conservative rule. Wilson went on to win 3 more general elections. pic.twitter.com/WIxqUCNcHY
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 15, 2022
15 October 1964. Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, resigned. The official Soviet news agency, Tass, announced that the Communist Party Central Committee accepted Mr Khrushchev’s resignation “in view of his advanced age and the deterioration of his health”. pic.twitter.com/itue59nwFU
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 15, 2022
15-16 October 1987. The “Great Storm of 1987” began with hurricane-force winds causing extensive damage, and 17 deaths in southern England. It was the worst storm to hit Britain since weather records began. pic.twitter.com/eC5L7DCQiW
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 15, 2022
15 October 1990. Soviet Union President, Mikhail Gorbachev, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The prize committee cited his “leading role in the peace process which today characterizes important parts of the international community”. pic.twitter.com/bWuonYtMMN
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 15, 2022
15 October 1993. Nelson Mandela and South Africa’s President, FW de Klerk, were named as the joint winners of the Nobel Peace Prize for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa. pic.twitter.com/Wn0pd938jb
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 15, 2022
15 October 2021. David Amess (aged 69), the Conservative MP for Southend West, was stabbed to death at a constituency surgery in Leigh-on-Sea by Islamist terrorist, Ali Harbi Ali (aged 25), who was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder. pic.twitter.com/PdWLgVoNNs
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 15, 2022
The first two volumes in my history of Nazi Germany are available now. Each chapter covers each year Hitler ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945 in great depth. The prequel, The Weimar Years: Rise and Fall: 1918-1933 comes out on 31 August 2023. pic.twitter.com/mYEDkeXguu
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 15, 2022
Here I am discussion Volume 1 of The Hitler Years: Triumph: 1933-1939 on the BBC Extra Podcast. https://t.co/iiBp2GtCXF Here I am discussing Volume 2: Disaster, 1940-1945. https://t.co/fWwNWNgF1s.
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 15, 2022
Paul McGann brilliantly narrated the audio books of The Hitler Years. Available to download or in CD format. He will also narrate The Weimar Years. pic.twitter.com/GFANMdC5Rg
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 15, 2022
October 16th
1813 Battle of Leipzig, largest battle in Europe prior to WWI, Napoleon's forces defeated by Prussia, Austria and Russia
1900 Great Britain and Germany sign the Anglo-German Treaty, agreeing to maintain territorial integrity of China and support 'open door' policy called for by US Secretary of State
1934 Mao Zedong and 25,000 troops begin their 6,000 mile Long March from the south of China to the north and west
1962 Cuban Missile Crisis begins as JFK is shown photos confirming the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba
1978 Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla elected Pope John Paul II
1998 Former Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet is arrested in London on a Spanish warrant requesting his extradition on murder charges
Did You Know?
Findings published of neutron star collision that occurred two months prior on August 17, the first cosmic event seen in gravitational waves and light. Confirms heavy elements such as gold the result of such collisions
Today in History in 2017
Would You Believe?
Jadwiga is crowned King of Poland, despite being a woman
Today in History in 1384
This day 177 years ago - 16 October 1843 - William Rowan Hamilton, while walking to the Royal Irish Academy, suddenly deciphered the formula for quaternion multiplication.
He etched it into Broom Bridge, Cabra, where a plaque was later erected to celebrate his “flash of genius.” pic.twitter.com/RQvURBFBw7
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) October 16, 2020
This day 37 years ago – 16 October 1981 – Ben Dunne was kidnapped by the Provisional IRA, who demanded a ransom of £500,000 from his family.
Dunne was the director of Dunnes Stores at the time, a supermarket chain founded by his father.
He was released after seven days. pic.twitter.com/8r9h6wN48G
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) October 16, 2018