On This Day In History
Did You Know?
Colonization of the America’s in the late 1500s killed so many people it cooled the planet and led to a “Little Ice Age”, according to a scientific report published in “Quaternary Science Reviews”
Today in History in 2019
Would You Believe?
The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Lock Hospital, London
Today in History in 1747
This day 38 years ago – 31 January 1984 – Ann Lovett, a 15-year-old girl, was found beside a grotto in Co Longford, having given birth to a stillborn baby. She later died.
Soon after, Gay Byrne read out letters on his radio show from listeners who had also given birth in secret. pic.twitter.com/5ptSmEeEhA
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) January 31, 2022
Photographer Gertrude Käsebier's astonishing and influential images include portraits of Rodin, Stieglitz and Mark Twain. Many photos comment explicitly on her experience of womanhood. One 1915 image is called 'Yoked and Muzzled - Marriage'. https://t.co/FYPwHN8hpf pic.twitter.com/WZ8OSD6qtl
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) January 31, 2022
On this day in 1964, a Black man named Louis Allen was ambushed and killed in Liberty, Mississippi. Mr. Allen had suffered violence, intimidation, and threats since providing evidence against a white man for killing a local Black activist. https://t.co/MXAIS7QMvg
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) January 31, 2022
February 1st
1587 Queen Elizabeth I of England signs death warrant for her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots
1843 Oldest continuous writer of insurance in America - The Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York (MONY) opens
1884 1st volume of the Oxford English Dictionary, A-Ant, published
1908 King Carlos I of Portugal and his heir, Prince Luis Filipe are assassinated by Republican sympathizers in Terreiro do Paco, Lisbon
1968 Saigon police chief Nguyễn Ngọc Loan executes Viet Cong officer Nguyễn Văn Lém with a pistol shot to head. The execution is captured by photographer Eddie Adams and becomes an anti-war icon.
1979 Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran after 15 years in exile
2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during reentry into the Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts aboard.
2021 Military stage a coup in Myanmar, detaining civilian leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi and declare a one-year state of emergency
Did You Know?
Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir is elected as the first female Prime Minister of Iceland, becoming the first openly gay Head of Government in the modern world.
Today in History in 2009
Would You Believe?
1st scientific hand-held calculator (HP-35) introduced ($395)
Today in History in 1972
This day 207 years ago - 1 February 1815 - Daniel O'Connell faced John D'Esterre in a duel, having denounced Dublin Corporation for its treatment of Catholics. D'Esterre was mortally wounded.
O'Connell later expressed regret, describing the duel as a “more than criminal custom.” pic.twitter.com/Pu0TnPFDW2
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) February 1, 2022
#OTD in 1936, a raid on 200 Manhattan brothels led to the arrest of 'Lucky' Luciano and the largest-ever organised crime trial. NYC's Black district attorney, Eunice Carter, had diligently tracked Luciano's actions and made the operation possible. Listen: https://t.co/7LQAJVxpzi pic.twitter.com/uuDqppanMI
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) February 1, 2022
On this day in 1965, MLK Jr. led over 250 activists to the Dallas County Courthouse to register to vote. All of them were arrested during the peaceful demonstration. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/7eDs0jYVdL
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) February 1, 2022
Mary Shelley died on this day in 1851, having authored Frankenstein — excellent, though not even the best of her novels — and having left us her timeless wisdom on what makes life worth living (in a visionary novel about a pandemic set in our century): https://t.co/BPelivt92s
— Maria Popova (@brainpicker) February 1, 2022
#OTD 1944 Dutch artist Piet Mondrian died. He rejected figurative art for a hugely influential abstraction. ‘Well, there goes the neighbourhood!’ PUNCH cartoon Alain de la Nougerede 1990 #painters #paintings #humour #humor #Modernism #gallery #galleries #museums #artwork pic.twitter.com/oU1s4CKvgR
— Punch Cartoons ... and more (@PunchBooks) February 1, 2021
Piet Mondrian–died OTD 1944–evolved a non-representational form: Neoplasticism. He believed this 'pure plastic art' was necessary in order to create 'universal beauty', limiting his formal vocabulary to the 3 primary colours, the 3 primary values & the two primary directions. pic.twitter.com/O8JTiiFp55
— Jane Hoodless (@JaneHoodless) February 1, 2018
Had to edit/omit due to 280 character count! The three primary colours (red, blue and yellow), the three primary values (black, white and grey) and the two primary directions (horizontal and vertical). #Mondrian
— Jane Hoodless (@JaneHoodless) February 1, 2018
Hollywood legend, Buster Keaton, died #OTD in 1966. He’s best known for his amazing visual stunts in silent films. pic.twitter.com/npZ4ogrBoS
— Prof Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) February 1, 2022
Remembering the crew of STS-107.
On February 1, 2003, the seven-astronaut crew was lost when Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart during re-entry. David Brown, Rick Husband, Laurel Clark, Kalpana Chawla, Michael Anderson, William McCool, and Ilan Ramon were on board. pic.twitter.com/m7nVj4HeME
— National Air and Space Museum (@airandspace) February 1, 2022
February 2nd
1653 New Amsterdam becomes a city (later renamed New York)
1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the Mexican–American War: US acquires Texas, California, New Mexico and Arizona for $15 million
1901 Queen Victoria's Funeral takes place in St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, England
1922 James Joyce's "Ulysses" published in Paris (1,000 copies)
1943 German 6th Army surrenders after Battle of Stalingrad in a major turning point in Europe during World War II
1971 Idi Amin ousts Milton Obote and appoints himself President (dictator) of Uganda
Did You Know?
Leonarde Keeler first uses his polygraph machine on criminals later convicted of assault on its findings in Portage, Wisconsin
Today in History in 1935
Would You Believe?
Longest boxing match under modern rules; 77 rounds in Nameoki, Illinois between Harry Sharpe & Frank Crosby
Today in History in 1892
This day 100 years ago – 2 February 1922 – James Joyce's Ulysses was first published in its entirety, on Joyce's fortieth birthday.
He had received an offer of publication from Sylvia Beach, an American-born writer based in Paris.
It was unavailable in Ireland until the 1960s. pic.twitter.com/5DE7BLSWTh
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) February 2, 2022
In February 1889, Emily Williamson founded the Plumage League, protesting the use of feathers in fashion. It soon merged with Eliza Phillips' Fur, Fin & Feather Folk, and became the RSPB, aka @Natures_Voice - now the UK's largest conservation charity. https://t.co/Joub2St4Gg
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) February 2, 2022
On this day in 1909, Pittsburgh police raided Black neighborhoods and arrested over 200 Black men for being unemployed. They were then forced to work for the city. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/H0dtYP35Oc
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) February 2, 2022
February 3rd
1451 Sultan Mehmed II, the Conqueror inherits the throne of the Ottoman Empire
1509 The Battle of Diu, naval battle at port of Diu, India between Portugal and the Ottoman Empire, establishes Portuguese trading control
1870 US state of Iowa ratifies the 15th Amendment of the United States Constitution allowing suffrage for all races & colour
1928 Paleoanthropologist Davidson Black reports his findings on the ancient human fossils found at Zhoukoudian, China in the journal Nature and declares them to be a new species he names 'Sinanthropus pekinensis' (now known as 'Homo erectus')
1966 1st soft landing on Moon (Soviet Luna 9)