On This Day In History
2 December 1982. Comedy legend, Marty Feldman, died suddenly of a heart attack (aged 48). He starred in the TV shows: At Last the 1948 Show, and Marty, and in several Hollywood films, most notably, as Igor in Young Frankenstein. pic.twitter.com/4eOCom6lSX
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) December 2, 2022
2 December 1986. The General Assembly of the UN passed the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others. It’s commemorated as the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, focused on ending modern slavery. pic.twitter.com/mO3A4yUOEe
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) December 2, 2022
2 December 1988. Following her election victory on 16 November 1988, Benazir Bhutto, was officially sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Pakistan,
to become the first woman to head a democratic government in a Muslim majority nation. pic.twitter.com/28X80etVU8— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) December 2, 2022
2 December 1999. The UK government devolved political power in Northern Ireland to the Northern Ireland Executive, as part of the Good Friday Agreement. pic.twitter.com/aT1IDfKlnI
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) December 2, 2022
PHOTO OF THE DAY. Leeds United defender, Jack Charlton, having a cigarette after a team photo (1970). pic.twitter.com/AuMQfM2JkK
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) December 2, 2022
December 3rd
1586 Sir Thomas Herriot introduces potatoes to England from Colombia
1854 Eureka Stockade: In what is claimed by many to be the birth of Australian democracy, more than 20 goldminers at Ballarat, Victoria, are killed by state troopers in an uprising over mining licences
1967 1st human heart transplant performed in South Africa by Dr. Christiaan Barnard on Louis Washkansky
1984 Bhopal disaster: Union Carbide pesticide plant leak 45 tons of methyl isocyanate and other toxic compounds in Bhopal, India, kills 2,259 (official figure) - other estimates as high as 16,000 (including later deaths) and over half a million injured
1989 Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and US President George H. W. Bush, declare the Cold War over
Did You Know?
First official US flag raised (Grand Union Flag) aboard naval vessel USS Alfred
Today in History in 1775
Would You Believe?
NASA loses radio contact with the Mars Polar Lander moments before the spacecraft enters the Martian atmosphere
Today in History in 1999
This day 13 years ago – 3 December 2005 – approximately 100,000 people lined the streets of Belfast for the funeral of footballer George Best.
Famous for his exploits off the pitch, Best once said, “I'm a typical Irishman. I won't stand back and take any rubbish from anybody.” pic.twitter.com/ltJAIDTLPy
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) December 3, 2018
Between 1905 & 1932 US architect Mary Colter designed 4 structures at Grand Canyon National Park—Hermits Rest, Desert View Watchtower, Lookout Studio & Hopi House. They influenced US National Park architecture & became a National Historic Landmark in 1987. https://t.co/uDOXSd8YIV pic.twitter.com/3igJUZGhGu
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) December 3, 2022
On this day in 1970, Cesar Chavez was sentenced to an indefinite jail term for his work boycotting lettuce produced by farms that had used coercive tactics against the United Farm Workers. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/hCFENNnpQO
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) December 3, 2022
3 December 1926. Agatha Christie disappeared from her Surrey home. She was found at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate, 11 days later. It seems her husband Archie told her he was in love with another woman, and wanted a divorce. Then the couple quarrelled and Christie went missing. pic.twitter.com/0tRXgi1NEI
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) December 3, 2022
3 December 1947. The play, A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams (pictured), opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway, New York City, USA. The play starred 23 year old, Marlon Brando, who gave an electrifying performance as Stanley Kowalski. pic.twitter.com/ZlWLraJt18
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) December 3, 2022
3 December 1965. German figure skating champion, Katarina Witt, was born in Staaken, East Germany. Between 1983 and 1988, she won 12 gold medals in major international events: 2 Winter Olympics, 4 World championships, and 6 European championships. pic.twitter.com/7K6ni9ULLZ
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) December 3, 2022
3 December 1967. Christian Barnard performed the world’s first heart transplant operation in Cape Town, South Africa, when he transplanted the heart of Denise Darvall into 54-year-old, Louis Washkansky, who survived for only 18 days. pic.twitter.com/QQi0wpXG4e
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) December 3, 2022
3 December 1973. US space probe, Pioneer 10, sent back the first close-up images of Jupiter. During the mission, the on-board instruments were used to study the environment around Jupiter, the solar wind, cosmic rays, and eventually the far reaches of the Solar System. pic.twitter.com/sTNQs0Th8U
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) December 3, 2022
3 December 1976. Reggae superstar, Bob Marley, was shot twice after a gang of 7 men broke into his home on 56 Hope Road, Kingston, Jamaica, and opened fire on everyone in sight. They were aggrieved by Marley agreeing to a pro-government benefit concert. He survived the attack. pic.twitter.com/NG5ejqNCsr
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) December 3, 2022
3 December 1984. In Bhopal, India, approximately 3,800 people were killed after a cloud of poisonous gas escaped from the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide plant. It’s considered among the world’s worst industrial and environmental disasters. pic.twitter.com/bvOj2xT6CO
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) December 3, 2022
3 December 1992. Neil Papworth sent the world’s first mobile phone text message. It read: “Merry Christmas.” It was sent to the cellphone of Vodafone director, Richard Jarvis. It was a modest start, but it ultimately changed the way in which humans communicated with each other. pic.twitter.com/nJ5qDKEPMK
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) December 3, 2022
December 4th
1534 Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent occupies Baghdad
1563 Council of Trent holds its last session, after 18 years. Last ecumenical council for more than 300 years.
1619 38 colonists from Berkeley Parish, England disembark in Virginia and give thanks to God. Considered by many The First Thanksgiving in the Americas.
1791 Britain's "The Observer" is first published, the oldest Sunday newspaper in the world
1829 Britain outlaws "suttee" in India, a Hindu practice where a widow burns herself to death on her husband's funeral pyre
1918 US President Woodrow Wilson sails for Versailles Peace Conference in France
Did You Know?
Native Americans had just one migration from Siberia to the New World, at most 23,000 years ago, in research published in "Nature" and "Science"
Today in History in 2018
Would You Believe?
Museum of Modern Art hangs Matisse's Le Bateau upside down for 47 days
Today in History in 1961