On This Day In History
5 August 1984. Welsh acting legend, Richard Burton, died (aged 58). He’s noted for his mellifluous voice, his heavy drinking and his highly publicised marriages to Elizabeth Taylor, which all tended to overshadow his excellent acting ability. pic.twitter.com/dm4mCozEul
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 5, 2022
5 August 2019. Acclaimed novelist, Toni Morrison, died (aged 88). Her most celebrated work, Beloved, gained a Pulitzer Prize and was made into a 1998 film. She was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. In 2012, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. pic.twitter.com/C9XwEQoBBu
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 5, 2022
5 August 2000. One of Britain’s most esteemed and versatile actors, Alec Guinness, died (aged 86). His many films include: The Ladykillers, Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Bridge on the River Kwai and as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy. pic.twitter.com/fkhmlhi8Io
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 5, 2022
PHOTO OF THE DAY. Marilyn Monroe in Let's Make Love (1960). pic.twitter.com/fCkE4Pc2bt
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 5, 2022
Quote from Charlie Charles IV on August 5, 2022, 5:01 pm
5 August 1984. Welsh acting legend, Richard Burton, died (aged 58). He’s noted for his mellifluous voice, his heavy drinking and his highly publicised marriages to Elizabeth Taylor, which all tended to overshadow his excellent acting ability. pic.twitter.com/dm4mCozEul
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 5, 2022
Funny enough when Richard Burton died I was in my teens. Now that I'm almost his age when he died I realise just how young he was and how great an actor he was.
August 6th
1661 The Treaty of The Hague is signed whereby the Dutch Republic sells New Holland (Brazil) for 63 tonnes of gold to Portugal
1890 At Auburn Prison in New York, murderer William Kemmler becomes the 1st person to be executed by electric chair
1945 Atomic bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima by the US B-29 Superfortress "Enola Gay"
1965 US President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act prohibiting voting discrimination against minorities
1991 Tim Berners-Lee releases files describing his idea for the World Wide Web. WWW debuts as a publicly available service on the Internet.
Did You Know?
NASA announces that life may have existed on Mars after examining meteorite ALH84001, thought to be from Mars
Today in History in 1996
Would You Believe?
Prometheus, the world's oldest tree aged at least 4,862 years old, is accidentally cut down in Nevada, USA
Today in History in 1964
This day 158 years ago - 6 August 1862 - a soldier enlisted in the 95th Illinois Infantry for a three-year term under the name Albert D. J. Cashier.
Cashier was born Jennie Irene Hodgers in Clogherhead, Co Louth, before moving to the United States as a teenage stowaway. pic.twitter.com/aXnRxBdaGg
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) August 6, 2020
Phryne was a witty, learned and sought-after Greek courtesan of the 4th century BCE. She modelled for the sculptor Praxiteles, became famous, wealthy and was the subject of an infamous show trial for blasphemy. https://t.co/SMzfDlCIur pic.twitter.com/y00NHEGC9E
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) August 6, 2022
On this day in 1942, Southern Railway adopted a policy effectively denying meal service to Black passengers on its trains. The U.S. government subsequently upheld this discriminatory policy. To overcome racial inequality, we must confront our history. https://t.co/2MfBFlIAjp
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) August 6, 2022
6 August 1504. Matthew Parker was born in Norwich. He was the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1559 to 1575. He verified the qualifications of clergy and had a prominent nose. It’s been claimed the nickname “Nosey Parker” was first applied to him, but it’s never been proven. pic.twitter.com/wjWrwOpTXK
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 6, 2022
6 August 1890. William Kemmler became the first person in the world to be legally executed by electric chair in Auburn Prison in New York. He had been convicted of the murder of Matilda “Tillie” Ziegler, his common-law wife, using a hatchet. pic.twitter.com/vGEG3cazGM
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 6, 2022
6 August 1926. American swimmer, Gertrude Ederle (aged 19), became the first woman to swim the English Channel. She was an Olympic champion, and a world record-holder in five swimming events. The press called her “The Queen of the Waves”. pic.twitter.com/OeKCniZ0FR
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 6, 2022
6 August 1945. A US B-29 bomber (”Enola Gay”), dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, killing 70,000 instantly. Tens of thousands died in subsequent years due to radiation poisoning that induced cancer. The aim was to force Japan to surrender in the Pacific War. pic.twitter.com/ro8ZDL4rs7
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 6, 2022
6 August 1962. Jamaica became independent. It followed the passing of the Jamaica Independence Act on 19 July 1962. The Queen remained the Head of State. Princes Margaret opened the first session of the Parliament of Jamaica on behalf of The Queen. pic.twitter.com/59G7856Lzs
— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 6, 2022
August 7th
1461 Ming Dynasty Chinese military general Cao Qin stages a coup against the Tianshun Emperor
1714 The Battle of Gangut: the first important victory of the Russian Navy during the Great Northern War against Sweden
1933 The Iraqi Government slaughters over 3,000 Assyrians in the village of Sumail. The day becomes known as Assyrian Martyrs Day.
1955 Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering, the precursor to Sony, begins selling its first transistor radios in Japan
1990 US deploys troops to Saudi Arabia beginning Operation Desert Shield
Did You Know?
Possible first performance of Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth, performed in the Great Hall at Hampton Court Palace for King James I
Today in History in 1606
Would You Believe?
Valais witch trial proceedings begin in Valais Canton, Switzerland, first organized witch trials
Today in History in 1428
This day 42 years ago – 7 August 1979 – Eamon Ryan, 32, was shot dead by members of the Provisional IRA during a bank robbery in Tramore, Co Waterford.
The getaway driver on the day, Bill Hayes, was given an award at Le Chéile 2011 by Sinn Féin, which provoked controversy. pic.twitter.com/W12nAhXSI8
— This Day in Irish History (@ThisDayIrish) August 7, 2021
#OTD in 1980, Anna Walentynowicz was fired from her job at a Gdansk shipyard, inciting a strike. She and others founded the Solidarity trade union, which contributed to the fall of the USSR; TIME calls her 'the mother of Polish independence'. https://t.co/GqkGMxOW6f pic.twitter.com/tm3ALPORuQ
— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) August 7, 2022
After surviving this near lynching and being released from prison, James Cameron founded four NAACP chapters in Indiana, authored hundreds of essays on civil rights and a 1982 memoir, and opened America’s Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
— Equal Justice Initiative (@eji_org) August 7, 2022