On This Day
On 6 January 1066, Harold Godwineson was crowned as Harold II, King of England. He would spend the next nine months defending his kingdom from attack. In the north, he had to fend off an invasion from King Harald III Hardraade of Norway. Then, in the south, he would have to fight William of Normandy. He couldn’t defeat this second invader. England would have a second coronation in […]
On this day in … 1066
Alaska is admitted to the Union as the 49th state. On 3 January 1959, President Eisenhower signed a special proclamation admitting the territory of Alaska as the 49th state in the Union. Alaska was the first of two non-contiguous states. Hawaii would complete today’s set of 50 states and two non-contiguous states with its admission to the Union just under eight months later.
On this day in … 1959
The Reconquest of Spain is completed with the fall of the Emirate of Granada. By 1482, Islamic rule on the Iberian peninsula was limited to the Emirate of Granada. Covering the southern most coast of modern day Spain, the Emirate was the remaining fragment of an aggressive expansion that had come close to taking the whole of Iberia. In 1482, the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and […]
On this day in … 1492
The creation of the United Nations is announced. On 1 January 1942, Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt issue a declaration to create the United Nations. The declaration was signed by representatives of 26 countries. By 1 March 1945, a further 21 countries had signed the declaration.
On this day in … 1942
The Louvre opens as a museum. In a hugely symbolic act, the leaders of the French Revolution open the doors of the former royal palace to the people. This started a precedent, with the State Hermitage opening up in St. Petersburg after the Russian Revolution and Beijing’s Forbidden City following the communist takeover of China. Today, the Louvre is home to one of the world’s greatest collections […]
On this day in … 1793
An atomic bomb is dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki. It follows the destruction of Hiroshima three days earlier. The explosion unleashed the equivalent force of 22,000 tons of TNT. Nagasaki nestles in a valley surrounded by hills. This geography intensified the destructive force of the bomb. It is estimated that between 60,000 and 80,000 were killed. No one will ever know the exact figure, as […]
On this day in … 1945
Richard M. Nixon resigns as President of the United States of America. His resignation is announced in an evening television broadcast. His solemn broadcast included this explanation: [pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”#990000″ class=”” size=””]“By taking this action, I hope that I will have hastened the start of the process of healing which is so desperately needed in America.”[/pullquote] Nixon’s presidency imploded in the aftermath of the […]
On This Day in … 1974
George Washington creates the Badge for Military Merit (most commonly known as the Purple Heart) to recognise singularly meritorious action. It is only awarded to three known soldiers in the Revolutionary War. It fell into disuse for 150 years until it was revived in the 1930s. The number of casualties anticipated in an American invasion of Japan during the Second World War was so high that half a […]
On This Day in … 1782
William Kemmler becomes the first person to be executed by electric chair. He is put to death at New York’s Auburn Prison. The electric chair was intended as a more humane way of killing condemned prisoners. This first attempt did not fulfil expectations, as it appeared to fry Kemmler rather than kill him. His death gave birth to a new word – to electrocute. This portmanteau combined […]
On this day in … 1890
Marilyn Monroe is found dead at her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles. She was 36. Her death sparked rumors and, since then, has developed into one of America’s most prominent and debtated conspiracy theories. Monroe was interred on three days later. Only 31 close family and friends were invited to the funeral.
On this day in … 1962
USS Maddox is reportedly attacked by North Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin. This becomes known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, and leads Congress to authorize military force (known as the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution).
On this day in … 1964
Sir Roger Casement was hanged at Pentonville Prison in London. He had been convicted of treason for his role in the Irish Easter Rising for independence. Casement’s execution, along with 14 other executions at Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin and the shooting of Thomas Kent in Cork, would help to turn public opinion decisively against the British in most of Ireland.
On this day in … 1916
On This Day in 1610, Henry Hudson sails into what would become known as Hudson’s Bay, Canada.
On This Day … in 1610
Anniversaries and historical milestones for the week 26 January – 1 February 2015 On 26 January 1998, President Clinton utters lines that would become famous: “I want to say one thing to the American people; I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky”.
In this week in history
The History Carnival is coming to town! And what it lacks in coconut shies, tombolas and carousels it more than makes up for in fascinating new history blogging. This month, the Carnival features a rich smorgasbord of delights, with everything from Victorian diagnosis of mental illness to heliocentric heresy and a dollop of early modern surgical implements and economic history making this a particularly mouthwatering post. For those new to the History […]