Today in History

[MissJilliss2Thrill]

In 1975 former Union-leader and convicted fraudster Jimmy Hoffa disappeared never to be seen again. He was declared legally dead in 1982 on the same day and it is widely believed that he was murdered.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Hoffa

 

[DNO]

On this very day in 1892 in the town of Falls River, Massachusetts, both Andrew and Abby Borden met their messy demise at the hands of an axe murderer. Police charged their argumentative daughter, Lizzie, with the crime and, despite the implied guilt bandied about in the nursery rhyme, she was found not guilty. The verdict is still debated. The rhyme is probably the most lasting effect of this crime.

'Lizzy Borden took an axe
She gave her father 40 whacks
When she saw what she had done
She gave her mother 41...."

 

[DNO]

Seventy years ago today, the nuclear bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima.

 

[DNO]

....and today was the turn of Nagasaki to experience the second atomic bomb....70 years ago.

 

[DNO]

American artist, Jackson Pollock, died in a single-car accident on this day in 1956.

 

[DNO]

Thomas Edward Lawrence was born on this day in 1888. He became known, popularly, as Lawrence of Arabia.

 

[DNO]

August 19th, 1942: the Dieppe Raid fiasco. Over 5000 Canadians, 1000 British and 50 US troops landed on the pebble beaches at Dieppe. A disastrous day for all involved...Infantry, RAF and RN.

 

[DNO]

After 143 days and over 5,000 km, Terry Fox had to end his Marathon of Hope near Thunder Bay, Ontario on this day in 1980. It was found that his cancer had returned and had moved to his lungs, making further running out of the question.

He was an inspiration to all Canadians and I had the good fortune to watch him run past my own street in Toronto.

 

[Peacoat]

Today, 76 years ago, September 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland to start WWII.

 

[DNO]

September 2, 1898: The Battle of Omdurman in the Sudan when, according to contemporary sources, "we crushed the power of the Khalifa". All crushing aside, I've had a long standing interest in this event, although I'll admit it's hardly 'golden era' material!

 

[Bushman]

Today, 76 years ago, September 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland to start WWII.

And 70 years ago today, after 6 years of war, Japan surrenders to the US aboard the USS Missouri, ending WWII. Ending the the deadliest conflict in human history.

 

[DNO]

The UK, New Zealand and Australia declared war on Germany in 1939. Never ones to waste time, the German submarine, U-30, sank the British passenger liner S.S. Athenia off the coast of Ireland...the first ship sunk in the Battle of the Atlantic, on the first day of the war.

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S.S. Athenia remained afloat for 14 hours after being hit by 2 torpedoes. Of the over 1400 people on board only 117 were killed due to the fact there were a number of ships in the area that responded to their distress call. One of the ships that ignored the distress call was the German liner, Bremen.

(Oh...and this was the day I quite smoking, cold turkey, 16 years ago, despite my avatar!)

 

[DNO]

Today, Queen Elizabeth II became the longest reigning English monarch. Yesterday, she matched Queen Victoria's record. Today, she passed it. History in the making.

 

[1mach1]

Cool.

 

[DNO]

1939. Canada declared war on Germany. The UK had declared war a week earlier.

 

[MisterCairo]

And 70 years ago today, after 6 years of war, Japan surrenders to the US aboard the USS Missouri, ending WWII. Ending the the deadliest conflict in human history.

Japan surrendered to the US AND the eight other allied nations at war with it:

The ceremony aboard the deck of the Missouri lasted twenty three minutes and was broadcast throughout the world. The instrument was first signed by the Japanese foreign minister Mamoru Shigemitsu "By Command and on behalf of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese Government" (9:04 am).[SUP][1][/SUP] General Yoshijirō Umezu, Chief of the Army General Staff, then signed the document "By Command and on behalf of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters" signed (9:06 am).[SUP][2][/SUP][SUP][3][/SUP]
At 9:08 a.m., U.S. General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, the Commander in the Southwest Pacific and Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, accepted the surrender on behalf of the Allied Powers and signed in his capacity as Supreme Commander.[SUP][4][/SUP]
After MacArthur's signature as Supreme Commander, the following representatives signed the instrument of surrender on behalf of each of the Allied Powers:

• Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz for the United States (9:12 a.m.)[SUP][5][/SUP][SUP][6][/SUP]
• General Hsu Yung-chang for China (9:13 a.m.)[SUP][7][/SUP][SUP][8][/SUP]
• Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser for the United Kingdom (9:14 a.m.)[SUP][9][/SUP][SUP][10][/SUP]
• Lieutenant General Kuzma Derevyanko for the Soviet Union (9:16 a.m.)[SUP][11][/SUP][SUP][12][/SUP][SUP][note 1][/SUP]
• General Sir Thomas Blamey for Australia (9:17 a.m.)[SUP][13][/SUP][SUP][14][/SUP]
• Colonel Lawrence Moore Cosgrave for Canada (9:18 a.m.)[SUP][15][/SUP][SUP][16][/SUP]
• Général de Corps d'Armée Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque for France (9:20 a.m.)[SUP][17][/SUP][SUP][18][/SUP]
• Lieutenant Admiral C. E. L. Helfrich for the Netherlands (9:21 a.m.)[SUP][19][/SUP][SUP][20][/SUP]
• Air Vice-Marshal Leonard M. Isitt for New Zealand (9:22 a.m.)[SUP][21][/SUP][SUP][22][/SUP]

 

[Frunobulax]

We all know what happened on this day in 2001. God Bless All.

 

[Fading Fast]

We all know what happened on this day in 2001. God Bless All.

I don't have a lot of friend by choice, but I do have a very few good, sincere and wonderful friends. While I lost many acquaintances on 9/11 (I work on Wall Street), I lost one of my absolute best friends that day. And please - sincerely, I truly mean this - don't feel bad for me, but I wanted to acknowledge his loss - a wonderful man, a wonderful husband, a wonderful father and a wonderful friend. He worked for Cantor and whenever I think about him trapped on the 105th floor, my heart just breaks.

 

[DNO]

Today marks the anniversary of one of the most significant battles ever fought in North America: the Battle of Quebec in 1759. Though I'm not usually given to 'what if', it is interesting to speculate what would have happened if the outnumbered British had lost that battle.

 

[DNO]

September 17th, 1949, S.S. Noronic, the so-called Queen of the Lakes, caught fire in Toronto harbour. Of the approximately 700 people on board, around 120 died in the fire (the final death toll was never accurately determined). Many of the passengers were Americans, on a Great Lakes cruise from Detroit.