December 2 - Benazir Bhutto

This Day in History: 2 December 2019

 

2 December 1988

 

31 years ago, today, Benazir Bhutto was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Pakistan, making her the first woman leader of a Muslim nation. She was the daughter of Pakistan's former leader, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and after his execution in 1979 due to the military dictator, Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq, became the head of her father's party, the Pakistan People's Party. Returning to Pakistan from exile after the lifting of martial law (the temporary rule by military authorities), she soon became a prominent figure in opposition to President Zia. He later died in 1988, and in the following elections, Benazir's PPP won the largest bloc of seats in the National Assembly, and became Prime Minister, heading a coalition government.

 

In these first years of being Prime Minister, she was unable to do much about Pakistan's widespread poverty, governmental corruption and increasing crime, and so her party suffered a defeat in the 1990 national elections. Three years later, her party won and became the head of a coalition government again, but also once more, was faced with allegations of corruption and a decline of law and order, so was dismissed again in 1996. After further convictions of corruption upon her and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, she remained in exile in London and Dubai in the late 1990s. In October 2007, Benazir returned from Dubai, but celebrations of her return were imposed upon by a suicide attack on her motorcade, resulting in the deaths of many of her supporters. A similar attack was carried out in December while campaigning for upcoming parliamentary elections, and Benazir was assassinated.

 

Want to find out more about Benazir Bhutto and her time in Pakistan and as Prime Minister? Visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benazir_Bhutto for more details.

 

December 1 - Rosa Parks' Arrest

This Day in History: 1 December 2019

 

1 December 1955

 

64 years ago, today, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to move to the back of a bus and give her seat to a white passenger, due to racial segregation, in Montgomery, Alabama, a key event in the fight for Civil Rights. Rosa rejected the request of bus driver, James F. Blake, to hand over her seat in the "coloured section" to a white passenger, after the whites-only section was filled. Rosa Parks' importance in her community inspired the black community to boycott the Montgomery buses for over a year, which was the first major direct-action campaign of the Civil Rights Movement. Ohio and Oregon commemorate 'Rosa Parks Day' on this day, the anniversary of her arrest, and she is seen to be a figurehead of the civil rights movement by the world.

 

Despite this, Rosa was not the first to protest against segregation through a bus sit-in. Those before her, for example, Bayard Rustin in 1942 and Irene Morgan in 1944, were also arrested in Montgomery for not giving up their bus seats months before Rosa Parks. 

 

Bayard Rustin had boarded a bus in Louisville, going to Nashville, but a number of drivers had asked him to move to the back when he had sat in the second row, but Rustin refused. The bus was then stopped by police and Rustin was arrested, beaten and taken to the police station, but was released uncharged.

 

Irene Morgan boarded the Greyhound bus to see her mother after experiencing a miscarriage and sat down next to another African American woman carrying an infant. A white couple boarded, and the bus driver ordered Morgan and her seatmate to hand away their seats. Her seatmate surrendered, but Morgan refused, and the bus driver departed the bus to find a sheriff. He presented her with an arrest warrant, but Morgan tore up the paper. The sheriff then touched her to pull her out of her seat and she kicked him in the groin. She was arrested, and her case was later taken to the Virginia Supreme Court with the help of the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP), who ruled her in violation of the law. She then took her case to the US Supreme Court and won.

 

Want to find out more on the Montgomery Bus Boycott? Visit https://www.britannica.com/event/Montgomery-bus-boycott for more information on the acts of Rosa Parks and her civil rights movement partner, Martin Luther King Jr.

November 30 - The Cities for Life Day

This Day in History: 30 November 2019

 

30 November 1786

 

233 years ago, today, the Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke of Tuscany, Leopold II, established a penal reform, making Tuscany, modern day Italy, the first state to abolish the death penalty. This later lead to November 30^th being commemorated as the 'Cities for Life Day'. In 1764, Cesare Beccaria, one of the greatest Italian Enlightenment writers, wrote 'Of Crimes and Punishments', in which he wrote some of the first modern arguments against the death penalty. His book was also, in turn, the first full-scale work to criticise criminal reform and suggest that criminal justice should stick to rational standards. As a consequence, Leopold II abolished the death penalty, and made Tuscany the first state to get rid of torture and capital punishment. Since this, further elimination of the death penalty has been increasing, and in 2012, 141 countries had also abolished it.

 

On the 'Cities for Life Day', many cities around the globe, such as Rome, Madrid, Vienna, and Brussels, celebrate this first abolition of the death penalty by Leopold II. The participating cities show their commitment for life and opposition of the death penalty by illuminating a symbolic monument, such as the Colosseum in Rome and the Plaza de Santa Ana in Madrid. Through this, the cities demand an end to all executions worldwide. In 2005, the Cities for Life Day also featured the 'Africa for Life' conference about the death penalty in Africa, that took place in Florence, Tuscany.

 

Want to find out more about this day? Visit http://www.worldcoalition.org/cities.html for a number of articles and videos about the day to remember lives.

 

November 29 - Black Friday

This Day in History: 29 November 2019

 

29 November 1975

 

44 years ago, today, the phrase of 'Black Friday' first appeared in The New York Times, referring to the busiest shopping and traffic day of the year. Many events through centuries have been described with 'black' at the start to describe its misfortunes, but the most significant of these was the Panic of 1869, where Wall Street financiers, Jay Gould and James Fisk, attempted to buy a significant amount of the gold market, and hoped its overall price would soar, and therefore would be able to sell it for a huge profit. President Grant then ordered the Treasury to release a large supply of gold, which caused prices to drop by 18%, causing the gold market to crash and left Wall Street barons bankrupt.

 

The first mention of 'Black Friday' was seen in the journal, Factory Management and Maintenance, in the early 50s, referring to the practice of workers calling in sick the day after Thanksgiving. This term, as well as 'Black Saturday' also became used by the police in Philadelphia and Rochester to describe the crowds and traffic congestion that came with the start of Christmas.

 

In the early 80s, the phrase began to gain national attention, but merchants objected against the use of a mocking term to refer to one of the most important shopping days of the year, as this was when retailers finally made their profit during the holiday season, starting on the day after Thanksgiving.

 

Want to find out more on the history and origin of Black Friday? Visit https://www.telegraph.co.uk/black-friday/2019/11/29/black-friday-name-meaning-history-sales-event/ for more information and to find out more on how it has progressed throughout the world.

 

November 28 - The First Vote for Women

This Day in History: 28 November 2019

 

28 November 1893

 

126 years ago, today, was the first-time women voted in a national election, in the New Zealand general election. Throughout the late 19th century, the women's suffragette movement was widespread throughout Northern Europe, America, Britain and its colonies, including New Zealand, the first self-governing country to grant all women the vote, on 19th September 1893, with the next country being Finland in 1907. The fight was won through a combination of persistence, a strong temperance movement, and some luck. The temperance movement blamed alcohol for many of the society's problems with blame towards women and children. 

 

Influences from the time came from the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, who reasoned that only through political rights would women gain say and use over alcohol. Kate Sheppard, from Christchurch in the WCTU, became New Zealand 's lead suffragette. She organised a series of petitions to demand the women vote, which were very influential. In 1893, the final petition for women's suffrage gained nearly a quarter of all adult European women's signatures, and on 19 September, the Governor of New Zealand signed the bill for them to vote into the law. With six weeks to enrol for the next general election, 84% of women registered to vote on 28 November, and two-thirds of women later voted for the first time. 

 

Kate Sheppard's face is now on the New Zealand ten-dollar bill, and women's suffrage is widely celebrated in New Zealand, especially with its 100th anniversary in 1993. This also encouraged other countries, such as Canada, the UK, and the US to grant women the vote in later years.

 

Want to find out more about women's suffrage in New Zealand? Visit https://nzhistory.govt.nz/politics/womens-suffrage for more information about their struggle to be granted the right to vote.

 

November 27 - The Little Rock Crisis

This Day in History: 27 November 2019

 

27 November 1957

 

62 years ago, today, the US Army withdrew from Little Rock, Arkansas', Central High School after an attempt to integrate the school. In 1954, the US Supreme Court ruled that, from the famous Brown v Board of Education case, the segregation of schools in the US South was unconstitutional, but despite this, the integration of the schools was not simple to enact so quickly. Conflict arose, and it reached its peak at Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas, where nine black students attempted to join the school in 1957. This enraged the pro-segregation state government and governor at the time, Orval Faubus.

 

On September 4, 1957, Arkansas' National Guard was instructed by Faubus to prevent the integration of students, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower had to become involved. He ordered the National Guard to be taken out of the Governor's control, and ordered the US Army to support the integration of the school. The students were then successfully integrated on September 23, 1957, and on 27 November 1957, the US Army withdrew from the school. However, the nine students did not find it easy at Little Rock, and were regularly abused by the white students, but integration of all schools in the US eventually occurred as a result of the Brown v Board decision.

 

Want to find out more about this past event of segregation and racism? Visit https://www.britannica.com/topic/Little-Rock-Nine for more details.

 

Tutankhamun with Dan Snow

Hello everybody!

 

If you enjoyed today's 'This Day in History' blog post and would like to find out more about Tutankhamun's life and death, as well as the discovery of his tomb, please tune in tonight at 21:00 on Channel 5 to Episode 1 of "Tutankhamun with Dan Snow". Snow will be visiting the Egyptian Museum in Cairo to take a look at the mummies of King Tut's parents, who were brother and sister. Snow is joined by archaeologist Raksha Dave, and 'Strictly Come Dancing' contestant John Sergeant, who will be also visiting a new excavation in the Valley of Kings and receiving a taste of the pharaoh's diet.

 

Episode 2 will be airing on Channel 5 at the same time on Wednesday, as well as Episode 3 on Thursday.

 

November 26 - Howard Carter and King Tut

This Day in History: 26 November 2019

 

26 November 1922

 

97 years ago, today, English archaeologist Howard Carter opened Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun's virtually intact tomb in Egypt. Carter first went to Egypt as a young artist to sketch artefacts, but later went on to become the lead excavator of the tomb of King Tutankhamun. After being told he had one more season of funding to find the tomb, a boy who worked as a water fetcher nearby started to dig alongside Carter, and helped the crew find a flight of stairs that led down to a sealed door and a secret chamber. Later, on this day, Carter and his excavation boss, Lord Carnarvon entered the tomb, and found a large amount of gold and treasures. In the following February, the coffin of King Tut was found, containing his mask and mummy. This caused an interest to spark in ancient Egypt around the world, and the discovery is considered to be one of the most significant archaeological discoveries in our modern era.

 

Tutankhamun, known to many as King Tut, was the 12th pharaoh of the 18th Egyptian dynasty, and was in power from about 1332 to 1323 B.C.E. In his reign, he accomplished little, and died at the age of 19, from a possible gangrene infection as a result of a broken leg. He was just nine years old when he took power, and his first years of reign may have been controlled by an elder known as Ay. The same year that King Tut took power, he married his half-sister and had two, supposedly stillborn, daughters. He was buried in the Valley of the Kings in a tomb, and seventy days afterwards, his body was laid to rest and the tomb was sealed, and later found much later by Howard Carter, in 1922.

 

As well as it being the 97th anniversary of this discovery, there is also an exhibition including KingTut's 150 original artefacts, 60 of which have never left Egypt before, going on in London's Saatchi Gallery until May 3 2020, as well as a virtual reality ride that takes you into the tomb as Carter first discovered it. It promises to be the largest Tutankhamun exhibition outside of Egypt and will be the last time the treasures will leave the country!

 

Want to find out more on this discovery? Visit https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/magazine/2018/03-04/findingkingtutstomb/ for more details, and https://tutankhamun-london.com for more details on the exhibition. 

November 25 - Alfred Nobel and Dynamite

This Day in History: 25 November 2019

25 November 1867

152 years ago, today, Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel first patented dynamite, the fifth of Nobel's 355 patents and his most famous. Nobel began as a student of chemistry and progressively became interested in searching for an alternative to nitro-glycerine, a highly unstable explosive, while working in his father's explosive factory. He worked hard to improve this and made dynamite from mixing this unstable explosive with kieselguhr, a rock that can be crumbled into a find powder. He found this could be shaped into a paste and could be kneaded and shaped for all kinds of insertion. This was called 'dynamite'.

Nobel then started to invent other explosives, such as gelignite in 1875, which was more stable than dynamite. In 1895, in his will after his death, Nobel established the 'prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind', the Nobel Prize, with his remaining fortune. The first of these prizes were awarded in 1901, where the Peace Prize was shared between Frédéric Passy, for his role in founding the first French peace society, and Jean Henry Dunant, for his role in founding the International Red Cross Movement and initiating the Geneva Convention.

Want to find out more about Nobel's invention of dynamite? Visit https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-dynamite-1991564 for more details and more information on Nobel's life.

 

Charles Darwin

This Day in History: 24 November 2019

   

160 years ago, English naturalist Charles Darwin published ‘On the Origin of Species’ which contained gripping evidence for his revolutionary theory of evolution and laid the foundation for evolutionary biology. It included detailed observations, inferences and considerations of future objections that outlined the scientific theory that species evolve over the course of generations through natural selection. Darwin included evidence that he had gathered on the Beagle expedition, sailing across the Atlantic Ocean and southern South America in the 1830s, and his other findings from research and experiments.

 

There began growing support for these ideas among the public and other anatomists, but during the first half of the 19th century, the Church of England had a large control over English science, and so they disproved of a theory that would conflict with the religious and traditional idea of humans being unique and unrelated to other animals. 

 

Later on, in history, throughout the late 19th century and the early 20th, various other evolution mechanisms were given more credit, as well as the modern evolutionary synthesis being developed in the 1930s and 1940s. This meant that Darwin's concept of evolution through natural selection became central to the modern evolutionary theory and now has become one of the most popular concepts on how life on our planet began. 

 

Want to find out more? Visit https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Darwin/On-the-Origin-of-Species for more details on what ‘On the Origin of Species’ covered.