On this day in
1420, Beijing is officially designated the capital of the Ming Dynasty on the same year that the Forbidden City, the seat of government, is completed.
***
On this day in
1516, Turkish forces under the
Grand Vizier Sinan Pasha defeat the Mameluks near Gaza in the
Battle of Yaunis Khan.
***
On this day in
1538, the first university in the New World, the
Universidad Santo Tomás de Aquino, is established. It would take another 98 years before a vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony would establish the first college in what would become the United States, today known as
Harvard University, on this day in
1636.
***
On this day in the year
1900, after over
five fucking months of competition, the
Paris Olympic Games finally come to an end, much to the delight and relief of everyone involved.
***
On this day in
1919, U.S. Congress passes the
Volstead Act over President
Woodrow Wilson's veto, paving the way for
Prohibition to begin the following January. Crime - both organized and not-so-organized - ensues.
***
On this day in
1922, Italian fascists led by
Benito Mussolini march on Rome and take over the Italian government.
***
On this day in
1948, Swiss chemist
Paul Müller is awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of the insecticidal properties of
DDT. Today, after a few decades in the doghouse, it seems as though the substance is poised to make
a comeback, for better or for worse.
***
On this day in
1962, USSR leader
Nikita Khrushchev orders the removal of Soviet missiles from Cuba, effectively bringing an end to the
Cuban Missile Crisis.
***
On this day in
1965, Nostra Aetate, the "Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions" of the Second Vatican Council, is promulgated by
Pope Paul VI. This declaration officially absolves the Jews of responsibility for the death of Jesus, reversing
Pope Innocent III's 760 year-old dictum to the contrary.
***
On this day in
1965, construction on the
St. Louis Arch is completed. Did you know you can ride an elevator up to
the top of this damned thing?! I wouldn't, but
you might want to some day.
***
On this day in
2005,
Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Vice-president
Dick Cheney's chief of staff, is indicted in the
Valerie Plame Affair. Libby resigns later that day.
Here's a little something I wrote about that massive debacle, back in the day.
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