The People History Blog

Updated Price Basket 2008 to 2012 now 45% higher

2012-09-17T17:03:00.003-07:00

This is our latest updated price basket for the real world , while updating for this year a few things surprised me

1. The basket of food items would have been lower than last year if detergent had not increased significantly

2. Average new home prices increased by close to 25% in the last 12 months which comes as a surprise in a flat housing market

3. It shocks me that overall the basket has increased by 45% in 4 years while government published figures show closer to 10% inflation over the same period.

4. During the same period gold has more than doubled in price from $820.00 to $1,720.00

Hope you like our basket more can be found here at http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/pricebasket.html

The Avon Lady

2012-09-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

Watching the TV last night one of the new Avon Adds came on reminding me of 50 + years ago when my mum was an Avon Lady , back in those days many if not most mothers did not work so selling Avon was an option that allowed them to earn a little extra money, it is interesting to see Avon pushing the format for being an Avon Lady 50 years later, not sure how well it will work in the modern Internet world but wish it well

steve

Prints Celebrating Special Occasions Created in July

2012-07-27T19:07:00.002-07:00

We would like to add our congratulations to the Following

Happy 90th Birthday, Bill!

Happy 90th Birthday Herb

Happy 85th Birthday Dad! Love, Louie and Sue

Happy 90th Birthday Annette

Happy 90th Birthday!

Happy 90th Birthday George

Happy Birthday Palmyra Tuminello Shapley

HAPPY 80TH BIRTHDAY!

Happy 80th Birthday Pop!!
Happy 80th Birthday Charlene

Doris Nell Robbins ~ born July 28

Happy 80th Birthday TO MOM

Happy 80th Birthday Marty

Happy 80th Birthday, Ellen!

Happy 75th Birthday Mom!

Happy 75th Birthday Mom!

Happy 75 th Birthday Dad

Happy 70th Birthday Sharon

Happy 65th Birthday!

Happy 60th Anniversary

Happy 60th Anniversary

Happy 50th Anniversary Jim & Rosetta!!

Happy 50th Birthday Chrissy boy!

Happy 50th Birthday To My Husband John

Taking you back in time when Roxanne was born Happy 50th Birthday

Happy 40th! We love you Davina, Asher, Lev, & Strudel

We're the greatest; yes, it's true. We're the class of 72!

Del Mar High School Class of 1972 Celebrating 40 year Reunion

Happy Birthday I hope it is full with joy and love!!

Angela, Happy 40th Birthday!!!

Wabash High School 35th Class Reunion

Happy 16 Birthday Tj!! Love your Youth Center Family:Juss,Bit,Darius ,Maddy and Destiny!! We Love you!!

These prints were created this Month to celebrate Special Occasions,

Many helped raise much needed funding for School Projects looking for help in the difficult times

our Your Prints offers our visitors the option to make a small donation to a local school project through Donors Choose or you can order Personalized Print in PDF Format which can include a Message and Photograph that will be E-Mailed direct to you

Personalized Prints Ideal For Birthdays and Anniverseries

2012-07-24T06:13:00.001-07:00

The People History
Celebration creating 250 Personlazed Prints ranging from the 1920's to current

5 from the 2000's
8 from the 1990's
10 from the 1980's
35 from the 1970's
40 from the 1960's
44 from the 1950's
18 from the 1940's
49 from the 1930's
41 from the 1920's

Nearly half of those created hepled raise much needed funding for inner city school projects through Donorschoose.org , the service is based on trust but we have recieved E-Mails from visitors who have donated as much as $50.00 to a project and one company celebrating 75 years in business who we created a print for who funded a complete project in thier city with a donation of $200 as a thanks to us and a way of giving back to thier local community, the prints offer a fully personlaized service with a Personlaized Message and can include a photograph, Our prints which are in PDF format are E-Mailed out to our visitors which makes them ideal to Print, E-Mail to family and friends, or even to take to your local Office supply store where they can be turned into full size posters ideal for High School Reunions. Hopefully we and our generous visitors have helped raise over $1,000 for much needed school projects in these difficult times.

A couple of great examples can be found here

The first celecrates a 90th birthday
90th Birthday Print
90th Birthday Personalized Print which is great because it shows how technology has offered us the technology to scan photographs from nearly 100 years ago to make availblae to friends and family from across the generations

The second is for a 40th wedding anniversary

40th Wedding Anniversary The wedding photograph just has a look that just reminds you of the Seventies

Our prints are used for Birthdays, Anniversaries, High School Reunions and much more

We offer 2 ways to order your prints the first option asks you to make a donation to a local School Project through Donorschoose.org and the second used by local US visitors and others from around the world can be purchased for $1.95 which can also include Personlalized Message and a Photograph

To find out more visit Personalized Print

New Quiz Section On The People History

2012-04-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed we have removed over 400 quiz questions from this blog and added them to our new Quiz Section on The People History,

We now have over 1,500 questions covering the following specialist quizzes

The Quizzes are designed just for fun with

General Knowledge ( 25)
The Pre 1920's ( 25 )
The Twenties ( 25 )
The Thirties ( 34 )
The Fourties ( 30 )
The Fifties ( 35 )
The Sixties ( 35 )
The Seventies ( 35 )
The Eighties ( 35 )
The Nineties ( 30 )
The New Millennium ( 30 )
Pop Culture -- Music ( 21 )
Pop Culture -- Movies ( 25 )
Pop Culture -- TV ( 25 )
Pop Culture -- Sports ( 25 )
Money and Prices ( 20 )
75 Years Ago ( 20 )
50 Years Ago ( 20 )
25 Years Ago ( 20 )
Statehood Quiz ( 50 )
Our Year In Focus Quiz ( 14 )

1968 News and Interesting History Tidbits

2008-08-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

 Czechoslovakia "Prague Spring"
 Following Anti-Communist protests in Czechoslovakia in what is called  "Prague Spring", Soviet troops intervene to crush the protests and restore order.  

The period of the  "Prague Spring" began in January 5, 1968 when Alexander Dubček came to power, with reformist policies for the country of Czechoslovakia.
 
1.  Grant additional rights to the citizens. 
 
2.  Loosening of restrictions on the media and allowing free speech. 
 
3.  Partial decentralization of the economy and democratization. 
 
Due to many of these reforms taking the country in a direction in opposition to Communist Ideology the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies invaded the country to take back power and halt the reforms.

Martin Luther King Jr Assassination 
Following threats to his life Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "mountaintop" speech to a rally of striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn., less than 24 hours before he was assassinated.
Dr King was shot dead in the southern US city of Memphis, Tennessee, where he was to lead a march of sanitation workers protesting against low wages and poor working conditions.
Following the murder there were early signs of rioting in Memphis and 4,000 members of the National Guard were drafted into the city, a number of riots in over 100 US cities did occur and President Lyndon Johnson appealed for calm asking every citizen to reject the blind violence that has taken Dr King.
James Earl Ray was arrested in London Airport on 8th June and is deported to the United States to face charges of conspiracy and murder in connection with the assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
James Earl Ray was convicted of his murder and sentenced to 99 years in prison.

Civil Rights Act of 1968 
President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968. President Johnson, voicing outrage at the slaying of Dr. Martin Luther King and the violence that followed it, has signed an historic open-housing bill, The new law will prohibit discrimination in 80 per cent of all housing sales and rentals by 1970.

Vietnam War  1968 

Vietnam War Casualties 
Figures released show that more Americans were killed during the first six months of 1968 than in all of 1967 and were a direct result of the communist Tet Offensive. Combined with heavy U.S. casualties and disillusionment with President Johnson's conduct of the Vietnam war his popularity with the people continued to decrease.

U.S. Troops Massacre 
U.S. troops massacre South Vietnamese between 200 and 500 unarmed villagers at My Lai 4, a cluster of hamlets in the coastal lowlands of the northernmost region of South Vietnam. During the ensuing massacre, several old men were bayoneted; some women and children praying outside the local temple were shot in the back of the head; and at least one girl was raped before being killed. Others were systematically rounded up and led to a nearby ditch where they were executed.

In some ways this single story that came out changed the views of many American citizens who were beginning to question why the US was involved in Vietnam and was later proved to be true, this was an isolated case of US forces brutality which reflected wrongly on all US forces in Vietnam.

Anti Vietnam War Demonstrators
10,000 Anti Vietnam war demonstrators rally at Trafalgar square peacefully but when the demonstration moves outside the United States embassy in London, the demonstration turns violent with 130 injured, fifty taken to hospital including up to 25 police officers. These protesters were a small part of a much larger peaceful march against US involvement in Vietnam in London and the United States during the late 60's.

President Johnson Announces He Will Not Run 
President Johnson announces on nationwide television he would not run for another term of office saying "I shall not seek and I will not accept the nomination of my party as your President.".

Peace Corps Venezuela
Fifty-five Peace Corps members would be sent to Venezuela to improve public services at local levels. California State College was training them and the group was made up of architects, engineers, and lawyers.

Alec Rose Arrives Home on 'Lively Lady' 
 Alec Rose on his 36ft ketch  'Lively Lady' receives a hero's welcome as he sailed into Portsmouth Harbour after his 354-day round-the-world trip. 
Unlike many of the earlier and later solo trips around the world Alec Rose did not have large corporate sponsors and had truly sailed round the world on his own. He was knighted the next day to become Sir Alec Rose for his achievement.

 Pope Paul VI bans Use Of the Pill
The growth of the use of the Pill by women around the world causes the head of the Roman Catholic Church Pope Paul VI to ban Catholics from the use of the contraceptive pill, as well as all other artificial means of birth control.  

The Poor Peoples March On Washington DC. 
50,000 people participated in " The Poor Peoples March " organised by Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to address issues of economic justice. The campaign culminated in Washington, D.C. to demand economic aid be given to the poorest communities in the United States.
Unlike many of Martin Luther King Jr's campaigns The Poor People’s Campaign did not focus on just poor blacks but addressed all poor regardless of race creed or color.

As well as a march on Washington " The Poor Peoples March " organizers decided to organize a "Live In" and "Resurrection City" a small city of shanty's as temporary shelters made from boxes and whatever else they could find is built at the Mall in Washington. The authorities closed down "Resurrection City" after just 5 days forcing the protesters to disperse.

Equatorial Guinea Gains Independence 
Equatorial Guinea in Africa Gains Independence from Spain in 1968

Manchester United win European Cup
Manchester United beat Portuguese side Benfica 4-1 to become the first English club to win the European Cup . The Manchester United team include the legendary George Best, who was named European Footballer of the Year

U.S. Submarine Scorpion Lost At Sea
The nuclear-powered U.S. submarine Scorpion while heading back to Naval Base Norfolk from the Azores sinks and her crew of 99 was officially declared lost on June 5, 1968.

French General Strike
800,000 teachers, workers and student protesters marched through the French capital during a one day general strike demanding the fall of the government under Charles DE Gaulle and to protest police brutality during the riots of the past few days.

The strike spread all across France until around 10 million workers had downed tools and paralysed the nation for nearly two weeks.

Following concerns by the government Charles De Gaulle called an election for the end of June resulting in his party winning by a huge majority.

UK Thalidomide Victims
Damages for children born with deformities, caused by mothers taking the drug thalidomide during pregnancy are set by the high court. ( The Thalidomide drug was available in the UK from 1958 to late 1961 ) and in many cases children born with deformities were confirmed. In 1973 a much larger settlement was agreed following the discovery that more than 400 children were affected

Olympic Games 1968 
The Summer Olympic Games of the XIX Olympiad are held in Mexico City, Mexico

Possibly one of the most controversial games in modern history

Even before the games controversy occurred when 300 University students are killed by army troops when a college campus protest turned into a riot.

Black American Athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who finished 1-3 in the 200-meter run, bowed their heads and gave the Black Power salute during the national anthem as a protest against racism in the U.S. This was seen live world wide on the news and was the first time politics played such a prominent role in the Olympics.

Due to the thin air caused by the extremely high altitude of the games records were broken in every men's and women's race up to 1,500 meters and the U.S. long jumper Bob Beamon's gold medal leap of 29 feet, 21/2 inches beat the existing world mark by nearly two feet.

The Fosbury Flop technique developed by Dick Fosbury wins the gold medal in the high jump, which is now the dominant technique in High Jump.

First Men To Orbit The Moon 
The first men ever to circle the moon and visit the dark side of the moon are Frank Borman, James Lovell and William Anders when Apollo 8 orbits the Moon, becoming the first manned space mission to achieve the feat.

first 911 emergency telephone system 
The first 911 emergency telephone system is inaugurated in Haleyville, Ala. but due to problems with telephone service boundaries and electromechanical switching equipment which could not recognize the 911 number it is not until the mid 80's that 911 works countrywide

The Kray Twins Arrested
The Kray twins, Reginald and Ronnie and their 41-year-old brother Charlie are arrested and charged and later convicted for the murders of George Cornell and Jack 'The Hat' McVitie, members of the London underworld.

Enoch Powell's so-called "Rivers of Blood" speech
The Conservative right winger, Enoch Powell, ( MP for Wolverhampton South West )makes a hard-hitting speech saying Britain had to be mad to allow in 50,000 dependents of immigrants each year and calling for an immediate reduction in immigration attacking the government's immigration policy at a Conservative association meeting in Birmingham.

Enoch Powell's so-called "Rivers of Blood" speech led to him being sacked from the shadow cabinet, but made him very popular with tabloids and thousands of workers who staged strikes and marches in support of his views and touched a nerve ending for many who thought the current Immigration laws should be tightened up.

Ferry Disaster New Zealand
The ferry the "TEV Wahine" capsizes in Wellington Harbour, New Zealand after running aground during one of the worst storms ever to ever hit New Zealand. The final death toll exceeds 50 with most due to drowning.

Andy Warhol Shot
Andy Warhol the American pop art artist is shot and wounded in his New York film studio, The Factory, by actress Valerie Solanas who founded the "group" called S.C.U.M. (Society for Cutting up Men).

Senator Robert Kennedy Assassinated
Senator Robert Kennedy is assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California presidential primary.

New 5p and 10p coins introduced in England
Decimal coins were introduced as part of decimalisation with

New 5p coin replacing 1 shilling ( 12 old pence )

New 10p coin replacing 2 shillings Florin ( 24 old pence )

The current system of pounds, shillings and pence will be replaced by Decimal currency on 15 February 1971.

UK Race Relations Act
A new wide ranging race relations act comes into force, making it illegal to refuse housing, employment or public services to people because of their ethnic background.

Elvis Becomes a Dad 
Elvis Presley and his wife Priscilla Presley became the proud parents of a little girl 6-pound, 15 ounce Lisa Marie Presley

Student Occupation Columbia University 
Students at Columbia University in New York City begin a week long occupation of several campus buildings protesting the Universities affiliation with the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), a weapons research think-tank affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense.

Soviet Union Imports Vodka From US
Russia has long been known for its Vodka. However, during this time in history it had turned to the U.S., requesting for supplies of this alcohol to cover its shortage. The embarrassing thing was that Soviet Premier Krushechev (a.k.a. Krushchev) had not too long ago boasted about how much Russia’s Vodka is better. However, the fact that Russia ran out of Vodka had more to do with grain and potatoes to produce food, which was a priority over strong drink during this time.

Jackie Kennedy Marries Onassis
Jackie Kennedy marries Greek multimillionaire Aristotle Onassis on his privately owned island paradise part of the Greek Islands.

Pierre Elliott Trudeau 
Pierre Elliott Trudeau becomes the fifteenth Prime Minister of Canada serving from 20 April 1968 to 4 June 1979, and later from 3 March 1980 to 30 June 1984.

World Champion Jim Clark
Motor racing world champion Jim Clark is killed in a car crash during a Formula Two race at Hockenheim, Germany.

B-52 Bomber with H-Bombs Crashes 
A radiation alert is issued following B-52 bomber armed with four hydrogen bombs crashes near the Arctic air base of Thule in Greenland. After the bombs were found it took nine months to remove all the contaminated material including snow from the crash site.

1967 Previous Year ---- ( Current Year Is 1968 ) ---- Following Year 1969

1987 News and Interesting Tidbits From History

2008-08-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

Hungerford Killing Spree by Michael Ryan 
Michael Ryan goes on a killing spree in Hungerford, Berkshire armed with an automatic rifle, a pistol and a hand grenade. He kills 14 people including his mother and a local policeman before killing himself inside a nearby school .

Plane Crash Detroit 
Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Michigan killing 156 people

Greenspan Appointed 
President Ronald Reagan announced he was nominating economist Alan Greenspan to succeed Paul Volcker as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board. He retired from the position on January 31, 2006, handing over the chairmanship to Ben Bernanke.

US Stock market drops 22.6%
October 19th 1987: The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost more than 22 percent making it the 2nd largest percentage drop in history in a single day, This was known as "Black Monday" and signaled other markets around the world to drop during October by 20 percent. Many believed that some of the automatic computerized sell programmes used by large financial institutions may have contributed to the fall as they are triggered automatically when certain events / figures occur in the markets and after this date more safeguards were put in place to stop a similar thing happening in the future. The US stockmarket drops 22.6% in one day on October 19 and throughout the rest of the world major falls are recorded by the end of October with Hong Kong dropping by 45.8%.

Hurricane Storm Southern England 
Hurricane storm winds batter southern England during the night killing 13 after the worst night of storms in living memory.

Rainbow Warrior is Sunk 
The Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior is sunk when French agents plant a bomb on the hull of the boat while docked in Auckland harbour, New Zealand. The Rainbow Warrior had been preparing for a protest voyage to the French nuclear test site in the South Pacific

Earthquake Midwest 
A rare earthquake hit 14 states in the Midwest and parts of Canada stretching down to the South. The quake measured 5.0 on the Richter scale and damaged some highway overpasses, also many thousands lost telephone services . The quake lasted between 3 to 15 seconds at 6:49PM.

British Caledonian and British Airways Merger 
British Caledonian and British Airways have agreed to a merger which will help them compete on the world stage with the large US Airlines . The merger was investigated by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission and after a number of guarantees for staff from British Caledonian the merger was finally given the go ahead in December 1987.

Does Nessie Exist ?
A group of scientists armed with the latest in boats and underwater technology will carry out a full survey of Loch Ness hoping to find proof that Nessie exists. This has proved a great draw to Loch Ness in Scotland as hundreds of journalists from all over the world will watch and report anything and everything to do with this legendary sea monster that has attracted media attention since the 30's when an English surgeon, R.K. Wilson, claimed to have taken a photo of Nessie.

Iran Contra Affair 
The house and senate committee begin 3 months of hearings into Iran-Contra affair which was the sale of American arms sold secretly to Iran and some of the proceeds were diverted to Contra Rebels seeking to overthrow the Government of Nicaragua , following the hearings President Ronald Reagan addressed the nation on the Iran-Contra affair, acknowledging that talks with Iran had turned into an arms for hostages negotiation.

USS Stark Attacked 
An Iraqi Mirage F1 fighter carries an attack using two Exocet antiship missiles on the U.S. Navy warship Stark in the Persian Gulf, killing 37 American sailors. Iraq and the United States called the attack a mistake.

New Nuclear Weapons Treaty 
Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in the United States for an arms control summit with Ronald Reagan. The summit resulted in one of the most significant arms control agreements of the Cold War. Reagan and Gorbachev signed off on the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty, which called for the elimination of all ground cruise and ballistic missiles and launchers in Europe with ranges of 320 to 3,400 miles.
This was the day that a nuclear weapon treaty was proposed by Gorbachev. The purpose of signing this agreement was to eliminate both U.S. and Soviet nuclear weapons from Europe.
The first ever treaty is signed between the Soviet Union and the United States to reduce the number of ground based nuclear arsenals reversing 30 years of nuclear weapons build up during the cold war years.
This treaty signed is referred to as the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty 1987.

Terry Waite Kidnapped 
Terry Waite a special envoy of the archbishop of Canterbury disappeared while attempting to win freedom for Western hostages held in Lebanon. He was kidnapped by Shiite Muslims and released 4 years later.

Mathias Rust lands in Red Square 
A 19 year old West German, Mathias Rust, flying a light plane undetected from Helsinki to Moscow and lands safely in Red Square

Sikh Terrorist Attack Bus 
Following Sikh terrorist attacks on Hindu bus passengers which left 72 dead, the Indian army has banned public meetings hoping to stop the backlash by Hindu's on Sikh's in the city of Chandigarh.

Enzo Ferrari unveils Ferrari F40
To celebrate the 40 yrs of Ferrari production Enzo Ferrari unveiled the Ferrari F40 at the factory in Maranello, Italy. The F40 was the fastest road vehicle ever built at that time

Butcher of Lyon Found Guilty Of Crimes Against Humanity 
The Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie / Butcher of Lyon and the former head of Gestapo who was extradited from Bolivia to face charges is found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Kings Cross Fire 
A fire in a King’s Cross underground station kills 30 commuters and injures dozens of others. It is the worst fire in the history of the city’s underground rail system and was believed to have been caused by rubbish and grease underneath an escalator and a discarded cigarette starting the fire.

Maggie Wins For Third Time 
Margaret Thatcher celebrates her third general election win after another landslide victory over the Labour Party.

Tamil Tigers Bombing Campaign 
Tamil Tigers plant a massive bomb in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo killing more than 100 and injuring a further 300.
The Tamil extremists known as the Tamil Tigers are fighting for an independent homeland.

The problems continued to worsen with 1,000's killed over the next 15 years but in 2002 the government and Tamil Tiger rebels signed a permanent cease fire agreement with the government agreeing to recognize the Tamil Tigers and the Tamil Tigers dropping demands for a separate state.

In 2004 the problems and fighting have flared up again and rising levels of violence are again threatening the truce.

Ferry Disaster Manilla 
The passenger ferry ( Dona Paz )collides with an oil tanker near Manila in the Philippines leaving 4,000 dead. The accident is blamed on overcrowding with the ferry carrying more than twice its stated capacity.

Fox Broadcasting Debuts Prime Time
Fox Broadcasting Co. made its prime-time TV debut with Its first prime time shows, starting on Sunday nights beginning April 5, 1987,

A comedy about a dysfunctional family (Married... with Children) ( Which Aired for 11 seasons )

A variety series (The Tracey Ullman Show). Which spawned the longest-running sitcom and animated series in U.S. history: The Simpsons

The First Intifada 
The First Intifada (1987 - 1993) a mass uprising against Israeli military occupation, begins in Jabalia refugee camp and spread to Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The Intifada included civil disobedience, general strikes, boycotts on Israeli products, graffiti, barricades, throwing Molotov cocktails grenades and stones at the occupying Israeli soldiers and vehicles.

IRA Bombing West Germany 
A British Army base in Rheindahlen, West Germany is targeted by a large car bomb injuring 30 as part of the ongoing war of terrorism by the IRA on British Troops.

Cryonics experiment on Miles 
A three-year-old beagle ( Miles ) is anesthetized, temperature adjusted to 68 degrees F. emptied of his own blood, and provided with a clear, synthetic blood that does not clot in the cold, and then almost frozen. Miles was legally dead for the hour he spent at or below 50 degrees before being thawed back to life and given back his blood. Nine months later he was still healthy .
The Cryonics experiment on Miles was carried out at the University of California at Berkeley .

AZT Approved For Use With Aids 
The Food and Drug Administration approved the sale of ( azidothymidine ) AZT, a drug shown to prolong the lives of some AIDS patients.

A little known fact is that it was originally intended to treat cancer in 1964 but did not do well in trials, and had an unacceptably high side effect profile.

AZT does not destroy the HIV infection, but only delays the progression of the disease and the replication of virus

AZT is generally used in a cocktail of other drugs to treat AIDS Patients and also as a preventive treatment.

Televangelist Jim Bakker 
Televangelist Jim Bakker resigned as chairman of his PTL ministry organization with average viewers numbering over twelve million, amid the scandal involving a former church secretary, Jessica Hahn who was paid $279,000 from PTL funds to keep secret her allegation that he had raped her.
In 1989, after a five week trial in Charlotte, the jury found Jim Bakker guilty on a number of accounting fraud and conspiracy charges, and Judge Robert Potter sentenced him to 45 years in federal prison and a $500,000 fine. He was released on Parole in 1993 after serving 5 years and in 1992 Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye Bakker were divorced.

Presidential Debates
As the race for the White House hots up many look forward to the time when the two nominees one from the Republican Party and one from the Democratic Party start the Presidential Debates but did you know that from 1988 just about everything to do with the debates is controlled and decided by the parties long before they appear on Television by the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) run by party loyalists from both sides.

In 1987 the nonpartisan League of Women Voters (LWV)withdrew from debate sponsorship, in protest of the major party candidates attempting to dictate nearly every aspect of how the debates were conducted.

A copy of their press release below
"The League of Women Voters is withdrawing sponsorship of the presidential debates ... because the demands of the two campaign organizations would perpetrate a fraud on the American voter. It has become clear to us that the candidates' organizations aim to add debates to their list of campaign-trail charades devoid of substance, spontaneity and answers to tough questions. The League has no intention of becoming an accessory to the hoodwinking of the American public. "

Below is a list of the Televised Presidential Debates in earlier years

In 1960 — four debates between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy.

In 1976 — three debates between President Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter

In 1980 — one debate between President Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan

In 1984 — two debates between President Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale

In 1988 — two debates between George H. W. Bush and Michael Dukakis

In 1992 — three debates among President George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and independent candidate Ross Perot

In 1996 — two debates between President Bill Clinton and Bob Dole

In 2000 — three debates between Al Gore and George W. Bush

In 2004 — three debates between President George W. Bush and John Kerry

Sotheby's Auction Duchess Of Windsor Jewels 
The late Duchess of Windsor's ( Wallis Simpson )Jewels has been sold for £31m ($50m) during an auction in Switzerland. Bidders filled Sotherby's Auction Rooms around the world including New York to have their bids relayed to Geneva.

Speed Limit Increased to 65 MPH
Congress pass laws which allow each state to increase the speed limit on rural roads from 55mph to 65mph.

Supernova 1987A 
The light from supernova 1987A ( a gigantic exploding star ) began reaching Earth , it is estimated that the explosion occurred some 170,000 years ago and nearly 1 million trillion miles from Earth.

MP Harvey Proctor 
The British Conservative MP Harvey Proctor has appeared in court and is accused of committing acts of gross indecency with two male teenagers

Japan to Kill 100 Minke Whales 
One hundred Minke whales were going to be killed in the Antarctic by Japan. Their Fisheries Department termed it “scientific whaling” but some felt it really was an excuse for commercial whaling.

Ivan F. Boesky Convicted Insider Trading 
Ivan F. Boesky known as a "Corporate Raider" was investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and was arrested was sentenced to three years in prison for plotting Wall Street's biggest insider trading scandal.

Peter Wright's Spycatcher Book 
Spycatcher is published in the US and quickly becomes a best seller but the British Attorney General has filed charges against the Sunday Telegraph for publishing three articles repeating details from the Spycatcher book which is banned from publication in the UK. Spycatcher is banned in the UK by the British Government because Peter Wright who worked for MI5 as a Senior Intelligence Officer is in breach of his contract and could damage confidence in British security.

Haiti US Diplomats Withdrawn
One hundred and fifty American embassy workers and diplomats were withdrawn from Haiti due to the unstable political situation. They were expected to be home by Christmas. Eighty embassy employees were left behind to take care of essential services. Sixty-four million dollars in aid was withdrawn by President Reagan and Haiti’s national elections were not held because voters were endangered.

UK Soccer Hooligans 
Following the increasing violence by soccer hooligans at British Football matches the police have cracked down by carrying out carried out a series of dawn raids with 26 arrests in their biggest operation so far against soccer hooliganism in England. During the raids, police seized a number of items believed to be used by the gangs including knives, a machete and spiked ball and chain, as well as newspaper cuttings reporting on the activities of the two teams' hooligans.

Collapse of Missouri Bridge 
A 35-foot section of the Missouri Bridge collapsed on the outskirts of St. Louis. These bridges, which were originally designed for horse and buggy, were closed for 24 hours for repair.

Land Price New York 1987
As more and more areas of land are sold for development of new out of town shopping Malls many can not believe how much the price of land has changed in Syracuse New York, just 10 years ago in 1977 an acre of land was a mere $2,000 per acre and now it commands up to $100,000 per acre

Remembrance Day Enniskillen Northern Ireland 
A terrorist bomb has exploded during Remembrance Day service at Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland injuring 63 and killing 11 .

Irises by Van Gogh 
Sotheby's ( U.S.A. ) sell the painting "Irises" by Vincent Van Gogh for the record price of $49m a world record for a work of art in 1987.

1986 Previous Year ---- ( Current Year Is 1987 ) ---- Following Year 1988

1978 News and Interesting History Tidbits

2008-08-05T09:47:00.000-07:00

 New Trans Atlantic Record Set
Three American balloonists make the first crossing of the Atlantic by hot air balloon in Double Eagle II. The three balloonists Ben Abruzzo, Larry Newman and Max Anderson completed the journey. 

 Xerox Fined 
  Xerox was forced to pay a $25.6 million fine for blocking Smith Corona and other companies from entering the   photocopier market by the  Federal Trade Commission for not allowing other companies to compete in the market.

Average Worker Earnings
Some figures released by the Social Security administration in 1978 give some interesting figures for current and projected incomes and taxes
Current Average Worker earns $10,500 per year
Average Worker Projected to earn $22,700 per year ( Actual was $28,960 )
Average Worker Projected to earn $40,000 per year ( Actual was $40,344 )
Average Worker Projected to earn $70,000 per year
Average Worker Projected to earn $162,000 per year
Average Worker Projected to earn $656,000 per year

Production Stopped Of The Neutron Bomb
President Carter delays Neutron Bomb production. The Neutron Bomb is designed to kill people while minimizing damage to property unlike a conventional nuclear missile which destroys everything in it's path, this is achieved by producing a small blast but massive amounts of lethal radiation.

Cleveland City Bankruptcy
Cleveland was the first American city to face bankruptcy since the Depression in the 1930’s. Half of the city’s 10,000 employees were to be laid off and cuts were to be made among the firemen and police.

Panama Canal to be given to Panamanian Control
The US Senate has backed a treaty to transfer the Panama Canal to the control of Panama.
The building of the Panama Canal was started by the French in 1880 but in 1904 the US took over the construction of the canal which was completed 10 years later.

Politics and Advertising 
The British Conservative party has recruited a major advertising agency ( Saatchi & Saatchi ) in it's bid to win the next general election.

It should be remembered that this was the first time a British Political party had hired a high powered advertising agency to get it's message across and it changed the form and costs of political advertising making political advertising as original and slick as any brand advertising, it also set the benchmark for all future political advertising .

Aldo Moro Kidnapped in Rome
The former Italian prime minister Aldo Moro is kidnapped in Rome.
His escort of five police bodyguards were killed when he was snatched at gunpoint from a car near a cafe in the morning rush-hour. The Red Brigade has claimed responsibility and has said it kidnapped the Christian Democratic leader.

Cold War 
 President Carter announced that a multi million dollar sale of the latest computer technology systems to the TASS News Agency will not be allowed to proceed,  new export restrictions  are also in place for other technology that might be used to gain knowledge of the latest computer systems including US Oil Producing Technology. This shows a continuing depreciation in East West Relations .

Dominica Gains Independence 
Dominica an Island in the Caribbean Gains Independence from Britain in 1978

Rebels Take Over Afghanistan 
Military rebels in Afghanistan murdered both the president and his brother during the coup and have taken over all news TV and radio stations in the capital Kabul and have sealed off the countries airports and roads.

Israel Attacks Southern Lebanon 
Israel continues it's attacks on southern Lebanon forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees in vans, lorries and old buses to head for the safety of Beirut . The Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon are in retaliation for the bus hijacking in Tel Aviv in which 35 people were killed and 100 others were injured 5 days earlier.

Flying Wallendas 
Karl Wallenda, founder of the Flying Wallendas, died after falling 10 stories off a tight-rope during a promotional appearance for the Pan American Circus while crossing between the two towers of the ten-story Condado Plaza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Argentina Wins 1978 World Cup 
Argentina Wins the 1978 World Cup beating the Netherlands 3–1 in the final in Argentina

Taiwan Severs US Diplomatic Relations 
U.S. officials had to beat a hasty retreat after President Ching-kuo expressed rage at President Jimmy Carter’s acknowledgement of Peking and the severing of diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

Naomi James breaks the solo round-the-world sailing record 
Naomi James breaks the solo round-the-world sailing record by two days with her 53 ft yacht Express Crusader when she crossed the finish line in Dartmouth taking 272 days to complete the record.

Britain Introduces Motability Scheme 
 A new scheme in Britain ( Motability scheme ) to provide cars for disabled people is launched in Earl's Court, London. The scheme allows disabled people to use part of their mobility allowance to lease new, modified cars for the disabled. 

Susan B Anthony Dollar 
The first Susan B. Anthony ( a key figure in the woman suffrage movement )dollar is minted but is not accepted by the public due to it's very similar appearance to the quarter

Spain Referendum
Spaniards cast a vote for democracy and are expected to endorse a new constitution in the referendum ending 40 years of dictatorial rule.

Bottled Water 
The introduction of bottled water was a big story as very few thought there was much chance of people buying in large quantities.
The Soft Drink Industry does not believe sales of bottled water by Perrier and others will ever make an impact on sales of more traditional soda sales in America.

Gold $200 per ounce
The Price of gold has reached an all time high on the Bullion Market of $200.00 per ounce , investors usually invest in gold during monetary instability and the steady decline in the value of the dollar has sent many US investors into the gold market. ( current price over $900.00 per ounce )

David Berkowitz ( Son of Sam )
David Berkowitz ( Son of Sam ) admitted guilty to 6 son of Sam killings in court , he has also claimed responsibility for 2000 fires in a 4 year period under the alias of "The Phantom of the Bronx", it was revealed a diary found detailed 1,411 of the fires during this time period.

First Test Tube Baby 
Lesley Brown gave birth to the world's first test tube baby delivered by Cesarean section in Oldham, England. Dr. Patrick Steptoe and Dr. Robert Edwards developed the process to conceive a child in a laboratory and then plant in a uterus to develop normally.

Cult Members Suicide
The Cult leader Jim Jones instructed 400 members of his church, "People's Temple", to drink a soft drink brewed in a tub with cyanide and sedatives at a mass meeting at the Jonestown camp, the bodies were later discovered at a camp in the Jungle . The cult leader was being investigated by American Authorities for conditions at the camp and Jones was also being investigated for tax fraud . Prior to the mass suicide Jones had a number of his followers shoot reporters and the head of the investigation team Congressman Ryan.

Serial Killer Ted Bundy 
The Serial Killer Ted Bundy is defeated in an abduction attempt when Carol DaRonch narrowly escapes being abducted. Utah authorities were trying to figure out what had happened to several young women who disappeared earlier. Seattle area officials were looking for a young man named Ted who was the suspected culprit in many murder cases. On August 16, 1975, an officer noticed a suspicious Volkswagen driving around his patrol area. After pulling the vehicle over, he found handcuffs in the back of the automobile and arrested the driver--Ted Bundy. In March 1976, he was convicted of aggravated kidnapping, which put him behind bars while investigators tried to connect him to the many unsolved murders in Washington, Colorado, and Utah but December 30, 1977, Bundy managed to escape from jail. A few months later, he was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List, and on February 15, 1978, he was finally captured. He eventually confessed to the murders of 28 women, and was executed in Florida on January 24, 1989.

Drinking Age raises to 21 
Michigan becomes one of the first states to raise its drinking age to 21 over concerns about high school students drinking and driving.
Prior to this most states had an 18 age limit drinking policy but as the number of accidents increased due to teen drinking more states increased the drinking age to 21 as a means of saving young lives

Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior 
The Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior spends two weeks trailing the Norwegian boat Kvitungen preventing the start of the Grey Seal cull in the Shetland Isles. And public opinion forces the Scottish Secretary Brian Millan to reduce the cull from 4,600 Grey Seal to 2,000 and local fisherman will perform the cull not the Norwegian boat.

Home Ownership 1978 
A new report released shows the widely ranging costs of owning your own home in different parts of the country in 1978.

The figures are based on Mortgage payments, Insurance payments, Utility payments and local taxes . These figures also take the cost of the average home in that area.

Atlanta $420

Baltimore $409

Chicago $429

Columbus $365

Denver $406

Detroit $389

Hartford $401

Houston $339

Los Angeles $567

Miami $443

Milwaukee $411

Morristown $343

New York $497

Philadelphia $393

Pittsburg $364

Portland Maine $347

Portland Oregon $376

Richmond $374

Rochester $399

St Louis $333

San Fransisco $614

Washington $578

The Average Cost of a home in 1978 was $54,800

The Unabomber 
The Unabomber kills his first victim, Hugh Scrutton who is killed in his computer store in Sacramento, California, by a mail package that explodes in his hands. The Unabomber had detonated his first bomb in May 1978 on the Chicago campus of the University of Illinois His Main Targets were Universities which is how he got the name of Unibomber

1978 Environment
400 of the worlds top climatologists are meeting in Geneva to discuss climate change and if changes in Climate is influenced by pollution.

Aerosol Sprays 
Sweden is the first country in the world to recognise the effect of aerosol sprays on the Ozone Layer and bans the sale

Amoco Cadiz 
The Amoco Cadiz wrecks off the coast of Portsall, France losing 68 million gallons of oil that caused environmental damage to 240 miles of France’s Brittany coastline

1977 Previous Year ---- ( Current Year Is 1978 ) ---- Following Year 1979

1969 News and Interesting Tidbits From History

2008-08-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

Woodstock Music Festival
The Woodstock Music Festival opens with 500,000 rock music fans going to this Peace and Harmony Music Festival ( there are a couple of memories left by our visitors about this festival on our memories section )
Thirty Two of the world's  best known musicians appear during the festival including The Who, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Janis Joplin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Grateful Dead, and Jimi Hendrix.  Many believe it was the greatest gathering of 60's musicians and  is still thought to be the greatest live concert ever staged.

Hurricane Camille
 Hurricane Camille a Category 5 hurricane makes landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi with winds estimated between 150 and  205 mile per hour. The hurricane was responsible for the death of nearly 300 people and the destruction of thousands of homes in  Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia  and Louisiana. 

Britain Deploys Troops Northern Ireland
 Following a number of days of violence  in Londonderry, Belfast and other cities in Northern Ireland,  the British Home Secretary James Callaghan  announces troops will be  deployed in Northern Ireland  to restore law and order. 

Sharon Tate Found Murdered 
Five people, including actress Sharon Tate, were found murdered in the wealthy Bel Air suburb of the city Los Angeles, California, Cult leader Charles Manson and several of his followers were later convicted of the killings.  

Man Lands On The Moon
Apollo 11 takes off for the Moon
Second Apollo mission lands on Moon and Neil Armstrong makes Famous quote "That's one small step for man but one giant leap for mankind."

Anti Vietnam Demonstrations
One of the greatest co-ordinated demonstrations in modern times starts on this weekend against US involvement in Vietnam with demonstrations in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and other major cities. Just in Washington alone were believed to be over 250,000 in protest at the Vietnam War

Biafra fight for independence 
Food aid and medical supplies from the International Committee of the Red Cross to war torn Biafra have been banned by Nigeria. It is estimated as many as three million people who are going to starve to death in the next few weeks unless something is done. 
Two weeks later due to International Pressure Nigerian leader, General Gowon,  allowed the Red Cross to airlift urgent medical supplies and food to Biafra. 

Biafra is forced to give up it's fight for independence shortly afterwards. 

Student Protests 
Police forces in the United States crack down on student protests on campuses across the US using a number of means at their disposal including warrants and an increased police presence. The universities include some of the most well known institutions including Columbia, Harvard, Cornell and Stanford Universities.

Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy and the Chappaquiddick Affair
 A car driven by Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy  plunged off a narrow wooden bridge into a tidal pond after leaving a party on  Chappaquiddick Island , Kennedy escaped the submerged  car but his passenger a pretty blonde secretary ( Mary Jo Kopechne )who was riding with him drowned in the accident.  Kennedy was later convicted of leaving the scene of an accident. 

Underground Nuclear Test 
An underground nuclear test is carried out at the Atomic Energy Commission's Nevada test site.

Concorde Maiden Flight
The supersonic airliner a British / French joint project, Concorde, has it's maiden flight reaching 10,000ft and 300mph . It would be 7 years before Concorde started commercial flights on 21 January 1976 and flew commercial Trans-Atlantic flights until 23 October 2003 when it was retired from service

U.S. Air Force Project Blue Book Closed 
The U.S. Air Force closed its Project ''Blue Book'' which was started in 1952 to determine if Unidentified flying objects (UFOs) were a threat to national security, and to scientifically analyze UFO related data, concluding there was no evidence of extraterrestrial spaceships behind 12,618 UFO sightings it had collected.

The Stonewall Riot
 A police raid of the Stonewall Inn a gay club located on New York City's Christopher Street turns violent as patrons and local sympathizers begin rioting against the police this was known as The Stonewall Riot.

Altamont Rolling Stones Concert 
A free concert organised by the Rolling Stones featuring Santana, Jefferson Airplane, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and The Rolling Stones at the disused Altamont Speedway in Livermore, Calif., is marred by the deaths of four people, including a man who was stabbed by a Hell's Angel, The stage, which was only four feet high, was surrounded by the Hells Angels, who acted as security for the concert.

 Brian Jones Former Rolling Stones Guitarist Drowns 
The inquest into the death of rock and roll star Brian Jones the former Rolling Stones Guitarist has recorded a  verdict of death by misadventure, after he had drowned when taking a cocktail of drink and drugs.  

Jim Morrison Arrested 
Jim Morrison was arrested by Dade County a few days after his performance in Miami. He was charged of one felony and three misdemeanors related to indecent behavior he displayed on stage.

Race Relations In Great Britain Worsen 
As race relations continue to worsen in Britain a group of Conductors and drivers on Wolverhampton buses who are practicing Sikhs have won the right to wear turbans on duty after the leader of a Sikh group, Sohan Singh Jolly, had threatened to burn himself to death in protest.

The Love Bug 
The Love Bug, a popular Disney movie, was released for the first time. It was a movie that featured the Volkswagen Beetle, a very popular German car.

Bernadette Devlin 
Bernadette Devlin, becomes Britain's youngest ever female MP and the third youngest MP ever.

Charles de Gaulle Resigns 
The French President, Charles de Gaulle, resigns from President of France after 11 years, following his defeat in a referendum on governmental reforms.

James Earl Ray Verdict
The verdict had been decided. James Earl Ray pleaded guilty of the crime of assassinating Martin Luther King, Jr. a major civil rights leader of the times. King was killed in Memphis Tennessee on April 4, 1968. Ray was sentenced 99 years in prison.

John Lennon Marries Yoko Ono
John Lennon of the Beatles marries Yoko Ono a Japanese avant-garde artist and musician in Gibraltar.

Israel elects Golda Meir
Golda Meir becomes first female Prime Minister of Israel, she had been born in Russia but the family had emigrated to the United States and she had gone to school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She was one of twenty-four signatories (two of them women) of the Israeli declaration of independence on May 14, 1948 .

George Harrison
The police search former Beatles George Harrison’s home for illegal drugs. This was a year after John Lennon had been searched for hash (substance derived from marijuana).

The Kray Twins Found Guilty 
The Kray twins, Ronald and Reginald, are found guilty of the murder of Jack McVitie at the Old Bailey in London , and face life imprisonment.

Pontiac Firebird Trans Am 
The Pontiac Firebird Trans Am the epitome of the American muscle car is introduced.

First ATV Race 
January 1969-First All-Terrain Vehicle Race

For the first time ever, an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) race took place in the Ossippee Mountains of New Hampshire. The ATV was considered the next step in the advancement of recreational vehicle technology.

Milan Bank Bombing 
A bomb is exploded in a bank in Milan, Italy 13 people have been killed and more than 100 injured .

UK Death Penalty Abolished 
The British Parliament votes to abolish the death penalty in Great Britain, there had been a temporary ban on the death penalty since 1965.

Boeing 747 gets its FAA airworthiness certificate
The Boeing 747 ( Often Known as Jumbo Jet ) a long-haul, wide body commercial airliner receives its FAA airworthiness certificate paving the way for its introduction into commercial service in 1970

US Institutes Draft Lottery 
The U.S. government holds its first draft lottery since World War II when the Selective Service System of the United States held a lottery to determine the order of draft (induction) into the U.S. Army for the Vietnam War.

PLO Formed 
The Palestine Liberation Organization was founded on this day. It was an organization that was established to represent the Palestinian people while Yasir Arafat was in office.

Apollo 12 
The astronauts Charles "Pete" Conrad and Alan Bean of Apollo 12 land on the Moon with their lunar lander, Intrepid, and become the second set of American astronauts to walk on the moons surface.

Sesame Street and the Muppets
Sesame Street known for its Muppet characters, created by the late Jim Henson makes it's debut on PBS. It is one of the longest-running U.S. television shows in history, and is syndicated worldwide because of it's mix of education and entertainment.

All Guns Banned From US Colleges
Following a number of protests and armed students involving guns and weapons in colleges and universities across the US new laws are being sought to ban all guns from college compasses.

Beatles Last Public Performance 
The Beatles make their last public performance giving an impromptu concert on the roof of the London recording studio. In April of the following year Paul McCartney formally announced the group's breakup.

News of the World 
Rupert Murdoch, takes over the News of the World group.

1968 Previous Year ---- ( Current Year Is 1969 ) ---- Following Year 1970

1962 News and Interesting Tidbits From History

2008-08-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

 East German Border Guards Mortally wound Peter Fechter  
East German Border Guards shoot 18 year old Peter Fechter while trying to escape from East Germany over the Berlin Wall. He was shot in the pelvis which did not kill him but when he began screaming in pain for help, nobody went to help him and after about an hour he bled to death. 

 The Beatles Replace Pete Best   
Shortly before becoming the world's best known pop group The Beatles consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney,  and George Harrison replace the groups drummer "Pete Best" with Ringo Starr.  

Cuban Missile Crisis
In a speech to the American people John F Kennedy told the audience that American Spy Planes had discovered Soviet Missile bases in Cuba, and that these missile bases when complete would be able to launch missiles capable of striking a number of US cities, he told the people that America could not allow these missile bases to be finished and would pursue any action necessary including military action to protect the nation. He informed the American people that the first stage was to place a naval quarantine on the waters around Cuba.

Timeline of Cuban Missile Crisis

15th October:    United States reconnaissance photographs taken by an American U-2 spy plane revealed missile bases being built in Cuba.

16th October:    President Kennedy is informed that reconnaissance photographs revealed the presence of missile bases in Cuba.    

18th October:    President Kennedy met Andrei Gromyko, who denies the existance of missiles in Cuba. 

22nd October:  President Kennedy, in his first public speech  informs the American public missiles have been discovered in Cuba which had the potential to attack the United States with nuclear warheads.
And gives warning that.
"It shall be the policy of this nation to regard any nuclear missile launched from Cuba against any nation in the Western Hemisphere as an attack on the United States, requiring a full retaliatory response upon the Soviet Union".

23rd October:  Options for removing misiles from Cuba are discussed with Joint Chiefs of Staff recommending a full-scale invasion, but President Kennedy opposed the Invasion concerned that the U.S. would not gain support around the world andd opted for a naval blockade of Cuba.   
  
23rd October:   The US Joint Chiefs of Staff instructed Strategic Air Command to go to DEFCON 2, for the only time in history.   
  
24th October:    The Naval Blockade of Cuba by United States  begins.

27th October:  EXCOMM Meetings in Washington 

27th October:  Private, public and diplomatic communication between the US and Soviet Union continue following the shooting down of a U-2 spy plane.

27th October:  The U.S. informs its NATO allies that the United States may find it necessary within a very short time in its interest and that of its fellow nations in the Western Hemisphere to take whatever military action may be necessary.

27th October:   Nikita Khrushchev offered to remove Soviet missile bases in Cuba if the U.S. removed its missile bases in Turkey. 

28th October:  Nikita Khrushchev informed the United States that he had ordered the dismantling of Soviet missile bases in Cuba. 

28th October:  The US informs the Soviet Union that the US would remove all missiles set in Turkey on the border of the Soviet Union.

28th October:  The US informs the Soviet Union that they will not invade Cuba.

2nd November:  President Kennedy tells the American people that Soviet missile bases in Cuba were being dismantled. 

20th November:   USSR agreed to remove bombers from Cuba and US lifted its blockade.

This is known in history as the " Cuban Missile Crisis " and took the world to the brink of nuclear war with US forces going to DEFCON 2 in preparation to full scale war. America realized that the missile launchers construction was continuing and decided that a full scale invasion of Cuba would be needed to stop the missile bases being completed, the Soviets then transmitted a proposal that all missile bases in Cuba would be dismantled in exchange for the United States not invading Cuba and dismantling Americas missile bases in Turkey.

Men are arrested by Cuban Authorities and investigated for possible spying activities , the men were all frogmen diving off the coast of Cuba, American Authorities have confirmed 7 men have been reported missing who were diving for treasure .

US Embargo Imports From Cuba 
A U.S. embargo ordered by President Kennedy will go into effect on all imports from Cuba including tobacco, seafood, fruits and vegetables

U.S. Blockade Cuba Ends
President Kennedy, calls off the U.S. blockade of Cuba in return for promised removal of Soviet bombers from the island.

Return Of Captured Americans From Bay Of Pigs Operation
The US government reaches an agreement with Cuba for the return of prisoners captured during the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba paying a ransom of $53 million in food and medical supplies when the last of more than 1,000 men taken prisoner are returned to the United States in time for Christmas.

Telstar Launched 
Telstar, the world's first communications satellite a privately sponsored space launch was launched into orbit .  The Telstar communications satellite relays the first live transatlantic television signal and the worlds telephone call transmitted through space on July 23rd.

 Silent Spring is Published 
Rachel Carson publishes "Silent Spring" documenting the detrimental effects of uncontrolled use of pesticides on the environment, particularly the book talked about causing thinner egg shells and result in reproductive problems and death on birds and other wild life.

Incredible Hulk Changes Color
In the original Hulk Comic book magazine the Hulk had gray skin in the first edition on March 1962, but in the May edition the Hulk color had changed to Green

 First KMART department Store 
The first Kmart department store opens in Garden City, Michigan selling a range of Clothes, shoes, housewares, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, and electronics.
Kmart went through a period of rapid expansion up to the early eighties but from the late 80's due to lack of investment in technology and increased competition from the growing Walmart and Target stores and change in customer tastes sales continued to decline.  In 2005 following sales decline Kmart  merged with Sears, Roebuck and Company. 

Brazil Wins 1962 World Cup 
Brazil Wins the 1962 World Cup defeating Czechoslovakia 3-1 in Chili

McDonalds Friday Problem 
After years of Friday sales dropping each week due the Catholic "No Meat On Fridays Rule", McDonald's find the solution with the Fillet-O-Fish sandwich.

This was not McDonald's first try at finding a solution in the mid 50's they had tried the "Hula Burger" which had all the ingredients of a normal burger just with a slice of grilled pineapple instead of the meat burger. The First Vegetarian burger was not a success as everyone wanted to know where is the meat.

Train Crash Tokyo
Two commuter trains and a freight train collide near Tokyo, Japan, killing more than 160 people and injuring over 350.

Jamaica Independence
Jamaica in the Caribbean gains it's independence from British rule in 1962 .

Algeria Gains Independence 
Algeria in Africa gains it's independence from France in 1962

Ranger IV Crash Lands On Moon
The first US rocket lands on the moon Ranger IV three years after the first Russian landing of Lunik II in 1959. Both of these landings would be considered crash landings not controlled landings which would be required to put a man on the moon which did happen in July of 1969.

Robert Ettinger Publishes The Prospect of Immortality 
Robert Ettinger a Michigan college physics teacher publishes the book "The Prospect of Immortality" that discusses Cryonics the low-temperature preservation of humans that can no longer be sustained by contemporary medicine until resuscitation may be possible in the future.
He went on to become President of The Cryonics Institute for over 25 years.

Originally the Cryonics Institute perfused its patients with the (antifreeze) cryoprotectant glycerol,

The Cryonics Institute still offers the service of Cryonics for those who have sufficient money to pay for the service.


It should be noted that in the medical field many experiments have been done in lowering a patients temperature as a means of helping the human body recover and saving limbs ( Going back many years fingers were put in ice to preserve them ) but this field has moved on so much further in the last 5 years.

Just one more piece to the puzzle 1987

A three-year-old beagle ( Miles ) is anesthetized, temperature adjusted to 68 degrees F. emptied of his own blood, and provided with a clear, synthetic blood that does not clot in the cold, and then almost frozen. Miles was legally dead for the hour he spent at or below 50 degrees before being thawed back to life and given back his blood. Nine months later he was still healthy .
The Cryonics experiment on Miles was carried out at the University of California at Berkeley .

Burundi Gains Independence 
Burundi Gains Independence from Belgium in 1962

Adolf Eichmann 
Adolf Eichmann the Nazi SS officer who organized Adolf Hitler's wish to exterminate Europe's Jewish population was executed for his crimes against humanity.

Friendship 7 
The Friendship 7 piloted by Marine Lieutenant John Glenn, was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida. This was the first complete orbit around the earth made by an American astronaut.

Britain To Buy Polaris Missiles From US
Britain is to buy a number of Polaris missiles from the United States as part of Britain's nuclear deterrent , it is designed to be fired from a submarine and will carry a nuclear warhead .

Nevada Underground Nuclear Testing
The US Continued it's series of underground nuclear testing in Nevada with it's 29th test with a low yield nuclear explosion equivalent to 20,000 tons of TNT

Plane Crash Long Island
95 people were killed in a plane crash that occurred along the South shore of Long Island, New York. The irony of it all is that this plane crash happened after the end of a long stretch of bad weather (rain and fog) that had continued for about a week-on a clear day.

Factory Workers Wages 1962 
The average weekly take home pay of a factory worker with three dependents is now $94.87.
JFK warns Unions to show responsible wage restraint or inflation could damage the US Economy.

Worldwide Oral Polio Vaccine 
Around the world after the approval by Governments of the Oral Polio Vaccine developed by Albert Sabin. Schools, Health Clinics and Doctors were preparing to administer the Polio Vaccine to children who had not received the injected Salk vaccine .

Polio had been increasing at an alarming rate prior to the development of the Salk vaccine and in 1952 alone over 58,000 cases of Polio occurred in the United States.

Deadly Smog Spreads Across England 
The thick layer of smog which had covered London causing the death of 90 people for the last three days is spreading across the country. Due to the high concentration of sulphur dioxide in the smog the Ministry of Health has advised those who are vulnerable to stay indoors or make "do-it-yourself masks" such as thick cotton gauze or a scarf around the mouth and nose.

Oldest Parliament In The World 
Although Iceland is remote and does not have an army or navy, it had become an important military air base since World War II. Iceland’s parliament is the oldest government in existence -- it is 1,032 years old.

Jacqueline Kennedy TV White House Tour
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy gives a tour of the White House shown on Television which 3 out of 4 Americans watch on TV.

Spy Exchange 
Francis Gary Powers, an American who was held by Russians after being shot down while flying over the Soviet Union, was released. In return, Americans had let go of a Russian spy.

French Riots 8 Die 
The State of Emergency currently in force in Paris did not stop a demonstration in Paris by 20,000 protesters against the recent wave of bomb attacks in the French capital which was organised by France's main communist-led union. The Riot led to the deaths of 8 due to being trampled underfoot in the chaos .

Beatles Turned Down By Decca 
The Beatles go for audition with Decca Records and are turned down

The Rolling Stones First Public Performance
The Rolling Stones give their first public performance at the Marquee Club in London, the original band included singer Mick Jagger, guitarists Keith Richards and Brian Jones, bassist Dick Taylor, and drummer Mick Avory. 

Marilyn Monroe 
Marilyn Monroe performed a rendition of "Happy Birthday" for President John F. Kennedy for his forty-fifth birthday during a fund-raiser at New York's Madison Square Garden.

The dress she wore that night was noted for being sheer and flesh colored with 2500 rhinestones sewn into it and designed by Jean Louis. The dress sold in 1999 at auction in New York for over US$1.26 million.

 Marilyn Monroe is found dead later in the year in her bedroom, the death was ruled a suicide, as a bottle of empty sleeping pills was found near Monroe's body.

Economic Sanctions South Africa
The United Nations General Assembly voted to recommend to its 110 members the imposition of economic and political sanctions against the Republic of South Africa for its racist policies to it's own citizens.

lewd dance 1962 
A woman was tried in court after performing a lewd dance at a local Hollywood night club. The reason that this woman went to court was because she had allowed audience members to stuff money into her costume-a practice more common today.
The womans argument regarding the allowing of money to be stuffed into her custom is that it is an old Greek custom. The jury had decided that it is Greek to them too, which implies that the jury probably ruled that she had done nothing wrong

1961 Previous Year ---- ( Current Year Is 1962 ) ---- Following Year 1963

1977 News and Interesting History Tidbits

2008-08-05T05:20:00.000-07:00

The King Elvis Presley Dies Of Heart Attack 
Elvis Presley dies at the age of 42, leaving rock and roll fans worldwide mourning his loss. Elvis was found dead at his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee. The cause of death is pronounced as cardiac arrhythmia which is a form of heart attack. Since his divorce from Priscilla Presley four years ago he has had problems with ill health which forced him to cancel a number of concerts due to exhaustion.  

Roots TV Mini Series 
The Alex Haley book "Roots" is turned into a TV Mini Series of 8 episodes and the first episode is shown on 23rd January and the last episode shown on 30th January. The mini series made history when it won 9 Emmys, a Golden Globe, and a Peabody Award. The Roots Part VIII finale episode is also still listed in the Top 3 network prime time telecasts of all time in Percent of Households with 51.1%

1. 1983 --- M*A*S*H series finale: "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" 60.2%

2. 1980 --- Dallas episode: "Who Done It?" aka "Who Shot J.R.?" 53.3%

3. 1977 --- Roots Part VIII (finale) 51.1%

Space Shuttle Maiden Flight 
The space shuttle Enterprise, sitting atop a Boeing 747, went on its maiden flight above the Mojave Desert

Yitzhak Rabin Peace talks 
Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin visits the United States for the first time and President and Mrs. Carter played host, the trip eventually led to the Camp David peace talks held between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Rabin’s replacement, Menachem Begin, in 1978.

Jumbo Jets Collide Tenerife 
Two 747 jumbo jets a KLM Boeing 747, attempting to take off, crashed into a Pan Am 747 on the runway at an airport in the Canary Islands, killing 582 passengers and crew members.

Hostages Released Washington DC 
130 hostages held in Washington, D.C., by Hanafi Muslims are freed when ambassadors from three Islamic nations joined negotiations.

105 children and six teachers held hostage Netherlands 
South Moluccan militants armed with machine guns hold 105 children and six teachers hostage in a primary school in northern Holland. Marines attack the school on June 11 in the early morning, an armoured car and explosives punches a hole in the wall and marines enter the building, the terrorists give in without a fight. The children had been released earlier due to a mysterious illness and teachers are all found safe and well.
A second band of gunmen held about 50 persons on a train about 10 miles from the school in Bovensmilde.

Roman Polanski 
Film director Roman Polanski is charged with four charges including rape, sodomy, child molestation and giving drugs to a minor in the case of raping a 13-year-old girl at the home of Hollywood star Jack Nicholson.

While awaiting trial Polanski jumped bail and fled to France in February 1978.

Blackout Hits New York 
A lightening strike strikes a substation on the Hudson River, tripping two circuit breakers in Westchester County, then a second lightning strike caused the loss of two 345,000 volt transmission lines causing a 25hrs blackout of the New York City area.
In some areas of New York Looting and vandalism were widespread with the hardest hit Crown Heights.
Subway services, LaGuardia and Kennedy airports are closed and the city struggles for the next 24 hours.

65% Non Smoking Seats
Non Smokers win court battle with Eastern Airlines which required Eastern to have at least 65% non smoking seats , this was a landmark case in many ways and the forerunner to smoking being banned on all flights.

Picadily Tube Line to Heathrow 
The Queen opens the new underground link on the Picadily Line from central London to Heathrow's terminals which will run every 4 minutes and take 40 minutes and cost 80 pence one way. ( current price £3.80 )

Egypt Breaks Off Relations
Following the hard line countries opposition to Egypt and signing the Declaration of Tripoli which includes sanctions against Egypt because President Anwar al-Sadat became the first Arab leader to recognise the state of Israel. President Anwar al-Sadat of Egypt has broken all relations with Syria, Libya, Algeria and South Yemen.

Bermuda Race Riots
In Hamilton, Bermuda British soldiers from the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers were called in to control race riots in the city. The riots went on for three days and caused $5 million in damages. Civilians and 5,000 tourists stayed hidden indoors. There had been two nights of firebombing by youth, but severe rains quelled the violence.

Oil Starts Flowing Alaska 
Crude oil from Alaska begins flowing south down the trans-Alaska pipeline to the ice-free port of Valdez, Alaska

Beverly Hills Supper Club fire
A fire takes hold and fire races through the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Kentucky killing 165 people. When the fire began it is believed over 3,000 were in the club and the combination of lack of sprinkler systems and audible automatic fire alarms together with poorly marked fire exits resulted in the large number of deaths that night.

Menachem Begin 
Menachem Begin a center-right politician for the Likud party became Israel's sixth prime minister. This is the first time the left had lost power in Israel.
The center right politics ( Likud party ) in Israel believe in the creation and control of the "Greater Israel" which includes parts of the West Bank, the Golan Heights, and the Gaza Strip and the whole of Jerusalem. They also do not believe in Palestinian statehood .

Pump Your Own Gas 1977 
Not Only do Gas station attendants no longer wash your windscreen or check your oil and water soon you will be expected to pump your own gas
We accept this now as the norm how times change

Red Rum wins Third Grand National
Red Rum wins the English Grand National for a record third time after winning in 1973 and 1974.

Seattle Slew wins Triple Crown
Seattle Slew wins the Triple Crown for three-year-old thoroughbred horses.

The Three Races for the Triple Crown in the US are
(1) The Kentucky Derby, at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky;
(2) The Preakness Stakes, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland;
(3) The Belmont Stakes, at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

Firefighters on Strike 
Firefighters in England are on strike demanding more than the 10% public sector pay ceiling imposed by the government and Troops with Green Goddess fire engines are only covering the worst emergencies throughout the UK .

The Sex Pistols 
The Sex Pistols had chosen to perform first for their British fans instead of their American ones. The band was to be on Saturday Night Live in America, but chose to perform at home in England because the one year British ban had been lifted off them.

CIA and Mind Control Budget 25 million dollars
As of today the CIA has spent a total of $25 million over 25 years to study mind control and brainwashing. Research was done by Dr. D. Ewen Cameron on sensory deprivation, isolation, and his own methods of “psychic driving”. He did these experiments at McGill University in Montreal. The psychiatric patients that Cameron used as subjects were damaged for life. The CIA also funded drug experiments on patients and staff at Memorial Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. Brainwashing experiments were also done at Cornell University Medical Center and Dr. Carl Pfeiffer did LSD studies on federal inmates in Atlanta, and the Bordentown Reformatory in New Jersey from 1955-64.

Queen Elizabeth II Celebrates Silver Jubilee 
The Queen of England "Queen Elizabeth II" celebrates 25 years as the monarch and more than one million people line the streets of London to watch the Royal Family on their way to St Paul's at the start of the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations

The Clash 
The Clash an English punk rock band,and part of the original wave of British punk rock release their first album "The Clash " .
The Clash had their first gig supporting the Sex Pistols in 1976

First Star Wars Movie Opens
Star Wars written and directed by George Lucas and released by 20th Century Fox opens in American Theaters.

The original Star Wars grossed nearly $800 million world wide and won multiple awards at the 50th Annual Academy Awards and created a cult following for future Star Wars Movies.

Baader Meinhof 
Four Palestinian hijackers hijack a Lufthansa airliner demanding the release of 11 imprisoned members of Germany's Baader-Meinhof terrorist group, also known as the Red Army Faction.

Vietnam draft dodgers 
President Carter granted a complete and unconditional pardon today to all Vietnam draft dodgers

Gary Gilmore Executed By Firing Squad 
Gary Gilmore, convicted in the double murder of an elderly couple, is shot to death by a firing squad in Utah, becoming the first person to be executed in the United States since the death penalty was reinstated .

1976 Previous Year ---- ( Current Year Is 1977 ) ---- Following Year 1978

1952 News and Interesting Tidbits Of History

2008-08-05T04:12:00.000-07:00

Great Britain Announces Atomic Bomb 
Britain announces it has developed its own atomic bomb.

Olympic Games 1952 
The Summer Olympic Games of the XV Olympiad are held in Helsinki, Finland
The Soviet Union competes for the first time in the Olympics

Emil Zatopek of Czechoslovakia wins the 10,000 metre race.


Emil Zatopek went on to win three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. 5,000 metres, 10,000 metres and the marathon making him possibly one of the greatest runners of the 20th century.

South Africa Arrests Nelson Mandella 1952 
Police struck at the heart of the resistance to segregation by throwing top leaders of the movement for crossing forbidden race barriers including Nelson Mandella into Prison

Puerto Rico  Self Governing Commonwealth  Of US   
After a number of years during which there were revolts including the Jayuya Uprising  against the United States.  Puerto Rico became a self-governing commonwealth of the United States. 

The head of state is still George Bush and the Federal Legislative Branch is the United States Congress. The country is currently run by the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico who hold control of the Puerto Rican House of Representatives and Senate who are campaigning for the right of Statehood for Puerto Rico.   

 Military Coup d'etat Egypt 1952
 A military coup d'etat in Egypt headed by Colonel Gamal Abdal Nasser's  Society of Free Officers seizes control of the government. Following the revolution King Farouk I of Egypt abdicates.  The revolutionaries redistributed land, tried politicians for corruption, and in 1953 abolished the monarchy. In 1954, Nasser emerged from behind the scenes, removed Naguib from power, and proclaimed himself prime minister of Egypt.  

King George V1 Dies 
King George V1 dies making Elizabeth II the Sovereign of Great Britain, The Future Queen of England heard the news while on a trip to Kenya . .

Queen Elizabeth gives her first Christmas Queens Speech 
The young Queen Elizabeth gives her first Christmas broadcast on BBC radio from the study at Sandringham House

Lynmouth, Devon Flooding 
 The holiday village of Lynmouth in North Devon has been devastated by flooding caused by the local rivers East and West Lyn overflowing due to the torrential rain in the previous 24 hours. Rows of local cottages including the occupants were smashed as the river which had burst it's banks came flooding down the local high street. The village has lost all power, phones and gas. There are believed to be 30 people missing presumed dead. 

Communist Teachers Banned From Public Schools 
As part of the paranoia concerning communism and the cold war the U.S. Supreme Court upholds a New York state law that prohibits communists from teaching in public schools.

Deadly London Smog 
A deadly smog created by the smoke, soot and sulfur dioxide from the factories, cars and coal fires in local homes begins to hover over London, England, which continues for four days, leading to the deaths of at least 4,000 people.

Live Atomic bomb Test Shown On TV 
For the first time in history, viewers witnessed live the detonation of an atomic bomb at the U.S. testing site in Yucca Flat, Nevada on Television, The Atomic bomb tested was larger than those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the second world war.

First Indian Elections 
The Congress Party of India, led by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, wins an outright victory in the country's first general election

First Don’t Walk Sign 
The first “Don’t Walk” sign was installed in New York City . The installation of this sign was inspired by the growing number of deaths resulting from pedestrian accidents. The use of these pedestrian traffic signs are still used today in order to make streets safer.

Population Growth 
The worlds population in 1952 currently stands at 47 people per square mile of land but it was predicted that this may well double by the end of the century due to population growth ( Current figures 2007 are 115 people per square mile )

Diary of Anne Frank 
The diary of Anne Frank, a Jewish victim of the Holocaust is to be published in English titled "The Diary of a Young Girl".

Her diary, later entitled "The Diary of Anne Frank", becomes one of the most popular books in the world and is included in most schools as recommended reading. ( I read this very moving journal after my daughter read it in high school just a few years ago and was amazed at how well it was written under terrible circumstances )

The diary provides a disturbing account of a teenager living in hiding with seven others in fear of their lives in occupied Holland, Anne Frank died of typhus just before her 16th birthday in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945.

First Commercial Jet Airliner
The worlds first commercial Jet Airliner a The De Havilland Comet took off from London , this will cut up to a third of the time from traditional aircraft flight times.

"Today" Program Begins on NBC 
NBC’s "Today" program debuts on NBC hosted by Dave Garroway. The show was the first of it's kind and the format was copied not only in the US but worldwide .

B36 Bomber Crash
A B36 Bomber failed to take off from Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane This was the worlds largest bomber with 10 engines and 15 out of the 17 crew were killed during take off .

TV Detector Vans Introduced 
In the UK the BBC is funded via TV Licences issued by the British Government keeping the BBC free of commercial advertising, in 1952 following a report that showed large numbers of people were not paying for the licence the government bought in TV Detector Vans to track down users of unlicensed television sets in the UK.

The Mousetrap Opens In London 
The Whodunit The Mousetrap written by Agatha Christie opens in London at the Ambassadors Theatre in London's West End. It will go on to be the longest running play in history with 20,000 performances in London's West End, It is still running today having moved to a St Martins Theatre in 1974 .

US Public Debt Record Levels 
Concerns are growing over the mounting public debt which is predicted to reach 268 billion dollars by the end of the financial year.
2007 The current US Public Debt stands at 9 trillion dollars and is increasing by $1.46 billion per day

Seizure of Steel Mills 
Following President Truman's seizure of Steel Mills last month , the case on the legality is now before the supreme court. Does the president have powers to seize private industries in national emergencies. ( this was due to a strike in the Steel Mills )

Tea Ration ends 1952 
Tea rationing ends after 12 years in Great Britain a nation of tea drinkers . Sweets, Meat , Eggs, Butter and sugar are still on ration.

Mr. Potato Head 
Hasbro introduces the popular children's toy Mr. Potato Head a plastic model of a potato which can be decorated with attachable plastic parts, such as a mustache, hat and nose, to make a face.
Mr. Potato Head was also the first children's toy to be sold through national television advertising.
Mr. Potato Head is still sold today over 50 years later below is the link to his page on Hasbro.
http://www.hasbro.com/playskool/mrpotatohead/

Steel Plants Placed Under Federal Control 
With a threatened steel workers strike President Truman used his Presidential Power to place the steel plants under his control which led to a battle before the Supreme Court In June of that year when The Supreme Court ruled that the president had overstepped his authority.

First Mechanical Heart 
The worlds first successful use of a mechanical heart on July 3rd during a heart operation was announced in the United States, it kept a mans blood going through his body for a total of 50 minutes and he is still alive and well on October 17th.

Worlds First Hydrogen Bomb 
The United States detonates the world's first thermonuclear weapon, the hydrogen bomb, on Eniwetok atoll in the Pacific.

1951 Previous Year ---- ( Current Year Is 1952 ) ---- Following Year 1953

1958 News and Interesting History Tidbits

2008-07-31T08:09:00.000-07:00

Check Out News Stories and Interesting Tidbits of History from 50 Years ago in 1958

What Happened 50 years ago in 1958 Including Prices

Recession starts to bite in America with 7.0% ( 5.2 million ) people unemployed

The average wages per year is $4.600.00

The average cost of a new home $12,750.00

A Gallon of Gas cost 25 cents

Toyota and Datsun Cars go on sale in The US

The First US Passenger Jets come into service with the Boeing 707

Elvis Presley is inducted into the Army.

US Nuclear Submarine " Nautilus " passes under Ice Cap at North Pole

The Wham-O company introduces the Hula Hoop

Alaska becomes the 49th State

The Microchip ( the magic chip that makes all our PC's work ) first developed in US by Intel

The Munich air disaster in which 7 Manchester United Players died

Popular Singers in 1958 included
Elvis Presley singing Jailhouse Rock, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Jerry Lee Lewis singing Great Balls Of Fire

Popular Films Included
The Bridge on the River Kwai and Vertigo

Some of The Cars You May Have Bought 50 years ago
Austin Healey Bug Eyed Sprite ( $1,795 )
Chrysler New Yorker ( $4,347 )
Ford Edsel Corsiar ( $3,346 )
Oldsmobile, Super 88 ( $2,958 )
Studebaker Starlight President ( $2695 )

Some of The Other Everyday items you may have bought 50 years ago
Chromecraft 7 piece Dinette Set $149.99
Ronson Electric Shaver $12.88
Philco Black and White TV 20 inches $229.95
Bananas 27 cents for 2 pounds
Campbells Tomato Soup 10 cents
Sirloin Steak 55 cents per pound
Pork Roast 42 cents per pound

A new home in Long Beach California with 3 bedroom 2 bathrooms , built in kitchen , ceramic tiles , breakfast bar and brick fireplace on large lots From $17,700

  Arthur Miller 
The playwright Arthur Miller has been cleared of contempt of court by the Court of Appeals for refusing to provide the names of alleged Communist writers with whom he had attended meetings with in New York in 1947 to the House of Un-American Activities Committee. 

  NASA Created  
 NASA ( National Aeronautics and Space Administration ) is created by the National Aeronautics and Space Act to make sure America will win the space race and 11 years and billions of dollars later, Neil Armstrong stepped out of the lunar module Eagle and onto the moon's surface on July 20, 1969. 

Fidel Castro
Rebel guerrillas, led by Fidel Castro, are involved in heavy fighting around the town of Santa Clara, Cuba on 30th December, the capital of the province of Las Villas.

Two days later, Castro and his guerrillas had taken control and President Batista fled the country to the Dominican Republic

Hula Hoop
The Hula Hoop started in Australia as an exercise ring ( made of Bamboo ), a small American toy company Wham-O saw the hoop and made it in plastic and introduced it in 1958 renamed it the Hula-Hoop and it became an instant success with children and parents making it the success of the year .The Hula-Hoop, first marketed by Wham-O in 1958, is not patented by the company's co-founder, Arthur "Spud" Melin until 1963

Elvis Presley inducted in US Army
Elvis Presley is inducted as US Army as a private #53310761 and completed basic training at Fort Hood, Texas, before being posted to Friedberg, Germany with the 3rd Armored Division. It was while in the army he studied Karate which he continued to study after his term in the army finished as a sergeant on March 2, 1960.

Food Shortage 
A shortage of food was occurring at this time, and it was not getting any better. This lack of sufficient food supplies started to take place in Shantung, China and has spread as far as the Southern coast.

It is estimated 30 million died during the Great Chinese Famine officially referred to as the Three Years of Natural Disasters of 1958–61 in China, but now accepted by the Chinese Government as a combination of Natural Disasters and poor planning following the Great Leap Forward which moved many peasant farmers off the land into Iron and steel production, the famine was also caused by changes in farming practices and a series of droughts and floods including the great the Yellow River flood which is considered the 7th deadliest natural disaster in the 20th century .

  Rivers and Harbors Flood Control Bill 
 Following deadly floods caused by  Hurricanes Connie and Diane  in August 1955 President Eisenhower signs the Rivers and Harbors Flood Control Bill, allocating funds for improvement of flood-control and water-storage systems including specific provisions for hurricane flood protection.

  Nautilus Gets To North Pole 
The US Nuclear Submarine Nautilus is the first undersea vessel to reach the Geographic North Pole 

  Packard Cars End Production 
 Production of the luxury Packard  automobiles is ended shortly after Packard is merged with Studebaker.

  Iraq Becomes A Republic 
 A military coup in Iraq overthrows the monarchy making Iraq a republic. The Crown Prince Abdul Illah and Nuri es Said, prime minister of the Iraq-Jordan Federation, had been assassinated by the rebels.  

New Prince Born In Monaco 
Former film star Grace Kelly who is now married to Prince Rainier and is now known as Princess Grace gives birth to her second child a boy Albert Alexandre Louis Pierre. He will take automatic precedence over his one-year-old sister, Princess Caroline to become the next King.

 Alaska Statehood Act 
The Alaska Statehood Act is signed by President Dwight Eisenhower. This will make Alaska the 49th State In January of the following year.

Gatwick Airport Re-Opens 
After having been closed for 2 years the new Gatwick Airports which is London's second airport opens after major re-development. The work has included adding a railway station. Gatwick Airport is now one of the world's top 10 busiest international airports.

The Broadway musical "My Fair Lady" 
Following it's success on Broadway the musical "My Fair Lady" opens for its first night in London's West End at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, with Rex Harrison as Professor Higgins, and Julie Andrews playing Eliza Doolittle. Tickets for the show cost just over £1, the first month is sold out before opening night.

Satellite Maps 
The US Military hinted that it will be possible with satellites orbiting the earth to pinpoint any place on the earth and make a detailed drawing including unfriendly countries

Brazil Wins 1958 World Cup
Brazil Wins the 1958 World Cup defeating Sweden 5-2 in Sweden

School Bus Crash Big Sandy River Kentucky
A school bus plunges into the Big Sandy River in Kentucky drowning 24 children and the driver.

General Charles de Gaulle Elected
Following a long political crisis over the revolt in Algeria, Charles de Gaulle is called out of retirement to head a new emergency government as a virtual dictator for a 6 month period to bring the country back together. General Charles de Gaulle is elected President of France with a large majority.

First US Commercial Jet Flight
The first domestic passenger jet powered aircraft flight took place in the United States as a National Airlines Boeing 707 flew 111 passengers from New York City to Miami.

School Fire Chicago 
A fire at Our Lady of Angels School grade school in Chicago grade leaves 90 children dead due to poor fire prevention including no sprinklers and no fire drills .

Manchester United Football Team Disaster 
A British European Airways flight crashes just after takeoff from Munich Airport. Eight players from the Manchester United soccer team together with 15 others died in the crash.

Introduction of The T-Bird 
A four-passenger Thunderbird was made by the Ford Company, and it was introduced in 1958. This new version was called the “Square Bird”, and was considered to be a model of car that turned the Thunderbird from a sports car into a luxury car. This version of the Thunderbird is often even today referred to as the T-Bird. It is known as the epitome of 1950s culture, and has appeared in movies such as Grease and in music videos (i.e. Beach Boys “I get Around”).

Transatlantic Jet Service 
The first Trans Atlantic passenger jetliner service begins by BOAC with flights between London and New York on the new Comet Jet Airliner.

Bobby Fischer
Robert James Fischer, a 14 year old boy from New York received the title of U.S. Chess Champion. This was considered a miracle that had happen-as he was as young as he was. Young Mr. Fischer was native to Brooklyn, New York. The contest took place in Downtown Manhattan.

Nelson E. Rockefeller 
Republican Nelson E. Rockefeller has won in New York unseating Democratic Governor Averell Harriman with more than half a million voted to spare. This was the millionaires first attempt at public office .

Colorado Snowstorm 1958 
Three feet of snow fall near Colorado Springs. This snowfall was one of the earliest that this region ever experienced. Another foot of snow had fallen in the Central area of Colorado as well. As a result of these storms, numerous drivers were stranded, and a large region of the state was nearly shut down.

1957 Previous Year ---- ( Current Year Is 1958 ) ---- Following Year 1959

1956 News and Interesting History Tidbits

2008-07-31T04:37:00.000-07:00

Segregation Laws Upheld 
The US Supreme Court upholds a ban on racial segregation in state schools, colleges and universities, When the University of North Carolina appeals against an earlier ruling which ordered college officials to admit three black students to what was previously an all-white University

First Commercial Videotape Recorder 
Ampex Corp. demonstrated its first commercial videotape recorder the VR-1000, which was the first of Ampex's videotape recorders.

CBS was one of the early TV companies to adopt the technology which allowed a one hour long program to be recorded on one reel of tape.
One reel of tape cost $300, equivalent to $2,000 in 2000.
A recorder cost about $75,000 to $100,000, about a half a million dollars today.

Islamic Republic of Pakistan 
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan becomes an independent republic within the British Commonwealth. Following the fighting in Pakistan and India in 1947 during the first stages of Independence from Great Britain when Muslims moved to Pakistan, creating a country where 96% of the population are Muslim.

Currently Pakistan has the world's sixth largest population. Below is a table with the worlds top ten population estimates as of latest figures.

People's Republic of China 1,323,353,000

India 1,128,000,000

United States 303,232,774

Indonesia 231,627,000

Brazil 186,029,000

Pakistan 162,312,500

Bangladesh 158,665,000

Nigeria 148,093,000

Russia 141,849,000

Japan 127,790,000

Martin Luther King Jr Convicted 
Martin Luther King Jr. was convicted for violating Alabama's anti-boycott law when he organized a boycott of all city buses in Montgomery .

Grace Kelly Marries Prince Rainier of Monaco
Academy Award winning American film and stage actress Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier of Monaco

Packard Cars
The last 1956 Packard was produced, marking the end of production at Packard's Connor Avenue plant in Detroit, Michigan. Packard would continue to manufacture cars in South Bend, Indiana, until 1958, but for those familiar with Packard the last 1956 is considered the last true Packard car.

"In God We Trust"
President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a law officially declaring “In God We Trust” to be the nation’s official motto. The law, P.L. 84-140, also required that the phrase be printed on all American paper currency.

British Health Minister Rejects Call for Smoking Bans
The British Health Minister RH Turton, rejects calls for a government campaign against smoking, saying no ill-effects have actually been proven from smoking and the link between smoking and lung Cancer has not been proved.

British Frogman Disappears
A British naval diver ( Commander Lionel "Buster" Crabb ) goes missing ( Later Found Dead ) during a Goodwill Visit by a Soviet cruiser carrying Soviet leaders Nikita Khruschev and Marshal Nikolai Bulganin.

At the time no one would admit that he was spying on the Russian Cruiser on a spying mission for MI6 and had dived under the cruiser to check out the hull and any other information he could find. And it still remains a mystery on how he died.

My Fair Lady Opens On Broadway 
The musical "My Fair Lady" opened on Broadway. The play based on George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion from the mid 1930's and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The stars of the musical Rex Harrison as Henry Higgins and Julie Andrews as Eliza Doolittle help to make the production was a smash hit.

Olympic Games 1956 
The Summer Olympic Games of the XVI Olympiad are held in Melbourne, Australia / Stockholm, Sweden (Equestrian events)

Due to quarantine regulations The equestrian events were not held in Australia but were held five months earlier in Stockholm, Sweden.

For the first time in Olympic History Athletes enter the closing ceremony mingling with each other not in teams to signal unity and peace in sports ( the tradition is still carried on today )

These are also the first Olympic Games to be held in the Southern Hemisphere and were nicknamed "The Friendly Games" due to the Australian Peoples friendliness.

Archbishop Makarios Deported 
In a hope to ease tensions in Cyprus British authorities have ordered the deportation of the Greek Cypriot leader, Archbishop Makarios.

Instead of easing tensions in Cyprus more violence broke out on the Island and Britain worked with him and other leaders over the next few years to achieve a peaceful settlement and in 1960 he became president when Cyprus gained its independence.

Premium Bonds Introduced In Britain 
The British Chancellor Harold Macmillan has unveiled plans for a new state saving scheme ( Premium Bonds ) offering cash prizes of up to by £1,000 instead of interest.

The Bonds are introduced in November and Premium Bond winning numbers were generated by an Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment, a computer otherwise known as Ernie.
In Britain over 20 million people own premium bonds with the chance of winning two monthly jackpots of £1m.

St Lawrence Seaway 
With the construction of The St. Lawrence Seaway Continuing at an intense pace the Canadian Authorities are now facing the relocation of 6,500 people who lived in 1 town, 8 villages and 225 farms who live in the area where the Long Sault Dam will flood over 20,000 acres. They are committed to creating complete new villages for all these people as part of the project which when finished will be a truly great feat of construction and engineering expertise.

Elvis Presley "Heartbreak Hotel" 
Elvis Presley has his first number one on the Billboard Pop Singles Chart with "Heartbreak Hotel" staying number one for 8 weeks.

Love Me Tender 
Love Me Tender, Elvis Presley's first movie, opens in New York.

Suez Crisis 
The UK and U.S.A. withdraw offers of aid for creation of the Aswan high dam in response to President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt forming closer relationships with the Soviet Union.
President Gamal Abdel Nasser announced 5 days later he would nationalize the Suez Canal to provide revenue for the construction of the high Aswan dam leading to the Suez Crisis.
The Soviet Union stepped up in 1958 and funded the Aswan high dam project, the project was completed in 1970 and created the man made reservoir Lake Nasser.

Allied forces took control of the Suez Canal with British and French parachute troops holding the Mediterranean key to the Suez Canal at Port Said.

Petrol Rationing England 
As a result of the Suez crisis, oil is not getting through from the middle east and petrol rationing is to be introduced in Britain from next month, and is expected to last for four months, and will be controlled through books of coupons.

Normal car users will be allowed enough petrol for 200 miles per month while business travellers will be allowed an additional 100 miles per month. Additional petrol allowance will be allowed for farmers, doctors, midwives and disabled drivers. Almost instantly drivers queued up at local garages before the rationing came in causing even more panic buying and as a result of shortages of supply petrol increased to six shillings a gallon ( 30p ).

Federal-Aid Highway Act
Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 bill into law. The National Interstate and Defense Highways Act was for the construction of 41,000 miles of interstate highways over a 20-year period and was the largest public works project ever undertaken. For each highway created 90 percent of construction costs were paid by the Federal budget and 10% from the local state.

The Hungarian October Revolution
The Hungarian October Revolution is now in it's third day with demonstrators fighting in the streets of Budapest with Soviet Troops. Estimates range from 3,000 to 5,000 dead and many lying in the streets where they have fallen. They are protesting for economic reforms and the withdrawal of Soviet troops and tanks. The new Prime Minister is appealing for calm.

Saarland Germany's Tenth State 
Saarland had one million inhabitants and was rich in raw materials such as coal. It was to become Germany’s tenth state at midnight. France and Germany had fought over the area for 250 years.

Elvis Presley First TV Appearance
The young country rock singer Elvis Presley makes his first ever television appearance on Television in the musical variety program Stage Show singing his first number 1 hit "Heartbreak Hotel".

Elvis Presley "Hound Dog"
Elvis Presley introduces his new single, "Hound Dog," on The Milton Berle Show. and scandalized the audience with his suggestive hip gyrations.

Rocky Marciano Retires 
Rocky Marciano retires as the only undefeated Heavyweight Champion of the world with a perfect record

1955 Previous Year ---- ( Current Year Is 1956 ) ---- Following Year 1957

2000 News and Interesting History Tidbits

2008-07-30T03:16:00.000-07:00

 
  Brush Fires Worst In 50 Years 
( August 2000 ) As the number, intensity and area of the Western United States affected by brush fires increases to more than 1.5 million hectares burned making this the worst year for wild fires in 50 years. Below is an idea and the scale of the problem

US States Affected
   
Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. 

Firefighters involved in fighting the fires 
  
State, Marines, Army, National Guard, Canadian Assistance, Mexican Assistance

Number of Fires 
  
60,000 fires so far 

Number Of Acres Burnt So Far

Four million acres 

Number Of Acres Still Burning
  
900,000 acres

This has been the worst in 50 years and firefighters see no end to the problems because of more continued high temperatures, low humidity, and rainless thunderstorms causing lightning which ignites most of the fires in the first place. This year may well go down in record books as the worst in history because August and September are traditionally the worst months of the year and this is just the start of August.

 Price Of A Barrel Of Oil drops below $30.00 
In July Saudi Arabia has announced it may well break from OPEC and make a unilateral decision to increase it's oil production by 500,000 barrels a day to ease oil prices. This will be in addition to the Opec announcement to increase production by 708,000 barrels a day. 
The price of crude oil has tripled in just 18 months from $10.00 a barrel to $30.00 a barrel causing concerns over a world wide recession due to inflation pressures. ( The price of gas in the US has now soared to close to $2.00 a gallon breaking new ground. )

 Vladimir Putin Elected 
Vladimir Putin was elected president of Russia for the first time he went on to be re-elected in 2004 and is the current President of the Russian Federation.

  Dow Jones Jumps 500 Points In One Day
The Dow Jones Average shot up 500 points on March 16th. This was one of the busiest trading days in the history of the New York Stock Exchange.

  Zimbabwe White Farmer Shot And Killed 
Problems with racial tension continue in the country of Zimbabwe as  President Robert Mugabe pressed on with his plan to remove Zimbabwe's farms from white ownership, with the latest death when a  white farmer in Zimbabwe is shot dead by squatters occupying his land.

 
 2000 Presidential Elections
The Florida Supreme Court ordered an immediate hand count of about 45,000 disputed presidential ballots. 
   
Republican Candidate George W Bush won the most electoral votes
 
Democratic candidate Al Gore, received more popular votes
 
In the American system of presidential elections, the electoral vote system determines the winner and George W Bush went onto become the President of the United States.

Florida was still performing recounts on December 12  when the United States Supreme Court decision ended the Florida recounts and allowed Florida to certify its vote giving the result to Bush.

  New York Senate Clinton 
Hillary Rodham Clinton, wife of President Clinton, has won a seat for the Democrats representing New York in the Senate to become the only First Lady to win elective office in US history.

  Concorde Crash Paris 
 An Air France Concorde jet bound for New York crashes upon takeoff in Paris killing everyone onboard as well as four people on the ground.

  First Draft of Human Genome 
 At a  press conference in London Scientists from the Sanger Centre hand over the gift of the human genome partially funded by the Wellcome  Trust to the world with 85% of the code written in DNA accurately sequenced and put in its proper order.
The Human Genome Project has the capacity for impact on every human on Earth and society and politicians must decide if the knowledge is used for great good or great evil for mankind and many believe it is modern science's greatest achievement . 
The Human Genome which is the 2m-long string of DNA contains the instructions for every physical aspect of your body, from the pattern of fine capillaries in your lungs to the unique speckled pattern of your iris. As big business becomes involved concerns over the use and control of the information will raise a number of concerns and ethical questions which society will need to address.

  Panama Canal Handed Over To Panama 
 As the new millennium begins the United States has handed over the Panama Canal to Panama, ending nearly 100 years of American control over one of the world's most strategic waterways. The Panama canal is nearly 50 miles long joining the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and has been run by the US Defense Department since it opened in August 1914

  Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 
The latest Harry Potter book has been released and for the first time a Harry Potter book is released simultaneously on both sides of the Atlantic. This is the forth book in the Harry Potter series and the initial run is over 5 million books with many book sellers opened at midnight for devoted followers to get their copy.

  Pete Sampras Wins 7th Wimbledon Mens Championship
 Pete Sampras wins his seventh and final Wimbledon singles title beating Patrick Rafter , tying the record with  William Renshaw for men at the All England Club. He had won on 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 Mens Wimbledon Championships.

   Tiger Woods  Grand Slam
 Tiger Woods today became the youngest player to win a career Grand Slam after winning the British Open at St. Andrews

  George Speight Attempted Coup Fiji  
 The Rebel coup leader George Speight who led the coup to overthrow Fiji's democratically elected government in May by taking Fiji's Indian Prime Minister, Mahendra Chaudhry, and members of his multi-racial government hostage for 8 weeks has been arrested and will face treason charges. 

He was found guitly of treason and is currently serving a term of life imprisonment for his role in the overthrow of the constitutional government.

  Same Sex Couples Civil Unions
 Vermont Gov. Howard Dean signed the nation's first bill allowing same-sex couples to form civil unions. 
Other states in the US have had "domestic partnership" agreements for some time, some with a lesser status and fewer benefits, but others including the states of California, Oregon and Washington with enactments similar or equivalent to civil union.

  Elian Gonzalez
The six year old little boy Elian Gonzalez who had survived a shipwreck in which his mother who was trying to enter the US as an illegal immigrant drowned, is taken by a swat team from other Cuban relatives in Miami and following a number of court battles the little boy is returned to his father in Cuba.

  EU Beef Import Ban Trade War Looming
Following a ban by the  European Union on all Beef Imports from the US over the widespread use of growth hormones which the EU believes could cause increased cancer, nerve disorders and other health problems. The US has placed trade sanctions worth $116m on EU Goods.
 
All European Union farmers are banned from giving hormones to cattle because of health fears. 
 
Many believe this could spread to an all trade war between Europe and America as GM crop imports are also restricted due to concerns over possible health issues. 
  
As of 2008  the European Union still has a ban on beef raised with the use of hormones, which bars most U.S. beef imports. They also now have a ban on US pork produced with a growth hormone and  poultry treated with chlorine and other chemicals. Europe is still also refusing to accept imports of any unauthorized GM crops which again effects imports / exports between the EU and the US.

 Britain Cracks Down on Illegal Immigration
New measures to curb illegal immigration are implemented at ports throuout the UK with more containers and lorries being searched and new measures implemented on the Channel Tunnel.

 
  International Space Station 
One American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts became the first to move into the international space station, preparing for a four-month stay.

  BSE Report in UK 
A report on BSE ( Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ) commonly called Mad Cow Disease places the blame on many organisations and politicians for the spread and growth of BSE and it's human form vCJD ( Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease ).

1. The danger to the public was not identified quickly enough

2. The Government did not inform the public quick enough 

3. Recycling of animal protein in feed was the main cause of the spread of the disease and should have been identified much earlier. 

4. Ministers were more concerned with damage caused by panic to the beef industry than the health of it's citizens.

There were 3,253 cases of BSE identified and 18 human deaths from vCJD.

  Ozone Hole Increased
According to NASA the hole in the Ozone layer over Antartica has increased by .62 sq miles to 17 square miles in just 12 months

  Childers Palace Backpackers Hostel fire 
  A fire at the  Childers Palace Backpackers Hostel in the town of Childers, in Queensland, Australia has left 15 backpackers dead after the fire completely destroyed the hostel. Investigations are continuing to find the cause but it is believed to be arson.
Robert Paul Young was later charged with murder and sentenced to a life sentence.

  Pope John Paul II In Israel 
Pope John Paul II who is currently on visiting   Israel as part of his Millennium Pilgrimage, prayed for forgiveness of the sins of those involved in the Holocaust.  John Paul II has said visiting the area has fulfilled one of his dreams since he was elected Pontiff in 1978. The trip is a milestone in relations between Catholicism and Judaism.

  Guiness Bubbles Float Downwards
This was a big debate in the city of Dublin, Ireland-one of the more peaceful and light-hearted this nation has ever taken part in. The question was asked why the bubbles float downwards rather than upwards when Guinness beer is poured into a glass.

  The Tate Modern Opens
The Tate Modern art gallery in a conversion of the former power station on Bankside in London opens its doors. The Tate Modern is the worlds largest modern art gallery with 84 galleries on three levels.

  Millennium Bridge 
The new Millennium Bridge connecting  St Paul's Cathedral to the Tate Modern gallery on the South Bank  across the Thames is closed after it begins swaying violently in the wind under the weight of hundreds of pedestrians on opening day.

  Illegal Immigrants 
The bodies of 58 Chinese illegal immigrants  have been found in the back of a Dutch-registered lorry at the English port of Dover during a routine search of the lorry. The illegal trafficking of immigrants has been increasing through British Ports as immigration rules are tightened

 Iceberg B-15 world's largest recorded iceberg 
Iceberg B-15 breaks away from  the Ross Ice Shelf,  Antarctica in March 2000, and it broke up into several pieces in 2002 and 2003, the largest of which, B-15A, was the world's largest free floating object 1,200 square miles, or approximately the size of Luxembourg).

  Freak Weather In England Causes Chaos 
Unusual severe weather including blizzards and the coldest day in April on record brings chaos to Roads, Rail and Air Travel throughout the UK.

 US Microsoft Antitrust Case
 A case started in 1998 filed against Microsoft Corporation by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and twenty U.S. states claiming Microsoft abused it's monopoly power in its handling of operating system sales with it's bundled web browser ( Internet Explorer ) to eliminate competition in the Browser Wars between Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator and Opera. 
The main issue in the case was that Microsoft embedded it's Own Browser in it's Operating System for free .  
On 3rd April 2000, Judge Jackson  issued a two-part ruling: his conclusions of law were that Microsoft had committed monopolization, attempted monopolization, and tying in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act, and his remedy was that Microsoft must be broken into two separate units, one to produce the operating system, and one to produce other software components.

 
  The Beginning Of Reality TV Shows
Big Brother Shows are shown around the world for the first time in 2000
It is generally accepted that the beginnings of Reality TV Shows ( fly on the wall ) style started with Big Brother  where contestants live in a house cut off from the outside world and the house is fitted with cameras that record everything with the producers deciding what will be shown for each day.
This style of television has gained wide popularity because the Internet allows the audience to check on the house at any time.
The number of shows that have spawned from this style of Television Programming has increased in ever increasing numbers 
Although "Big Brother" Appeared Worldwide from 2000 onwards the game was originally created by John de Mol for his production company, Endemol and shown in the Netherlands in September 1999 


  

  Olympic Games 2000
The Summer Olympic Games of the XXVII Olympiad  are held in Sydney, Australia.

Steve Redgrave of Great Britain became a member of a small select group who had won gold medals at five consecutive Olympics in the coxless four.

Marion Jones, winner of three golds and two bronzes for 
100 m, 200 m, 4x100 m Relay, 4x400 m Relay, Long Jump 
admitted in 2007 to taking steroids prior to The Sydney Games and The United States Anti-Doping Agency imposed sanctions that included disqualification of all her competitive results obtained after September 1, 2000 which included all her Olympic titles and medals

 M25 Road Rage Killer
 Kenneth Noye the so-called M25  "road rage" killer is beginning a life sentence after being convicted of murder at the Old Bailey in London.

 Elected Mayor Of London
Ken Livingstone an independent is elected  as London's first elected mayor with a clear victory polling nearly 40% of first preferences in the mayoral election.

 Madonna Marries 
Madonna has married British movie director Guy Ritchie at an exclusive ceremony in the Scottish Highlands.

 AOL Merger with Time Warner 
The FTC approves the $111 billion merger of America Online and Time Warner.  

 DOT COM Bubble Boom and Bust
 The Dot Com Bubble based on the new Internet sector and related fields that had started to burst from it's highs on March 10th 2000 ( NASDAQ  5,048.62 double it's value in just one year ) . By March 16th had dropped nearly 10% and in July 19th was continuing it's downward spiral with closing of 4,055.
 
There are a number of reasons quoted for the DOT.COM boom and bust cycle including:
 
IPO's for companies that had never shown a profit.

Massive spending on advertising campaigns that yielded little in the way of resulting sales.
 
But the most basic reason was that good business practice went out the window because investors were chasing the next big thing and super high profits.
 
By 2002 following a number of high profile DOTCOM companies going bust ( eToys.com Boo.com, Freeinternet.com, Webvan.com ) and others trading at share never reached again, By late 2002  the  NASDAQ had dropped to lows below 1,500 and is currently ( July 8th 2008 ) trading at 2,294.42.

  Cable Car Fire Austria 
A cable car taking skiers up to a glacier in Austria catches fire as it passes through a mountain tunnel and 156 people die. The fire was caused by an illegal space heater in the cable car.

 Mississippi River
A major environmental disaster happens when Over 300 gallons of black sludge is released into the Mississippi River near Inez, Kentucky as the result of the collapse of an energy company’s dam resulting  in the death of millions of fish and cost nearly 78 million dollars to clean up. the company was charged guilty of Clean Water Act violations.

1988 News and Interesting History Tidbits

2008-07-29T14:15:00.000-07:00

The Burmese 8888 Uprising ( so called because of date 08-08-88 )
Students begin protesting for a return to democracy and are joined Burmese citizens from all walks of life, including Buddhist monks. The demonstrations were peaceful and spread from the Burmese capital to other cities in Burma. As the numbers of protesters grew Burma's military government leader Ne Win put military soldiers on the streets with orders, "That Guns were not to shoot upwards,", it is estimated that the soldiers killed in excess of 2,500 students and Buddhist monks before the uprising ended . In 2007 protests started again and the government response again led to the use of force by the military.

Clapham Junction Rail Crash
Three trains are involved in a collision during morning rush hour at Clapham Junction in south London, with 35 dead and 100 others injured.

Pan Am Flight 103 
On December 21, 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 the third daily scheduled transatlantic flight from London's Heathrow International Airport to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport was destroyed by a bomb, and the remains landed in and around the town of Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

Seiken Tunnel 
Passengers were stuck in Seiken Tunnel, which just recently opened up in Tokyo just a couple of days before this time. This delay was caused by a power outage, during which time people were held up underground for three hours 460 feet underground.

Iran-Contra Indictments
Former National Security Adviser John M. Poindexter, former White House aide Oliver L. North and two others are indicted on charges relating to the Iran-Contra affair.

95% Of All Cars Sold In US Made In US
The latest figures released show that the big three US auto makers Ford Motor Company, GM Motors and Chrysler between between them account for 95% of the US domestic sales.

Iraq Bombs Supertankers 
Iraq bombed and destroyed 2 of the worlds largest supertankers in the Southern Persian Golf loading oil in the Iranian offshore loading terminal of Larak .
Later in the year the Iraq / Iran War ended after nearly 8 years .

Gibraltar IRA Gang Shot 
IRA gang who were reported to have planted a 500lb car bomb near the British Governor's residence shot dead in Gibraltar.

Murder at Milltown Cemetery 
A gunman opens fire and throws grenades into the crowd of mourners at Milltown Cemetery in Northern Ireland killing 3 mourners and injuring at least 50 attending the funeral for IRA members shot dead in Gibraltar.

Ivan the Terrible Found Guilty
A retired US car worker identified as "Ivan the Terrible" is found guilty of Nazi war crimes in a court in Israel and is sentenced to the death penalty.
Ivan the Terrible was a guard at the Treblinka death camp in Poland during World War II.
His conviction was quashed in 1993 by the Israeli Supreme Court, after evidence suggested that another Ukrainian was Ivan the Terrible and returned to the US, he was later deported back to Ukraine when a US judge ruled that even if Demjanjuk were not Ivan the Terrible, there was enough evidence to prove he had been a death camp guard.

Iraq Poison Gas Attack On Kurds 
Thousands of people are killed in a poison gas attack cocktail which included mustard gas, the nerve agents sarin, tabun and VX and possibly cyanide on the Kurdish city of Halabja in northern Iraq. The attack was believed to have been carried out by Iraq forces on the orders of Saddam Hussein.

New Zealand Cyclone Bola 
Cyclone Bola hits New Zealand with torrential rains causing significant flooding and landslides.

Continued Fighting Beirut 
The continued fighting between Syrian-backed Amal militia and the pro-Iranian Hezbollah for the control of Southern Beirut has claimed the lives of over 150 including many civilians caught in the crossfire.

Yasser Arafat addresses the U.N. General Assembly 
Following the refusal of the US to grant Yasser Arafat a Visitors Visa the United Nations is convened in Geneva, Switzerland so that PLO chairman Yasser Arafat can address the U.N. General Assembly .

Soviet Union School Bus Hijack 
A bus full of school children and teachers was hijacked in southern Russia. The two armed men demanded to have an airplane at their disposal. It wasn’t clear what the men were armed with, however, to protect the children Russian officials gave them an Ilyushin-76 to fly to Israel in.

Soviet Union Leaves Afghanistan
The Soviet Union agrees to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan ending nine years of occupation by the Soviet Union .

Piper Alpha Oil Rig Fire 
An explosion on the Piper Alpha oil rig 120 miles off the north east coast of Scotland in the North Sea caused a fireball 350 feet high and engulfed the platform killing 167 workers.

Olympic Games 1988 
The Summer Olympic Games of the XXIV Olympiad are held in Seoul, South Korea
Canadian Ben Johnson wins the 100 metres in a new world record, but is disqualified after he tests positive for stanozolol.
This is the last time the US basketball team does not feature professional NBA stars and they win the bronze medal
Tennis returns to the Olympics and Steffi Graf adds to her four Grand Slam victories during the year by also winning the Olympic title. Tennis features a higher percentage of professional players than any other sport in the Olympics

Avalanche Prince Charles 
An avalanche hit the British royal party including Prince Charles as they were ski-ing off piste above the resort of Klosters in Switzerland . The Prince and several other members of the party, including their guide, were able to ski to safety, but the one of the Prince's closest friends Major Hugh Lindsay, former equerry to the Queen is not so lucky.

Third Evangelist Scandal 
TV evangelist Jimmy Swaggart has resigned from his ministry after it was revealed he had been consorting with a prostitute.

This is the third in a series of high profile evangelist scandals including Martin Gorman and Rev Jim Bakker .

Armenian Earth Quake 
Rescue workers have estimated up to 45,000 people have died and a further 500,000 are homeless after the devastating earthquake which ripped through Armenia,

Murder Via Cyanide in Excedrin Capsules 
Stella Nickell who put cyanide in Excedrin capsules including her husbands and five additional bottles of Excedrin she placed on store shelves in the Seattle area is convicted of the murder of her husband and Susan Snow who had purchased a bottle of Excedren and taken one of the capsules and died instantly by a Seattle, Washington, jury.

Computer Virus 1988 
Note the estimate for number of computers connected to the Internet
A computer virus has infected many thousands of computers connected to the Internet. The Internet ( ARPANET ) currently connects 50,000 computers from Government agencies and Universities. The virus closed down a number of the computers as operations slowed down and the computers were forced to reboot. The virus was targeted to any computer running the operating system Berkeley Unix Version 4.3. The virus was traced back to a Computer student at Cornell University.

Noriega Charged With Drug Smuggling
Panama leader General Manual Antonio Noriega, along with 16 associates, was charged of drug smuggling and money laundering. Noriega himself had been in charge of smuggling marijuana into the United States and assisting a cocaine drug cartel.


Before it was known that Noriega was caught handling mass drug dealings, he was known to be a promising military student. He even secured a position within the CIA, which later he was fired from as one consequence of leading drug rings.

Stealth Bomber Shown For First Time
The Northrop B-2 "stealth" bomber is shown publicly for the first time at Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California. The aircraft had a wingspan of nearly 150 ft but its radar signal was as negligible as that of a bird. The B-2 also successfully evaded infrared, sound detectors, and the visible eye.

Median House Price 1988
A report by the National Association of Realtors has said the median price for a home is now $87,700

Solidarity Poland 
Solidarity leaders have threatened broad protests including strikes unless the government reverses its decision to close the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk.

1987 Previous Year ---- ( Current Year Is 1988 ) ---- Following Year 1989

1999 News and Interesting History Tidbits

2008-07-29T07:40:00.000-07:00

West Nile Virus Appears in Western hemisphere 
The West Nile Virus first appears in the United States. The virus is spread by infected mosquito's who then bite birds allowing the virus to spread over longer distances. The virus affects many animals but the most often and severely affected are horses with a number of cases also found in humans. Because of the high rate of infections in horses a vaccine does exist and is widely used. Since it appeared there have been about 30,000 cases of humans affected in the US with about 1,000 deaths from the disease. 

 Turkey   Earthquake 
A 7.4-magnitude earthquake strikes the city of Izmit in Turkey one the country's most densely populated areas leaving more than 17,000 people dead and hundreds of thousands more left injured or homeless. 

Total Eclipse Of The Sun 
The total eclipse of the sun is seen around beginning in the Atlantic, a few hundred miles east of Boston, and seen throughout Europe, Asia, The Middle East, below is a small image of the path of the eclipse 

Deadly Train Crash In India 
A deadly train crash in Eastern India between an express train bound for Delhi and the stationary Awadh-Assam Express at Gaisal station has left the death toll at over 500, the cause of the crash is believed to be faulty signals which allowed the express train to plough into the stationary train and due to ammunition belonging to an army unit exploding a fire swept through the carriages where thousands of passengers were burned alive.

Melissa e-mail virus
David Smith is arrested and charged with originating the "Melissa" e-mail virus, which infected more than 1 million computers worldwide and caused more than $80 million in damage.

Melissa is classified as a computer worm and shut down Internet mail systems that got clogged with infected e-mails propagating from the worm. Melissa was spread via the word processors Microsoft Word 97 and Word 2000 through the use of an inbuilt macro placed in the template and could mass-mail itself from e-mail client Microsoft Outlook 97 or Outlook 98.

Air Strikes Against Serb Forces 
Following the continued ethnic cleansing by Serbian forces on Kosovar Albanians, The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) commences air strikes against Yugoslavia bombing of Serbian military positions in the Yugoslav province of Kosovo.

Following a peace plan Yugoslav forces pull out of Kosova as part of the plan and more evidence emerges of the mass killings committed by Serb Forces on ethnic Albanians in Kosova.
The peace plan has called for the withdrawal of Serb Forces and the disarming of the Kosovo Liberation Army KLA.

Walmart Buys ASDA In the UK 
The world's biggest retailer, Wal-Mart and the UK supermarket chain ASDA have agreed to a £6.72bn ($10.8bn) for supermarket group Asda beating out the offer from the Kingfisher group.

Scottish Parliament Opened By Queen 
The new Scottish Parliament is opened by the queen, this is the first time Scotland has had its own parliament for nearly 300 years.

Al-Qaeda terrorist base in Afghanistan 
Osama bin Laden who is on the FBI's "10 most wanted list" is now believed to have established his Al-Qaeda terrorist base in Afghanistan. He is wanted by the US on charges of international terrorism in connection with the 1998 bombing of American embassies in Africa and last year's attack on the USS Cole in Yemen.
Osama bin Laden has called for a holy war against the United States, saying it was the duty of Muslims to free their land of American occupation.
This was 2 years before his involvement in the 9/11 suicide attacks by al-Qaeda members upon the United States.

Trillion Dollar Surplus 
Following nine straight years of economic growth in the US, the US Government says that its budget surplus will be $1,000bn which it plans to use for strengthening Medicare and paying off some of the countries $3,700bn national debt.
The current National debt is $9.0 trillion or $9,000.0 billion or nearly 3 X what it was 9 years ago.

Value Of The Dollar Continues To Climb
Following the increase in US interest rates the dollar hits new highs of:

$1.56 to the Pound

$1.0149 to the Euro

Oil is trading at close to $25.00 a barrel

US consumer price Inflation Rate index (CPI) 2.1%

US Interest Rates 5.25%

To put this in perspective 9 years later in 2008

$1.96 to the Pound

$1.57 to the Euro

US consumer price Inflation Rate index (CPI) 4.5%

US Interest Rates 2.50%

Oil is trading at $145.00 a barrel

India and Pakistan Shelling Kashmir 
Increased artillery shelling and mortar fire between India and Pakistan along the Line of Control, in the disputed territory of Kashmir is creating an increased number of refugees who are fleeing the area.

Columbine High School Shooting 
Two students wearing balaclavas go through Columbine High School in Denver, Colorado, firing automatic weapons and throwing homemade bombs killing 13 and wounded 24 others today before the two students committed suicide.

Gun Control Bill Rejected 
Following the recent increase of high school shootings including the Columbine High School murders in Colorado. A new gun control bill has been rejected by Congress, the bill was rejected by the Republican side who felt the new controls went too far and the Democrats, who felt the new controls did not go far enough.

Dr. Jack Kevorkian 
Dr. Jack Kevorkian, was found guilty of second-degree murder for giving a lethal injection to a terminally ill man and airing it on the television program "60 Minutes."

He allowed the airing of a videotape on "60 Minutes." that he had made which depicted the voluntary euthanasia of Thomas Youk, 52, an adult male with full decision capacity who was in the final stages of ALS.

He was sentenced to to serve a 10-25 year prison sentence by the judge, he was released on parole in 2007 on the condition that he cannot help anyone else die. He no longer assists in voluntary euthanasia but does campaign that the law is changed ( currently the only US State that allows legalized doctor-assisted suicide for terminally ill people is Oregon. )

Global Millennium Party 
The world prepares to have a global party with fireworks and special events around the world to welcome in the third millennium.

Mapping of Human Chromosome 22 
An international consortium of sequencing cent res and collaborators from the chromosome 22 genetics community released into the public domain the genetic code of the 33.5 million bps that comprise the euchromatic portion of human chromosome 22.

UK Introduces Minimum Wage
Britain introduces it's first ever legally binding minimum rate of pay. From April 1st all adults must be paid at least £3.60 an hour and workers under the age of 22 must get no less than £3 an hour.

I have created a small chart below giving an idea of some of the yearly earnings based ( equiv in US Dollars ) on minimum wage for an Adult Working Full Time in that country in 2006. If the figures depend on State of Province or by trade and profession we have taken the lowest figure paid.

Country Annual wage based on Minimum Wage In Equiv US Dollars

Algeria 3,799 

Angola 973 

Argentina 9,266 

Australia 18,382 

Belarus 1,987 

Belgium 17,879 

Brazil 3,130 

Burundi 11 

Canada 10,196 

Chad 1,638 

China No Minimum Wage Exists 

Costa Rica 4,505 

Czech Republic 7,168 

Dominican Republic 2,305 

El Salvador 1,747 

Ethiopia 1,656 

France 16,668 

Haiti 1,497 

Hungary 6,504 

India No Minimum Wage Exists 

Indonesia 1,369 

Ireland 18,842 

Jamaica 2,544 

Japan 10,599 

Kazakhstan 1,619 

Kenya 1,785 

Libya 1,143 

Luxembourg 21,070 

Malawi 594 

Mexico 1,557 

Netherlands 17,015 

New Zealand 15,822 

Nigeria 831 

Poland 5,918 

Portugal 7,258 

Russia 871 

Slovakia 5,400 

South Africa 3,794 

Switzerland 15,466 

Uganda 206 

United Kingdom 22,368 

United States 12,168 

Many Many Countries including China and India who are listed above do not have minimum wages and the countries range from very westernized countries like Germany, Finland and Norway through to some of the poorest countries in the World like Bangladesh, North Korea and Rwanda.

The figures do not mean workers will only earn that per year but are the minimum set if there is a minimum.

For much more detail and including many countries not listed here check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minimum_wages_by_country

Hot Air Balloon Record
Bertrand Piccard of Switzerland and Brian Jones of Britain complete non-stop balloon circumnavigation around the world.

They had set off from Switzerland on 1st March 1999 travelling 45,755 kilometres lasting 19 days, 21 hours and 47 minutes and landing in Egypt on 20th March 1999.

British Miners Win Compensation
Ex-miners in England have won their case for compensation in a deal worth £2 billion for lung disease caused through working underground in the coal mining industry.

Legal representation for the miners claimed it had been known for decades dust produced in the coal mining process could cause lung disease but not enough was done to protect them.

Many of these miners were working underground in the 50's before health and safety laws ensured there were dust masks and showers at collieries.

The Amero Replacement For The US Dollar 
The Amero was proposed as the replacement for the US Dollar in 1999 by Canadian economist Herbert G. Grubel. A senior fellow of the Fraser Institute think-tank as part of the North American currency union, which would be modelled on the the euro "European Union Currency" .

The Amero is part of a much bigger master plan by those who propose it where the North American Union (abbreviated NAU) is a theoretical continental union of Canada, Mexico and the United States similar in structure to the European Union .

The ideas of the Amero and the NAU is mainly discussed in academic and scholarly circles but many have tried to tie it into "The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America" which is an intergovernmental group set up to provide greater cooperation on security and economic issues with the leaders of the U.S. ( President Bush ), Canada ( Prime Minister Harper ) and Mexico ( President Fox ) all having attended meetings .

There is quite a bit of reading on the net for this subject but in general those who are discussing it appear to be extremely biased one way or the other so the best I can recommend is the Wikipedia Article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Union.

The last and possibly most interesting fact is how little this has been talked about in the main stream media

Is this because it is a non event or other reasons

Libya Surrenders Terrorists For Pan Am Flight 103 
Libya surrendered two suspects in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland to a U.N. representative.

Tornado Strikes Salt Lake City 
 A rare tornado has struck Salt Lake City, Utah causing severe damage in the city with at least one death reported. The tornado struck the downtown area of Salt Lake City with winds exceeding 100 mph. The US has a reported 1,000 to 2,000 tornado touchdowns power year but of those very few strike city center's and even less in Utah. 

Napster Begins Operating 
Napster the online music file sharing service begins operation quickly attracting the attention of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which proceeded to file a lawsuit alleging massive copyright violations. One of the side effects of the suit was to provide Napster with a great deal of publicity which increased it's user base 10 fold.

Napster was eventually shut down in 2001 

Series of Nail Bombs In London
A nail bomb outside a busy supermarket in Brixton, south London, has injured dozens.
This was the fist in a series of bombs planted by a right-wing extremist David Copeland, 22, who was captured after a nail bomb in a central London pub killed three people.

NATO Mistakenly Bomb Ethnic Albanian Refugees 
NATO mistakenly bombed a convoy of ethnic Albanian refugees on a stretch of road between Đakovica and Dečani in western Kosovo, killing 73 civilians.

NATO and U.S. spokespersons initially claimed the target was a military convoy but later admitted mistakenly firing on what they believed to be military trucks, and expressed "deep regret."

Joe DiMaggio dies 
Joe DiMaggio dies at age 84.

He played his entire MLB career May 3, 1936 ---- September 30, 1951 for the New York Yankees. The only break he had was to join United States Army Air Forces from 1942 - 1946 during World War II

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1955

He was married to Marilyn Monroe in 1954, but they were married for less than 12 months.

Prince Edward Marries 
Prince Edward married commoner Sophie Rhys-Jones at St. George's Chapel, Windsor.
Following the wedding they take the titles of His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex and Her Royal Highness The Countess of Wessex. Prince Edward is seventh in the line of succession to the British Throne .

Nigeria Election 
Voters in Nigeria have elected a civilian president ( Olusegun Obasanjo ) which ends 15 years of military rule.

Avalanche Austria
An avalanche in the Austrian Alps buries homes and kills 13 people in Valzur

James Byrd Jr 
A jury in Jasper, Texas, convicted the first of those accused ( John William King ) of murder in the dragging death of a black man, James Byrd Jr.

John William King, found guilty of kidnapping and murder on February 23 and was sentenced to death on February 25.

Shawn Allen Berry, found guilty of kidnapping and murder on February 23 and was also sentenced to death.

Lawrence Russell Brewer, was spared the death penalty and given a life sentence in prison

Julia ( Butterfly ) Hill 
Environmental activist Julia "Butterfly" Hill came down after spending two years living in a 180-foot-tall, 600-year-old California Redwood tree nicknamed ( LUNA )for 738 days between December 10, 1997 to December 18, 1999. to prevent loggers of the Pacific Lumber Company from cutting it down. She agreed to vacate the tree when the Pacific Lumber Company agreed to preserve Luna and all trees within a 3-acre buffer zone.

Europe Coca-Cola Scare
Following 100 Belgian schoolchildren falling ill due to drinking Coca-Cola which triggered a blood disorder that caused the destruction of red blood cells.

Many Coca-Cola products has been taken off the shelves in four European countries.

Belgium have removed all beverages made by the company from the shelves.

Luxembourg have removed all beverages made by the company from the shelves.

France has withdrawn drinks bottled at Coca-Cola plant at Dunkirk near the Belgian border.

Netherlands, the Coca-Cola company has withdrawn all Belgian-produced beverages.

Venezuela Mudslides Caracus 
Heavy rains cause flooding and mudslides which kill thousands in shantytowns on the outskirts of Caracas .

Dow Jones Breaks 10,000 Barrier 
On March 29, 1999, the Dow Jones average closed above the 10,000 mark

Beef on The Bone T-Bone Steaks Go Back On Sale 
The ban of beef on the bone put in place during the BSE crisis is lifted and T bone steaks and rib of beef will be on sale by Christmas.

Australia Votes To Keep The Queen 
Australian voters decided to keep the queen and not become a republic.

President Bill Clinton Found Guilty Of Contempt
President Bill Clinton is found in contempt of court by U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright for giving "intentionally false" testimony in a lawsuit filed by Paula Jones about his relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

The London Eye 
Thousands assemble to watch a giant Ferris wheel ( One of the UK's Largest Millennium Projects ) move into position as a new landmark on the London skyline the South Bank of London between Waterloo station and Westminster Bridge. The Millennium Wheel, better known now as the London Eye. ( The London Eye stands 135 meters high and has become one of the most successful Millennium projects attracting an average of 10,000 visitors a day and is the biggest Ferris wheel in the world ).

Paddington Rail Crash 
Two trains collide near Paddington Station in west London at the height of the morning rush hour. There are so far 8 confirmed dead, 40 seriously injured and 200 with minor injuries. ( It was later confirmed that 31 died in the accident which was caused by one of the trains going through a red stop light )

1998 Previous Year ---- ( Current Year Is 1999 ) ---- Following Year 2000

2003 News and Interesting History Tidbits

2008-07-29T06:15:00.000-07:00

 Freedom Fries 
Following the strong words used by the French President Jacques Chirac  opposing US policy in Iraq American restaurants are renaming "French Fries" to "Freedom Fries", the protests even include the  House of Representatives restaurants and bars which have renamed "French Fries" to "Freedom Fries" and "French Toast" to "Freedom Toast" .

 Power Outage North America
A major power outage never seen before across the Eastern United States and parts of Canada and including New York with over 15 million people affected . The total number affected is thought to be the worst power cut in North American history affecting more than 50 million . The effects included traffic lights failed, underground railways, people trapped in lifts, and because it was one of the  hottest days of the year and temperatures approaching 32C some of the worst  effects were caused due to the lack of air conditioning. Most did have power back with 24 hrs 

Heatwave In Europe
 The United Kingdom records its first ever temperature over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. At Brogdale in Kent a temperature of 101.3F was recorded the highest ever recorded temperature in the country since records began in 1875. Throughout August the intense heat wave scorched Europe, claiming more than 35,000 lives.

Iraq Invasion By American Led Coalition
Secretary of State Colin Powell urges the U.N. Security Council to move against Iraq, saying that Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction and was harboring terrorists - claims that later turned out to be false.

Iraq concerned with growing reports of a US invasion agrees to allow U-2 surveillance flights to search for banned weapons. President George W. Bush brushed aside Iraqi concessions as too little, too late.

Two days prior to the US invasion of Iraq President George W. Bush gave a final ultimatum to Saddam Hussein that he had 48 hours for him and his sons to leave Iraq.

President George W. Bush addresses the nation via live television and announces that Operation Iraqi Freedom has begun to rid Iraq of tyrannical dictator Saddam Hussein and eliminate Iraq's ability to develop weapons of mass destruction. The American led coalition launched began with the launch of U.S. cruise missiles and precision-guided bombs aimed at Saddam Hussein near Baghdad.

Iraqis turn on symbols of former leader, pulling down a statue of Saddam Hussein and tearing it to pieces as US tanks roll into the centre of Baghdad.

Saddam Hussein is captured by U.S. forces at a farmhouse in Adwar, near his hometown of Tikrit.

U.S. commandos in Baghdad capture the wanted terrorist Abul Abbas, leader of the Palestinian group that killed an American on the hijacked cruise liner Achille Lauro in 1985

President George W. Bush on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln off the California coast announces in a speech to the nation on 1st May 2003, major combat in Iraq is over.

US troops rescue Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch from a hospital in Nasiriyah, Iraq, where she had been held prisoner since her unit was ambushed nine days earlier.

 Increasing Anger Over Public Being Misled in Run Up To Iraq Invasion 
As the row over statements made by the British Prime Minister in the run up to Iraq Invasion telling the British People that "Saddam could launch weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes of the order being launched" continue government ministers are coming under increasing pressure from the British Press including the BBC to tell the truth.
 
The Government Foreign Affairs Committee's report will vindicate the government which leaves the question of 
 
Did the government mislead the British Public ?
 
or
 
Are the British intelligence services so inept that the reports they provided were completely wrong as no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq ?. 
 
One of the above must be true from the fact that no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq !!!.

There is also increased pressure on the US administration to discuss statements used for justification  in the run up to the Iraq war from the American Press and members of the Democratic Party.

Space Shuttle Columbia Explodes
The Space Shuttle Columbia breaks up on re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere and the seven astronauts die as leaving the world in a state of shock and disbelief. George W. Bush addressed the nation on television and paid tribute to the seven members aboard this ship who lost their lives. This is the second space shuttle disaster since 1986, the year the Challenger exploded.

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"
JK Rowling's fifth Harry Potter book "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is released and becomes the fastest selling book ever. Fans of the Harry Potter series have had to wait three years for the latest book and although they are three years older than they were are still just as keen to read the latest book.
"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" has now sold over 55 million copies worldwide and was released as a movie in 2007. 
The original "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" released in 1997 is still the most popular of the the series with over 120 million copies sold. 

Sars virus Outbreaks
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) virus outbreaks occur in more countries including China, Hong Kong, Canada, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, by the end of the year cases were founf in Europe and Africa.
Many countries quarantine large numbers of people and are closing entertainment facilities including theatres, cinemas and karaoke bars.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a respiratory disease in humans and during 2000 -2003 reached near pandemic proportions with 8,096 known infected cases and 774 deaths

New Music File Sharing Crackdown by RIAA 
The Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) is increasing it's policing and increasing the number of lawsuits on those caught file sharing music and committing copyright violations. It is estimated that over 1 billion songs are file swapped each month.

 Anglican Church Approves Gay Bishop 
The  Anglican Church in the United States has voted to approve the appointment of Mr Robinson  an openly gay bishop who has lived with his male partner for 14 years.

Ferry Disaster Bangladesh 
 The ferry "MV Nasrin-1" travelling from Dhaka, to Lalmohan hits strong winds and high seas causing the ferry to overturn ( It is also believed the ferry was overloaded with passengers and cargo ) making it more unstable. At least 400 are believed to have drowned in the strong currents and 200 are rescued.     

Venice Threatened By Global Warming
 As Cities and countries around the world face up to increasing water levels. The city most at risk has been battling the rising sea for over 1,000 years and many believe will be the first city to succumb to global warming. Parts of Venice that only flooded on exceptional tides 7 times per year 100 years ago now flood 200 times per year.      

Washington Sniper Caught 
Ex-soldier John Muhammad is found guilty of one of a series of sniper shootings that terrorized the Washington, D.C., area in October 2002. Police charged that Muhammad and his 17-year-old accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, killed 10 people and wounded three others during a three-week killing spree. On 9th March 2004 he was sentenced to death .

Do Not Call List 
Registration begins for the Do Not Call List with nearly 3/4 million phone numbers registered on the first day providing consumers with an opportunity to limit telemarketing calls. Enforcement on telemarketing begins on October 1.

 Kobe Bryant Charged With Sexual Assault 
Basketball star Kobe Bryant is charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old  hotel employee at a hotel in Edwards, Colorado. (Charge dropped because the woman did not want to go ahead with a trial.)

Michael Jackson Charged With Child Molestation 
Michael Jackson is booked on suspicion of multiple counts of child molestation and is freed on $3 million bond. ( he was later acquitted on all charges )

Jessica Lynch Rescued 
Jessica Lynch is rescued from a hospital in Nasiriyah, Iraq, where she had been held prisoner since her unit was ambushed nine days earlier.

This story has created a great deal of controversy over the years with conflicting reports of what happened during her time in captivity and her rescue, so only the basic facts are included here she was injured, captured by Iraq Forces and rescued by US Forces.

Scott Peterson Arrested 
Scott Peterson is arrested in San Diego for the murder of his wife, Laci, who was eight months pregnant when she vanished on Christmas Eve. (He was later convicted and sentenced to death.)

Mars Probe Beagle 2 Lost
Scientists lose contact with the British-built Mars probe, Beagle 2 which is less than a meter across and had travelled to the red planet "piggyback" on the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter.
NASA successfully landed Spirit rover on Mars in 2004 which did send back images of the planet's surface.

BSE Confirmed US
The first confirmed case of BSE is found in the United States, Only 3 cases are confirmed currently in the US compared with 180,000 in the United Kingdom

Jayson Blair The New York Times
Jayson Blair resigns from The New York Times following the blatant plagiarism of an article written by San Antonio Express-News reporter Macarena Hernandez

In a subsequent internal investigation led by assistant managing editor Allan Siegal it was discovered that 36 of the 73 national news stories Blair had written since October 2002 were suspect, ranging from fabrications to copying stories from other sources.

Fire At Nightclub Kills 100 
A fire at a rock concert in a Rhode Island, nightclub kills 100 people and seriously
injures almost 200 more . The cause was traced to a pyrotechnics display which which set fire to the soundproofing foam on the ceiling

Elizabeth Smart Found 
A miracle had taken place. A 15-year-old Elizabeth Smart was found in Utah nine months after being kidnapped from her home. Her abductors (employee who worked at the Smart’s home, and his wife) were captured as well, and were charged of kidnapping, burglary, and sexual assault.

World Prison Population List
These figures are from the
British Government's Definitive Study "World Prison Population List" 4th edition published in 2003

United States 686 per 100,000
Cayman Islands 664 per 100,000
Russia 638 per 100,000
Belarus 554 per 100,000
Kazakhstan 522 per 100,000
Bahamas 416 per 100,000
South Africa 404 per 100,000
Cuba 297 per 100,000
Iran 229 per 100,000
Zimbabwe 163 per 100,000
New Zealand 157 per 100,000
Mexico 156 per 100,000
United Kingdom 139 per 100,000
Libya 127 per 100,000
Australia 116 per 100,000
China 111 per 100,000
Canada 102 per 100,000
Germany 96 per 100,000
France 85 per 100,000
Denmark 59 per 100,000
Norway 59 per 100,000
Japan 48 per 100,000
India 28 per 100,000


This is by no means the full list which includes 205 countries just the ones I thought were interesting, the top 5 are the top 5 countries but after that just those I thought may be good for comparison and interest

Broadway Musicals Closed 
A four-day walkout by 325 Broadway musical orchestra members over the issue of the size of the orchestras required for Broadway shows, forcing nearly every Broadway musical to cancel performances.
The Musicians claim they want to replace live music with a virtual orchestra, a couple of synthesizers and computer-generated sound,

Ephedra Banned 
The federal government announced it would proceed with the ban on the sale of Ephedra, an herbal stimulant that has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for 5,000 years due to it's link to 155 deaths and dozens of heart attacks and strokes when used as a dietary supplement .

Armed undercover sky marshals 
Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001 the British Government agrees that Armed undercover "sky marshals" will be placed on some British passenger planes in the United States,

Martha Stewart Indicted
Martha Stewart is indicted on nine criminal counts , including obstruction of justice, securities fraud, and conspiracy in the ImClone stock scandal. She also steps down from running her company.

Ku Klux Klan 2003 
The Supreme Court voted 6-3 to uphold a 50-year-old Virginia law making it a crime to burn a cross as an act of intimidation, The practice of "Burning A Cross" is widely associated with the Ku Klux Klan.

The United States Supreme Court ruled that burning a cross at a Klan rally is protected by the First Amendment, but could not be burned as a form of intimidation.

Subway Fire South Korea 
An arsonist had set a subway on fire . This fire was started when a man had ignited a gasoline container on board. A total of 189 people were killed and another 150 were injured.

Libya Gives Up Chemical Weapons 
Following political pressure and sanctions imposed by the United Nations Libya has announced an undertaking to destroy its arsenal of chemical weapons.

Senator Strom Thurmond
The late Senator Strom Thurmond's family acknowledged Essie Mae Washington-Williams claim that she was Thurmond's illegitimate mixed-race daughter by an African American household servant of the Thurmond family named Carrie Butler.
Senator Thurmond had met his daughter when she was 16 and helped pay to put her through college.

Chicago Nightclub Disaster
21 people are killed in a stampede at the crowded "The Epitome" nightclub in Chicago.

Keiko From Free Willy Movies 
Keiko the Orca (or killer whale) made famous by the "Free Willy" movies, died in the Norwegian fjord that had become his home. Keiko was originally captured near Iceland in 1979 and sold to the Icelandic aquarium, Following public pressure for his release after his starring role in the movies he was airlifted to Taknes fjord in Norway where many hoped he could be returned to the wild

US Europe Trade War Tariffs
The US has pulled back from implementing a punitive tax on imported steel amounting to increases of 30% to the cost of a range of imported steel products, to avoid a damaging trade war between the United States and Europe after the EU threatened implementing tariffs of $2.2bn on US imports into Europe.

Justice Roy Moore 
Justice Roy Moore, is suspended by Alabama's Court of the Judiciary who unanimously removed him from his post as Chief Justice when he refused to take down the Ten Commandments from an Alabama state justice building.

Michael Jackson TV Documentary Aired 
The ABC's 20/20 airs the Granada Television documentary Living with Michael Jackson where British journalist Martin Bashir interviewed Michael Jackson over a period of 8 months, from the middle of 2002 to January 2003. It was shown first in the UK on ITV on 3 February 2003 and in the US three days later on ABC. The interview was unusual as Jackson allowed access to his personal life and talked freely about his traumatic childhood. The part that caused the most controversy was when Michael Jackson revealed he allowed children to sleep in his bed and when combined with other testimony eventually led to a court case for child molestation where he was found innocent.

Arnold Schwarzenegger 
Arnold Schwarzenegger is elected Governor of California

2002 Previous Year ---- ( Current Year Is 2003 ) ---- Following Year 2004

2001 News and Interesting History Tidbits

2008-07-29T05:05:00.000-07:00

DR Congo 
International Aid Agencies in Congo including Save the Children, Oxfam and Christian Aid are pleading for more help from the International Community for war ravaged Congo. They are telling world leaders a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions is occurring in the Democratic Republic of Congo. With 16 million Congolese starving making it one of the world's worst humanitarian crises in 50 years. Those affected worst are the children in the country where 40% of children receive no schooling and 10,000 children have been commandeered to act as child soldiers in the war.  

Museum Entrance Fees Scrapped in UK
The entrance fees for 13 of the most popular museums in Britain have ended thanks to a pledge made during the last General Election making them available to everyone.
 
Natural History Museum 
  
Science Museum 
 
Victoria & Albert 
 
National Railway Museum in York
 
National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside 
  
National Maritime Museum 
  
National Railway Museum 
  
Imperial War Museum 
 
Museum of Science and Industry 
  
Museum of London 
 
Royal Armouries 
  
Theatre Museum

Code Red Virus
The code red ( WORM ) virus is first seen on the Internet. The worm is designed to attack web sites running on Microsoft's IIS web server. The virus is thought to have affected over 250,000 web sites between 13th July and 20th July before a patch provided by Microsoft fixed the vulnerability and became well known for displaying the words  "Hacked By Chinese!" on sites it had taken control of ( hence the name ) .  

Human Cloning
In the Bahamas a company called Clonaid has intimated that they might be cloning human beings. Clonaid argues that it is ethical to clone human genetic material and complications like congenital defects or fetal death do not scare Ms. Boisseller, president of the company. She will not confirm or deny whether a human has actually been cloned in her laboratory.
On December 27, 2002, Clonaid's Boisselier, a Raëlian bishop and CEO of Clonaid, announced that a baby clone, named Eve, was born. They have since claimed additional successful cloning of human beings but as of this date ( July 2008 ) no proof has ever been substantiated by outside scientists that could confirm or deny Clonaid's claims.

The United States House of Representatives votes to ban all human cloning but it is not voted into law as the Democratic led Senate votes against it.

The current status of laws regarding cloning around the world is still in disarray as many see the possibilities of ( Human therapeutic cloning ) which could provide great breakthroughs in medical science for regenerative medicine, and tissues and organs for transplantation. But concerns over mad scientists  tinkering with the gift of life makes the laws which are needed to allow for medical advances difficult to formulate. 

US Attacked By Terrorists on September 11, 2001 Known as 911
The United States is attacked by terrorists

American Airlines Flight 11 is hijacked and crashed into the North tower of the World Trade Center.

United Airlines Flight 175 is hijacked and crashed into the South tower of the World Trade Center.
The second crash is captured live on news cameras and shown live on Television stations throughout the country.

An hour after the Flight 175 crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center the 110-storey building collapsed and the North Tower followed within a few minutes. Witnesses report seeing a number of people jumping from the towers just before they collapsed.

The final death toll killed in the suicide attacks on 11 September was over 3000.

It took almost nine months to clear the millions of tons of rubble from The World Trade Center Known as "Ground Zero".

President Bush declared a worldwide war on terror, and on 8 October the United States and Britain attacked targets in Afghanistan, where the terrorist leader Bin Laden was believed to be hiding.

9/11 Attack

Personal Video Released From Birds Eye View Of 9/11 Terrorist Attack

Osama bin Laden Video 
The Pentagon released a captured videotape of Osama bin Laden in which the al-Qaida leader said the deaths and destruction achieved by the Sept. 11 attacks exceeded his ''most optimistic'' expectations.

Slobodan Milosevic Arrested
Former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic has been arrested and taken to prison. The charges include corruption and theft of state funds and he is also wanted on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Selby Rail Crash 
A car veered off the M62 Motorway onto the railway line near Selby causing the Newcastle to London passenger train into a head on crash into a goods engine on the East Coast Main Line in North Yorkshire, with 10 dead and 60 injured in the crash.

General Pervez Musharraf Takes Power In Pakistan 
Pakistan's military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, takes on the role of president and chief executive. Following his announcement the constitution and parliament were suspended two days after the announcement. This follows earlier decisions to ban opposition parties holding planned pro-democracy rallies.

British Labour Party Wins Second Term 
Tony Blair and the British labour party are elected to a second term winning 413 seats against the Conservative party with 166 seats and the Liberal Democrats winning 52 seats giving the labour party a majority of 167 overall in the house of commons.

Aids Drugs Profit Before The Lives Of Millions 
The world's biggest pharmaceutical companies bring legal action to fight legislation which would allow generic versions of their patented drugs being made in or imported to South Africa. Following uproar around the world and the pharmaceutical industry accused of putting profit before the lives of millions of people in the developing world, they have back out of the court battle and also after dropping the case, agree to sell Aids drugs at cost price in developing countries - a discount of up to 90%.

The Eden Project Opened in Cornwall
The Eden Project which is the worlds largest greenhouse and is designed to help save the worlds largest number of plant species from around the world, with a number of domes with each emulating a natural climate and geographical area of ecologically , the project has over 100,000 plants and is now one of the UK's most important tourist attractions .

Nepal Royal Family 
The king, queen and seven other members of the royal family in Nepal are shot dead after the heir to the throne Crown Prince Dipendra went on the rampage with a gun before turning it on himself.

The Gothenburg Summit
The Gothenburg Summit ends having focused on the European Union's enlargement which will bring the number of members up from 15 to 27 over the next decade.

The other major discussion area was pressing ahead with implementation of the 1997 Kyoto protocol on global warming.

Much of the summit was dominated by violent clashes between anti-globalisation protesters and police.

During the visit by US President Bush negotiations broke down over the implementation of the "Kyoto treaty". Mr Bush described the Kyoto treaty as "unrealistic and not based on science".

The US ( George W Bush ) refuses to sign the Kyoto Agreement on Climate Change

G8 Summit Genoa
The leaders of world's seven richest nations begin the G8 Summit in Genoa, Italy with a focus on reducing global poverty in third world countries. One of the announcements later this week is expected to be a $1bn global health fund to fight Aids, TB and malaria. The other main area of discussion is expected to be talks on free trade around the world which would mean removing tarriffs on imports and ending subsidies in some area's. There are expected to be over 100,000 demonstrators protesting everything from Free Trade to Mr Bush's plans for new anti missile defence systems for the United States.

Trans World Airlines (TWA) 
Trans World Airlines established in 1930 filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001 as part of the deal for American Airlines to acquire Trans World Airlines making American Airlines the No. 1 carrier in the United States

Sotheby's and Christies 
The former chairmen of Sotheby's and Christies are charged by a federal jury in the United States on charges of conspiring to overcharge its customers with commission rates because the chairmen of the two apparently rival auction houses had a secret deal to fix commission rates.

Sotheby's former chairman Alfred Taubman was found guilty of conspiring to fix commissions charged to clients and sentenced to one year in prison, but the chairman of Christies refused to come the US and could not be extradited so the case never got to court.

Cincinnati Riots 
The Cincinnati Mayor Charles Luken declares a state of emergency after the third night of violence and looting, as a reaction to the fatal shooting in Cincinnati of Timothy Thomas on April 7. Thomas , a 19-year-old black male, is shot by Steven Roach, a white police officer, during an on-foot pursuit by several officers.

Foot and Mouth Epidemic England 
A Suspected case of foot and mouth disease is detected at an Essex abattoir, the first case in the UK for 20 years.

The case is later confirmed and four million animals in the UK were slaughtered.

Twenty-five new cases of foot-and-mouth have been identified from 11 different areas, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 163.

The Ministry of Agriculture (Maff) slaughters 1,600 cattle on two farms near Exmoor, after four new cases of foot-and-mouth confirmed around the village of Wiveliscombe, near Taunton. Maff officials are concerned that the disease could spread further into Exmoor itself and affect wild deer and the pony population.

The disease cost the farming industry between £800m and £2.4bn and destroyed the livelihoods of thousands of farmers. The UK was finally declared foot-and-mouth free in January 2002

Enron Collapse
Enron an energy trading company filed for Chapter 11 protection in one of the largest corporate bankruptcies in U.S. history. By the end of the year, Enron's collapse had cost investors including pension plans billions of dollars.

Pacific Gas and Electric File Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
Pacific Gas and Electric ( PG&E ) file Chapter 11 Bankruptcy when they are unable to sell electricity to consumers for more than they buy it on the open market.
The State of California under leadership of California Governor Gray Davis bailed out the utility.

California Electricity Price Increase 46% and Blackouts
California regulators approved electricity rate hikes of up to 46 percent following the partially deregulated California energy system .

California officials order the first of a further two days of rolling blackouts.
Rolling blackouts had began on
June 14, 2000 due to a heatwave
January 17-18, 2001
March 19-20, 2001
May 7-8, 2001

The California electricity crisis which included extremely high prices and Rolling blackouts was a direct result from the manipulation of energy of a partially deregulated California energy system by companies like Enron and Reliant Energy.

Mir Space Station Ends 
Mir Russia's and the worlds first consistently inhabited long-term research station in space ended 15 yrs in space when it is decommissioned and ends with a planned fiery plunge into the South Pacific. The space station was originally built for only Russian space exploration. The use of Mir evolved over the years as tensions between East and West eased with the ending of the cold war to become a sign that space exploration could become a truly joint project with the US Space Shuttle taking supplies and new crew members from many countries including the US and Russia.

Mars Odyssey Arrives At Mars
The Mars Odyssey spacecraft took off on a six-month, 286-million-mile journey to the red planet. It reached Mars on October 24, 2001. It is designed to orbit the planet Mars to hunt for evidence of past or present water and volcanic activity to help answer the question of whether life has ever existed on Mars.

FBI Agent Arrested 
FBI Agent Robert Phillip Harrison was arrested at his home for selling American secrets to Soviets. He had received about $1.4 million in cash as well as diamonds for his illegal services to the Soviet Union.

Insurance Companies and Genetic Screening
In the UK up to 2001 insurance companies were asking for more and more Genetic Screening prior to policy issue to be used for policy premium pricing or even refusal.

Genetic Screening is a way to check a persons DNA to test for genetic disorders.

Genetic Screening involves taking either a blood or a saliva sample and testing it for certain known gene defects which may cause Alzheimer's disease, Inherited breast and ovarian cancer, Cystic fibrosis, Sickle cell disease, bowel cancer and Huntington's Chorea to name just a few.

The UK government put a moratorium on the practice in 2001 allowing only 1 type of test to be used for screening, but the insurance companies have said without Genetic Screening overall cost of insurance could increase significantly.

Genetic Screening has the potential to be one of most important medical advances in modern history by helping to identify and even treat before a life crippling or life threatening disease takes hold. It also has the potential to be the most divisive tool used by the insurance industry to change the Health and Life Insurance business.

Governments in the civilised world will need to wrestle with this thorny issue and find the path that helps use the technology for the good of mankind while not allowing large numbers of people to lose health care coverage because of the DNA they were born with.

2001 Tax Cuts 
The Republican controlled House voted for the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act ( EGTRRA ) which would create a tax cut of nearly $1 trillion over the next decade.

EGTRRA generally reduced the rates of individual income taxes:

New 10% bracket was created for single filers with taxable income up to $6,000, joint filers up to $12,000, and heads of households up to $10,000.

The 15% bracket's lower threshold was indexed to the new 10% bracket

The 28% bracket would be lowered to 25% by 2006.

The 31% bracket would be lowered to 28% by 2006

The 36% bracket would be lowered to 33% by 2006

The 39.6% bracket would be lowered to 35% by 2006

Additional changes related to the act were passed in 2003.

Like any major changes in a taxation system there are many more complications way beyond a simple few sentences including changes to estate taxes, gift taxes, (IRAs) including 401(k) and 403(b) plans , dividend income taxes just to name a few.

Bluebird Recovered 
The wreck of Donald Campbell's boat, Bluebird, has been raised from the bottom of Coniston Water in Cumbria. The wreck had been there since the attempt to break the world water speed record in 1967 in which killed Donald Campbell had died.

Napster Closed Down 
Napster is finally closed down by court order following an injunction on behalf of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) . Napster had grown in just two short years from just a few visitors and file swappers to multiple millions of visitors sharing music mostly in the form of MP3's depriving the music industry of millions of dollars. And in 2002 Napster was forced to file for Chapter 11 protection but an American bankruptcy judge forced Napster to liquidate its assets according to Chapter 7 of the U.S. bankruptcy laws.

War Crimes 
A U.N. tribunal in The Hague in the Netherlands convicts Bosnian Croat political leader Dario Kordic of war crimes for ordering the systematic murder and persecution of Muslim civilians during the Bosnian war.

Guantanamo Bay To Be Used For Prisoners
U.S. officials announced that Taliban and al-Qaida prisoners would be held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

United States loses it's seat on the U.N. Human Rights Commission
The United States lost its seat on the U.N. Human Rights Commission for the first time since the commission was formed in 1947 when the countries of France, Sweden and Austria are chosen for the three seats allocated to Western countries on the 53-member commission.

Great Pacific Northwest Earthquake 
February 28, 2001 One of the largest earthquakes in Seattle history . Thousands fled from their homes. The magnitude of this disaster was between 6.0 and 7.0 on the Richter Scale. As of two days later, some damage to property but no deaths and several injuries were reported.

Shoe Bomber Fails To Blow Up Airplane 
Richard C. Reid, dubbed by the press as the shoe bomber, a passenger on an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami, tried to ignite explosives in his shoes, but was subdued by flight attendants and fellow passengers.

On January 30, 2003, he was found guilty on terrorism charges at a federal court in Boston, Massachusetts and is currently serving multiple life sentences.

Dale Earnhardt 
Dale Earnhardt died in a crash during the Daytona 500

Bomb Attack 
Ethnic Albanian extremists carry out a bomb attack on a bus convoy carrying more than 250 Serbs to a religious ceremony in Kosovo .

Indian Parliament Attacked By Gunmen 
Gunmen have broken through tight security to attack the parliament building in the Indian capital, New Delhi leaving At least 12 dead and 22 injured .

The US Pulls Out Of 1972 Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty 
President George W. Bush served formal notice that the United States was pulling out of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia.

Suicide Bombers Israel
Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in back-to-back explosions at a downtown Jerusalem pedestrian mall, killing 11 bystanders

Worst serial killer in British history GP Harold Shipman 
A public inquiry, publishes it's final report and concludes the former GP Harold Shipman may have killed more than 300 of his patients making him the worst serial killer in British history

Anthrax Attack 
Concerns over the threat of an increase in biological attack by terrorists increased when a Florida man died after opening a letter containing anthrax bacteria sent through the US Postal Service.

Ecological Disaster Galapagos
The fuel supply tanker 'Jessica' has run aground on the Island of San Cristobal in the Galapagos Islands, marine biologists are warning of an ecological disaster to the Archipelago. ( the ship did leak 180,000 gallons of oil which caused an ecological disaster with up to 62% of the marine iguana population on one island killed off.

September 11th 2001 Terrorist Attacks On Twin Towers and Pentagon 

The terrible events of September 11th 2001 how much has changed and how our lives and consequently the news we see and read are still dominated by that event in history .

We are past the stage of understanding what, how and why it happened but the changes by not only the US government but most of the rest of the western world's governments affect our daily lives .

They may range from the security put in place to hopefully stop it from ever occurring again to the current war in Iraq and troops in Afghanistan hoping to stop AlQuada from creating a place to plan and commit their atrocities.

I do not agree with many things our governments do in our name but also have to admit I do not know what I would do if I had to make some of the choices they make, I believe it is easy for many of us to say we should not do xx but without knowing all the facts we can not judge.

If we do or do not like our politicians or their politics after a few years they are thrown out of office.

Only historians in later years when they do have all the facts will be able to judge the right or wrong of their actions.

Just in modern history over the last 70 years I can think of a number of decisions I would not liked to have made as a politician

Dropping the Nuclear Bomb on Japan

Going to the very edge of war during the Cuban Missile Crisis

The British Prime Minister Chamberlain allowing Germany to flout the agreements from world war I to "achieve peace in our time"

Going into the Vietnam War

Entering the Korea War

Going to War with Iraq

There are equally a number which I think would be easy to make because the case for action was quite clear cut

Declaring war on Japan following Pearl Harbor

Declaring war on Germany following Germany attacking smaller countries

Going into Afghanistan after Bin Laden

Going into Kuwait after Iraq invaded

Taking back Falklands Islands from Argentina after they invaded

I did not mean for this to run onto the rights and wrongs in politics merely to point out that decisions by world leaders on behalf of their people can not be easy to make , when they know that young men and women may well die because of that decision.

A personal view of the 9/11 attacks on Democracy

2000 Previous Year ---- ( Current Year Is 2001 ) ---- Following Year 2002

1947 News and Interesting History Tidbits

2008-07-29T04:55:00.000-07:00

 Edinburgh Festival 

The first Edinburgh International Festival and Edinburgh Fringe festival opens in August for the performing arts bringing performers of music, comedy, drama, opera, and dance from around the world to perform.

The two festivals ( Official and Fringe ) have grown to the largest performing arts festival in the world attracting thousands of performers and millions of visitors to Edinburgh, Scotland every year in August.

 Roswell Alien Timeline 

William Brazel notices strange debris while working on the Foster ranch, where he was foreman, some 70 miles (110 km) north of Roswell

7th July: Roswell Army Air Field. Major Jesse Marcel collects debris 75 miles northwest of Roswell, New Mexico, scattered over an area 300 years wide and ¾ of a mile long. This led to rumors of an alien crash. 

8th July: The Roswell Army Air Field (RAAF) issue a press release stating that personnel had recovered a crashed "flying disc" from a ranch near Roswell, sparking intense media interest, later that day the press release is amended to say a "weather balloon" had been recovered .

1978: All goes quiet for 30 years until 1978 when Stanton T. Friedman interviews Major Jesse Marcel, who was involved with the original recovery of the debris in 1947 who expressed his belief that the military had covered up the recovery of an alien spacecraft.

February 1980: The National Enquirer interviews with Major Jesse Marcel bringing national and worldwide attention for the Roswell incident.

1989: Former mortician Glenn Dennis gives a detailed personal account claiming that alien autopsies were carried out at the Roswell base.

Since then Government reports have been released explaining the incident as likely debris from a secret government program called Project Mogul.

Was Roswell a cover up or just a series of unexplained events with rational explanations will depend on who you believe and the number of "eye witness accounts" that were given for publicity or the governments explanation of a secret project. 

In differing books on the subject time lines appear to have changed.

Coal Mine Explosion Centralia Illinois 

An explosion at a Coal mine in Centralia, Illinois, trapped more than 100 miners and sent deadly gas through the mine's tunnels .

Loyalty Investigation On Federal Employees 

President Harry S. Truman issues an executive decree establishing a sweeping loyalty investigation of federal employees who needed to demonstrate complete and unswerving loyalty to the United States.

Inflated Car Prices Due To Shortages 

Buying a new car from a main new car dealer can mean months or even years to wait but if you go to your local used car dealer you can find the latest 1947 models brand new but at a price of between $500 and $1000 more than the list price, they go direct to the factories and buy them then transport around the country 

The Tony Awards Started 

The Tony Awards for Broadway Musicals Stars, Music, Costume etc. started 1947

Polaroid Land Camera Demonstrated 

Edwin H. Land publicly demonstrated his instant camera and associated film. Called the Land Camera, , which could produce a black-and-white photograph in 60 seconds. Two years later he put 57 Polaroid Land Cameras at Boston's Jordan Marsh department store before the Christmas holiday, and they sold out within the first day after the demonstration.

The Truman Doctrine

Very soon after the war President Truman had decided to use America to stop the spread of communism around the world telling congress the country must intervene wherever necessary throughout the world to prevent the subjection of free people to Communist inspired totalitarian regimes at the expense of their national integrity.

One of the first requests to provide this support around the world to stop the spread of communism was to give $400 million in aid to bolster the hard-pressed Greek and Turkish governments against Communist pressure. This is also known as the beginning of "The Truman Doctrine" and the beginning of the battle to stop the spread of communism.

Severe Snow Storm North East US 

A severe snowstorm covers the Northeastern part of the United States , burying New York City under 25.8 inches of snow in 16 hours; the severe weather was blamed for some 80 deaths.

First Of The Dead Sea Scrolls Found 

The first of First Of The Dead Sea Scrolls Found are found in a cave near Wadi Qumran (near the ruins of the ancient settlement of Khirbet Qumran, on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea) in Israel.

Over the next 20 years more than 1,000 documents with great religious and historical significance are found in caves in the area including texts from the Hebrew Bible made before 100 AD.

First Ferrari Sports Cars Produced 

After nearly 20 years of motor racing Ferrari begins production of Italian sports cars to help fund the Scuderia Ferrari Racing Team.

The first Ferrari road car was the 1947 125 S, powered by a 1.5 L V12 engine, the cars were both beautiful and fast and quickly gained a reputation for excellence.

"Bugsy" Siegel 

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel is murdered at the Beverly Hills, Calif., mansion of his girlfriend, Virginia Hill, at the order of mob associates angered over the soaring costs of Siegel’s pet project, the Flamingo resort now costing in the region of $6,000,000 in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the 1972 movie the Godfather the character of Moe Greene is heavily based on Siegel.

British Coal Industry Nationalised 

Following the creation of National Coal Board ( NCB )in 1946 Great Britain nationalises the coal industry transferring the assets of approximately 800 private colliery companies to the National Coal Board. The coal industry continued to be nationalised until 1994 when it was again privatised.

India and Pakistan Gain Independence 

India Gains Independence from the UK in 1947

At the same time the old India was split into the two countries of India and Pakistan

Kon-Tiki Expedition 

A Norwegian expedition including 5 Norwegians and a Swede headed by Thor Heyerdahl set out on the raft The Kon-Tiki to cross the 4000 miles of Pacific Ocean to prove that the Polynesian Islands were settled in a similar way thousands of years ago, the raft is equipped with a square sail and paddles.

Jackie Robinson 

Jackie Robinson, becomes the first African American player in Major League Baseball when he steps onto Ebbets Field in Brooklyn to compete for the Brooklyn Dodgers

Freighter Blast Texas Kills 500 

A French freighter "Grandcamp" , loaded with ammonium nitrate ( Fertilizer ), exploded at a port in Texas . The blast caused other explosions at a nearby chemical plant, spreading fires across oil refineries along the port. An estimated 500 People were killed by the blast and the ensuing fires which swept the port and the surrounding town.

Tornado Woodward, Oklahoma 

A severe Tornado hit Woodward, Oklahoma where 200 residential blocks were completely leveled and nearly 1,000 homes were razed. 107 people were killed in Woodward and many more were injured.

Voice Of America 

With the start of the cold war as Germany is split following World War II America introduced the transmission of Voice Of America to the Russian People as part of it's propaganda campaign against Communism and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

Kashmir Not Resolved 

Deputy Prime Minister of India, Sandar Valiabbhai Patel announced that India and Pakistan reached an accord on the division between the two countries. However, the issue of Kashmir is not resolved.

Paris Subway Closed 

The Paris subway stopped running and electric power was cut as the General Confederation of Labour, a communist party, protested the government’s proposal to force them back to work. The GCL demanded $9.50 - $12.00 a month more in wages, but the government promised non-striking workers $240.00 for the month of November. Over 2 million French workers remained inactive due to the strike.

The Everglades National Park 

Everglades National Park in Florida is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. It contains the southern 20% of the Everglades which was established as a National Park in 1934 is dedicated by President Harry S. Truman.

Lynching Trial 28 Acquitted 

28 acquitted of lynching a black man after taking him from the county jail in South Carolina for stabbing a white taxi driver after the defense council who criticized northern interference and demanded acquittal to show the north it should stay out of South Carolina and let us run our counties he also said he is dead and more like him should be dead.

1947 With World War II Ended 

With the end of World War II great things happened in technology in 1947 as all the pent up inventions and ideas broke through, here are some below

The Transistor is invented

The Frisbee is invented

First instant camera

First Tubeless Tyre

First LP produced ( For those to young to remember an LP was forerunner to today's CD Album ) means long playing record.

Mobile Phone Invented

Slinky Invented

And on a lighter side this was also the year of the Roswell UFO incident

Thanksgiving Turkey Pardon 

President Harry S. Truman issues the first presidential pardon to a lucky turkey when he donated a live bird to a local farm, where the turkey was guaranteed a long life unmolested by stuffing or gravy.

Future Queen Of England Marries 

20th November, 1947: Princess Elizabeth, the future queen of England, marries Philip Mountbatten in Westminster Abbey.

Maine Forest Fires 1947

Forest fires continue to claim millions of acres of forests and property in Maine after strong fresh winds start new outbreaks across the State which now has more than 50 separate forest fires to contend with . Other states in New England are also affected with forest fires but appear to be under control currently.

1947 is labeled “The Year that Maine Burned”. A large portion of the damage done by these fires was in the Mount Desert Island area.

More than a couple of hundred thousand acres of land along with several hundred of homes and at least a few hundred cottages were destroyed from the time that this fire started on October 17 of this year until the time it ended on November 14.

1946 Previous Year ---- ( Current Year Is 1947 ) ---- Following Year 1948

1986 News and Interesting History Tidbits

2008-07-28T01:33:00.000-07:00

Chernobyl nuclear power plant 
An explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine caused a fire today that resulted in a nuclear meltdown. The Radiation fallout spread throughout Europe The Chernobyl disaster is considered the largest nuclear accident in history
17 days after the Chernobyl accident the Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev goes on TV to inform the Russian People about the Nuclear disaster

A concrete sarcophagus is built to encase the damaged reactor and an 18 miles official exclusion zone around the plant remains in place. The Chernobyl nuclear power plant is one of the most radioactive spots on Earth.

Lethal Gas Kills 1,500 In Cameroon 
Lethal gas from the  volcanic Lake Nyos in Cameroon, West Africa has killed every living thing within a 15 mile radius including 1,500 people within the area affected by the gas which contains high levels of carbon dioxide, hydrogen and sulphur.  

Challenger Explodes 
The space shuttle Challenger explodes just after liftoff , killing the seven astronauts aboard, this was the 10th trip for Challenger and included a teacher from New Hampshire, Christa MacAuliffe, among the astronauts, as part of a new Teacher in Space project. The Launch was shown live on CNN and many schools set up televisions for children to watch due to the involvement of a teacher in the shuttle.

Other crew members aboard the Challenger ship included Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee, and Ronald McNair, as well as Ellison Onizuka, Christa McAuliffe, Gregory Jarvis, and Judith Resnik. A warning was ignored that certain equipment on the ship was vulnerable at new temperatures.

First Case of BSE or Mad Cow Disease 
The first case of BSE or "mad cow disease" is found in cattle in England .

Hands Across America 
Approximately Seven million Americans joined hands hoping to raise more than $50 million to fight hunger and homelessness in "Hands Across America"

CFC Ozone Layer 
In a satellite hook up from Antarctica scientists have been studying a huge hole that has appeared in the earths ozone layer over Antarctica. They believe it may have been caused by a chemical process and are suspecting the gas used in Aerosol Cans . The preliminary studies the chemical reaction is caused by Chlorofluorocarbons CFC's . Although the use of Chlorofluorocarbons has been banned in the US in Aerosol Cans since 1978, they are still used in many applications including air conditioning in cars through to keeping Big Mac's warm and the overall growth in use has continued to rise.

Canaries made redundant 
Canaries have been made redundant from British Coal Mines and are being replaced by modern carbon monoxide detectors.

Canaries have been used in British mines to detect carbon monoxide fumes for over 70 years because they are particularly sensitive to toxic gases such as carbon monoxide which is colourless, odourless and tasteless.

Swedish Prime Minister Killed 
Olof Palme, the Swedish Prime Minister is shot dead and his wife Lisbeth wounded in a street ambush in central Stockholm.

Continued Violence During Orange Parades 
Portadown, County Armagh: The Orange Parade by Orangemen have caused problems to flare up in Portadown, County Armagh. Catholic Nationalist and Protestant Loyalist youths are fighting on the streets throwing bottles, darts and bricks at each other and the security forces. There are also a number of looting of shops and businesses in the area and the army has been using baton charges and plastic bullets to bring peace back to the area.

Ballymoney, Northern Ireland: A loyalist attack on a Catholic family has left three children dead after an arson attack on the home in Ballymoney, Northern Ireland.

Following the funeral for the three children killed in the arson attack attended by both Roman Catholics and Protestants coming together the violence subsides in the area.

Virgin Challenger II fastest crossing of the Atlantic 
Richard Branson on the 72 ft powerboat Virgin Challenger II smashes the world record for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic beating the previous record-holder, the SS United States, which has held the title since 1952. Although Virgin Challenger II broke the record, the Hales' trustees refused to award the Blue Riband trophy because the boat did not have a commercial maritime purpose and had stopped to refuel.

Tough New Anti Smoking Laws 
A bill is introduced to ban smoking on all public transport including trains, planes, buses and coaches with large fines up to $500 for those who break the law.

South African launch raids on Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana 
South African troops launch multiple raids on Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana in an effort to destroy bases purportedly used by the anti-apartheid organisation the African National Congress (ANC).
The Nations of Angola, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe,Botswana and Tanzania, form the so-called "frontline states" that support the ANC in their struggle against white minority rule.
During the Mid to Late 1980's sanctions imposed by the US, most Commonwealth nations and the European Community forced South Africa to end it's anti-apartheid policies and in 1994 the ANC formed South Africa's first democratically elected government with Mr Mandela as the country's first black president.

South Africa Civil Unrest 
The Civil unrest continues in South Africa in Shanty Towns with Young Black protesters attacked by self styled conservative militia armed with guns , clubs and Knives, The Militia are attacking hospitals and schools and burning them to the ground with a number of deaths and casualties reported

Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson
The Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, is laid to rest alongside her husband, the abdicated King Edward VIII, at Frogmore in Windsor. Members of the Royal family including the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince and Princess of Wales, Princess Anne, and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, as well as The British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher attended the Ceremony.

Greater London Council Abolished
The GLC or Greater London Council is abolished after 97 years of local rule in London, England.

Terrorists Bomb Plane Sri Lanka
A bomb explodes on an Air Lanka Tristar at Colombo airport in Sri Lanka. The Tamil tigers who are fighting for a separate homeland are blamed for the bomb attack.

Bomb Exploded In Berlin Disco Killing 2 and injuring 100 more
A bomb is exploded in the crowded La Belle disco in Berlin, Germany, killing two and injuring at least 120. This follows a bomb planted earlier that wrecked a German-Arab club in the city and injured seven Arabs. The West German foreign minister, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, said a special group would be set up to investigate the possible involvement of a foreign country in the attack and 10 days later, the US government retaliated by bombing Libya killing at least 60 people .

Les Misérables Broadway Opening 
Following it's success in London's West End Les Misérables opens at the Broadway Theater running till it closed on May 18, 2003. In 2006 it was revived and is again on Broadway showing at the Broadhurst Theatre.

Argentina Win 1986 World Cup
Argentina Win the 1986 World Cup beating West Germany 3–2 in the final in Mexico

Soviet Union launches Mir
The Soviet Union launches the world's biggest space station, Mir. It is intended to provide a base for a permanently manned space complex orbiting the Earth.

Bomb Explodes on TWA Boeing 727 
Bomb Explodes on TWA Boeing 727 tearing hole in the side of the aircraft which sucks four passengers including an eight-month old baby from the aircraft. The TWA Passenger Jet was flying over Greece, on its way to Athens, when the bomb exploded

Micronesia Gains Independence 
Micronesia a group of 600 Islands in the North Pacific Gains Independence from the United States in 1986

Sinclair ZX Spectrum 
Sir Clive Sinclair sells the marketing and merchandising rights to the ZX Spectrum for £5m to computing rival Amstrad.
Sir Clive Sinclair a brilliant inventor who introduced miniature televisions, pocket calculators and digital watches to Britain in the 1960s and 1970s, and the ZX80, a home computer priced at less than £100 in 1980, following on was the Sinclair ZX Spectrum which was the most popular home computer sold in England and was sold in the US as the TS2068 from Timex.

President Ferdinand Marcos 
President Ferdinand Marcos and his entourage are rescued and airlifted from the presidential palace in Manila by U.S. helicopters. The new Philippines president is Corazon Aquino

Voyager Non Stop World Flight 
The experimental airplane Voyager, completed the first non-stop, around-the-world flight without refueling as it landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base in California

British AIDS Campaign 
As the number of people infected with the AIDS virus increases in England new campaigns are launched including the "Play Safe" campaign which aims to encourage people to have only one sexual partner and to use a condom as protection against diseases. And the "Aids: Don't die of ignorance". campaign which explains how the disease is spread.

John McCarthy abducted
John McCarthy, a British TV journalist, is abducted on his way to the airport in the war-torn capital of Lebanon, Beirut.
On 8 August 1991 having spent more than five years held captive by militant group Islamic Jihad, John McCarthy is released making him Britain's longest-held hostage in Lebanon.

Wapping Strikes 
Following the move of News International to Wapping where print unions would not be able to wield the power over the newspaper industry, they strike and picket the Wapping plant and 58 people arrested in the worst outbreak of violence yet outside the News International printing plant in Wapping, east London.

Mother Teresa 
The Pope meets Mother Teresa, and visited her refuge for the sick and dying in Calcutta, India. Her Missionaries of Charity order, now has 4,500 sisters in 133 countries providing food and shelter and hospices for the dying.

Iran Contra Affair 
The United Nations International Court of Justice has found the United States guilty of violating international law by training, arming and financing armed paramilitary Contra rebels in Nicaragua.

Oliver North Begins Shredding Documents 
National Security Council staff member Oliver North and his secretary, Fawn Hall, begin shredding documents that would have exposed their participation in a range of illegal activities over the sale of arms to Iran and the diversion of the proceeds to a rebel Nicaraguan group.

Mike Tyson 
Mike Tyson becomes the youngest Heavyweight Champion in history today with a second round knockout win over Trevor Berbick.

Chinook Helicopter Crashes North Sea 
Forty-five north sea oil workers are feared dead after a Chinook helicopter plunged into the North Sea off the coast of Scotland.

Rock n Roll Hall of Fame 
The first ten musicians are inducted into Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame including James Brown, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, the Everly Brothers, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard.

1985 Previous Year ---- ( Current Year Is 1986 ) ---- Following Year 1987

1966 News and Interesting Tidbits From History

2008-07-24T05:13:00.000-07:00

 How the Grinch Stole Christmas 
 The popular  Dr. Seuss' book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"  is made into an animated television special and shown for first time on CBS. The narator is the well known Horror movie star Boris Karloff.  "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is one of those programs that when you see it on Television you just know Christmas is not far away.   

 Early Adopter Of Warnings On Cigarette Packets 
 The United States becomes one of the earliest countries in the world to place warning notices on cigarette packets.
 
By law all US cigarette packs began carrying the warning: 
 
"Caution! Cigarette smoking may be hazardous to your health."

Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution Begins In China
China has announced It's Cultural Revolution and that by reorganizing the current small farming collectives into great communes workers would be released to work in industry. 
    

With the Cultural Revolution came persecution of radical students and teachers and colleges were effectively closed down, and Chairman Mao also used the time to purge his rivals. A bi-product of the Cultural Revolution was that grain output declined leading to the country's largest famine in history.

The Little Red Book Goes On Sale
One of the best selling books of all time "The Little Red Book" a collection of quotations by the Chinese leader Mao Zedong go on sale in 1966 .

Every Chinese adult is forced to own a copy and 900 million are printed between 1966 and 1971

The Aberfan Disaster 
The Aberfan Disaster buried a junior school in Aberfan, Wales killing 148 people, mostly children . The school was buried by a landslide of mud and waste sludge created from the local Merthyr Vale Colliery which was 700ft high and towered over the local school before it collapsed .

H Bomb Lost and found 
An H-Bomb was lost in the Mediterranean after a B-52 bomber had made impact with a KC-135 jet. Two other bombs were dropped near Palomores, a small town in Spain. The hydrogen bomb that had fallen from a B-52 bomber when it collided with a KC-135 refueling jet over the Mediterranean Sea was located by a U.S. midget submarine off the coast of Spain, it is recovered from the sea floor in April of the same year from a depth of 2,500 feet .

Plane Crash Mount Fuji
A BOAC British Boeing 707 crashed on Mount Fuji, Japan killing all 124 on board.

 Canada Introduces the Canada Pension Plan (CPP)
Canada Introduces it's earnings-related social insurance program the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) . At age 65 The CPP provides regular pension payments calculated as 25% of the average contributory maximum over the last 5 years. 

Richard Speck Murders 8 Nurses Chicago
 In one of the worst murder cases to date 8 student nurses are brutally murdered by  Richard Speck at their group residence in Chicago, Illinois. 

 University Of Texas Shootings 
Ex Marine Charles Whitman with a stockpile of guns and ammunition on the observatory platform at a 300 foot tower at the University of Texas  proceeds to shoot 46 people, killing 14 people and wounding 31. He had killed both his wife and mother the night before. 

Ronald Reagan enters politics 
The former actor Ronald Reagan enters politics when he is elected governor of California

Soviet Union and US land unmanned probes on the moon
First US space probe to land on the moon, "Surveyor 1" has a soft landing on Moon. The Soviet Union was the first when the Russian probe Luna 9 had a successful soft landing on the moon on 3rd February earlier in the year.

Watts Los Angeles Riots 
Racial rioting broke out again in the Watts area of Los Angeles.

Viking Princess Cruise Ship Fire
A raging fire on the cruise ship the Viking Princess caused passengers and crew to abandon ship with 3 reported deaths and many injuries, 3 merchant vessels went to their aid midway between Cuba and Haiti.

Barbados Gains Independence
Barbados an Island in the Caribbean Gains Independence From Great Britain in 1966

Nationwide Seamen's Strike
The British government declares a state of emergency following the start of the nationwide seamen's strike one week ago. The state of emergency will allow the Royal Navy to take control and clear the ports and lift restrictions on driving vehicles to allow for the free movement of goods.

Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali) Beats Henry Cooper
Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali) ends the hopes of British heavyweight champion Henry Cooper winning the world heavyweight titles when the bout is stopped in Round 6 because of a severe cut above Henry Cooper's Left eye.

UK New Drink Driving Laws 
The British government following increasing numbers of accidents caused through drink driving introduces a blood alcohol limit for drivers in January with 80mg of alcohol in 100cc of blood ( 0.08% ) becoming an offence to drive when over this limit.

Jodrell Bank Sets Record 
The British radio telescope at Jodrell Bank in Cheshire sets a new record when it makes contact with the American Pioneer V satellite at a distance of 407,000 miles.

Moors Murderers Convicted 
The Moors murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley are jailed for life.
They were tried and found guilty for the murder of three children ( Edward Evans, 17, Lesley Ann Downey, aged 10, and 12-year-old John Kilbride ).
Ian Brady and Myra Hindley preyed on children by luring the children into their home in Manchester then torturing and killing them, they performed terrible acts on them prior to murdering them and dumped them on Saddleworth Moor in the Pennines.

World Cup Stolen While On Display
The World Cup, was stolen while on display at Westminster Hall in London, the World Cup was on show prior to the start of the World Cup tournament in Britain later in the year. It was found 1 week later in a in South London garden wrapped in a newspapers. England did go on to win the World Cup later in the year beating West Germany in the final.

England Wins 1966 World Cup
England Wins the 1966 World Cup defeating West Germany 4-2 in England

Miranda Rights
The Miranda rights came about because of a case involving Ernesto Arturo Miranda in 1963. He was arrested for rape. He later confessed to robbery and attempted rape under interrogation by police. He was later sentenced to 20 to 30 years imprisonment on each charge.

The case then went to the Arizona Supreme Court which agreed with the trial court's decision and emphasized the fact that Miranda did not specifically request counsel.

The case then went to the Unites States Supreme Court where Chief Justice Earl Warren, a former prosecutor, delivered the opinion of the Court, ruling that due to the coercive nature of custodial interrogation by police, no confession could be admissible under the Fifth Amendment self-incrimination clause and Sixth Amendment right to an attorney unless a suspect had been made aware of his rights and the suspect had then waived them. Miranda's conviction was overturned. (Miranda v. Arizona 384 U.S. 436 )

Basic Miranda Rights / Warning

“ The person in custody must, prior to interrogation, be clearly informed that he has the right to remain silent, and that anything he says will be used against him in court; he must be clearly informed that he has the right to consult with a lawyer and to have the lawyer with him during interrogation, and that, if he is indigent, a lawyer will be appointed to represent him. ”

“ If the individual indicates in any manner, at any time prior to or during questioning, that he wishes to remain silent, the interrogation must cease ... If the individual states that he wants an attorney, the interrogation must cease until an attorney is present. At that time, the individual must have an opportunity to confer with the attorney and to have him present during any subsequent questioning."

The most common typical Miranda warning is below but can be slightly different in different states

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you.

Houston Astrodome 
The Houston Astrodome Completed measuring 710 ft diameter

Botswana Gains Independence 
Botswana ( formerly called The British Protectorate of Bechuanaland ) in Africa gains it's independence from Britain in 1966

Lesotho Gains Independence 
Lesotho in Africa ( was called Basutoland ) Gains Independence from the UK in 1966

BBC Announces Colour TV For 1967 
The BBC has announced it is to begin broadcasting television programmes in colour from next year.

Haiti Saturday Evening 
In Haiti Saturday evening is an important time for the poor. “At dusk drumbeats from the hills call them to ‘bamcouches’ or poor man’s parties, where voodoo dances and ceremonies can occasionally be viewed by tourists.”

Draft Deferment Test Vietnam War 
Hundreds of thousands of College and University Students are preparing to sit the Draft Deferment Test, The test is a way for them to convince the Draft Board that they would serve the nation better in the quiet of the Classrooms than in the Jungles of Vietnam. May 12th 1966

1965 Previous Year ---- ( Current Year Is 1966 ) ---- Following Year 1967

1981 News and Interesting History Tidbits

2008-07-22T11:14:00.000-07:00

 IBM Releases It's First Personal Computer 
 IBM released its first PC, or personal computer, the IBM 5150 which sold for around $1,600 as a basic config but to get a fully working PC with with 64 kb of RAM and a single 5 1/4 inch floppy drive and monitor cost $3,000.  
 
Specs For The Original IBM PC 
 
An Intel 8088 processor running 4.77 MHz, 
 
PC-DOS 1.0,
 
Floppy disk or cassette player
 
Hard Disc ( Optional extra as an external 10MB hard disk  )
 
Memory 256 kb
 
TV-compatible video board

Start of Aids 
A mysterious epidemic, consisting of two separate diseases, a form of pneumonia and skin cancer, has been found in 180 patients in 15 states since last July. It has claimed around 75 lives so far in the US and up to 92% of the victims are homosexual men. The unknown condition was eventually named as Aids (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) virus not only restricted to homosexuals and 4,000 were infected in the space of two years.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report announcing that cases of rare pneumonia were found among five homosexual men in Los Angeles, California which was later identified as the Aids Virus

First Space Shuttle Columbia Launched 
The First of the US Space Shuttles Columbia was launched making way for mans continuing exploration of space.

Prince Charles and Lady Diana 
The Prince of Wales announced his engagement to Lady Diana Spencer ending months of speculation by the tabloid press.

A procession was planned for the Prince Charles and Princess Diana wedding. Standing room spaces along this parade route were being offered from 90 pounds ($200.00) each on up.
These spaces were being sold by offices located in prime spots offering spectacular view of this day’s festivities. This royal procession route started from the Buckingham Palace to the St. Paul’s Cathedral where the wedding took place.

Prince Charles and Princess Diana Marry at St Paul's Cathedral on 29 July 1981, watched by a world wide audience live on TV of millions in what was thought a fairy tale wedding . Diana was considered by many to be the most popular member of the royal family because of her easy manner and her works with AIDS charities and her fight against the use of landmines.

Their divorce was finalized on 28 August 1996.

Princess Diana was killed in a car accident in Paris On 31 August 1997 after a high speed car accident in the Pont d'Alma road tunnel in Paris along with Dodi Al-Fayed

Syria Hostages Released
The 147 passengers and crew of a Pakistan Airways Boeing 720 aircraft held hostage for nearly two weeks are released in Syria, this follows the Pakistan government releasing 54 political prisoners from prison.

Janet Cooke relinquished the Pulitzer Prize 
Washington Post reporter Janet Cooke relinquished the Pulitzer Prize she had received two days earlier for her feature "Jimmy's World published in The Washington Post on September 29, 1980" about an 8-year-old heroin addict after admitting she had fabricated the story.

Attempted Coup Bangladesh 
Following an attempted coup in Bangladesh the President Ziaur Rahman was murdered, The vice president has imposed strict curfews in Dacca and surrounding towns and cities and there is ongoing fighting between loyalist troops and the rebels led by Major General Abul Manzur.

Italian Prime Minister his coalition cabinet Resign
The Italian Prime Minister Arnaldo Forlani and his coalition cabinet resign following a scandal over membership of the P2 (Propaganda Two) Masonic lodge.

The Compact Disc invented 
It is often reported that Philips invented the Compact Disc but it was a joint venture between Sony and Philips with a large team made up from both companies working together who created the Compact Disc

The first London Marathon 
The first London Marathon organised by Chris Brasher is run with 7,590 taking part including a number of celebrities including Jimmy Saville raising money for charity.

The London Marathon is now a yearly event attracting 30,000 runners from around the world, including some of the world's greatest athletes and tens of thousands of others who complete the marathon raising many millions for charities along the way and many wearing fancy dress costumes .

Ronald Reagan Shot 
President Ronald Reagan was shot at close range as he left the Washington Hilton Hotel just about one mile from the White House .

The attacker John Hinckley, the son of an affluent oil industry executive, was charged with trying to assassinate the president and in the following June, Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity and was committed to hospital.

New British Party Social Democrats
A new political party SDP ( Social Democratic Party) has been formed in the UK from four breakaway Labour party defectors Roy Jenkins, David Owen, William Rodgers and Shirley Williams. The Social Democrats have launched their new political party pledging to "reconcile the nation" and "heal divisions between classes".

They left the Labour party over the current leadership under Michael Foot moving further to the radical left, but did not feel they could support the conservative party under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who was dividing Britain into haves and have nots .

They have described the new Social Democrat Party as left-of-centre party and believe strongly in Proportional representation "ONE MAN ONE VOTE" but without agreement by the other two parties it was unlikely to ever happen.


The party formed an alliance over the next few years with the Liberal Party but after the 1987 general election which the conservatives won under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher.
The labour party chose a more moderate leader Neil Kinnock and supporters of the SDP went back to the labour party hoping that they could get a more moderate labour party back in power and the Social Democrat Party was folded in 1990.

Sandra Day O'Connor nominated for Supreme Court 
Arizona Judge Sandra Day O'Connor is nominated by President Ronald Reagan to become the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

MTV Debuts 
MTV the music video cable channel whose original purpose was to "play music videos" launches. The first music video shown on MTV was "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles.

Supreme Court Abortion Ruling 
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states could require, with some exceptions, parental notification when teenage girls seek abortions .

Currently 6 states in the US do not require parental consent

Other US states require one or all of the following prior to allowing abortion.

One or both parents to be informed

One or both parents must consent

Parental notification law currently enjoined

Parental consent law currently enjoined

There are a number of other laws in each state relating to this highly charged issue and parental consent is just one of the laws used to make abortion harder or easier depending on the ideological stance in that state.

First US Test Tube Baby 
The first American born ''test-tube'' baby, conceived in a laboratory dish, has been born in an American hospital. Elizabeth Jordan Carr, weighing 5 pounds 12 ounces and described as ''perfectly healthy,'' was delivered yesterday morning at Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Va

20th Million Volkswagen Beetle 
The 20th Million Volkswagen Beetle came off the production line at the Volkswagen plant in Puebla, Mexico.

UK Riots

Riots break out in Toxteth, Liverpool with between 200 and 300 youths involved in looting, attacking police, cars and shops with petrol bombs and bricks.
The rioters have been turning over cars and turning them into barricades, most of the youths are wearing balaclava's to evade detection and this seems to be an orchestrated attack on the police with leaders handing out petrol bombs and orders on where they are to be used.

Riots continue including in Brixton, South London with mass rioting and youths taking to the streets throwing petrol bombs, bottles and bricks at police, looting local shops and setting fire to cars. In Brixton a local school and two pubs have also been torched by the rioters and firefighters are unable to reach fires due to the threat of attacks.
The Police armed with riot shields and batons charge the rioters and more than 50 police are injured and at least 20 have been arrested.

Irish Republican IRA Hunger Strike 
The seven month Irish Republican hunger strike at the Maze prison that claimed 10 lives ended without the British Government granting Political Status to prisoners who are members of the IRA

Irish Republican Army member Bobby Sands begins a hunger strike at the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland. During his hunger strike he was elected as a Member of Parliament for Great Britain. He died 65 days later.

Martial Law Imposed in Poland 
Martial law and a state of emergency is imposed by Poland's military rulers. Leaders of the Solidarity trade union have been placed under arrest for inciting the unrest and the army are on the streets in a massive show of military strength imposing strict censorship and a curfew.

Francois Mitterand 
Socialist Francois Mitterand combining moderates and the communist party in France has won ending 2 decades of Conservative rule starting with Charles De Gaule

Antigua and Barbuda Gains Independence
Antigua and Barbuda an island in the West Indies, in the Caribbean gains it's independence in 1981 from Great Britain

Walter Cronkite 
Walter Cronkite retires as the nation's most beloved anchorman from CBS Evening News.

Greenham Common Protestors 
Greenham Common Protesters Arrived at Greenham Common in September 1981 shortly after it was announced that America would be using Greenham Common to store cruise missiles and did not leave for 19 years until the base was dismantled in 2000

The women slept and sheltered in tents and caravans and I had driven by The Women's Greenham Common Peace Camp a few times over the years and the facilities they had were very basic so if you did or did not agree with them you have no choice but to salute their commitment to something they believed in.

The Yorkshire Ripper
Peter William Sutcliffe, of 6 Garden Lane, Bradford, was charged with the murder of 20 year old university student Jacqueline Hill, who was killed in Leeds.
The Yorkshire ripper Peter Sutcliffe is found guilty of killing 13 women and the attempted murder of 7 others. and is sentenced to a minimum of 30 years in jail.

American Hostages Released Iran 
Iran released 52 weary American hostages, who were held for 444 days

Air traffic controllers strike 1981 
President Ronald Reagan calls Air traffic controllers strike illegal and threatened to fire any controller who had not returned to work within 48 hours. He also declared a lifetime ban on the rehiring of any sacked strikers by the Federal Aviation Administration

Soviet Sub Beached 
A Soviet submarine, stuck in the mud off of Sweden’s shores, provided a lot of sport for the pacifist nation. The Soviets had approached Sweden in a menacing manner with warships, however, Swedish authorities insisted on boarding the submarine. In the end the superpower’s submarine crew had to ask for Sweden’s help to get back to the Baltic Sea – a humbling experience.

9 to 5 tops the charts 
Dolly Parton's "9 to 5" tops the Charts as many identify with the song and the movie .

Rupert Murdoch shuts down the Sunday Times 1981 
Rupert Murdoch has shut down the Sunday Times due to an industrial dispute with 101 members of the Printers Union and suspended 1,400 staff on indefinite suspension without pay

Pope John Paul II Shot 
Pope John Paul II, was shot in Vatican City . Police in the square apprehended Turkish citizen Mehmet Ali Agca after he shot the pope

Bernadette Devlin 
Bernadette McAliskey formerly known as Bernadette Devlin, was by gunmen who burst into her home at Coalisland in County Tyrone. The injuries are serious, but not life-threatening

1980 Previous Year ---- ( Current Year Is 1981 ) ---- Following Year 1982

1992 News and Interesting History Tidbits

2008-07-22T08:21:00.000-07:00

Mall of America 
The Mall of America with 2.5 million sq ft of retail space over four floors and with more than 500 shops, opened in Bloomington, Minn. The Mall Of America also includes an indoor amusement park including roller coasters and an Aquarium.

Sanctions Imposed On Libya 
The U.N. Security Council voted to ban flights and arms sales to Libya, for shielding six men accused of blowing up Pan Am Flight 103 and a French airliner

Duke and Duchess of York Separate 
The Duke and Duchess of York have announced they are to separate, they have been married since July 1986 and have two children Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie who are fifth and sixth in line to the British throne.

Woody Allen  
Woody Allen ( 57 ) admits to an affair with Soon-Yi Previn ( 22 ) , the adopted daughter of actress Mia Farrow. The tabloid press pointed out the 35 year age difference between Soon-Yi Previn  and Woody Allen. 

Princess Anne Divorce 
Princess Anne filed for uncontested divorce from Mark Phillips after 2 1/2 years of separation.

Pablo Escobar
Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar escaped from his own luxurious private prison, La Catedral. near Medellin. At one time Escabar had been listed as the seventh-richest man in the world on Forbes Magazine.

The United States Delta Force joined Columbian Police and a self proclaimed vigilante group in the all-out manhunt for Escobar and in December 1993 he was found and died in a shoot out.

Turkey Earthquake 
A 6.8-magnitude earthquake and aftershock near Erzincan, Turkey kill more than 500 and leave another 50,000 homeless.

Abortion Rights Activists March On Washington 
The Abortion rights activists march and demonstration in Washington, D.C. attracts several hundred thousand people who are concerned that the high court, with its conservative majority may overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that made abortion legal.

Bush Pardons Iran Contra Politicians 
President Bush pardoned former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger and five others involved in the arms for hostages Iran Contra scandal

Overthrow Of Communist Government In Afghanistan
The Communist Government of Najibullah In Afghanistan is overthrown. But the country is thrown into further civil war, the country is made up of a number of War Lords and fighting between the various militias, which had coexisted during the Soviet occupation ends. With the end of of their common enemy ( Communist Rule ) , the militias, ethnic, clan, and religious differences took over, and civil war continued.

Death Penalty Reintroduced California 
Robert Alton Harris became the first person executed by the state of California in 25 years as he was put to death in the gas chamber for the 1978 murder of two teenage boys

Euro Disney Opens
Euro Disney a new $4 billion theme park, opened in Marne-La-Vallee a new town on the outskirts of Paris, France.
This is the second Disney resort to open outside the United States after the first which was Tokyo and is now one of Europe's leading tourist destinations.

Olympic Games 1992 
The Summer Olympic Games of the XXV Olympiad are held in Barcelona, Spain.

Following the changes in rules by the International Basketball Federation in 1989 to allow professional players to be included in Olympic Basketball teams led to the creation of the American Dream Team, with players like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley, and Larry Bird. They won the gold medal with great ease.

South Africa is readmitted to the Olympics following the countries breakdown of apartheid in the country.

This is also the first games since 1972 where all members of the IOC countries compete, following a number of years of boycott for political reasons .

Germany also competed as one nation following the unification of East and West Germany.

Hindu Militants Destroy Babri mosque 
A mob of Hindu militants tears down the Babri mosque in Ayodhya and attacked Muslim houses and property in the area setting off two months of Hindu-Muslim rioting that claimed at least 2,000 lives.

Rioting in Los Angeles 
Rioting has broken out in Los Angeles following the decision by a jury to acquit four white police officers accused of beating black motorist Rodney King.

The case centered on a video shown on TV around the world which was taped by an amateur cameraman who caught the scene on film as the four police officers beat, kicked and clubbed unemployed laborer Rodney King while other officers looked on. The officers did face a second trial a year later, on federal charges of violating Rodney King's civil rights, 2 were found guilty and received prison sentences of two years.

The violence continued for 4 days in which 55 people were killed caused by revenge attacks against whites and Asians by the black rioters.

Leona Helmsley Jailed for Not Paying Taxes
Leona Helmsley, goes to prison for failing to pay her taxes, she served a total of only 18 months in jail.

Her famous quote "Only the little people pay taxes." turned the press and the public against her who never forgave her for the infamous saying.

Guadalajara Sewer Explosions
A series of sewer explosions in Guadalajara, Mexico caused by a build up of gas after an earlier gas leak, kill more than 200 people and damage 1,000 buildings.

Truck Driver Protest Closes French Roads
Following lorry driver disruption on French roads for one week the police and army are ordered by the government to remove trucks blocking roads. At the worst area the on the A1 motorway south of Lille towards Paris 500 riot squad officers, supported by helicopters, took four hours to disperse the 150 vehicles jamming the road.

Mass Coal Mines Closures UK 
The government is planning to close a 31 out of 50 of Britain's deep coal mines, with the loss of 31,000 jobs. In the mid 40's coal mining in Britain employed one million miners working in 958 mines.

Manchester England Bombing
Two bombs planted by the IRA explode in the centre of Manchester injuring 65 people, A telephone warning of other devices force police to evacuate the whole of the city centre causing widespread disruption.

Mike Tyson Convicted of Rape 
Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson is sentenced to six years in prison for raping Miss Black Rhode Island, Desiree Washington. He was released on March 1995 after serving three years.

He did go back to fighting for the heavyweight championship after his release but in 1997 was again in trouble when he fought Evander Holyfield in Vegas and was disqualified for biting Holyfield on both ears. One bite was severe enough to remove a piece of Holyfield's right ear, which was found on the ring floor after the fight.

Punch Magazine 
The satirical British magazine Punch announces it will publish it's final issue on 8 April after 150 years due to falling sales and subscriptions

Apartheid Ending South Africa 
The beginning of the end of white rule and apartheid in South Africa came when White South Africans voted for political reforms to end apartheid and create a power-sharing multi-racial government.

Manuel Noriega
Former Panamanian ruler Manuel Noriega was convicted in Miami of drug trafficking and racketeering charges.

Bosnia and Herzegovina Recognised As Independent
Bosnia and Herzegovina a country in the Baltic Region Recognised As Independent following the collapse of Yugoslavia in 1992.

John Gotti Convicted
Mob boss John Gotti often referred to as "The Teflon Don" because of the number of times he was charged but not convicted is finally convicted in New York of racketeering, murder, illegal gambling and other crimes, the conviction is largely helped through the testimony of an ex high ranking member of the Mafia who had turned informant Salvatore Gravano. John Gotti is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, where he died in 2002.

The Georgia Superdome is completed USA 
Georgia Superdome in Atlanta, Georgia is completed with a diameter of 840 ft having the worlds largest cable supported fabric roof .

Arthur Ashe
Tennis player Arthur Ashe announces that he has AIDS

North American Free Trade Agreement 
President George H.W. Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari signed the North American Free Trade Agreement in separate ceremonies

Jeffrey Dahmer 
Jeffrey Dahmer, is sentenced to 15 consecutive life sentences and will never be eligible for parole by a Wisconsin court, he had practiced necrophilia and cannibalism on 15 young men and boys.

On 28 November 1994 he was murdered by a fellow inmate, who bludgeoned him to death with a metal bar.

Somalia Starving Millions and OPERATION RESTORE HOPE 
Somalia did not have a government and its people were starving. It was a country that needed the long term help of the world police to keep order and to make sure that aid got delivered. The United States sends American troops to lead a mercy mission to Somalia, threatening military action against warlords and gangs who were blocking food for starving millions but did not want to commit itself to a long term military intervention, because it was scared of recreating another situation like the Vietnam war.

The United Nations intervention in Somalia OPERATION RESTORE HOPE a UN sanctioned US military operation begins. The operation was planned to avert the growing humanitarian disaster of severe famine and general chaos.

Earth Summit
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development ( The Earth Summit ) held in Brazil

The United States causes a storm at the UN Conference on Environment and Pollution as standing alone amongst the westernised world by refusing to sign the document to reduce carbon dioxide emissions . The current Bush administration believes global warming is not a problem that can be proved.

Queen Pays Income Tax 
Major reforms in how royalty is funded in the United Kingdom are announced including

1. The Queen of England will now pay income tax

2. The number of Royals who receive taxpayers money has been reduced to the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen Mother.

Much of this is because of the public concern about the rising cost of the monarchy and some of the stories in tabloid press about minor royals living off the British tax payer.

Windsor Castle Fire 
Fire damages a major part of Windsor Castle and a number of important works of art, books and furniture are lost some through fire damage but also many through water damage caused by the 35 fire engines that fought the fire . The 900 year old castle is about 20 miles west of London in the city of Windsor and is used by the queen as a weekend retreat.

President Bush Victim Of A Voodoo Hex 
A Haitian priest who is Roman Catholic claimed that President Bush was the victim of a voodoo hex. The priest claimed that the president could undo the curse by changing the U.S.’s foreign policy to Haiti. He said that the proof of Bush’s curse was the fact that the president vomited on the Japanese prime minister.

1991 Previous Year ---- ( Current Year Is 1992 ) ---- Following Year 1993

1934 News and Interesting Tidbits

2008-07-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

Alcatraz " The Rock " Opens 
The Prisoners that are considered the most dangerous are sent to Alcatraz " The Rock " because it is considered to be one of the hardest prisons in the world to escape from due to the strong tides 

Bonnie and Clyde Killed

Bank robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were ambushed and gunned down with over 100 rounds of ammunition by police in Black Lake, Louisiana.
Following the deaths of Bonnie and Clyde slain in Louisiana by federal agents, their bodies are being transported back to Texas and are to be buried in separate graves in different parts of Dallas. They were inseparable in life committing robberies and murders side by side across the nation but in death Bonnies mother has stated Clyde took her daughter away from her but she will take her daughter back in death against bonnies last wishes.

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were notorious during the great depression years as outlaws, they were featured in newspapers through out the country because of their escapades robbing banks , small stores and gas stations. They became notorious not because they robbed and killed so many but because of the authorities inability to catch them. Many thought them as heroes because of their status as a modern day "Robin Hood" but reality is they killed ordinary people and did not "Give To The Poor".

While researching for this piece I came across one of Bonnie Parkers Poems and I have included a few of the verses below this was written just a short time before her death

1934 Bonnie Parker

You've read the story of Jesse James--

Of how he lived and died;

If you're still in need

Of something to read

Here's the story of Bonnie and Clyde.

Now Bonnie and Clyde are the Barrow gang.

I'm sure you all have read

How they rob and steal

And those who squeal

Are usually found dying or dead.

There's lots of untruths to these write-ups;

They're not so ruthless as that;

Their nature is raw;

They hate the law--

The stool pigeons, spotters, and rats.

They call them cold-blooded killers;

They say they are heartless and mean;

But I say this with pride,

That I once knew Clyde

When he was honest and upright and clean.

They know that the law always wins;

They've been shot at before,

But they do not ignore

That death is the wages of sin.

Some day they'll go down together;

They'll bury them side by side;

To few it'll be grief--

To the law a relief--

But it's death for Bonnie and Clyde.

Italy Wins 1934 World Cup
Italy wins the 1934 World Cup played in Italy defeating Czechoslovakia in the final 2-1

Ford Offers White Wall Tires 
The Ford Motor Company offers the option for white sidewall tires on its new cars at a cost of $11.25 per set

Work Begins On Volkswagen Beetle 
The work on first prototypes of The Peoples Car what became the ( Volkswagen Beetle ) was started by Ferdinand Porsche but it would take until 1936 before the first prototype was completed

Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping 
Some $5000 dollars from the ransom paid in the Lindbergh kidnapping is recovered out of ( $50,000 ) and a man is in custody with ongoing investigations by federal authorities

Income Tax Returns 
Senate votes to make all income tax returns subject to public inspection in the hope of stopping TAX Dodging

US Refuses To Join League of Nations
In Geneva the League of Nations had hoped that the U.S. would cooperate and become a member. However, President Roosevelt and Secretary of State Cordell Hull refused to get involved.

New York Slum Clearance
The most ambitious slum clearance in New York City has been agreed today by the PWA ( Public Works Administration ) and New York City with 20 acres on a 12 square block area in Williamsburg identified for the building of low cost housing and is estimated that it will house 2,500 families in two and three story apartment complexes when completed. This project is part of a larger project for slum clearance and low cost national housing countrywide which is estimated at costing in excess of $150,000,000. This type of project will be repeated in major cities across America bringing much needed work and providing better living conditions for many tens of thousands of inner city dwellers.

Soviet Union Stalin Purge
Josef Stalin begins a purge of real and perceived enemies and the head of the Communist Party in Leningrad, Sergei M. Kirov, is one of those assassinated

Germany Adolf Hitler Purge
Adolf Hitler orders a purge of his own political party, assassinating hundreds of Nazis whom he believed had the potential to become political enemies in the future later known as the Night of the Long Knives.

All Uniforms Forbidden In Turkey
In Turkey all uniforms were forbidden – even Boy Scout uniforms from other countries. Also prohibited were Nazi brown uniforms and Fascist black military dress.

Dust Bowl Midwest
A huge dust storm moving from the Midwest,The dust storm was 1,500 miles long, 900 miles across and two miles high, covering almost one-third of the country. Farmers lost large amounts of Topsoil .
Congress pass the Jones-Connally Farm-Relief Act putting a larger number of products under the control of the Agricultural Adjustment Administration ( AAA ) who were charged with delivering farmers from the woes of the Depression by slashing production and increasing prices, but the agency did nothing for the farmers affected by the Dust Bowl and was repealed 2 years later.

During this year Oklahoma experienced a ravaging drought with temperatures reaching 117 degrees, killing both animals and humans.  The cotton crop was only in fair condition. Pastures, crops, and orchards were scorched.  Two thousand five hundred livestock were being bought a day by the government to prevent them from starving, however 30,000 beasts have already succumbed.

Securities Exchange Act 
President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Securities Exchange Act , this was in response to the 1929 stock market crash which was a major factor in the great depression years of the 30's. Up till that point the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) had been operating with little or no government control and the creation of the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) was hoped to restore investor confidence in the market .

1934 prices
A new Studebaker Truck $625.00
A Gallon of Gas 10 cents
Potatoes 18 cents for 10 pounds
Cottage in Fitchburg Massachusetts
6 room cottage all improvements on 1/2 acre
$2,000

Sir Oswald Mosley
Sir Oswald Mosley and Black-Shirt fascist followers were put on Trial. They were arrested and charged of “riotous assembly” after a fascist meeting on October 9.

Loch Ness Monster
More reports are coming in from Loch Ness in Scotland where they make the strongest Whisky on earth from tourists and locals of sightings of the Loch Ness Monster. It is described as a sea serpent estimated at over 50 ft long and the secretary of state for Scotland has forbidden the capture or shooting of the creature.

West Coast Longshoremen's Strike
The West Coast Longshoremen's Strike begins when Int’l. Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) union workers demand a 6hr working day, more men on each gang, lighter loads and an independent union shutting down seaports in Washington, Oregon and California for 3 months. .

On July 5th The San Francisco Mayor Angelo J. Rossi, unleashed the city’s anti-union police department on the workers and Police fired into a crowd of strikers killing 2 men and wounded 109 in what is know as "Bloody Thursday".

On July 14th following the heavy handed use of force on striking Longshoremen a general strike is called in San Francisco which lasted 4 days.

Following the general strike the Labor Council voted to terminate the general strike and recommended that the Longshoreman's unions accept arbitration of all disputed issues. When the National Longshore Board put the employer's proposal to arbitrate to a vote of striking longshoremen, it passed in every port except Everett, Washington.

Dillenger Killed
Dillenger escapes from a police cordon in Northern Wisconsin and manages to stay free for quite some time but is eventually shot and killed in Northern Wisconsin
John Dillenger Public Enemy number ONE career was finally ended during a shoot out with FBI agents who had been waiting outside a local Cinema following a tip off.

1933 Previous Year ---- ( Current Year Is 1934 ) ---- Following Year 1935