Post by MacBeth on Apr 14, 2009 6:44:07 GMT -5
In 73, With the 10th Roman Legion about to breach the gates of their mountaintop fortress, 960 Sicarii Jews commit mass suicide at Masada. According to Josephus, the radical cult selected ten swordsmen by lottery to perform the killing. Then they held a second lottery to choose one man to kill the remaining nine. Finally, the last one fell on his sword.
In 1775, the first American society for the abolition of slavery was formed in Philadelphia.
In 1828, the first edition of Noah Webster's "American Dictionary of the English Language" was published.
In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded by John Wilkes Booth while attending the comedy "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater in Washington. (Lincoln died the following morning.)
In 1902, James Cash Penney opened his first store, The Golden Rule, in Kemmerer, Wyo.
In 1909, Armenians in Adana Province in the Ottoman Empire became targets of violence during an uprising by counterrevolutionaries seeking to restore Sultan Abdul Hamid II to power; the number of Armenians killed has been put at up to 30,000.
In 1912, the British liner RMS Titanic collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic and began sinking.
In 1931, King Alfonso XIII of Spain went into exile and the Spanish Republic was proclaimed.
In 1939, the John Steinbeck novel "The Grapes of Wrath" was first published.
In 1949, at the conclusion of the so-called "Wilhelmstrasse Trial," 19 former Nazi Foreign Office officials were sentenced by an American tribunal in Nuremberg to prison terms ranging from four to 25 years.
In 1956, Ampex Corp. demonstrated the first successful videotape recorder at the National Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters Convention in Chicago.
In 1997, Whitewater figure James McDougal drew a three-year prison sentence for 18 felony fraud and conspiracy counts.
In 1999, Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr told Congress the Watergate-era law that gave him the power to probe actions of executive branch officials was flawed and should be abolished.
In 2002, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez returned to office two days after being ousted and arrested by his country's military.
In 2004, in a historic policy shift, President George W. Bush endorsed Israel's plan to hold on to part of the West Bank in any final peace settlement with the Palestinians; he also ruled out Palestinian refugees returning to Israel, bringing strong criticism from the Palestinians.
In 2008, Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp., announced they were combining. Kidnapped British journalist Richard Butler was rescued by Iraqi troops from a house in Basra after two months in captivity. Media billionaire Silvio Berlusconi won a decisive victory in Italy's parliamentary election. Carme Chacon was sworn into office as Spain's first woman defense minister.
In 1775, the first American society for the abolition of slavery was formed in Philadelphia.
In 1828, the first edition of Noah Webster's "American Dictionary of the English Language" was published.
In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded by John Wilkes Booth while attending the comedy "Our American Cousin" at Ford's Theater in Washington. (Lincoln died the following morning.)
In 1902, James Cash Penney opened his first store, The Golden Rule, in Kemmerer, Wyo.
In 1909, Armenians in Adana Province in the Ottoman Empire became targets of violence during an uprising by counterrevolutionaries seeking to restore Sultan Abdul Hamid II to power; the number of Armenians killed has been put at up to 30,000.
In 1912, the British liner RMS Titanic collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic and began sinking.
In 1931, King Alfonso XIII of Spain went into exile and the Spanish Republic was proclaimed.
In 1939, the John Steinbeck novel "The Grapes of Wrath" was first published.
In 1949, at the conclusion of the so-called "Wilhelmstrasse Trial," 19 former Nazi Foreign Office officials were sentenced by an American tribunal in Nuremberg to prison terms ranging from four to 25 years.
In 1956, Ampex Corp. demonstrated the first successful videotape recorder at the National Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters Convention in Chicago.
In 1997, Whitewater figure James McDougal drew a three-year prison sentence for 18 felony fraud and conspiracy counts.
In 1999, Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr told Congress the Watergate-era law that gave him the power to probe actions of executive branch officials was flawed and should be abolished.
In 2002, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez returned to office two days after being ousted and arrested by his country's military.
In 2004, in a historic policy shift, President George W. Bush endorsed Israel's plan to hold on to part of the West Bank in any final peace settlement with the Palestinians; he also ruled out Palestinian refugees returning to Israel, bringing strong criticism from the Palestinians.
In 2008, Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp., announced they were combining. Kidnapped British journalist Richard Butler was rescued by Iraqi troops from a house in Basra after two months in captivity. Media billionaire Silvio Berlusconi won a decisive victory in Italy's parliamentary election. Carme Chacon was sworn into office as Spain's first woman defense minister.