Category: Date-A-Base

31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in August 2020

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Historical anniversaries are great for On This Day in History features and anniversary tie-ins. They’re popular with readers and viewers, editors and producers love them, they’re simple to research, and you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, films, TV/radio/theatre shows, and more.

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2020. You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries in the book.

1 Aug 1770 – 250 years ago
Birth of William Clark, American explorer (Lewis and Clark expedition).

2 Aug 1990 to 28 Feb 1991 – 30 years ago
Gulf War. On 2nd August Iraq invaded Kuwait. On 6th the United Nations Security Council ordered a global trade embargo against Iraq. On 7th the USA launched Operation Desert Shield, sending U.S. forces to Saudi Arabia to prevent an Iraqi invasion. On 8th Iraq took full control of Kuwait and installed a puppet government. This led to Operation Desert Storm (17 Jan – 28 Feb 1991). Coalition victory.

3 Aug 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of P. D. James, British novelist. Best known for her crime novels featuring the detective Adam Dalgliesh.

4 Aug 1870 – 150 years ago
The British Red Cross Society was founded.

5 Aug 1895 – 125 years ago
Death of Friedrich Engels, German socialist philosopher and social scientist who collaborated with Karl Marx to found modern communism and co-write The Communist Manifesto.

6 Aug 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: the U.S. Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan. The center of the city was totally destroyed and approximately 80,000 people were killed immediately. A further 60,000 people died by the end of the year because of injury or radiation. It was the first city in history to be hit by a nuclear weapon. A second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on 9th August.

7 Aug 1955 – 65 years ago
Sony (then known as the Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation) released the first transistor radio made in Japan: the TR-55. It was also the first transistor radio in the world to use all-miniature components.

8 Aug 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: the Soviet Union declared war on Japan and entered the Pacific War, exactly three months after the war in Europe ended, as agreed at the Yalta Conference in February.

9 Aug 1930 – 90 years ago
The cartoon character Betty Boop first appeared, in the cartoon Dizzy Dishes.

10 Aug 1895 – 125 years ago
The Proms (Promenade Concerts) began in London.

11 Aug 1995 – 25 years ago
U.S. President Bill Clinton banned all nuclear weapons testing by the USA, saying that the country’s nuclear stockpile could be safely maintained without the need for any further testing. He made this statement ahead of signing the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty in September 1996.

12 Aug 1960 – 60 years ago
NASA launched the first successful communications satellite, Echo 1, into low Earth orbit, to relay voice and TV signals. The satellite’s 30-meter (98-foot) shiny surface reflected signals from one point on the Earth to another. (This satellite was officially named Echo 1A. It was a replacement for the first Echo 1, whose launch in May 1960 ended in failure and it ditched into the Atlantic.)

13 Aug 1940 – 80 years ago
World War II: the main phase of the Battle of Britain began. The German Luftwaffe launched raids on RAF airfields and radar installations.

14 Aug 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: V-J Day. Japan announced its unconditional surrender, ending WWII in the Pacific. (The war officially ended on 2nd September when Japan signed the surrender document.)

15 Aug 1945 – 75 years ago
Korea was divided along the 38th parallel, creating the Soviet-occupied North Korea and the U.S.-occupied South Korea.

16 to 23 Aug 1930 – 90 years ago
The first British Empire Games (now the Commonwealth Games) were held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

17 Aug 1960 – 60 years ago
The Beatles gave their first live public performance, at the Indra Club in Hamburg, Germany. They performed there seven evenings a week, then relocated to the Kaiserkeller on 4th October after the Indra Club was closed down because of noise complaints.

18 Aug 1945 – 75 years ago
Death of Subhas Chandra Bose, Indian nationalist. Leader of a WWII force that attempted (unsuccessfully) to liberate the Indian military from British rule.

19 Aug 1960 – 60 years ago
The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 5 with the dogs Belka and Strelka (plus 40 mice, 2 rats and a variety of plants) on board. After a day in orbit, they returned safely. They were the first animals to survive orbital flight.

20 Aug 1920 – 100 years ago
The National Football League (NFL) was founded (as the American Professional Football Association).

21 Aug 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of Christopher Robin Milne, British bookseller. Son of the author A. A. Milne. He appears as a character in his father’s Winnie-the-Pooh stories. (Died 1996.)

22 Aug 1770 – 250 years ago
British explorer Captain James Cook discovered eastern Australia, named it New South Wales, and claimed it for Britain.

23 to 31 Aug 2005 – 15 years ago
Hurricane Katrina hit the Bahamas, Cuba and the southern U.S. states. The city of New Orleans, Louisiana was particularly badly affected (on 29th August) when the levee system failed, flooding 80% of the city for several weeks. Florida and Mississippi also suffered severe damage. Over 1,800 people were killed. It was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

24 Aug 1940 – 80 years ago
Death of Paul Gottlieb Nipkow, German engineer and television pioneer who invented the Nipkow disk – a spinning perforated disk that could scan images. It was used by John Logie Baird to develop the first mechanical television system.

25 Aug 1270 – 750 years ago
Death of Saint Louis IX, King of France (1226–70).

26 Aug 1920 – 100 years ago
The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution came into effect. It granted women the right to vote.

27 Aug 1955 – 65 years ago
The first edition of the Guinness Book of Records (now Guinness World Records) was published.

28 Aug 1955 – 65 years ago
Death of Emmett Till, African American teenager who was mutilated and killed in Mississippi after flirting with a white woman. His death was one of the key events that motivated the Civil Rights Movement.

29 Aug 1895 – 125 years ago
The Rugby Football League was founded in England (as the Northern Rugby Football Union. The first match was played on 7th September.

30 Aug 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: Hong Kong was liberated by British forces.

31 Aug 1980 – 40 years ago
Solidarity was formed in Gdansk, Poland after striking shipyard workers won the right to form a trade union. Communist authorities officially recognized Solidarity in October, but outlawed it in 1981 when they imposed martial law followed by years of political repression. It was legalized again in 1989.

More anniversaries:

You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for this month in The Date-A-Base Book 2020. The 2021 and 2022 editions are also available if you need to work further ahead. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

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31 newsworthy anniversaries in July 2020

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Here are 31 newsworthy and notable anniversaries coming up in July 2020.

This list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020, which lists hundreds of newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries for each month. It’s just the thing you need for writing “on this day in history” features and anniversary tie-ins.

1 Jul 1970 – 50 years ago
Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center) opened in California, USA. It developed numerous important technologies including the personal computer, graphical user interface, laser printer, ethernet, and electronic paper.

2 Jul 1940 – 80 years ago
Lake Washington Floating Bridge (now the Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge) was opened. It links Seattle to Mercer Island, Washington, USA.

3 Jul 1970 – 50 years ago
A British holiday jet (Dan-Air Flight 1903) crashed into mountains near Barcelona, Spain, killing 112 people. (Cause: misinterpreted radar data and air traffic control instructions relating to another plane flying in the same area.)

4 Jul 1960 – 60 years ago
The 50‐star Flag of the United States made its debut. It had been updated to include Hawaii.

5 Jul 1920 – 100 years ago
Death of Max Klinger, German symbolist artist, sculptor, printmaker and writer.

6 Jul 1945 – 75 years ago
U.S. President Harry S. Truman established the Medal of Freedom (now known as the Presidential Medal of Freedom). It honors civilians whose actions aid the war efforts of the USA and its allies.

7 Jul 2005 – 15 years ago
7th July London bombings. A coordinated series of 4 suicide bomb attacks on London’s transport system during the morning rush hour. 56 people were killed, including the 4 bombers, and more than 700 were injured. It was the worst-ever terrorist attack on Britain, and the country’s first attack by suicide bombers.

–

9 Jul 1955 – 65 years ago
The song Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley and His Comets reached #1 on the Billboard chart in the USA. It remained #1 for 8 weeks. Although not the first rock and roll song, it is considered the song that brought rock and roll into the mainstream.

10 Jul to 31 Oct 1940 – 80 years ago
World War II: the Battle of Britain. British victory.

11 Jul 1960 – 60 years ago
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was published.

12 Jul 1920 – 100 years ago
The Panama Canal was officially opened by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. (It had been operating since August 1914.)

13 to 30 Jul 1930 – 90 years ago
The first FIFA World Cup (soccer) was held in Uruguay. The host nation, Uruguay won 4-2 against Argentina in the final.

14 Jul 1995 – 25 years ago
The MP3 digital audio format was officially named.

15 Jul 1940 – 80 years ago
Death of Robert Wadlow, American giant. The world’s tallest man. Almost nine feet tall and still growing at the time of his death, aged 22.

16 Jul 1945 – 75 years ago
The USA detonated the world’s first nuclear weapon, (“Fat Boy”), at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.

17 Jul 1955 – 65 years ago
The first Disneyland theme park opened, in Anaheim, California, USA.

18 Jul 1895 – 125 years ago
Birth of Machine Gun Kelly, American gangster who operated in Memphis, Tennessee during the prohibition era.

19 Jul 1940 – 80 years ago
The British Army’s Intelligence Corps was founded.

20 Jul 1940 – 80 years ago
Billboard magazine published the first Music Popularity Chart, which listed the top 10 singles sold in the USA that week. The first #1 record was I’ll Never Smile Again by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra.

21 Jul 1970 – 50 years ago
The Aswan High Dam in Egypt was completed after 11 years of construction.

22 Jul 1995 – 25 years ago
Death of Harold Larwood, British cricketer. The main exponent of the controversial “bodyline” bowling style which was denounced as “unsportsmanlike” and ended his career.

23 Jul 1940 – 80 years ago
Britain’s Local Defence Volunteers were renamed the Home Guard.

24 Jul 1950 – 70 years ago
The first rocket to be launched at Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA: the Bumper 2. Its first stage was a captured German V-2 rocket, and its upper stage was a U.S. Army WAC Corporal rocket. It reached a height of 25 miles.

25 Jul 2000 – 20 years ago
An Air France Concorde crashed outside Paris shortly after taking off for New York. All 109 people on board were killed, as well as 4 people on the ground.

26 Jul 1945 – 75 years ago
Clement Attlee, the Labour Party leader, became British Prime Minister after defeating Winston Churchill’s Conservative Party in the general election held on 5th July.

27 Jul 1940 – 80 years ago
Bugs Bunny made his first appearance, in the Warner Bros. cartoon A Wild Hare.

28 Jul 1945 – 75 years ago
A U.S. Army B-25 Mitchell bomber crashed into the Empire State Building in New York City, USA in thick fog. All 3 people onboard the plane and 11 people in the building were killed.

29 Jul 1945 – 75 years ago
The BBC Light Programme radio station was launched in the UK. It broadcast mainstream light entertainment and music. It became BBC Radio 2 in 1967.

30 Jul 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: the U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine after delivering key components of the Hiroshima atomic bomb to the Pacific island of Tinian. About 300 of the 1,196 crew were killed immediately, while almost 600 more died over the following days from dehydration, exposure, salt water poisoning or shark attacks while awaiting rescue. 317 survived.

31 Jul 1970 – 50 years ago
“Black Tot Day.” The last day of the officially sanctioned rum ration in the British Royal Navy.

More anniversaries:

The above list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020. You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for each month in the book. The 2021 and 2022 editions are also available. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

Share this:

31 newsworthy anniversaries in July 2020 (US edition)

Posted on by admin

Here are 31 newsworthy and notable anniversaries coming up in July 2020.

This list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020, which lists hundreds of newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries for each month. It’s just the thing you need for writing “on this day in history” features and anniversary tie-ins.

Jul 1, 1970 – 50 years ago
Xerox PARC (Palo Alto Research Center) opened in California, USA. It developed numerous important technologies including the personal computer, graphical user interface, laser printer, ethernet, and electronic paper.

Jul 2, 1940 – 80 years ago
Lake Washington Floating Bridge (now the Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge) was opened. It links Seattle to Mercer Island, Washington, USA.

Jul 3, 1970 – 50 years ago
A British holiday jet (Dan-Air Flight 1903) crashed into mountains near Barcelona, Spain, killing 112 people. (Cause: misinterpreted radar data and air traffic control instructions relating to another plane flying in the same area.)

Jul 4, 1960 – 60 years ago
The 50‐star Flag of the United States made its debut. It had been updated to include Hawaii.

Jul 5, 1920 – 100 years ago
Death of Max Klinger, German symbolist artist, sculptor, printmaker and writer.

Jul 6, 1945 – 75 years ago
U.S. President Harry S. Truman established the Medal of Freedom (now known as the Presidential Medal of Freedom.) It honors civilians whose actions aid the war efforts of the USA and its allies.

Jul 7, 2005 – 15 years ago
July 7th London bombings. A coordinated series of 4 suicide bomb attacks on London’s transport system during the morning rush hour. 56 people were killed, including the 4 bombers, and more than 700 were injured. It was the worst-ever terrorist attack on Britain, and the country’s first attack by suicide bombers.

–

Jul 9, 1955 – 65 years ago
The song Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley and His Comets reached #1 on the Billboard chart in the USA. It remained #1 for 8 weeks. Although not the first rock and roll song, it is considered the song that brought rock and roll into the mainstream.

Jul 10 to Oct 31, 1940 – 80 years ago
World War II: the Battle of Britain. British victory.

Jul 11, 1960 – 60 years ago
The novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was published.

Jul 12, 1920 – 100 years ago
The Panama Canal was officially opened by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. (It had been operating since August 1914.)

Jul 13 to 30, 1930 – 90 years ago
The first FIFA World Cup (soccer) was held in Uruguay. The host nation, Uruguay won 4 – 2 against Argentina in the final.

Jul 14, 1995 – 25 years ago
The MP3 digital audio format was officially named.

Jul 15, 1940 – 80 years ago
Death of Robert Wadlow, American giant. The world’s tallest man. Almost nine feet tall and still growing at the time of his death, aged 22.

Jul 16, 1945 – 75 years ago
The USA detonated the world’s first nuclear weapon, (“Fat Boy”), at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.

Jul 17, 1955 – 65 years ago
The first Disneyland theme park opened, in Anaheim, California, USA.

Jul 18, 1895 – 125 years ago
Birth of Machine Gun Kelly, American gangster who operated in Memphis, Tennessee during the prohibition era.

Jul 19, 1940 – 80 years ago
The British Army’s Intelligence Corps was founded.

Jul 20, 1940 – 80 years ago
Billboard magazine published the first Music Popularity Chart, which listed the top 10 singles sold in the USA that week. The first #1 record was I’ll Never Smile Again by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra.

Jul 21, 1970 – 50 years ago
The Aswan High Dam in Egypt was completed after 11 years of construction.

Jul 22, 1995 – 25 years ago
Death of Harold Larwood, British cricketer. The main exponent of the controversial “bodyline” bowling style which was denounced as “unsportsmanlike” and ended his career.

Jul 23, 1940 – 80 years ago
Britain’s Local Defence Volunteers were renamed the Home Guard.

Jul 24, 1950 – 70 years ago
The first rocket to be launched at Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA: the Bumper 2. Its first stage was a captured German V-2 rocket, and its upper stage was a U.S. Army WAC Corporal rocket. It reached a height of 25 miles.

Jul 25, 2000 – 20 years ago
An Air France Concorde crashed outside Paris shortly after taking off for New York. All 109 people on board were killed, as well as 4 people on the ground.

Jul 26, 1945 – 75 years ago
Clement Attlee, the Labour Party leader, became British Prime Minister after defeating Winston Churchill’s Conservative Party in the general election held on July 5th.

Jul 27, 1940 – 80 years ago
Bugs Bunny made his first appearance, in the Warner Bros. cartoon A Wild Hare.

Jul 28, 1945 – 75 years ago
A U.S. Army B-25 Mitchell bomber crashed into the Empire State Building in New York City, USA in thick fog. All 3 people on board the plane and 11 people in the building were killed.

Jul 29, 1945 – 75 years ago
The BBC Light Programme radio station was launched in the UK. It broadcast mainstream light entertainment and music. It became BBC Radio 2 in 1967.

Jul 30, 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: the U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine after delivering key components of the Hiroshima atomic bomb to the Pacific island of Tinian. About 300 of the 1,196 crew were killed immediately, while almost 600 more died over the following days from dehydration, exposure, salt water poisoning or shark attacks while awaiting rescue. 317 survived.

Jul 31, 1970 – 50 years ago
“Black Tot Day.” The last day of the officially sanctioned rum ration in the British Royal Navy.

More anniversaries:

The above list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020. You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for each month in the book. The 2021 and 2022 editions are also available. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

Share this:

30 newsworthy anniversaries in June 2020

Posted on by admin

Here are 30 newsworthy and notable anniversaries coming up in June 2020.

This list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020, which lists hundreds of newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries for each month. It’s just the thing you need for writing “on this day in history” features and anniversary tie-ins.

1 Jun 1980 – 40 years ago
Cable News Network (CNN) began broadcasting.

2 Jun 1970 – 50 years ago
Death of Bruce McLaren, New Zealand racing driver and racing car designer. Killed while testing a car at Goodwood, England.

3 Jun 1950 – 70 years ago
The first successful ascent of Annapurna in the Himalayas, by a French expedition led by Maurice Herzog. This was the first successful ascent of a mountain over 8,000 meters. Annapurna is the 10th highest mountain in the world.

4 Jun 1970 – 50 years ago
Tonga gained its independence from the UK.

5 Jun 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: the Allied Control Council was established in Berlin, Germany to oversee the division of Germany into four occupation zones: American, British, French and Soviet.

–

7 Jun 1770 – 250 years ago
Birth of Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, British Prime Minister (1812–27).

8 Jun 1970 – 50 years ago
Death of Abraham Maslow, American psychologist and philosopher. Best known for creating Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

9 Jun 1870 – 150 years ago
Death of Charles Dickens, British novelist (The Pickwick Papers, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, A Christmas Carol and more).

10 Jun 1940 – 80 years ago
Death of Marcus Garvey, Jamaican-born American civil rights leader who established the first major black nationalist movement in the USA.

11 Jun 1770 – 250 years ago
English explorer Captain James Cook discovered the Great Barrier Reef off Australia when his ship ran aground on it and sustained severe damage.

12 Jun 1980 – 40 years ago
Death of Billy Butlin, British holiday camp entrepreneur.

13 Jun 2000 – 20 years ago
The first North-South Korean summit (the Inter-Korean Summit) was held. (South Korean President Kim Dae-jung was later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to ease tensions between the two countries.)

14 Jun 1920 – 100 years ago
Death of Max Weber, influential German sociologist and political economist.

15 Jun 1920 – 100 years ago
Duluth lynchings, Minnesota, USA. Three black circus workers were lynched by a mob of between 5,000 and 10,000 people after they were (probably falsely) accused of raping a local girl.

16 Jun 1960 – 60 years ago
Alfred Hitchcock’s suspense film Psycho was released.

17 Jun 1970 – 50 years ago
The “Babes in the wood” murders. The bodies of two missing British children were found in a shallow grave in a wood at Waltham Abbey, Essex, after a massive search.

18 Jun 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of Ian Carmichael, British stage, film, television and radio actor. Best known for playing the gentleman detective Lord Peter Wimsey on TV and radio, Bertie Wooster in the TV series The World of Wooster, and for his roles in the films Private’s Progress, I’m All Right Jack, School for Scoundrels and Lucky Jim. (Died 2010.)

19 Jun 1820 – 200 years ago
Death of Joseph Banks, British naturalist. He took part in Captain James Cook’s first great voyage (1768–1771), was President of the Royal Society for 41 years, developed the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew into one of the world’s leading botanical gardens, and advocated British colonization of Australia.

20 Jun 1980 – 40 years ago
The musical comedy film The Blues Brothers was released in the USA. (UK: 10th October.)

21 Jun 1970 – 50 years ago
Death of Sukarno, first President of Indonesia (1949–66).

22 Jun 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II – the Battle of Okinawa ended after 82 days. This battle saw the highest number of casualties in the Pacific Theatre of the war, with more than 12,000 Allied forces, 110,000 Japanese forces, and 140,000 civilians killed. (Some sources give different figures.)

23 Jun 1995 – 25 years ago
Death of Jonas Salk, American medical researcher who developed the first safe and effective polio vaccine.

24 Jun 1895 – 125 years ago
Birth of Jack Dempsey, American world heavyweight boxing champion (1919-26).

25 Jun 1950 to 27 Jul 1953 – 70 years ago
Korean War. North Korean and Soviet troops invaded South Korea. They were successfully repelled in 1953 with help from the USA, and the Korean Demilitarized Zone was established at the border. The USA entered the war on 27th June following a UN Security Council recommendation that member nations should help South Korea. North Korean forces captured Seoul, the capital of South Korea on 28th June.

26 Jun 1870 – 150 years ago
The première of Wagner’s opera The Valkyrie, in Munich, Germany.

27 Jun 1960 – 60 years ago
Death of Lottie Dod, versatile British sportswoman. Five times winner of Wimbledon, women’s golf champion, Olympic medalist in archery, and founder of the England women’s field hockey team.

28 Jun 1960 – 60 years ago
Cuba confiscated and nationalized all U.S.‐owned oil refineries after they refused to process a shipment of Soviet crude oil.

29 Jun 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of Ray Harryhausen, pioneering American filmmaker. Known for his “Dynamation” stop-motion animations where live actors appear to interact with the characters. The best-known example is the skeleton sword fight in Jason and the Argonauts. His work also appears in films such as Mighty Joe Young, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, and Clash of the Titans. (Died 2013.)

30 Jun 1520 – 500 years ago
Death of Montezuma II, (also spelled Moctezuma), the last Aztec emperor (1502–20).

More anniversaries:

The above list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020. You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for each month in the book. The 2021 and 2022 editions are also available. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

Share this:

30 newsworthy anniversaries in June 2020 (U.S. edition)

Posted on by admin

Here are 30 newsworthy and notable anniversaries coming up in June 2020.

This list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020, which lists hundreds of newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries for each month. It’s just the thing you need for writing “on this day in history” features and anniversary tie-ins.

Jun 1, 1980 – 40 years ago
Cable News Network (CNN) began broadcasting.

Jun 2, 1970 – 50 years ago
Death of Bruce McLaren, New Zealand racing driver and racing car designer. Killed while testing a car at Goodwood, England.

Jun 3, 1950 – 70 years ago
The first successful ascent of Annapurna in the Himalayas, by a French expedition led by Maurice Herzog. This was the first successful ascent of a mountain over 8,000 meters. Annapurna is the 10th highest mountain in the world.

Jun 4, 1970 – 50 years ago
Tonga gained its independence from the UK.

Jun 5, 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: the Allied Control Council was established in Berlin, Germany to oversee the division of Germany into four occupation zones: American, British, French and Soviet.

–

Jun 7, 1770 – 250 years ago
Birth of Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, British Prime Minister (1812–27).

Jun 8, 1970 – 50 years ago
Death of Abraham Maslow, American psychologist and philosopher. Best known for creating Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Jun 9, 1870 – 150 years ago
Death of Charles Dickens, British novelist (The Pickwick Papers, A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, A Christmas Carol and more).

Jun 10, 1940 – 80 years ago
Death of Marcus Garvey, Jamaican-born American civil rights leader who established the first major black nationalist movement in the USA.

Jun 11, 1770 – 250 years ago
English explorer Captain James Cook discovered the Great Barrier Reef off Australia when his ship ran aground on it and sustained severe damage.

Jun 12, 1980 – 40 years ago
Death of Billy Butlin, British holiday camp entrepreneur.

Jun 13, 2000 – 20 years ago
The first North-South Korean summit (the Inter-Korean Summit) was held. (South Korean President Kim Dae-jung was later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to ease tensions between the two countries.)

Jun 14, 1920 – 100 years ago
Death of Max Weber, influential German sociologist and political economist.

Jun 15, 1920 – 100 years ago
Duluth lynchings, Minnesota, USA. Three black circus workers were lynched by a mob of between 5,000 and 10,000 people after they were (probably falsely) accused of raping a local girl.

Jun 16, 1960 – 60 years ago
Alfred Hitchcock’s suspense film Psycho was released.

Jun 17, 1970 – 50 years ago
The “Babes in the wood” murders. The bodies of two missing British children were found in a shallow grave in a wood at Waltham Abbey, Essex, after a massive search.

Jun 18, 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of Ian Carmichael, British stage, film, television and radio actor. Best known for playing the gentleman detective Lord Peter Wimsey on TV and radio, Bertie Wooster in the TV series The World of Wooster, and for his roles in the films Private’s Progress, I’m All Right Jack, School for Scoundrels and Lucky Jim. (Died 2010.)

Jun 19, 1820 – 200 years ago
Death of Joseph Banks, British naturalist. He took part in Captain James Cook’s first great voyage (1768–1771), was President of the Royal Society for 41 years, developed the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew into one of the world’s leading botanical gardens, and advocated British colonization of Australia.

Jun 20, 1980 – 40 years ago
The musical comedy film The Blues Brothers was released in the USA. (UK: October 10th.)

Jun 21, 1970 – 50 years ago
Death of Sukarno, first President of Indonesia (1949–66).

Jun 22, 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II – the Battle of Okinawa ended after 82 days. This battle saw the highest number of casualties in the Pacific Theatre of the war, with more than 12,000 Allied forces, 110,000 Japanese forces, and 140,000 civilians killed. (Some sources give different figures.)

Jun 23, 1995 – 25 years ago
Death of Jonas Salk, American medical researcher who developed the first safe and effective polio vaccine.

Jun 24, 1895 – 125 years ago
Birth of Jack Dempsey, American world heavyweight boxing champion (1919-26).

Jun 25, 1950 to Jul 27, 1953 – 70 years ago
Korean War. North Korean and Soviet troops invaded South Korea. They were successfully repelled in 1953 with help from the USA, and the Korean Demilitarized Zone was established at the border. The USA entered the war on June 27th following a UN Security Council recommendation that member nations should help South Korea. North Korean forces captured Seoul, the capital of South Korea on June 28th.

Jun 26, 1870 – 150 years ago
The première of Wagner’s opera The Valkyrie, in Munich, Germany.

Jun 27, 1960 – 60 years ago
Death of Lottie Dod, versatile British sportswoman. Five times winner of Wimbledon, women’s golf champion, Olympic medalist in archery, and founder of the England women’s field hockey team.

Jun 28, 1960 – 60 years ago
Cuba confiscated and nationalized all U.S.‐owned oil refineries after they refused to process a shipment of Soviet crude oil.

Jun 29, 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of Ray Harryhausen, pioneering American filmmaker. Known for his “Dynamation” stop-motion animations where live actors appear to interact with the characters. The best-known example is the skeleton sword fight in Jason and the Argonauts. His work also appears in films such as Mighty Joe Young, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, and Clash of the Titans. (Died 2013.)

Jun 30, 1520 – 500 years ago
Death of Montezuma II, (also spelled Moctezuma), the last Aztec emperor (1502–20).

More anniversaries:

The above list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020. You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for each month in the book. The 2021 and 2022 editions are also available. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

Share this:

31 newsworthy anniversaries in May 2020 (US edition)

Posted on by admin

Here are 31 newsworthy and notable anniversaries coming up in May 2020.

This list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020, which lists hundreds of newsworthy and notable anniversaries for each month. It’s just the thing you need for writing anniversary tie-ins and “on this day in history” features.

May 1, 1960 – 60 years ago
The Soviet Union shot down an American U‐2 spy plane near the Russian city of Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) and captured pilot Gary Powers, sparking a diplomatic crisis. (In August, Powers was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was released in 1962 in exchange for the Soviet spy Rudolf Abel.)

May 2, 1895 – 125 years ago
Birth of Lorenz Hart, American lyricist. Known for his collaborations with the composer Richard Rodgers on numerous Broadway songs. He also suffered from depression and alcoholism, which contributed to his death at the age of 48.

May 3, 1960 – 60 years ago
The European Free Trade Association was established.

May 4, 1980 – 40 years ago
Death of Josip Broz Tito, President/dictator of Yugoslavia (1953–80).

May 5, 1980 – 40 years ago
Operation Nimrod. The British SAS stormed the Iranian embassy in London after a six‐day siege.

May 6, 1895 – 125 years ago
Birth of Rudolph Valentino, iconic Italian-born American silent film actor and sex symbol. His films include The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle, and The Son of the Sheik. His death from peritonitis at the age of 31 led to mass hysteria among his female fans.

May 7, 1960 – 60 years ago
Leonid Brezhnev became President of the Soviet Union.

May 8, 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: VE day (Victory in Europe) – celebrated as a public holiday.

May 9, 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of Richard Adams, British novelist. Best known for Watership Down, Shardik, The Plague Dogs and The Girl in a Swing. (Died 2016.)

May 10, 1940 – 80 years ago
British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned after losing the support of many Conservatives in the House of Commons. He was succeeded by Winston Churchill.

May 11, 1995 – 25 years ago
An outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus was confirmed in Zaire. 317 people became infected, of whom 245 died.

May 12, 1820 – 200 years ago
Birth of Florence Nightingale, Italian-born British social reformer and statistician, and the founder of modern nursing.

May 13, 1950 – 70 years ago
The first Formula One World Championship race was held, at Silverstone in England. (This race is also known as the 1950 British Grand Prix.)

May 14, 1955 – 65 years ago
The Warsaw Pact was established. It was a Soviet-led mutual defense treaty between eight communist European states during the Cold War. (It was disestablished in December 1991.)

May 15, 1940 – 80 years ago
The first McDonald’s restaurant opened, in San Bernardino, California, USA.

May 16, 1990 – 30 years ago
Death of Jim Henson, American puppeteer, television producer and screenwriter. Creator of the Muppets.

May 17, 1960 – 60 years ago
The Kariba Dam, on the Zambia‐Zimbabwe border, was officially opened. The hydroelectric dam supplies power to both countries.

May 18, 1980 – 40 years ago
Mount St. Helens, a volcano in Washington state, USA, erupted, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion worth of damage.

May 19, 1930 – 90 years ago
The 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. It prohibited Congress from awarding itself pay raises.

May 20, 1920 – 100 years ago
The national assembly of Germany’s Weimar Republic (the Weimarer Nationalversammlung) was permanently dissolved.

May 21, 2000 – 20 years ago
Death of Dame Barbara Cartland, British author of over 700 romance novels.

May 22, 1980 – 40 years ago
The arcade game Pac-Man was released in Japan. (North America: October 26th.)

May 23, 1895 – 125 years ago
The New York Public Library was established when an agreement was signed that merged the city’s existing Astor Library and Lenox Library, using the fortune bequeathed by the former Governor of New York, Samuel J. Tilden.

May 24, 1930 – 90 years ago
British aviator Amy Johnson became the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia.

May 25, 1945 – 75 years ago
British science fiction writer Arthur C. Clark privately circulated a document in which he proposed using geostationary satellites as telecommunications relays. (The idea was made public in the October 1945 issue of Wireless World magazine. The first commercial geostationary communications satellite, Intelsat I, was launched in April 1965.)

May 26 to June 4, 1940 – 80 years ago
World War II: the Dunkirk Evacuation. Allied forces launched a massive evacuation of troops from Dunkirk in France across the English Channel to England after they were cut off by approaching German forces. Nearly 340,000 soldiers were rescued in a hastily assembled fleet of 800 boats.

May 27, 1995 – 25 years ago
American actor Christopher Reeve, star of the Superman films, was paralyzed from the neck down when he was thrown from his horse during an equestrian competition in Virginia, USA. (He died in 2004.)

May 28, 1940 – 80 years ago
World War II: Belgium surrendered to Germany.

May 29, 1990 – 30 years ago
Boris Yeltsin was elected President of Russia.

May 30, 1960 – 60 years ago
Death of Boris Pasternak, Russian writer and poet. Best known for his novel Doctor Zhivago. Awarded the 1958 Nobel Prize in Literature, but he refused it because of opposition from the Soviet Union.

May 31, 1970 – 50 years ago
The Great Peruvian Earthquake (also called the Ancash earthquake).  Over 47,000 people were killed. The town of Yungay was buried by an avalanche that killed 17,000 people.

More anniversaries:

The above list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020. You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for each month in the book. The 2021 and 2022 editions are also available. Find out more at ideas4writers.com.

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31 newsworthy anniversaries in May 2020

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Here are 31 newsworthy and notable anniversaries coming up in May 2020.

This list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020, which lists hundreds of newsworthy and notable anniversaries for each month. It’s just the thing you need for writing anniversary tie-ins and “on this day in history” features.

1 May 1960 – 60 years ago
The Soviet Union shot down an American U‐2 spy plane near the Russian city of Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg) and captured pilot Gary Powers, sparking a diplomatic crisis. (In August, Powers was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was released in 1962 in exchange for the Soviet spy Rudolf Abel.)

2 May 1895 – 125 years ago
Birth of Lorenz Hart, American lyricist. Known for his collaborations with the composer Richard Rodgers on numerous Broadway songs. He also suffered from depression and alcoholism, which contributed to his death at the age of 48.

3 May 1960 – 60 years ago
The European Free Trade Association was established.

4 May 1980 – 40 years ago
Death of Josip Broz Tito, President/dictator of Yugoslavia (1953–80).

5 May 1980 – 40 years ago
Operation Nimrod. The British SAS stormed the Iranian embassy in London after a six‐day siege.

6 May 1895 – 125 years ago
Birth of Rudolph Valentino, iconic Italian-born American silent film actor and sex symbol. His films include The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle, and The Son of the Sheik. His death from peritonitis at the age of 31 led to mass hysteria among his female fans.

7 May 1960 – 60 years ago
Leonid Brezhnev became President of the Soviet Union.

8 May 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: VE day (Victory in Europe) – celebrated as a public holiday.

9 May 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of Richard Adams, British novelist. Best known for Watership Down, Shardik, The Plague Dogs and The Girl in a Swing. (Died 2016.)

10 May 1940 – 80 years ago
British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned after losing the support of many Conservatives in the House of Commons. He was succeeded by Winston Churchill.

11 May 1995 – 25 years ago
An outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus was confirmed in Zaire. 317 people became infected, of whom 245 died.

12 May 1820 – 200 years ago
Birth of Florence Nightingale, Italian-born British social reformer and statistician, and the founder of modern nursing.

13 May 1950 – 70 years ago
The first Formula One World Championship race was held, at Silverstone in England. (This race is also known as the 1950 British Grand Prix.)

14 May 1955 – 65 years ago
The Warsaw Pact was established. It was a Soviet-led mutual defense treaty between eight communist European states during the Cold War. (It was disestablished in December 1991.)

15 May 1940 – 80 years ago
The first McDonald’s restaurant opened, in San Bernardino, California, USA.

16 May 1990 – 30 years ago
Death of Jim Henson, American puppeteer, television producer and screenwriter. Creator of the Muppets.

17 May 1960 – 60 years ago
The Kariba Dam, on the Zambia‐Zimbabwe border, was officially opened. The hydroelectric dam supplies power to both countries.

18 May 1980 – 40 years ago
Mount St. Helens, a volcano in Washington state, USA, erupted, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion worth of damage.

19 May 1930 – 90 years ago
The 27th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. It prohibited Congress from awarding itself pay raises.

20 May 1920 – 100 years ago
The national assembly of Germany’s Weimar Republic (the Weimarer Nationalversammlung) was permanently dissolved.

21 May 2000 – 20 years ago
Death of Dame Barbara Cartland, British author of over 700 romance novels.

22 May 1980 – 40 years ago
The arcade game Pac-Man was released in Japan. (North America: 26th October.)

23 May 1895 – 125 years ago
The New York Public Library was established when an agreement was signed that merged the city’s existing Astor Library and Lenox Library, using the fortune bequeathed by the former Governor of New York, Samuel J. Tilden.

24 May 1930 – 90 years ago
British aviator Amy Johnson became the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia.

25 May 1945 – 75 years ago
British science fiction writer Arthur C. Clark privately circulated a document in which he proposed using geostationary satellites as telecommunications relays. (The idea was made public in the October 1945 issue of Wireless World magazine. The first commercial geostationary communications satellite, Intelsat I, was launched in April 1965.)

26 May 1940 to 4 June – 80 years ago
World War II: the Dunkirk Evacuation. Allied forces launched a massive evacuation of troops from Dunkirk in France across the English Channel to England after they were cut off by approaching German forces. Nearly 340,000 soldiers were rescued in a hastily assembled fleet of 800 boats.

27 May 1995 – 25 years ago
American actor Christopher Reeve, star of the Superman films, was paralyzed from the neck down when he was thrown from his horse during an equestrian competition in Virginia, USA. (He died in 2004.)

28 May 1940 – 80 years ago
World War II: Belgium surrendered to Germany.

29 May 1990 – 30 years ago
Boris Yeltsin was elected President of Russia.

30 May 1960 – 60 years ago
Death of Boris Pasternak, Russian writer and poet. Best known for his novel Doctor Zhivago. Awarded the 1958 Nobel Prize in Literature, but he refused it because of opposition from the Soviet Union.

31 May 1970 – 50 years ago
The Great Peruvian Earthquake (also called the Ancash earthquake).  Over 47,000 people were killed. The town of Yungay was buried by an avalanche that killed 17,000 people.

More anniversaries:

The above list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020. You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for each month in the book. The 2021 and 2022 editions are also available. Find out more at ideas4writers.com

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30 newsworthy anniversaries in April 2020 (US edition)

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Here are 30 newsworthy and notable anniversaries coming up in April 2020.

We list the anniversaries 6 months in advance so you have time to research and write about them. This list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020, which lists hundreds of newsworthy and notable anniversaries for each month. It’s just the thing you need for writing anniversary tie-ins and “on this day in history” features.

Apr 1, 1960 – 60 years ago
Dr. Martens boots went on sale in the UK.

Apr 2 to 13, 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II – the Vienna Offensive (Austria). Soviet victory. The Austrian capital was captured from the Germans after an 11-day siege. The Soviet Red Army then pushed further into Austria.

Apr 3, 1895 – 125 years ago
Oscar Wilde’s libel trial against the Marquess of Queensbury opened in London. The Marquess had accused Wilde of homosexuality. The court found that the Marquess’s claim was justified, and he was acquitted. Wilde was liable for the Marquess’s substantial legal fees, which left him bankrupt. Upon leaving the court, a summons was issued for Wilde’s arrest, as homosexuality was illegal. He was convicted and served two years in prison from May 1895 to May 1897.

Apr 4, 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: the Soviet Red Army expelled the last German forces from Hungary, and the country was liberated. (This paved the way for the Soviet occupation of Hungary, and it became a communist country and part of the Eastern Bloc until 1989.)

Apr 5, 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of Arthur Hailey, British-born Canadian novelist (Hotel, Airport, Wheels, The Moneychangers, Overload and more). (Died 2004.)

Apr 6, 1520 – 500 years ago
Death of Raphael, Italian Renaissance artist and architect. (Unknown illness, aged 37.)

Apr 7, 1770 – 250 years ago
Birth of William Wordsworth, British Romantic poet. Poet Laureate (1843–50).

Apr 8, 1820 – 200 years ago
The famous Ancient Greek statue of the Venus de Milo was discovered on the island of Milos in the Aegean. (Some historians claim it was actually discovered in February 1820, by different people, and in a different part of the island.)

Apr 9, 1940 – 80 years ago
Vidkun Quisling declared himself Prime Minister of Norway and established a new Nazi-backed government. By April 15th he had been forced out of power as King Haakon VII refused to recognize him as leader and the Nazis retracted their support. He was branded a traitor. (He became Minister President of Norway in 1942. He was sentenced to death and executed at the end of WWII.)

Apr 10, 1970 – 50 years ago
British rock musician Paul McCartney announced that he had left the Beatles, and said the band would never perform together again.

Apr 11, 1970 – 50 years ago
NASA launched Apollo 13 on an ill‐fated mission to the Moon. An oxygen cylinder exploded on April 13th, crippling the spacecraft and forcing the mission to be abandoned.

Apr 12, 1945 – 75 years ago
Death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the USA (1933–45). Succeeded by Vice-President Harry S. Truman who pledged to continue Roosevelt’s WWII policies for war and peace.

Apr 13, 1870 – 150 years ago
The Metropolitan Museum of Art was established in New York City, USA.

Apr 14, 1995 – 25 years ago
Death of Burl Ives, American singer and actor.

Apr 15, 1945 – 75 years ago
Holocaust: Bergen–Belsen concentration camp in Germany was liberated by British and Canadian troops.

Apr 16 to May 2, 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II – the Battle of Berlin, Germany. Soviet victory resulting in the surrender of German forces in the city, Hitler’s suicide, and the end of WWII in Europe on May 8th.

Apr 17, 1960 – 60 years ago
Death of Eddie Cochran, American rock and roll musician. Known for his hit songs C’mon Everybody, Summertime Blues and Three Steps to Heaven. (Car crash, aged 21 .)

Apr 18, 1955 – 65 years ago
Death of Albert Einstein, German-born American theoretical physicist. Considered the most influential physicist of the 20th century. Known for developing the special and general theories of relativity. Winner of the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his services to physics and his work on the photoelectric effect.

Apr 19, 1995 – 25 years ago
Oklahoma City bombing. A truck bomb exploded outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, USA, killing 168 people and injuring 500. (Timothy McVeigh was arrested on April 21st, convicted of the bombing, and executed in June 2001. Terry Nichols and Michael Fortier were convicted as conspirators and received prison sentences.)

Apr 20, 1940 – 80 years ago
RCA gave the first public demonstration of a scanning electron microscope, in Philadelphia, USA.

Apr 21, 1960 – 60 years ago
Brasilia became the capital of Brazil, replacing Rio do Janeiro.

Apr 22, 1870 – 150 years ago
Birth of Vladimir Lenin, Russian communist politician and revolutionary. Architect and first head of state of the Soviet Union, founder of the Russian Communist Party, leader of the Bolshevik Revolution, founder of Comintern (Communist International).

Apr 23, 1895 – 125 years ago
Birth of Ngaio Marsh, New Zealand crime writer and theater director. Best known for her series of 32 novels featuring the police officer Inspector Alleyn.

Apr 24, 1990 – 30 years ago
The Hubble Space Telescope was launched.

Apr 25, 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: Elbe Day. An important milestone near the end of the war in Europe. U.S. forces advancing from the west and Soviet forces advancing from the east met at the River Elbe, effectively cutting Nazi Germany in two.

Apr 26, 1940 – 80 years ago
Death of Carl Bosch, German industrial chemist and engineer. President of IG Farben. He developed the Haber–Bosch process to synthesize ammonia. Joint winner of the 1931 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on high-pressure chemistry.

Apr 27, 1950 – 70 years ago
Apartheid in South Africa. The Group Areas Act was passed, formally segregating races and barring people from living, operating businesses or owning land outside the areas designated for their race.

Apr 28, 1945 – 75 years ago
Death of Benito Mussolini, Prime Minister/fascist dictator of Italy (1922–43). (Executed by partisans, along with his mistress, Clara Petacci.)

Apr 29, 1770 – 250 years ago
Captain James Cook landed in Botany Bay, Australia. This marked the start of Britain’s interest in Australia, and led to its eventual colonization. (Botany Bay is now in Sydney, New South Wales.)

Apr 30, 1945 – 75 years ago
Death of Adolf Hitler, Austrian-born German Nazi Party leader, Chancellor (1933–45) and dictator (1934–45). (Suicide, along with his wife Eva Braun.) He was succeeded as President of Germany by Karl Dönitz (also spelled Doenitz).

More anniversaries:

The above list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020. You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for each month in the book. The 2019, 2020 and 2021 editions are currently available in ebook format (PDF) and in print. Find out more at ideas4writers.com

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30 newsworthy anniversaries in April 2020

Posted on by admin

Here are 30 newsworthy and notable anniversaries coming up in April 2020.

We list the anniversaries 6 months in advance so you have time to research and write about them. This list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020, which lists hundreds of newsworthy and notable anniversaries for each month. It’s just the thing you need for writing anniversary tie-ins and “on this day in history” features.

1 Apr 1960 – 60 years ago
Dr. Martens boots went on sale in the UK.

2 – 13 Apr 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II – the Vienna Offensive (Austria). Soviet victory. The Austrian capital was captured from the Germans after an 11-day siege. The Soviet Red Army then pushed further into Austria.

3 Apr 1895 – 125 years ago
Oscar Wilde’s libel trial against the Marquess of Queensbury opened in London. The Marquess had accused Wilde of homosexuality. The court found that the Marquess’s claim was justified, and he was acquitted. Wilde was liable for the Marquess’s substantial legal fees, which left him bankrupt. Upon leaving the court, a summons was issued for Wilde’s arrest, as homosexuality was illegal. He was convicted and served two years in prison from May 1895 to May 1897.

4 Apr 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: the Soviet Red Army expelled the last German forces from Hungary, and the country was liberated. (This paved the way for the Soviet occupation of Hungary, and it became a communist country and part of the Eastern Bloc until 1989.)

5 Apr 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of Arthur Hailey, British-born Canadian novelist (Hotel, Airport, Wheels, The Moneychangers, Overload and more). (Died 2004.)

6 Apr 1520 – 500 years ago
Death of Raphael, Italian Renaissance artist and architect. (Unknown illness, aged 37.)

7 Apr 1770 – 250 years ago
Birth of William Wordsworth, British Romantic poet. Poet Laureate (1843–50).

8 Apr 1820 – 200 years ago
The famous Ancient Greek statue of the Venus de Milo was discovered on the island of Milos in the Aegean. (Some historians claim it was actually discovered in February 1820, by different people, and in a different part of the island.)

9 Apr 1940 – 80 years ago
Vidkun Quisling declared himself Prime Minister of Norway and established a new Nazi-backed government. By 15th April he had been forced out of power as King Haakon VII refused to recognize him as leader and the Nazis retracted their support. He was branded a traitor. (He became Minister President of Norway in 1942. He was sentenced to death and executed at the end of WWII.)

10 Apr 1970 – 50 years ago
British rock musician Paul McCartney announced that he had left the Beatles, and said the band would never perform together again.

11 Apr 1970 – 50 years ago
NASA launched Apollo 13 on an ill‐fated mission to the Moon. An oxygen cylinder exploded on 13th April, crippling the spacecraft and forcing the mission to be abandoned.

12 Apr 1945 – 75 years ago
Death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the USA (1933–45). Succeeded by Vice-President Harry S. Truman who pledged to continue Roosevelt’s WWII policies for war and peace.

13 Apr 1870 – 150 years ago
The Metropolitan Museum of Art was established in New York City, USA.

14 Apr 1995 – 25 years ago
Death of Burl Ives, American singer and actor.

15 Apr 1945 – 75 years ago
Holocaust: Bergen–Belsen concentration camp in Germany was liberated by British and Canadian troops.

16 Apr – 2 May 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II – the Battle of Berlin, Germany. Soviet victory resulting in the surrender of German forces in the city, Hitler’s suicide, and the end of WWII in Europe on 8th May.

17 Apr 1960 – 60 years ago
Death of Eddie Cochran, American rock and roll musician. Known for his hit songs C’mon Everybody, Summertime Blues and Three Steps to Heaven. (Car crash, aged 21 .)

18 Apr 1955 – 65 years ago
Death of Albert Einstein, German-born American theoretical physicist. Considered the most influential physicist of the 20th century. Known for developing the special and general theories of relativity. Winner of the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his services to physics and his work on the photoelectric effect.

19 Apr 1995 – 25 years ago
Oklahoma City bombing. A truck bomb exploded outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, USA, killing 168 people and injuring 500. (Timothy McVeigh was arrested on 21st April, convicted of the bombing, and executed in June 2001. Terry Nichols and Michael Fortier were convicted as conspirators and received prison sentences.)

20 Apr 1940 – 80 years ago
RCA gave the first public demonstration of a scanning electron microscope, in Philadelphia, USA.

21 Apr 1960 – 60 years ago
Brasilia became the capital of Brazil, replacing Rio do Janeiro.

22 Apr 1870 – 150 years ago
Birth of Vladimir Lenin, Russian communist politician and revolutionary. Architect and first head of state of the Soviet Union, founder of the Russian Communist Party, leader of the Bolshevik Revolution, founder of Comintern (Communist International).

23 Apr 1895 – 125 years ago
Birth of Ngaio Marsh, New Zealand crime writer and theater director. Best known for her series of 32 novels featuring the police officer Inspector Alleyn.

24 Apr 1990 – 30 years ago
The Hubble Space Telescope was launched.

25 Apr 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: Elbe Day. An important milestone near the end of the war in Europe. U.S. forces advancing from the west and Soviet forces advancing from the east met at the River Elbe, effectively cutting Nazi Germany in two.

26 Apr 1940 – 80 years ago
Death of Carl Bosch, German industrial chemist and engineer. President of IG Farben. He developed the Haber–Bosch process to synthesize ammonia. Joint winner of the 1931 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on high-pressure chemistry.

27 Apr 1950 – 70 years ago
Apartheid in South Africa. The Group Areas Act was passed, formally segregating races and barring people from living, operating businesses or owning land outside the areas designated for their race.

28 Apr 1945 – 75 years ago
Death of Benito Mussolini, Prime Minister/fascist dictator of Italy (1922–43). (Executed by partisans, along with his mistress, Clara Petacci.)

29 Apr 1770 – 250 years ago
Captain James Cook landed in Botany Bay, Australia. This marked the start of Britain’s interest in Australia, and led to its eventual colonization. (Botany Bay is now in Sydney, New South Wales.)

30 Apr 1945 – 75 years ago
Death of Adolf Hitler, Austrian-born German Nazi Party leader, Chancellor (1933–45) and dictator (1934–45). (Suicide, along with his wife Eva Braun.) He was succeeded as President of Germany by Karl Dönitz (also spelled Doenitz).

More anniversaries:

The above list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020. You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for each month in the book. The 2019, 2020 and 2021 editions are currently available in ebook format (PDF) and in print. Find out more at ideas4writers.com

Share this:

31 newsworthy anniversaries in March 2020 (US edition)

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Here are 31 newsworthy and notable anniversaries coming up in March 2020.

We list the anniversaries 6 months in advance so you have time to research and write about them. This list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020, which lists hundreds of newsworthy and notable anniversaries for each month. It’s just the thing you need for writing anniversary tie-ins and “on this day in history” features.

Mar 1, 1620 – 400 years ago
Death of Thomas Campion, English poet and composer.

Mar 2, 1970 – 50 years ago
Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) proclaimed itself a republic.

Mar 3, 1845 – 175 years ago
Florida was admitted as the 27th state of the USA.

Mar 4, 1970 – 50 years ago
The French submarine Eurydice exploded in the Mediterranean, killing all 57 crew.

Mar 5, 1960 – 60 years ago
Rock and roll singer Elvis Presley was officially discharged from the U.S. Army after completing his two years’ service.

Mar 6, 1930 – 90 years ago
Clarence Birdseye’s first frozen foods went on sale in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, in a (successful) marketing test.

–

Mar 8, 1950 – 70 years ago
Volkswagen launched the Type 2/Transporter van – also known as the VW Camper, Bus, microbus, or Kombi. It became the bestselling van in history, and early versions remain much-loved icons of the counterculture/hippie movement.

Mar 9 to 10, 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II – Operation Meetinghouse (the Bombing of Tokyo, Japan). Considered to be the most destructive air raid in history. 330 U.S. B-29 bombers carried out low-altitude incendiary bomb attacks on Tokyo, destroying a quarter of the city and killing over 100,000 people.

Mar 10, 1820 – 200 years ago
The Royal Astronomical Society was founded in Britain.

Mar 11, 1960 – 60 years ago
NASA launched its Pioneer 5 space probe. It was the USA’s first successful deep space probe and operated until April 30th. It returned a wealth of data on cosmic radiation, electrical fields, and magnetic fields in the interplanetary space between the Earth and Venus.

Mar 12, 1945 – 75 years ago
New York became the first U.S. state to ban discrimination against job applicants and employees on the basis of their race, religion or creed. (Ives–Quinn Anti-Discrimination Bill.)

Mar 13, 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: Queen Wilhelmina returned to the Netherlands, having evacuated to the UK at the start of the war.

Mar 14, 1820 – 200 years ago
Birth of Victor Emmanuel II, King of Italy (1861 – 78). The first king of united Italy since the 6th century.

Mar 15, 1820 – 200 years ago
Maine was admitted as the 23rd state of the USA.

Mar 16, 1970 – 50 years ago
The complete New English Bible was published. It was a fresh translation of the original Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic texts into modern English.

Mar 17, 1870 – 150 years ago
Wellesley College was founded in Massachusetts, USA (as Wellesley Female Seminary). It opened to students on September 8, 1875.

Mar 18, 1845 – 175 years ago
Death of Johnny Appleseed, American environmentalist and nurseryman. He introduced apple trees to large parts of the Midwest, which helped prepare the way for 19th-century pioneers.

Mar 19, 1920 – 100 years ago
The U.S. Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles and U.S. membership of the League of Nations.

Mar 20, 1995 – 25 years ago
A terrorist group released sarin nerve gas on the Tokyo underground, killing 12 people and injuring over 5,000.

Mar 21, 1960 – 60 years ago
Sharpeville Massacre, South Africa. Police opened fire on a group of black anti‐apartheid demonstrators, killing 69 and wounding 180.

Mar 22, 1960 – 60 years ago
The first laser was patented by American physicists Arthur Schawlow and Charles Townes.

Mar 23, 1940 (Mar 24 in Pakistan) – 80 years ago
The Lahore Resolution was adopted by the All-India Muslim League at its annual convention. This led to the establishment of Pakistan as the world’s first Islamic republic in 1956.

Mar 25, 1955 – 65 years ago
Tennessee Williams’s play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof opened on Broadway.

Mar 25, 1920 – 100 years ago
The British special constables known as the “Black and Tans” (officially the Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve Force) arrived in Ireland to suppress revolution and target the IRA.

Mar 26, 1945 – 75 years ago
Death of David Lloyd George, British Prime Minister (1916–22).

Mar 27, 1845 – 175 years ago
Birth of Wilhelm Röntgen, German physicist who discovered X-rays. Winner of the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. The chemical element roentgenium is named in his honor.

Mar 28, 1960 – 60 years ago
The first permanent star was laid on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (It honored the director Stanley Kramer.)

Mar 29, 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II: the last German V-1 flying bomb hit Britain (Datchworth, Hertfordshire). On the same day, the Allies captured the last German V-1 launch site, preventing further attacks.

Mar 30, 1820 – 200 years ago
Birth of Anna Sewell, British novelist who wrote the children’s classic Black Beauty.

Mar 31, 1990 – 30 years ago
Poll tax riots in London. 200,000 protestors took to the streets and clashed with police. Violence and looting erupted, leading to the worst riots in the city for a century.

More anniversaries:

The above list is a short extract from The Date-A-Base Book 2020. You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries for each month in the book. The 2019, 2020 and 2021 editions are currently available, as PDF ebooks and in print. Find out more at ideas4writers.com

Share this: