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29 newsworthy historical anniversaries in February 2021 (U.S. Edition)

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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 easy to research, and you can easily turn them into newspaper and magazine articles, films, TV/radio/theater shows, and more.

Here are 29 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in February 2021 (so you have time to write about them!)

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2021. You’ll find hundreds more in the book. The 2022 edition is also available.

Feb 1, 1896 – 125 years ago
The premiere of Giacomo Puccini’s opera La bohème, in Turin, Italy.

Feb 2, 1946 – 75 years ago
Trygve Lie of Norway became the first Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Feb 3, 1971 – 50 years ago
American police officer Frank Serpico was shot and wounded during a drugs bust in Brooklyn, New York City. As a plain clothes officer he had uncovered widespread corruption in the New York Police Department (NYPD) and some believe the shooting was an attempt by NYPD officers to have him murdered. After recovering from his injuries he testified before the Knapp Commission, which had been appointed to investigate corruption in the NYPD. His story is told in the 1973 movie Serpico.

Feb 4, 1941 – 80 years ago
The United Service Organization (USO) was created to provide social, welfare, recreational services and entertainment for members of the U.S. armed forces and their families.

Feb 5, 1996 – 25 years ago
The first genetically modified (GMO) food went on sale in the UK: tomato puree made from tomatoes that had had the “rotting gene” removed. (The product was withdrawn in 1999 following strong opposition.)

Feb 6, 1951 – 70 years ago
Woodbridge train derailment, New Jersey, USA. 86 people were killed and more than 500 injured. It was one of the worst rail disasters in U.S. history.

Feb 7, 1991 – 30 years ago
IRA mortar attack on 10 Downing Street, London. 3 shells were fired from a parked van while British Prime Minister John Major was chairing a cabinet meeting about the Gulf War. No one was injured.

Feb 8, 1971 – 50 years ago
NASDAQ, the first electronic stock exchange, began trading.

Feb 9, 1996 – 25 years ago
An IRA bomb exploded in London’s Docklands, killing 2 people and causing massive damage.

Feb 10, 1846 – 175 years ago
Following repeated attacks, the Mormons began a long exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois to what is now Salt Lake City, Utah. The first group of pioneers set off on this date, with the main exodus beginning in April 1947. The first group reached the Great Salt Lake in July 1847 and began establishing a settlement.

Feb 11, 1946 – 75 years ago
The Revised Standard Version of the New Testament was published. It was the first major English-language update of the Bible since the King James version was published in 1611.

Feb 12, 1971 – 50 years ago
Death of James Cash Penney, American businessman who founded the J. C. Penney chain of department stores.

Feb 13, 1931 – 90 years ago
New Delhi became the capital of India, replacing Kolkata.

Feb 14, 1946 – 75 years ago
The Bank of England was nationalized.

Feb 15, 1946 – 75 years ago
ENIAC, the first general-purpose electronic computer, was dedicated at the University of Pennsylvania, USA.

Feb 16, 1971 – 50 years ago
U.S. President Richard Nixon had a secret taping system installed in the Oval Office of the White House. The system was later expanded to other rooms and Camp David. The existence of the tapes was revealed during the Watergate Scandal of 1973 – 74.

Feb 17, 1621 – 400 years ago
Myles Standish was elected as the first commander of the Plymouth Colony militia in North America.

Feb 18, 1896 – 125 years ago
Birth of André Breton, French writer and poet. Leader of the Surrealist movement.

Feb 19, 2001 – 20 years ago
The first case of foot-and-mouth disease in the 2001 UK outbreak was detected at an abattoir in Essex. The European Union (EU) subsequently banned all British milk, meat and livestock exports.

Feb 20, 1961 – 60 years ago
Death of Percy Grainger, Australian-born American composer, pianist and conductor.

Feb 21, 1821 – 200 years ago
Philadelphia College of Pharmacy was founded in Pennsylvania. It was the first pharmacy college in the USA. It is now part of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia.

Feb 22, 1821 – 200 years ago
The Adams-Onís Treaty (also known as the Florida Purchase Treaty) came into effect. Spain ceded Florida to the USA and the border between the USA and Mexico was established, settling a dispute.

Feb 23, 1821 – 200 years ago
Death of John Keats, British poet. (Tuberculosis, aged 25.)

Feb 24, 1871 – 150 years ago
British naturalist Charles Darwin’s book The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex was published.

Feb 25, 1956 – 65 years ago
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gave an infamous speech On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences in which he condemned and denounced former leader Joseph Stalin as a brutal despot. This led to the de-Stalinisation of the Soviet Union.

Feb 26, 1896 – 125 years ago
French scientist Henri Becquerel unknowingly discovered radioactivity while investigating the phosphorescent rays of uranium and potassium crystals. He was jointly awarded the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics, along with Pierre and Marie Curie who carried out further research. The SI unit for radioactivity, the becquerel, is named in his honor.

Feb 27, 1996 – 25 years ago
The Pokémon media franchise was launched by Japanese video game designer Satoshi Tajiri.

Feb 28, 1991 – 30 years ago
The Gulf War ended at midnight when a ceasefire came into effect.

Feb 29, 1996 – 25 years ago
A court ruled that the British actress Joan Collins was entitled to keep a $1.3 million advance from publishers Random House, plus a further $1.3 million for delivering her manuscripts on schedule. Random House had claimed that her two novels were unpublishable and demanded their money back.

More anniversaries:

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

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31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in January 2021 (U.S. edition)

Posted on by admin

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.

Here are 31 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in January 2021 (so you have time to write about them!)

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2021. You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries in the book. The 2022 edition is also available.

Jan 1, 2011 – 10 years ago
The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) TV channel was launched in the USA.

Jan 2, 1971 – 50 years ago
Cigarette advertisements were banned on US television and radio.

Jan 3, 1521 – 500 years ago
German Protestant reformer Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Leo X after he refused to recant his writings. (See also January 23rd below.)

Jan 4, 1896 – 125 years ago
Utah became the 45th state of the USA.

Jan 5, 1961 – 60 years ago
The first episode of the sitcom Mister Ed was broadcast in the USA. It was later picked up by CBS and ran for six seasons until 1966.

Jan 6, 1921 – 100 years ago
The Iraqi Army was formed.

Jan 7, 2001 – 20 years ago
John Kufuor was inaugurated as President of Ghana. It was the first peaceful transfer of power since Ghana gained independence in 1957.

Jan 8, 1921 – 100 years ago
David Lloyd George became the first British Prime Minister to occupy Chequers in Buckinghamshire. Chequers is the serving Prime Minister’s country retreat, and was given to the nation by Lord and Lady Lee of Fareham.

Jan 9, 2001 – 20 years ago
Apple launched iTunes, its digital media player and media management software.

Jan 10, 1946 – 75 years ago
The United Nations General Assembly convened for the first time, in London.

Jan 11, 1971 – 50 years ago
The first quickie divorce was granted in the UK following the passing of the Divorce Reform Act.

Jan 12, 1896 – 125 years ago
Three physics students at Davidson College, North Carolina took the first x-ray photograph in the USA – after illegally gaining access to a laboratory. Later that year, their professor, Henry Louis Smith, developed the technology for use in hospitals.

Jan 13, 1941 – 80 years ago
Death of James Joyce, Irish novelist. Best known for Ulysses, Finnegans Wake, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Dubliners.

Jan 14, 1951 – 70 years ago
The first National Football League (NFL) Pro Bowl game was played, in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Jan 15, 1971 – 50 years ago
The Aswan High Dam, on the Nile in Egypt, was officially dedicated.

Jan 16, 1921 – 100 years ago
The première of the Charlie Chaplin movie The Kid, in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
(New York première: January 21st, released: February 6th. UK: March.)

Jan 17, 1871 – 150 years ago
American inventor Andrew Smith Hallidie was granted a US patent for endless wire rope – used in cable car systems. He established the world’s first cable car system in San Francisco, California in 1873.

Jan 18, 1871 – 150 years ago
Wilhelm I was proclaimed the first Emperor of Germany.

Jan 19, 2001 – 20 years ago
Internet twins case. American twin baby girls were seized from a hotel in Wales and taken into care. They had been “sold” by an adoption broker and adopted over the internet by a British couple, Alan and Judith Kilshaw. The couple became infamous after selling their story to a national newspaper. The twins were later returned to the USA after a judge ruled they were not safe in the couple’s care.

Jan 20, 1961 – 60 years ago
John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th President of the United States.

Jan 21, 1981 – 40 years ago
The first DMC DeLorean sports car was produced in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland.
About 9,000 of the cars were produced between 1981 and early 1983. It famously featured in the movie Back to the Future.

Jan 22, 1946 – 75 years ago
The Central Intelligence Group was established in the USA. It was the predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which was established in September 1947.

Jan 23 to May 25, 1521 – 500 years ago
The Diet of Worms, Germany. The Holy Roman Empire held an imperial assembly, culminating in the Edict of Worms which branded the Protestant reformer Martin Luther a heretic and banned his writings.

Jan 24, 1946 – 75 years ago
The United Nations Atomic Energy Commission was established.

Jan 25, 1921 – 100 years ago
The première of Karel Capek’s play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots) in Prague, Czechoslovakia. The play marks the first use of the term robot.

Jan 26, 1871 – 150 years ago
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) was founded in England.

Jan 27, 1956 – 65 years ago
Elvis Presley’s hit song Heartbreak Hotel was released. It topped the US charts in April, and became his first hit in the UK in May.

Jan 28, 1921 – 100 years ago
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was installed beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. It honors those who died in WWI (and later also WWII) who were never identified.

Jan 29 to Feb 1, 1991 – 30 years ago
Gulf War: the Battle of Khafji, Saudi Arabia. The first major ground engagement of the war. Coalition victory.

Jan 30, 1951 – 70 years ago
Death of Ferdinand Porsche, Austrian-born German automotive engineer who designed the Volkswagen Bug and Tiger tank and founded the Porsche sports car company.

Jan 31, 1971 – 50 years ago
NASA launched Apollo 14, the 3rd manned mission to land on the Moon. On February 6th Alan Shepard became the first man to hit a golf ball on the Moon. The crewed returned to Earth on February 9th.

More anniversaries:

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

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31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in January 2021

Posted on by admin

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.

Here are 31 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in January 2021 (so you have time to write about them!)

We’ve randomly picked one anniversary for each day of the month from The Date-A-Base Book 2021. You’ll find hundreds more anniversaries in the book. The 2022 edition is also available.

1 Jan 2011 – 10 years ago
The Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) TV channel was launched in the USA.

2 Jan 1971 – 50 years ago
Cigarette advertisements were banned on US television and radio.

3 Jan 1521 – 500 years ago
German Protestant reformer Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Leo X after he refused to recant his writings. (See also 23rd January below.)

4 Jan 1896 – 125 years ago
Utah became the 45th state of the USA.

5 Jan 1961 – 60 years ago
The first episode of the sitcom Mister Ed was broadcast in the USA. It was later picked up by CBS and ran for six seasons until 1966.

6 Jan 1921 – 100 years ago
The Iraqi Army was formed.

7 Jan 2001 – 20 years ago
John Kufuor was inaugurated as President of Ghana. It was the first peaceful transfer of power since Ghana gained independence in 1957.

8 Jan 1921 – 100 years ago
David Lloyd George became the first British Prime Minister to occupy Chequers in Buckinghamshire. Chequers is the serving Prime Minister’s country retreat, and was given to the nation by Lord and Lady Lee of Fareham.

9 Jan 2001 – 20 years ago
Apple launched iTunes, its digital media player and media management software.

10 Jan 1946 – 75 years ago
The United Nations General Assembly convened for the first time, in London.

11 Jan 1971 – 50 years ago
The first quickie divorce was granted in the UK following the passing of the Divorce Reform Act.

12 Jan 1896 – 125 years ago
Three physics students at Davidson College, North Carolina took the first x-ray photograph in the USA – after illegally gaining access to a laboratory. Later that year, their professor, Henry Louis Smith, developed the technology for use in hospitals.

13 Jan 1941 – 80 years ago
Death of James Joyce, Irish novelist. Best known for Ulysses, Finnegans Wake, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Dubliners.

14 Jan 1951 – 70 years ago
The first National Football League (NFL) Pro Bowl game was played, in Los Angeles, California, USA.

15 Jan 1971 – 50 years ago
The Aswan High Dam, on the Nile in Egypt, was officially dedicated.

16 Jan 1921 – 100 years ago
The première of the Charlie Chaplin film The Kid, in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
(New York première: 21st January, released: 6th February. UK: March.)

17 Jan 1871 – 150 years ago
American inventor Andrew Smith Hallidie was granted a US patent for endless wire rope – used in cable car systems. He established the world’s first cable car system in San Francisco, California in 1873.

18 Jan 1871 – 150 years ago
Wilhelm I was proclaimed the first Emperor of Germany.

19 Jan 2001 – 20 years ago
Internet twins case. American twin baby girls were seized from a hotel in Wales and taken into care. They had been “sold” by an adoption broker and adopted over the internet by a British couple, Alan and Judith Kilshaw. The couple became infamous after selling their story to a national newspaper. The twins were later returned to the USA after a judge ruled they were not safe in the couple’s care.

20 Jan 1961 – 60 years ago
John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th President of the United States.

21 Jan 1981 – 40 years ago
The first DMC DeLorean sports car was produced in Dunmurry, Northern Ireland.
About 9,000 of the cars were produced between 1981 and early 1983. It famously featured in the film Back to the Future.

22 Jan 1946 – 75 years ago
The Central Intelligence Group was established in the USA. It was the predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), which was established in September 1947.

23 Jan to 25 May 1521 – 500 years ago
The Diet of Worms, Germany. The Holy Roman Empire held an imperial assembly, culminating in the Edict of Worms which branded the Protestant reformer Martin Luther a heretic and banned his writings.

24 Jan 1946 – 75 years ago
The United Nations Atomic Energy Commission was established.

25 Jan 1921 – 100 years ago
The première of Karel Capek’s play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots) in Prague, Czechoslovakia. The play marks the first use of the term robot.

26 Jan 1871 – 150 years ago
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) was founded in England.

27 Jan 1956 – 65 years ago
Elvis Presley’s hit song Heartbreak Hotel was released. It topped the US charts in April, and became his first hit in the UK in May.

28 Jan 1921 – 100 years ago
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was installed beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. It honours those who died in WWI (and later also WWII) who were never identified.

29 Jan to 1 Feb 1991 – 30 years ago
Gulf War: the Battle of Khafji, Saudi Arabia. The first major ground engagement of the war. Coalition victory.

30 Jan 1951 – 70 years ago
Death of Ferdinand Porsche, Austrian-born German automotive engineer who designed the Volkswagen Beetle and Tiger tank and founded the Porsche sports car company.

31 Jan 1971 – 50 years ago
NASA launched Apollo 14, the 3rd manned mission to land on the Moon. On 6th February Alan Shepard became the first man to hit a golf ball on the Moon. The crewed returned to Earth on 9th February.

More anniversaries:

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

Share this:

31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in December 2020 (U.S. edition)

Posted on by admin

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.

Here are 31 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in December 2020 (so you have time to write about them!)

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. The editions for 2021 and 2022 are also available.

Dec 1, 1955 – 65 years ago
African American civil rights activist Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama, USA, violating the city’s racial segregation laws. This incident led to the Montgomery bus boycott (December 5, 1955 – December 20, 1956) and the birth of the modern American civil rights movement.

Dec 2, 1970 – 50 years ago
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began operating.

Dec 3, 2010 – 10 years ago
The Nissan Leaf, one of the first mass-market electric cars, was launched.
It went on sale in the USA on December 11th, in Japan on December 22nd, and in the UK in March 2011.

Dec 4, 1995 – 25 years ago
The first version of the computer programming language JavaScript was released.
It enables interactive web pages to be developed, and is now used by the majority of websites.

Dec 5, 1945 – 75 years ago
Flight 19, a squadron of five U.S. Navy bombers, disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle during a training flight.

Dec 6, 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of Dave Brubeck, American jazz pianist and composer.
Leader of the Dave Brubeck Quartet. (Died 2012.)

Dec 7, 1970 – 50 years ago
Death of Rube Goldberg, American cartoonist.
Best known for his overly complicated machines that used convoluted processes to perform simple tasks.

Dec 8, 1980 – 40 years ago
Death of John Lennon, British rock musician, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. A member of the Beatles.
(Shot dead, aged 40, outside his New York City apartment by Mark Chapman, a deranged fan.)

Dec 9, 1960 – 60 years ago
The first episode of the television soap opera Coronation Street was broadcast in the UK.

Dec 10, 1920 – 100 years ago
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end World War I and create the League of Nations.

Dec 11, 1970 – 50 years ago
The U.S. première of Walt Disney’s animated film The Aristocats.
(Released: December 24th. UK: December 27th.)

Dec 12, 1870 – 150 years ago
Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina became the first black person to take his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Dec 13, 1920 – 100 years ago
The Permanent Court of International Justice was established in The Hague, Netherlands.
It was superseded by the International Court of Justice in 1946.

Dec 14, 1895 – 125 years ago
Birth of George VI, King of the United Kingdom (1936–52). Father of Queen Elizabeth II.

Dec 15, 1970 – 50 years ago
The first spacecraft to successfully soft-land on another planet: the Soviet Union’s Venera 7 landed on Venus.

Dec 16, 1770 – 250 years ago
Birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, German composer and pianist.

Dec 17, 1920 – 100 years ago
Major League Baseball managers banned the “spitball.”
Seventeen pitchers were exempted from the ban, the last retiring in 1934.

Dec 18, 1870 – 150 years ago
Birth of Saki, (pen name of Hector Hugo Munro), Burmese-born British writer.

Dec 19, 1920 – 100 years ago
King Constantine I of Greece was called out of exile and restored to the throne following the death of his son, Alexander I

Dec 20, 1820 – 200 years ago
Missouri became the first U.S. state to impose a bachelor tax on unmarried men between the ages of 21 and 50. They were taxed $1 per year.

Dec 21, 1620 – 400 years ago
The first landing party from the British ship Mayflower arrived at what would become Plymouth Colony (now Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA). They began building houses there on December 23rd.

Dec 22, 1845 – 175 years ago
German-born American inventor Joseph Faber gave a public demonstration of his euphonia – a mechanical device that could produce human speech – at the Musical Fund Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Initially known as Faber’s “Fabulous Talking Machine,” the operator pressed piano keys to open and close components which replicated the mouth, throat, tongue and vocal cords.

Dec 23, 1920 – 100 years ago
The Government of Ireland Act (also called the Fourth Home Rule Bill) came into effect. It was intended to establish separate governments in Northern and Southern Ireland, which would both remain part of the UK. The Act never took effect in Southern Ireland because of the outbreak of the Irish War of Independence. Most elements of the Act were suspended in Northern Ireland in 1972 following the outbreak of the Troubles.

Dec 24, 1955 – 65 years ago
The NORAD Tracks Santa service was launched.
It began by accident when a Sears department store advertisement invited children to phone Santa Claus, but gave the wrong number. Calls went to NORAD instead, where staff gave Santa’s “current location” so as not to disappoint callers.

Dec 25, 1620 – 400 years ago
At the Huguenot General Assembly in La Rochelle, France, the decision was made to defy King Louis XIII, who had established an all-Catholic government, and establish their own Calvinist Protestant state within France. This led to three Huguenot rebellions in 1620–22, 1625, and 1627–28, all of which were suppressed by the French state.

Dec 26 and 28, 1980 – 40 years ago
Rendlesham Forest incident, Suffolk, England.
Witnesses reported sightings of unexplained lights near RAF Woodbridge, along with claims of UFO landings.
The incident is sometimes called “Britain’s Roswell.”

Dec 27, 1945 – 75 years ago
The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development were formally founded.

Dec 28, 1945 – 75 years ago
The U.S. Congress formally recognized the Pledge of Allegiance.
It was written in 1892. Before 1945 it was known as the Pledge to the Flag. It was last revised in 1954 when the words “under God” were added.

Dec 29, 1845 – 175 years ago
Texas was admitted as the 28th state of the USA.

Dec 30, 1940 – 80 years ago
The Arroyo Seco Parkway (also known as the Pasadena Freeway) was officially opened in California, USA.
It is considered the first true freeway in the USA – though narrow by modern standards.

Dec 31, 1720 – 300 years ago
Birth of Charles Edward Stuart, commonly known as “Bonnie Prince Charlie” or “The Young Pretender.”
Stuart claimant to the British throne.
Leader of the unsuccessful Jacobite rebellion of 1745–46.
Grandson of King James II of England and Ireland (also known as James VII of Scotland).

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.

Share this:

31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in December 2020

Posted on by admin

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.

Here are 31 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in December 2020 (so you have time to write about them!)

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. The editions for 2021 and 2022 are also available.

1 Dec 1955 – 65 years ago
African American civil rights activist Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama, USA, violating the city’s racial segregation laws. This incident led to the Montgomery bus boycott (5th December 1955 – 20th December 1956) and the birth of the modern American civil rights movement.

2 Dec 1970 – 50 years ago
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began operating.

3 Dec 2010 – 10 years ago
The Nissan Leaf, one of the first mass-market electric cars, was launched.
It went on sale in the USA on 11th December, in Japan on 22nd December, and in the UK in March 2011.

4 Dec 1995 – 25 years ago
The first version of the computer programming language JavaScript was released.
It enables interactive web pages to be developed, and is now used by the majority of websites.

5 Dec 1945 – 75 years ago
Flight 19, a squadron of five U.S. Navy bombers, disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle during a training flight.

6 Dec 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of Dave Brubeck, American jazz pianist and composer.
Leader of the Dave Brubeck Quartet. (Died 2012.)

7 Dec 1970 – 50 years ago
Death of Rube Goldberg, American cartoonist.
Best known for his overly complicated machines that used convoluted processes to perform simple tasks.

8 Dec 1980 – 40 years ago
Death of John Lennon, British rock musician, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. A member of the Beatles.
(Shot dead, aged 40, outside his New York City apartment by Mark Chapman, a deranged fan.)

9 Dec 1960 – 60 years ago
The first episode of the television soap opera Coronation Street was broadcast in the UK.

10 Dec 1920 – 100 years ago
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end World War I and create the League of Nations.

11 Dec 1970 – 50 years ago
The U.S. première of Walt Disney’s animated film The Aristocats.
(Released: 24th December. UK: 27th December.)

12 Dec 1870 – 150 years ago
Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina became the first black person to take his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

13 Dec 1920 – 100 years ago
The Permanent Court of International Justice was established in The Hague, Netherlands.
It was superseded by the International Court of Justice in 1946.

14 Dec 1895 – 125 years ago
Birth of George VI, King of the United Kingdom (1936-52). Father of Queen Elizabeth II.

15 Dec 1970 – 50 years ago
The first spacecraft to successfully soft-land on another planet: the Soviet Union’s Venera 7 landed on Venus.

16 Dec 1770 – 250 years ago
Birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, German composer and pianist.

17 Dec 1920 – 100 years ago
Major League Baseball managers banned the “spitball”.
Seventeen pitchers were exempted from the ban, the last retiring in 1934.

18 Dec 1870 – 150 years ago
Birth of Saki, (pen name of Hector Hugo Munro), Burmese-born British writer.

19 Dec 1920 – 100 years ago
King Constantine I of Greece was called out of exile and restored to the throne following the death of his son, Alexander I

20 Dec 1820 – 200 years ago
Missouri became the first U.S. state to impose a bachelor tax on unmarried men between the ages of 21 and 50. They were taxed $1 per year.

21 Dec 1620 – 400 years ago
The first landing party from the British ship Mayflower arrived at what would become Plymouth Colony (now Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA). They began building houses there on 23rd December.

22 Dec 1845 – 175 years ago
German-born American inventor Joseph Faber gave a public demonstration of his euphonia – a mechanical device that could produce human speech – at the Musical Fund Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Initially known as Faber’s “Fabulous Talking Machine”, the operator pressed piano keys to open and close components which replicated the mouth, throat, tongue and vocal cords.

23 Dec 1920 – 100 years ago
The Government of Ireland Act (also called the Fourth Home Rule Bill) came into effect. It was intended to establish separate governments in Northern and Southern Ireland, which would both remain part of the UK. The Act never took effect in Southern Ireland because of the outbreak of the Irish War of Independence. Most elements of the Act were suspended in Northern Ireland in 1972 following the outbreak of the Troubles.

24 Dec 1955 – 65 years ago
The NORAD Tracks Santa service was launched.
It began by accident when a Sears department store advertisement invited children to phone Santa Claus, but gave the wrong number. Calls went to NORAD instead, where staff gave Santa’s “current location” so as not to disappoint callers.

25 Dec 1620 – 400 years ago
At the Huguenot General Assembly in La Rochelle, France, the decision was made to defy King Louis XIII, who had established an all-Catholic government, and establish their own Calvinist Protestant state within France. This led to three Huguenot rebellions in 1620–22, 1625, and 1627–28, all of which were suppressed by the French state.

26 and 28 Dec 1980 – 40 years ago
Rendlesham Forest incident, Suffolk, England.
Witnesses reported sightings of unexplained lights near RAF Woodbridge, along with claims of UFO landings.
The incident is sometimes called “Britain’s Roswell”.

27 Dec 1945 – 75 years ago
The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development were formally founded.

28 Dec 1945 – 75 years ago
The U.S. Congress formally recognized the Pledge of Allegiance.
It was written in 1892. Before 1945 it was known as the Pledge to the Flag. It was last revised in 1954 when the words “under God” were added.

29 Dec 1845 – 175 years ago
Texas was admitted as the 28th state of the USA.

30 Dec 1940 – 80 years ago
The Arroyo Seco Parkway (also known as the Pasadena Freeway) was officially opened in California, USA.
It is considered the first true freeway in the USA – though narrow by modern standards.

31 Dec 1720 – 300 years ago
Birth of Charles Edward Stuart, commonly known as “Bonnie Prince Charlie” or “The Young Pretender.”
Stuart claimant to the British throne.
Leader of the unsuccessful Jacobite rebellion of 1745–46.
Grandson of King James II of England and Ireland (also known as James VII of Scotland).

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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30 newsworthy historical anniversaries in November 2020 (U.S. edition)

Posted on by admin

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.

Here are 30 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in November 2020 (so you have time to write about them!)

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. The editions for 2021 and 2022 are also available.

Nov 1, 1895 – 125 years ago
The world’s first movie theater/cinema.
German filmmakers the Skladanowsky Brothers (Max and Emil) presented their Bioscop film projector to a paying audience in Berlin.
(On December 28, 1895 the Lumière Brothers presented their technically superior Cinematographe to a paying audience in Paris, France.
December 28, 1895 is widely recognized as the birth date of motion pictures.)

Nov 2, 1920 – 100 years ago
Westinghouse Electric launched the radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. It is commonly cited as the world’s first commercial radio station. Initially it was only intended to save on the cost of transmitting telegraphs and business information between the company’s factories, but its remit was expanded to include news and entertainment.

Nov 3, 1970 – 50 years ago
Death of Peter II, last King of Yugoslavia.

Nov 4, 1980 – 40 years ago
Ronald Reagan was elected 40th President of the USA. (Inaugurated March 4, 1981.)

Nov 5, 1940 – 80 years ago
Franklin D. Roosevelt became the only U.S. President to win a third term, beating Republican challenger Wendell L. Willkie.
This was also the first time that U.S. election returns were shown on television.

–

Nov 7, 1940 – 80 years ago
The middle section of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington, USA collapsed just months after it opened.
It was one of the most famous engineering failures in history.

Nov 8, 1960 – 60 years ago
John F. Kennedy was elected 35th President of the USA. (Inaugurated March 4, 1961.)

Nov 9, 1970 – 50 years ago
Death of Charles de Gaulle, President of France (1959–69).

Nov 10, 1970 – 50 years ago
The Great Wall of China was opened to tourists.

Nov 11, 1920 – 100 years ago
Following World War I, Britain and France held ceremonies to dedicate a national monument known as the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.
The British monument is at Westminster Abbey in London; the French monument (La tombe du soldat inconnu) is beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The French monument includes the first eternal flame created in Europe since the 4th century.

Nov 12, 1920 – 100 years ago
Kenesaw Mountain Landis became the first commissioner of Major League Baseball.

Nov 13, 1770 – 250 years ago
Death of George Grenville, British Prime Minister (1763-65).
Best known for introducing the Stamp Act (a form of taxation) into the American colonies.

Nov 14, 1940 – 80 years ago
World War II: German Luftwaffe bombers virtually destroyed the city of Coventry, England, including its medieval cathedral.
Britain retaliated on November 15th and 16th by bombing Hamburg, Germany over two consecutive nights.

Nov 15, 1995 – 25 years ago
British computer programmer Christopher Pile (also known as the Black Baron) was sentenced to 18 months in prison for writing and distributing computer viruses. He was the first person to be jailed for this offense.

Nov 16, 1920 – 100 years ago
Qantas, Australia’s national airline, was founded (as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited).

Nov 17, 1970 – 50 years ago
The Sun newspaper in Britain introduced topless Page Three girls. The first was glamour model Stephanie Rahn.

Nov 18, 1940 – 80 years ago
World War II: the first 75,000 men entered military service in the USA as part of peacetime conscription, following the enactment of the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 in September.

Nov 19, 1995 – 25 years ago
The U.S. première of the film Toy Story. It was the first feature-length computer-generated film, and the first full-length film made by Pixar.
(Released USA: November 22nd, UK: March 22, 1996.)

Nov 20, 1945 to Oct 1, 1946 – 75 years ago
The first Nuremberg trial was held in Germany. 23 of the most important political and military leaders of the Third Reich were tried for war crimes committed during WWII. 12 of the defendants were sentenced to death and 10 were executed on October 16, 1946. (The other two had already died.)

Nov 21, 1990 – 30 years ago
The Cold War ended as leaders of NATO and the Warsaw Pact states signed the Charter of Paris and a treaty on conventional forces in Europe.

Nov 22, 1990 – 30 years ago
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher announced her resignation. She was succeeded by John Major on November 28th.

Nov 23, 1945 – 75 years ago
Wartime food rationing ended in the USA.

Nov 24, 1995 – 25 years ago
In a referendum, the citizens of Ireland narrowly voted in favor of legalizing divorce.

Nov 25, 1940 – 80 years ago
Woody Woodpecker made his first appearance, in the Andy Panda cartoon Knock Knock.

Nov 26, 1970 – 50 years ago
The heaviest rainfall in one minute:  1.5 inches (38 mm) in Barot, Guadeloupe.

Nov 27, 1920 – 100 years ago
The U.S. premiere of the swashbuckler adventure film The Mark of Zorro (original version), starring Douglas Fairbanks.
(Released December 5th.)

Nov 28, 1520 – 500 years ago
Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan sailed into the South Pacific and named the waters the Pacific Ocean.

Nov 29, 1895 – 125 years ago
Birth of Busby Berkeley, American film director and choreographer.
Known for his elaborate musical production numbers which often featured large numbers of dancing girls forming kaleidoscopic patterns.

Nov 30, 2000 – 20 years ago
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 came into effect in the UK.
It included the controversial “right to roam” which had been long sought by ramblers. Several disputed areas became accessible as a result.

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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30 newsworthy historical anniversaries in November 2020

Posted on by admin

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.

Here are 30 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in November 2020 (so you have time to write about them!)

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. The editions for 2021 and 2022 are also available.

1 Nov 1895 – 125 years ago
The world’s first movie theater/cinema.
German filmmakers the Skladanowsky Brothers (Max and Emil) presented their Bioscop film projector to a paying audience in Berlin.
(On 28th December 1895 the Lumière Brothers presented their technically superior Cinematographe to a paying audience in Paris.
28th December 1895 is widely recognized as the birth date of motion pictures.)

2 Nov 1920 – 100 years ago
Westinghouse Electric launched the radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. It is commonly cited as the world’s first commercial radio station. Initially it was only intended to save on the cost of transmitting telegraphs and business information between the company’s factories, but its remit was expanded to include news and entertainment.

3 Nov 1970 – 50 years ago
Death of Peter II, last King of Yugoslavia.

4 Nov 1980 – 40 years ago
Ronald Reagan was elected 40th President of the USA. (Inaugurated 4th March 1981.)

5 Nov 1940 – 80 years ago
Franklin D. Roosevelt became the only U.S. President to win a third term, beating Republican challenger Wendell L. Willkie.
This was also the first time that U.S. election returns were shown on television.

–

7 Nov 1940 – 80 years ago
The middle section of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington, USA collapsed just months after it opened.
It was one of the most famous engineering failures in history.

8 Nov 1960 – 60 years ago
John F. Kennedy was elected 35th President of the USA. (Inaugurated 4th March 1961.)

9 Nov 1970 – 50 years ago
Death of Charles de Gaulle, President of France (1959–69).

10 Nov 1970 – 50 years ago
The Great Wall of China was opened to tourists.

11 Nov 1920 – 100 years ago
Following World War I, Britain and France held ceremonies to dedicate a national monument known as the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior.
The British monument is at Westminster Abbey in London; the French monument (La tombe du soldat inconnu) is beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The French monument includes the first eternal flame created in Europe since the 4th century.

12 Nov 1920 – 100 years ago
Kenesaw Mountain Landis became the first commissioner of Major League Baseball.

13 Nov 1770 – 250 years ago
Death of George Grenville, British Prime Minister (1763-65).
Best known for introducing the Stamp Act (a form of taxation) into the American colonies.

14 Nov 1940 – 80 years ago
World War II: German Luftwaffe bombers virtually destroyed the city of Coventry, England, including its medieval cathedral.
Britain retaliated on 15th and 16th November by bombing Hamburg, Germany over two consecutive nights.

15 Nov 1995 – 25 years ago
British computer programmer Christopher Pile (also known as the Black Baron) was sentenced to 18 months in prison for writing and distributing computer viruses. He was the first person to be jailed for this offense.

16 Nov 1920 – 100 years ago
Qantas, Australia’s national airline, was founded (as Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited).

17 Nov 1970 – 50 years ago
The Sun newspaper in Britain introduced topless Page Three girls. The first was glamour model Stephanie Rahn.

18 Nov 1940 – 80 years ago
World War II: the first 75,000 men entered military service in the USA as part of peacetime conscription, following the enactment of the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 in September.

19 Nov 1995 – 25 years ago
The U.S. première of the film Toy Story. It was the first feature-length computer-generated film, and the first full-length film made by Pixar.
(Released USA: 22nd November, UK: 22nd March 1996.)

20 Nov 1945 to 1 Oct 1946 – 75 years ago
The first Nuremberg trial was held in Germany. 23 of the most important political and military leaders of the Third Reich were tried for war crimes committed during WWII. 12 of the defendants were sentenced to death and 10 were executed on 16th October 1946. (The other two had already died.)

21 Nov 1990 – 30 years ago
The Cold War ended as leaders of NATO and the Warsaw Pact states signed the Charter of Paris and a treaty on conventional forces in Europe.

22 Nov 1990 – 30 years ago
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher announced her resignation. She was succeeded by John Major on 28th November.

23 Nov 1945 – 75 years ago
Wartime food rationing ended in the USA.

24 Nov 1995 – 25 years ago
In a referendum, the citizens of Ireland narrowly voted in favor of legalizing divorce.

25 Nov 1940 – 80 years ago
Woody Woodpecker made his first appearance, in the Andy Panda cartoon Knock Knock.

26 Nov 1970 – 50 years ago
The heaviest rainfall in one minute:  1.5 inches (38 mm) in Barot, Guadeloupe.

27 Nov 1920 – 100 years ago
The U.S. premiere of the swashbuckler adventure film The Mark of Zorro (original version), starring Douglas Fairbanks.
(Released 5th December.)

28 Nov 1520 – 500 years ago
Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan sailed into the South Pacific and named the waters the Pacific Ocean.

29 Nov 1895 – 125 years ago
Birth of Busby Berkeley, American film director and choreographer.
Known for his elaborate musical production numbers which often featured large numbers of dancing girls forming kaleidoscopic patterns.

30 Nov 2000 – 20 years ago
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 came into effect in the UK.
It included the controversial “right to roam” which had been long sought by ramblers. Several disputed areas became accessible as a result.

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.

Share this:

31 newsworthy historical anniversaries in October 2020 (U.S. edition)

Posted on by admin

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/theater shows, and more.

Here are 31 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in October 2020 (so you have time to write about them!)

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.

Oct 1, 1940 – 80 years ago
The USA’s first superhighway, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, was opened.

Oct 2, 1950 – 70 years ago
The first Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz was published.

Oct 3, 1980 – 40 years ago
The Housing Act came into effect in Britain. It gave more than 5 million council tenants the right to buy their homes.

Oct 4, 1895 – 125 years ago
The first U.S. Open golf championship was played, at the Newport Country Club, Newport, Rhode Island.

Oct 5, 1930 – 90 years ago
The British airship R101 crashed in France on its maiden overseas voyage. 48 people were killed.

Oct 6, 1995 – 25 years ago
The first extrasolar planet was discovered by astronomers in Geneva, Switzerland. It orbited the star 51 Pegasi, and was 47.9 light‐years from Earth. Thousands of extrasolar planets have been discovered since then.

Oct 7, 1920 – 100 years ago
Oxford University allowed women to become full members and study for full degrees for the first time, and the first 100 women were admitted.

Oct 8, 1895 – 125 years ago
Birth of Juan Perón, President of Argentina (1946–55, 1973–74).

Oct 9, 1940 – 80 years ago
Birth of John Lennon, British rock musician, singer, songwriter, and peace activist (The Beatles). (Shot dead 1980.)

Oct 10, 1980 – 40 years ago
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher gave a memorable and defiant speech at the Conservative Party conference in Brighton, saying: “The lady’s not for turning!”

Oct 11, 2000 – 20 years ago
Death of Donald Dewar, First Minister of Scotland (1999–2000).

Oct 12, 1870 – 150 years ago
Death of Robert E. Lee, American general. Commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War.

Oct 13, 1945 – 75 years ago
Death of Milton S. Hershey, American confectioner and philanthropist. Founder of the Hershey chocolate company and the company town of Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Oct 14, 1940 – 80 years ago
Balham underground station disaster, London, UK. A German bomb caused tunnels to collapse while people were sheltering in the station during an air raid. 68 people were killed and more than 70 injured.

Oct 15, 1945 – 75 years ago
Death of Pierre Laval, Prime Minister of Vichy France during WWII. (Executed by firing squad after being convicted of treason.)

Oct 16, 1940 – 80 years ago
Holocaust: the Warsaw Ghetto was established in Poland.

Oct 17, 2000 – 20 years ago
Hatfield rail crash, Hertfordshire, UK. Four people were killed when a high‐speed passenger train derailed because of a cracked rail. (The spiraling cost of the subsequent national rail replacement program forced Railtrack into administration.)

Oct 18, 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of Melina Mercouri, Greek actress, singer, politician and activist. Minister for Culture (1981–85). (Died 1994.)

Oct 19, 1960 – 60 years ago
The USA imposed an embargo on exports to Cuba. All goods were prohibited, except food and medicine.

Oct 20, 1995 – 25 years ago
The Secretary General of NATO, Willy Claes, resigned after the Belgian Parliament decided he should stand trial for his role in a bribery scandal.

Oct 21, 1960 – 60 years ago
Britain launched its first nuclear submarine, HMS Dreadnought.

Oct 22, 1930 – 90 years ago
The BBC Symphony Orchestra gave its first concert.

Oct 23, 1980 – 40 years ago
Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin resigned after falling ill. (He died on December 18th.) He was succeeded by Nikolai Tikhonov.

Oct 24, 1945 – 75 years ago
The United Nations was formally established and began operating. It replaced the League of Nations.

Oct 25, 1920 – 100 years ago
Death of Alexander, King of Greece (1917–20). (Septicemia after being bitten by a monkey, aged 27.)

Oct 26, 1970 – 50 years ago
The Doonesbury comic strip by Garry Trudeau was first published.

Oct 27, 1940 – 80 years ago
Birth of John Gotti, American organized crime boss. Head of the Gambino crime family in New York City. (Died 2002.)

Oct 28, 1940 to Apr 23, 1941 – 80 years ago
World War II: the Greco–Italian War. Italy invaded Greece, with disastrous results, grossly underestimating the Greeks’ tenacity. It was called the first Axis setback of the war, and infuriated German leader Adolf Hitler. The war turned into the Battle of Greece (April 23 to June 1, 1941) when British and German forces intervened. German-Italian victory. Axis forces then occupied Greece until 1945 and the Greek government was forced into exile in Cairo, Egypt.

Oct 29, 1940 – 80 years ago
The USA held its first-ever peacetime military draft lottery.

Oct 30, 1950 – 70 years ago
Pope Pius XII witnessed the Miracle of the Sun from the Vatican gardens. (Also on October 31st, November 1st and November 8th.)

Oct 31, 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of Dick Francis, British crime writer and former jockey. Known for his novels set in the world of British horse racing. (Died 2010.)

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 historical anniversaries in October 2020

Posted on by admin

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.

Here are 31 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in October 2020 (so you have time to write about them!)

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 Oct 1940 – 80 years ago
The USA’s first superhighway, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, was opened.

2 Oct 1950 – 70 years ago
The first Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz was published.

3 Oct 1980 – 40 years ago
The Housing Act came into effect in Britain. It gave more than 5 million council tenants the right to buy their homes.

4 Oct 1895 – 125 years ago
The first U.S. Open golf championship was played, at the Newport Country Club, Newport, Rhode Island.

5 Oct 1930 – 90 years ago
The British airship R101 crashed in France on its maiden overseas voyage. 48 people were killed.

6 Oct 1995 – 25 years ago
The first extrasolar planet was discovered by astronomers in Geneva, Switzerland. It orbited the star 51 Pegasi, and was 47.9 light‐years from Earth. Thousands of extrasolar planets have been discovered since then.

7 Oct 1920 – 100 years ago
Oxford University allowed women to become full members and study for full degrees for the first time, and the first 100 women were admitted.

8 Oct 1895 – 125 years ago
Birth of Juan Perón, President of Argentina (1946–55, 1973–74).

9 Oct 1940 – 80 years ago
Birth of John Lennon, British rock musician, singer, songwriter, and peace activist (The Beatles). (Shot dead 1980.)

10 Oct 1980 – 40 years ago
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher gave a memorable and defiant speech at the Conservative Party conference in Brighton, saying: “The lady’s not for turning!”

11 Oct 2000 – 20 years ago
Death of Donald Dewar, First Minister of Scotland (1999–2000).

12 Oct 1870 – 150 years ago
Death of Robert E. Lee, American general. Commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War.

13 Oct 1945 – 75 years ago
Death of Milton S. Hershey, American confectioner and philanthropist. Founder of the Hershey chocolate company and the company town of Hershey, Pennsylvania.

14 Oct 1940 – 80 years ago
Balham underground station disaster, London, UK. A German bomb caused tunnels to collapse while people were sheltering in the station during an air raid. 68 people were killed and more than 70 injured.

15 Oct 1945 – 75 years ago
Death of Pierre Laval, Prime Minister of Vichy France during WWII. (Executed by firing squad after being convicted of treason.)

16 Oct 1940 – 80 years ago
Holocaust: the Warsaw Ghetto was established in Poland.

17 Oct 2000 – 20 years ago
Hatfield rail crash, Hertfordshire, UK. 4 people were killed when a high‐speed passenger train derailed because of a cracked rail. (The spiraling cost of the subsequent national rail replacement program forced Railtrack into administration.)

18 Oct 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of Melina Mercouri, Greek actress, singer, politician and activist. Minister for Culture (1981–85). (Died 1994.)

19 Oct 1960 – 60 years ago
The USA imposed an embargo on exports to Cuba. All goods were prohibited, except food and medicine.

20 Oct 1995 – 25 years ago
The Secretary General of NATO, Willy Claes, resigned after the Belgian Parliament decided he should stand trial for his role in a bribery scandal.

21 Oct 1960 – 60 years ago
Britain launched its first nuclear submarine, HMS Dreadnought.

22 Oct 1930 – 90 years ago
The BBC Symphony Orchestra gave its first concert.

23 Oct 1980 – 40 years ago
Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin resigned after falling ill. (He died on 18th December.) He was succeeded by Nikolai Tikhonov.

24 Oct 1945 – 75 years ago
The United Nations was formally established and began operating. It replaced the League of Nations.

25 Oct 1920 – 100 years ago
Death of Alexander, King of Greece (1917–20). (Septicemia after being bitten by a monkey, aged 27.)

26 Oct 1970 – 50 years ago
The Doonesbury comic strip by Garry Trudeau was first published.

27 Oct 1940 – 80 years ago
Birth of John Gotti, American organized crime boss. Head of the Gambino crime family in New York City. (Died 2002.)

28 Oct 1940 to 23 Apr 1941 – 80 years ago
World War II: the Greco–Italian War. Italy invaded Greece, with disastrous results, grossly underestimating the Greeks’ tenacity. It was called the first Axis setback of the war, and infuriated German leader Adolf Hitler. The war turned into the Battle of Greece (23 April to 1 June 1941) when British and German forces intervened. German-Italian victory. Axis forces then occupied Greece until 1945 and the Greek government was forced into exile in Cairo, Egypt.

29 Oct 1940 – 80 years ago
The USA held its first-ever peacetime military draft lottery.

30 Oct 1950 – 70 years ago
Pope Pius XII witnessed the Miracle of the Sun from the Vatican gardens. (Also on 31st October, 1st November and 8th November.)

31 Oct 1920 – 100 years ago
Birth of Dick Francis, British crime writer and former jockey. Known for his novels set in the world of British horse racing. (Died 2010.)

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.

Share this:

30 newsworthy historical anniversaries in September 2020 (U.S. edition)

Posted on by admin

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.

Here are 30 newsworthy and notable historical anniversaries coming up in September 2020 (so you have time to write about them!)

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.

Sep 1, 1920 – 100 years ago
Lebanon (then known as Greater Lebanon) was created by France.

Sep 2, 1945 – 75 years ago
World War II officially ended when representatives from Japan signed the formal surrender document on board the U.S. battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

Sep 3, 1950 – 70 years ago
Italian racing driver Giuseppe (“Nino”) Farina became the first ever Formula One World Champion after winning the 1950 Italian Grand Prix.

Sep 4, 1870 – 150 years ago
French Emperor Napoleon III was deposed and went into exile in England, and the French Third Republic was proclaimed.

Sep 5, 1970 to Oct 8, 1971 – 50 years ago
Vietnam War – Operation Jefferson Glenn. The last major American operation of the war. U.S./South Vietnamese victory.

Sep 6, 1620 – 400 years ago
102 English Puritans (now known as the Pilgrims) set sail aboard the Mayflower from Plymouth, England for a new life in America. After a perilous journey they landed in what is now Provincetown Harbor, Cape Cod, Massachusetts on November 11th. They had intended landing in Virginia but were unable to reach it because of heavy seas.

Sep 7, 1940 to May 11, 1941 – 80 years ago
World War II: the Blitz. Nazi Germany launched a sustained 8-month aerial attack on British cities in an attempt to destroy its war production capabilities. The campaign began with 57 nights of continuous bombing raids on London. German strategic failure.

Sep 8, 2000 – 20 years ago
UK fuel protests. Road hauliers blockaded oil refineries across the country to protest against the rising cost of fuel for vehicles. Within days, disruption was widespread and petrol stations ran out of fuel. (The protest ended on September 14th. Fuel supplies began to be restored by the 16th.)

Sep 9, 1895 – 125 years ago
The American Bowling Congress was formed. It codified all tenpin bowling standards, rules and regulations. In 2005 it merged with other bowling organizations to form the United States Bowling Congress.

Sep 10, 1945 – 75 years ago
Former Norwegian Prime Minister Vidkun Quisling was convicted of collaborating with Nazi Germany during WWII, and numerous other crimes. He was sentenced to death, and executed on October 24th.

Sep 11, 1895 – 125 years ago
Soccer: The original FA Cup was stolen from the window of a shoe shop in Birmingham, England. It was never seen again. Its official name is the Football Association Challenge Cup.

Sep 12, 1940 – 80 years ago
The Lascaux Caves in France were discovered by four teenagers. The caves contained well-preserved 17,000-year-old Paleolithic wall paintings.

Sep 13, 1970 – 50 years ago
The first New York City Marathon. 127 competitors ran laps around Central Park. The present course was first run in 1976.

Sep 14, 1960 – 60 years ago
OPEC (the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) was founded by Iraq, Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Sep 15, 1940 – 80 years ago
World War II: the Battle of Britain – the turning point. The German Luftwaffe sustained heavy losses. On September 17th Hitler abandoned his plan to invade Britain (Operation Sea Lion) after reaching the conclusion that the operation was not viable.

Sep 16, 1920 – 100 years ago
Wall Street bombing. A terrorist bomb in a horse‐drawn wagon exploded near the U.S. Assay Office and J. P. Morgan building in Wall Street, New York City, USA. At least 38 people were killed and 300 – 400 injured.

Sep 17, 1940 – 80 years ago
Holocaust: Nazi Germany passed a law which entitled them to seize any valuable possessions from Jews in Germany and German-occupied territories.

Sep 18, 1870 – 150 years ago
Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA was discovered and named by members of the Washburn–Langford–Doane Expedition. (In the early days, Old Faithful often suffered the indignity of being used for doing laundry. Cotton and linen items placed in it during its quiescent phase were ejected thoroughly washed when it erupted. But woolen items were torn to shreds.)

Sep 19, 1960 – 60 years ago
Traffic wardens began operating in London.

Sep 20, 1945 – 75 years ago
Operation Paperclip: Seven German rocket scientists arrived in the USA after being recruited to help develop its ballistic missile and rocket programs. Among them was Werner von Braun, the “Father of Rocket Science.”

Sep 21, 1995 – 25 years ago
The Hindu milk miracle, India. Statues of the elephant‐headed Hindu god Ganesh began drinking milk when spoonfuls were placed near their mouths. The phenomenon ended after 24 hours.

Sep 22, 1955 – 65 years ago
Britain’s first independent television channel ITV was launched, ending the BBC’s monopoly and broadcasting Britain’s first television commercials. (Initially only viewers in London could receive ITV. Regional franchises were rolled out across the whole country by 1965.) The first issue of the weekly TV listings magazine TV Times was published on September 20th.

Sep 23, 1870 – 150 years ago
Death of Prosper Merimée, French writer, archeologist and historian. Best known for his novellas, especially Carmen, which was the basis for Bizet’s opera of the same name.

Sep 24, 1945 – 75 years ago
Death of Hans Geiger, German physicist. Best known for co-inventing the Geiger counter, which measures levels of ionizing radiation.

Sep 25, 1970 – 50 years ago
The first episode of the musical sitcom The Partridge Family was broadcast on ABC television in the USA.

Sep 26, 1820 – 200 years ago
Death of Daniel Boone, American pioneer, explorer, frontiersman, and folk hero.

Sep 27, 1940 – 80 years ago
World War II: the Tripartite Pact was signed in Berlin by Germany, Japan and Italy. This military alliance marked the founding of the Axis Powers.

Sep 28, 1920 – 100 years ago
Black Sox scandal. Eight members of the Chicago White Sox baseball team were indicted for throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds after receiving money from a gambling syndicate. On October 22nd a grand jury implicated the 8 players and 5 gamblers. The criminal trial was held in June–July 1921, and all 8 players were acquitted, but were banned from professional baseball for life.

Sep 29, 1920 – 100 years ago
The first ready-made radio receivers went on sale to the public, at the Joseph Home Company department store in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.

Sep 30, 1960 – 60 years ago
The first episode of the popular cartoon series The Flintstones was broadcast on ABC television in the USA.

More anniversaries:

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