Scott Allsop's Blog, page 242
August 19, 2017
20th August 1968: Warsaw Pact troops invade to end the Prague Spring
At around 11pm on the 20th August 1968, troops from the USSR, Bulgaria, Poland and Hungary entered Czechoslovakia in an invasion that brought the Prague Spring to an end. The invasion, known as Operation Danube,...
August 18, 2017
19th August 1991: August Coup places Gorbachev under house arrest
On the 19th August 1991 Mikhail Gorbachev, the President of the Soviet Union, was placed under house arrest in what is known as the August Coup. Opposed to Gorbachev’s reforms, the leaders of the coup...
August 17, 2017
18th August 1612: Trial of the Pendle Witches begins
On the 18th August 1612, the trials of nine Lancashire women and two men known as the Pendle Witches began. Accused of various murders, twelve people were charged of whom was found not guilty and...
August 16, 2017
17th August 1982: First commercial CD produced in Germany
On the 17th August 1982, the very first commercial compact disc was produced in the German town of Langenhagen. Although it was a number of months before the disc was actually available to purchase, the...
August 15, 2017
16th August 1819: Protesters killed in the Peterloo Massacre
On the 16th August 1819, the Peterloo Massacre occurred at St Peter’s Field in Manchester when a group of over 60,000 protesters were charged by cavalry. An estimated 15 people died, and approximately 700 others...
August 14, 2017
15th August 1941: Last execution takes place at the Tower of London
I’m very grateful to Giselle K. Jakobs for her thorough research and detailed website about the focus of today’s podcast – her grandfather, Josef Jakobs. You can visit her website at http://www.josefjakobs.info/ The last execution at...
August 13, 2017
14th August 1980: Lech Wałęsa leads strike in Gdańsk shipyard
On the 14th August 1980, workers at the Lenin Shipyard in the Polish city of Gdańsk led by electrician Lech Wałęsa began a strike that led to the formation of the Solidarity labour movement. A...
August 12, 2017
13th August 1961: Construction begins on the Berlin Wall
Beginning at midnight on the 13th August 1961, East German police and army began to close the border with West Berlin. The barbed wire and mesh barrier that was constructed overnight was gradually replaced with...
August 11, 2017
12th August 1865: Joseph Lister performs 1st antiseptic surgery
On the 12th August 1865 Joseph Lister carried out the world’s first antiseptic surgery using the chemical phenol, otherwise known as carbolic acid. Lister is remembered among the greats of medical science for being the...
August 10, 2017
11th August 1919: Weimar Republic established after constitution signed
The Weimar Republic was officially established on 11th August 1919, when Friedrich Ebert signed the new constitution into law. The National Assembly that created the constitution had convened in the city of Weimar, which is...
