Scott Allsop's Blog, page 259
March 3, 2017
4th March 1789: First US Congress meets under new Constitution
On the 4th March 1789, the United States constitution went into effect when the first US Congress met. However, the Congress was unable to actually vote on anything until the first week of April since...
March 2, 2017
3rd March 1918: Russia and Central Powers sign Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
On the 3rd March 1918 the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed between Russia and the Central Powers. The treaty ended Russia’s participation in the First World War and was negotiated by the new Bolshevik government....
March 1, 2017
2nd March 1965: USA launches Operation Rolling Thunder in Vietnam
On the 2nd March 1965 the United States military, alongside the Republic of Vietnam Air Force, began Operation Rolling Thunder as part of the Vietnam War. The operation continued for three and a half years,...
February 28, 2017
1st March 1692: First of the Salem ‘witches’ face magistrates
On the 1st March 1692, the Salem witch trials began when Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba were brought before local magistrates in Salem Village, Massachusetts. The paranoia and hysteria that ensued eventually led to...
February 27, 2017
28th February 1525: Execution of Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec Emperor
On the 28th February 1525 Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec Emperor, was executed on the orders of the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés. Cuauhtémoc, which means “One who swoops down like an eagle” continues to be a...
February 26, 2017
27th February 1933: Arson attack causes the Reichstag Fire
On the 27th February 1933, the Reichstag building in Berlin was set on fire in an arson attack. Generally accepted to have been conducted by Dutch communist Marinus van der Lubbe, the fire provided the...
February 25, 2017
26th February 1815: Napoleon escapes from exile on Elba
On the 26th February 1815, Napoléon Bonaparte escaped exile on the Mediterranean island of Elba and sailed to the French mainland. After landing at the coastal town of Golfe-Juan on the first of March, he...
February 24, 2017
25th February 1956: Khruschev criticises Stalin in his ‘secret speech’
Shortly after midnight on the 25th February 1956, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev delivered his ‘secret speech’, officially called “On the Cult of Personality and Its Consequences”, in a four hour “closed session” at the end...
February 23, 2017
24th February 1848: King Louis Philippe of France abdicates
On the 24th February 1848, amidst the revolutions that were beginning to sweep across the continent, King Louis Philippe of France abdicated the throne. Having come to power following the July Revolution in 1830 he...
February 22, 2017
23rd February 1455: Gutenberg Bible published (traditional date)
On the 23rd February 1455, tradition dictates that Johannes Gutenberg published his printed Bible – the first book to be produced with moveable type in the West. Although there is no definitive evidence for this...
