Scott Allsop's Blog, page 263
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...
February 21, 2017
22nd February 1943: Trial and execution of White Rose members
On the 22nd February 1943, the first three members of the White Rose resistance group were put on trial and executed by guillotine in Germany. Active from June 1942, the first arrests took place after...
February 20, 2017
21st February 1848: The Communist Manifesto first published
On the 21st February 1848, The Communist Manifesto was anonymously published in London although the text by Karl Marx, supported by Friedrich Engels, was in German. Officially called The Manifesto of the Communist Party, the...
February 19, 2017
20th February 1959: Jimi Hendrix plays his first gig (and gets fired)
On the 20th February 1959, Jimi Hendrix played his first ever live concert – and got fired from the band after the first set. This set a pattern for the legendary guitarist’s early years, as...
February 18, 2017
19th February 1985: BBC broadcasts first episode of EastEnders
On the 19th February 1985, the BBC’s flagship soap opera EastEnders was broadcast for the first time. Now airing four episodes a week, the series has been broadcast continuously ever since and remains one of...
