Scott Allsop's Blog, page 268
January 8, 2017
9th January 1799: Income tax introduced for the first time
On the 9th January 1799, modern income tax was introduced for the first time. William Pitt the Younger, the British Prime Minister, announced the tax the previous December as a way to pay for the...
January 7, 2017
8th January 1918: Woodrow Wilson announces the Fourteen Points
On the 8th January 1918, United States President Woodrow Wilson made a speech to Congress in which he outlined his principles for world peace, known as the Fourteen Points. Keen to distance the United States...
January 6, 2017
7th January 1979: Cambodian leader Pol Pot overthrown
On the 7th January 1979 Pol Pot, the Cambodian revolutionary and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kampuchea , was overthrown when Vietnamese forces captured the capital city Phnom Penh....
366 Days on Kindle Countdown from tomorrow
My new book, 366 Days: Compelling Stories From World History is on sale at Amazon from midnight tonight - just 99c or 99p (usual price $3.49 / £2.49).
Take advantage of the reduced price to get a copy of the bestselling daily historical trivia book!
Take advantage of the reduced price to get a copy of the bestselling daily historical trivia book!
January 5, 2017
6th January 1066: Harold Godwinson crowned king of England
On the 6th January 1066, Harold Godwinson was crowned king of England. Harold II was the last Anglo-Saxon king of England, but reigned for barely nine months before being killed at the Battle of Hastings...
January 4, 2017
5th January 1968: Prague Spring begins in Czechoslovakia
On the 5th January 1968, the Prague Spring began when Alexander Dubček became the new First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. The Prague Spring lasted for just over seven months before the Soviet...
January 3, 2017
4th January 1642: Charles I attempts to arrest the Five Members
On the 4th January 1642, Charles I attempted and failed to arrest the Five Members of Parliament, prompting the English Civil War and his own eventual execution for treason. Charles ascended to the throne in...
January 2, 2017
3rd January 1961: USA cuts diplomatic relations with Cuba
On the 3rd January 1961, the United States of America severed its diplomatic relationship with Cuba and closed the American embassy in Havana. The move came in the wake of the nationalisation of industries in...
January 1, 2017
2nd January 1981: Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper, arrested
On the 2nd January 1981, serial killer Peter Sutcliffe – otherwise known as the Yorkshire Ripper – was arrested by police. Found guilty of murdering 13 women over a six-year period, and of attempting to...
December 31, 2016
1st January 1942: Declaration by the United Nations agreed
On the 1st January 1942, the Declaration by the United Nations was agreed and signed by the representatives of four major Allied nations during the Second World War. The original signatories – US President Franklin...
