Scott Allsop's Blog, page 50

15th December 1791: United States Bill of Rights becomes law after ratification by the Virginia General Assembly

The significance of the Bill of Rights lies not only in its immediate impact on the legal framework of the United States but also in its enduring ...

14th December 1972: Gene Cernan becomes the last person on the Moon at the end of the Apollo 17 mission

As Cernan prepared to climb the ladder of the lunar module at the end of the final moonwalk, he paused to deliver the words, "We leave as we came, and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all ...

13th December 1636: The Massachusetts Bay Colony organises a formal militia, laying the foundations for the US National Guard

Some modern-day Massachusetts National Guard regiments are able to trace their history back to the Massachusetts Bay Colony of ...

12th December 2000: Bush v. Gore decision reached by the United States Supreme Court

In a momentous decision the Supreme Court, in a 5-4 ruling, effectively halted the ongoing manual recount in Florida and handed Florida's electoral votes to George W. Bush. This secured his victory in the state and, consequently, the ...

11th December 1941: Nazi Germany declares war on the USA

Approximately six hours after Germany’s declaration of war, the United States declared war on ...

10th December 1541: Thomas Culpeper and Francis Dereham executed for affairs with Catherine Howard

The charges against Culpeper and Dereham were grave – accusations of treasonous affairs with the queen that threatened the very foundation of the Tudor monarchy. The evidence, combined with the political expediency of eliminating potential threats to the crown, led to their convictions for treason on 1 ...

9th December 1868: The world’s first traffic lights go into operation outside the Houses of Parliament in London

The signal stood 6 metres (20 feet) high at the junction of Great George Street and Bridge Street, and was manually operated by a policeman stationed at the ...

8th December 1912: German Imperial War Council discusses the possibility of a European war

While the Council itself did not trigger the First World War, historians have seen its deliberations as emblematic of the geopolitical tensions that would eventually erupt with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in ...

7th December 1837: The Battle of Montgomery’s Tavern during the Upper Canada Rebellion

The defeat marked the end of the armed phase of the Upper Canada Rebellion but, while the rebels’ immediate objectives were not achieved, resistance continued until 1838 and contributed to the eventual establishment of responsible government in ...

6th December 1648: “Pride’s Purge” stops MPs sympathetic to King Charles I of England from entering the House of Commons

England’s only recorded military coup d'état resulted in the removal of 140 moderate and Royalist Members of Parliament who backed a negotiated settlement with Charles, of which 45 were ...