SillyDog701

[Antony]

9th November 1989 - Berlin Wall demolished
Berlin Wall, a barrier first erected in August 1961 by the East German government along the border between East and West Berlin, and later extended along the entire border between East Germany and West Germany.
On 9th November 1989, the beleaguered East German regime lifted travel restrictions, and days later dismantling of the wall began. In October 1990, East Germany was formally reabsorbed into the Federal Republic of Germany and only short sections of the wall remained standing, as memorials.
Berlin Wall, 1961 - 1989, was built by Communists to keep power but failed.

(Source: GuruNet, The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia)

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[Antony]

17th November, 1869
Suez Canal completed, the 168 km long Suez Canal in Egypt, linking the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.

A ship canal, about 168 km long, traversing the Isthmus of Suez and linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Suez with the Mediterranean Sea. Built under the supervision of Ferdinand de Lesseps, it was opened in 1869 and came under British control after 1875. The British withdrew in 1956, and Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the canal, precipitating a crisis in which Israel invaded Egypt, and Great Britain and France sent armed forces to retake the canal. United Nations intervention forced an armistice, and the canal was reopened in April 1957. The canal was again closed during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and remained closed until June 1975.
(source: GuruNet, American Heritage Dictionary)

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[Antony]

18th November 1978
Jim Jones -- urged 911 followers to kill themselves by drinking cyanide-laced punch.
Jim Jones is best known as a Christian preacher who led 911 followers to their deaths.

Jim Jones was the founder and leader of Jonestown, Guyana, a community of over 900 members of The People's Temple Full Gospel Church, an offshoot of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Jones had been an untrained preacher in Indiana and California before moving his congregation to Guyana to avoid government scrutiny. In November of 1978, U. S. Congressman Leo Ryan visited Jonestown to investigate allegations of human rights abuses. Ryan and his group were murdered at Jonestown, and on November 18, 1978 Jim Jones and 911 of his followers committed suicide or were murdered. Initial reports said the members drank Kool-Aid laced with cyanide, but a report from the Guyanese coroner said that hundreds of the bodies showed needle marks, indicating foul play. The U. S. government has not released all the documents pertinent to their investigation of the incident, further complicating the long-held conspiracy theory that Jonestown was a mind-control experiment conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency. Jones died the same day of a bullet wound in his head.

(Source: GuruNet, Who2)

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[Antony]

18th November 1928 - Mickey Mouse debut in Steamboat Willie
Mickey Mouse was first drawn by Ub Iwerks' hand.

Disney and Iwerks initially produced two silent cartoons for Mickey Mouse, Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho. But in the wake of the success of the nation's first talkie, Al Jolson's The Jazz Singer in 1927, Disney decided to produce a cartoon that would be synchronised to songs, music and sound effects.

Steamboat Willie was an instant hit, arriving at a time when technological advances in motion pictures, radio and the phonograph were transforming mass culture. By the end of the 1930s, Mickey had starred in more than 100 cartoons.

Mickey gradually transformed both physically and spiritually. His face was rounded out and his eyes went from black ovals to white eyes with pupils in the late 1930s. His face became friendlier, less rat-like. "Round things seem to be less belligerent than the angles," said John Hench, a 95-year-old animator who has been with the Disney company since 1939.

(Source: Associated Press)

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[Antony]

21st November 1877
Thomas A. Edison -- announced the invention of the phonograph.

Edison was the genius inventor of the electrical age, a man whose hundreds of inventions made him a public giant in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Among Edison's most famous inventions are the light bulb, the phonograph and the stock ticker; he also helped refine and develop other inventions like motion pictures and the typewriter. By the end of his life Edison had registered 1093 patents and had made millions from his inventions and the businesses he built on them. He is especially known for his work with electricity, and the story of his struggles to find the right filament for the first working lightbulb are legendary. Edison is also famous for being a dogged worker: he often slept no more than four hours per night and made the famous statement, "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."

(Source: GuruNet, Who2)

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[Antony]

22nd November 1963 - John F. Kennedy assassinated
One of the most shocking public events in 20th century, 40 years ago.

JFK was elected to replace President Dwight Eisenhower in 1960 (narrowly defeating Eisenhower's vice-president, Richard Nixon); he swept into office with a reputation for youthful charm, impatience, wit and vigor. Kennedy's term was sometimes called the New Frontier, a phrase he coined in his acceptance speech at the 1960 Democratic convention. Kennedy was shot to death by sniper Lee Harvey Oswald during an open-car motorcade in Dallas, Texas; two days later (24th Nov 1963), Lee Harvey Oswald was shot and killed by nightclub owner, Jack Ruby, when he was being transferred in the basement garage of Dallas police headquarters. Ruby was arrested, tried, and sent to prison; he died there of cancer in 1967. Kennedy was succeeded by Lyndon Johnson.

Related Topic: Warren Commission
Warren Commission - a popular name given to the U.S. Commission to Report upon the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
The commission, which was given unrestricted investigating powers, was directed to evaluate all the evidence and present a complete report of the event to the American people. The proceedings began 3rd Dec, 1963, and the final report was delivered to the President on 24th Sept, 1964. During its investigation the commission weighed the testimony of 552 witnesses and the reports of 10 federal agencies, most important of which were the Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Dept. of State, the Central Intelligence Agency, and military intelligence. The hearings were closed to the public unless the person giving testimony requested otherwise; only two witnesses made that request. The commission, in its findings, attempted to reconstruct the exact sequence of events of the assassination. Foremost among its conclusions was refutation of speculation that the assassination was part of a conspiracy, either domestic or foreign, or that any elements of the government had a hand in the event. The report maintained that Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone and without accomplices, shot and killed the President and wounded Texas Governor John Connally from the sixth floor window of the Texas School Book Depository Building in Dallas on 22nd Nov, 1963. Oswald was also declared the murderer of Police Patrolman J. D. Tippit, who tried to apprehend Oswald some 45 min after the shooting. In addition, Jack Ruby, a Dallas restaurant owner who killed Oswald the day after the assassination (24th Nov), was found innocent of conspiracy; no connection was found between Oswald and Ruby. The commission concluded its report by recommending reform in presidential security measures, and it offered specific proposals to improve the Secret Service. The commission's findings came under attack from a number of persons who felt it served as a “whitewash.â€

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[Antony]

24th November

1998, five years ago,
America Online confirmed it was buying Netscape Communications (Netscape Press Release) The acquisition was completed in March 99.

1963, forty years ago,
Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of JFK, in a scene captured on live television.

(Source: Citizen Online, GA)

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[Antony]

4th December 1829
"Suttee" -- abolished in India by British law

What is "Suttee"?
It is an act or practice of a Hindu widow's cremating herself on her husband's funeral pyre in order to fulfill her true role as wife.

A former Indian funeral practice in which the widow immolated herself on her husband's funeral pyre. The practice of killing a favorite wife on her husband's grave has been found in many parts of the world; it was followed by such peoples as the Thracians, the Scythians, the ancient Egyptians, the Scandinavians, the Chinese, and peoples of Oceania and Africa. Suttee was probably taken over by Hinduism from a more ancient source. Its stated purpose was to expiate the sins of both husband and wife and to ensure the couple's reunion beyond the grave, but it was encouraged by the low regard in which widows were held. The practice was not universal throughout Hindu history. It was abolished by law in British India in 1829, but isolated cases of voluntary suttee have occurred into the 20th century.

(source: GuruNet, Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia)

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[Antony]

7th December 1941 - Peral Harbour
Japanese attacked the home base of the U.S. Pacific fleet, leading to America's entry into World War II.

Peral Harbour (Harbor): an inlet of the Pacific Ocean on the southern coast of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu.

On 7 Dec, 1941, while negotiations were going on with Japanese representatives in Washington, Japanese carrier-based planes swept in without warning over Oahu and attacked (7:55 A.M. local time) the bulk of the U.S. Pacific fleet, moored in Pearl Harbor. Nineteen naval vessels, including eight battleships, were sunk or severely damaged; 188 U.S. aircraft were destroyed. Military casualties were 2,280 killed and 1,109 wounded; 68 civilians also died. On Dec. 8, the United States declared war on Japan.

There were many charges of negligence against those responsible for Pearl Harbor's defense. A special commission appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt accused the army and navy commanders at Hawaii of dereliction of duty in a report on 24 Jan, 1942. Later army and navy investigations concluded that no valid grounds existed for court-martial. A congressional committee, formed in Sept., 1945, absolved the army and navy commanders in a formal report on 16 July, 1946, but censured the War Dept. and the Dept. of the Navy.

Pearl Harbor is now a national historic landmark; a memorial has been built over the sunken hulk of the USS Arizona. The battleship Missouri, site of Japan's surrender, is also preserved there as a memorial.

(Source: GuruNet)

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[Antony]

8th December 1980 - John Lennon shot to death

John Lennon, member of The Beatles, who and Paul McCartney wrote most of the songs for the Beatles. John Lennon's romance with Yoko Ono was a major influence on his career, and he collaborated with her on everything from avant-garde noise to the modern pop hymn "Imagine". After The Beatles, Lennon's solo career was marked by unpredictable records and his public pleas for world peace. After a reclusive five years as a family man, Lennon released an album with Yoko in 1980, Double Fantasy. As their new song "Just Like Starting Over" was reaching the top of the charts, Lennon was shot to death outside his New York home by Mark David Chapman, a mental disordered fan.

related
Mark David Chapman was a former security guard from Hawaii who came to New York specifically to attack the famous ex-Beatle. He was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison, a sentence which he is serving in New York's Attica prison. Chapman was denied parole at his first parole hearing in October of 2000.

When he killed Lennon, Chapman was carrying a copy of the J.D. Salinger book The Catcher In the Rye.

(Source: GuruNet)

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[Antony]

11th December 1931
Statute of Westminster gave legislative independence to New Zealand, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Ireland & Newfoundland.

Statue of Westminster, 1931, in British imperial history, an act of the British Parliament that gave formal recognition to the autonomy of the dominions of the British Empire and was in effect the founding charter of the British Commonwealth of Nations. It declared that the Commonwealth was a free association of autonomous dominions and the United Kingdom, bound only by common allegiance to the throne, and specified that the British Parliament might not legislate for the dominions except at their request and subject to their assent and that the dominion legislatures were on an equal footing with that of the United Kingdom. The statute implemented the work of various meetings of the Imperial Conference, which had recognized the virtual independence of the dominions that came into being as a result of World War I and the peace settlements thereafter.

11th December 1936
King of England who abdicated to marry a divorced American

Edward VIII shocked the world in 1936 when he gave up his throne to marry an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson. The eldest son of George V, Edward (known to his family as David) served in World War I and was the first member of British royalty to become a pilot. His brief reign -- only 326 days -- was overshadowed by his decision to abdicate; as a divorcee, Simpson was considered inappropriate to become queen. In a famous radio address after renouncing the throne, Edward said "I have found it impossible to carry on the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge the duties of king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love." His brother Albert became King George VI and Edward became Duke of Windsor. He served as Governor of the Bahamas from 1940 to 1945, and spent the rest of his life living abroad, mainly in France. After their deaths he and Simpson were buried on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

Simpson and Edward were married in France on 3 June 1937... It was Edward's first marriage, and they had no children... Edward apparently was unaware of Simpson's affair with car salesman Guy Trundle, which was revealed in secret government documents released in 2003.

Special police agents following Simpson discovered her affair with Trundle, though Edward apparently was not informed of it before his abdication.

(Source: GureNet)

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[Lorraine]

Last execution in Canada, December 11, 1962

The last execution in Canada was the double hanging on Dec. 11, 1962, of Ronald Turpin and Arthur Lucas, both convicted of killing police officers.

Source: Canadian World Almanac

Canada abolished the death penalty on July 14, 1976

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[Antony]

17th December 1843 A Christmas Carol -- by Charles Dickens, first published, 160 years ago.

A Christmas Carol is a story by Charles Dickens about the spiritual conversion of the miser Ebenezer Scrooge. At first, Scrooge scoffs at the idea of Christmas with a “Bah, humbug!â€

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[Antony]

20th December 1922 - Union of Soviet Socialist Republics formed.

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Commonly called Soviet Union or Russia) (Abbr. USSR)

A former country of eastern Europe and northern Asia with coastlines on the Baltic and Black seas and the Arctic and Pacific oceans. It was established in December 1922 with the union of the Russian SFSR (proclaimed after the Russian Revolution of 1917) and various other soviet republics, including Belorussia and the Ukraine. In 1991 a number of consituent republics declared their independence, and the USSR was officially dissolved on December 31, 1991. Moscow was the capital.

(Source: GuruNet)

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[Antony]

21st December 1937 - "Magic mirror on the wall, tell me who is the fairest of them all", Snow White premiered

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (originally "Schneewittchen" or "Schneeweissen") is one of the folk tales collected and published by The Brothers Grimm in the early 19th century. In the story she is a king's daughter, a seven year-old whose natural beauty drives her jealous step-mother to attempted murder. The vain queen learns from a magic mirror that little Snow White outranks her as the "fairest in the land." The queen orders her huntsman to kill Snow White in the woods and return with the girl's liver and lungs (in later versions, her heart). Snow White escapes and finds refuge in the home of a group of dwarf miners. While the dwarfs are away at the mines, Snow White is visited by the evil queen in disguise. The queen tries to kill Snow White in three attempts, finally succeeding with a poisoned apple. But Snow White isn't quite dead and the dwarfs stick her in a glass coffin and hold a constant vigil...for years, apparently: when she is resurrected by a handsome prince she is old enough to marry him. At their wedding the evil queen is punished by being forced to dance to death in hot iron slippers. The most popular re-telling of this German folk tale is the Walt Disney animated version, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), in which Snow White is a young woman and the dwarfs have names: Doc, Sleepy, Bashful, Happy, Dopey, Sneezy and Grumpy. Antony has a Grumpy!


The most popular translation of what the queen routinely asks her magic mirror is "Magic mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?"

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the world's first full-length animated feature, the turning point in Walt Disney's career, a milestone in cinema history, and this Disney version is the best known version worldwide.

(Source: GuruNet, Hans Walther's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs page - recommended)

More picture of Antony's Grumpy.




(update picture URL, Antony July 2005)

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