Anniversaries and commemorations come and go daily. Most of us, even the best historians, miss most occasions. If we think of history as events then we are faced with a continually showering in the grains of sand. Nevertheless, we do pick out certain patterns in the remembrance of historical dates. The blog here reminds us of some dates where the local, state, national, and global perspectives entwine.
What Time is It? It is flow of a sandstorm that will on each day compress somewhere into a structure – sandstone, selected and only remembered in the longue durée.
On Saturday, 15 May 1920, Russian Revolution: Russian White soldier Maria Bochkareva is executed in Soviet Russia.
On Tuesday, 15 May 1945, WWII: 1945. Surrender at Bleiburg 1945. Retreating troops of the Croatian Armed Forces of the former puppet Independent State of Croatia (intermingled with fleeing civilians) attempt to surrender to the British Army at Bleiburg but are directed to surrender to Yugoslav Partisans who open fire on them. The remainder, after orders are given by Tito, are force-marched through Croatia and Serbia, interned or massacred, with thousands dying.
On Sunday, 15 May 1960, The satellite Sputnik 4 is launched into orbit by the Soviet Union.
On Thursday, 15 May 1980, The telecommunications tower on Canberra’s Black Mountain is officially opened.
On Tuesday, 15 May 1990, Singing Revolution: The pro-Soviet Intermovement attempts to take power in Tallinn, Estonia, but are forced down by local Estonians.
On Tuesday, 15 May 1990, Portrait of Dr. Gachet by Vincent van Gogh is sold for a record $82.5 million.
On Monday, 15 May 1995, The Paul Vautin-coached Maroons win the opening Rugby League State of Origin match 2–0 at the Sydney Football Stadium. The win is all the more amazing as the team is made up largely of relatively unknown players, thanks to most star players having signed with Super League.
On Saturday, 15 May 2010, 16-year-old sailor Jessica Watson completes a solo voyage around the world.
Images Citations in Composite: ID 17208541 © Anhong | Dreamstime.com; ID 35001957 © DiversityStudio1 | Dreamstime.com; ID 156394527 © Gerd Zahn | Dreamstime.com
Neville Buch