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 Tuesday, 11 September 1945, Hideki Tōjō, Japanese prime minister during most of WWII, attempts suicide to avoid facing a war crimes tribunal.
On Tuesday, 11 September 1945, Radio Republik Indonesia starts broadcasting.
On Tuesday, 11 September 1945, The Batu Lintang camp in Sarawak, Borneo is liberated by Australian forces.
On Friday, 11 September 1970, The Ford Pinto is introduced.
On Tuesday, 11 September 1990, Gulf War: U.S. President George H. W. Bush delivers a nationally televised speech in which he threatens the use of force to remove Iraqi soldiers from Kuwait.
On Tuesday, 11 September 1990, First Pizza Hut opens in the People’s Republic of China, nearly 3 years after the first KFC opened there in 1987.
On Monday, 11 September 2000, The World Economic Forum is held in Melbourne. The S11 movement organises protests that overshadow the meeting. [11–13 September 2000]
On Friday, 11 September 2015, Queen Elizabeth II, having been on the throne for 63 years, 217 days, became the longest-reigning British monarch in history and the longest-serving head of state of any nation in modern history, surpassing Queen Victoria who had reigned for 63 years, 216 days upon her death on January 22, 1901.
Images Citations in Composite: ID 17208541 © Anhong | Dreamstime.com; ID 35001957 © DiversityStudio1 | Dreamstime.com; ID 156394527 © Gerd Zahn | Dreamstime.com
Neville Buch