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 Friday, 4 May 1945, WWII: German surrender at Lüneburg Heath: All German armed forces in northwest Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands surrender unconditionally to Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, officially coming into effect on May 5 at 08:00 hours British Double (and German) Summer Time.
On Friday, 4 May 1945, The Netherlands is liberated by British and Canadian troops.
On Friday, 4 May 1945, Denmark is liberated.
On Friday, 4 May 1945, Admiral Karl Dönitz orders all U-boats to cease offensive operations and return to bases in Norway.
On Friday, 4 May 1945, The Holy Crown of Hungary is found by the United States Army 86th Infantry Division. The United States government keeps the crown in Fort Knox for safekeeping from the Soviets until it is returned to Hungary on 6 January 1978.
On Friday, 4 May 1945, German auxiliary cruiser Orion is sunk on her way to Copenhagen carrying refugees; with a loss of over 3,800 lives.
On Wednesday, 4 May 1960, West German refugee minister Theodor Oberländer is dismissed because of his past with Nazi Germany.
On Wednesday, 4 May 1960, A. J. Liebling promulgates Liebling’s Law in The New Yorker magazine: “Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one.”
On Monday, 4 May 1970, Kent State shootings: Four students at Kent State University in Ohio, USA are killed and nine wounded by Ohio National Guardsmen, at a protest against the incursion into Cambodia.
On Sunday, 4 May 1980, Yugoslav President Josip Broz Tito dies. The largest state funeral in history is organized, with state delegations from 128 different countries out of 154 UNO members at the time.
On Friday, 4 May 1990, Singing Revolution: The Latvian SSR declares independence from the Soviet Union.
On Thursday, 4 May 2000, After originating in the Philippines, the ILOVEYOU computer virus spreads quickly throughout the world.
On Thursday, 4 May 2000, The 7.6 Mw Central Sulawesi earthquake affects Banggai, Indonesia, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong), leaving 46 dead and 264 injured.
On Tuesday, 4 May 2010, Neil Robertson defeats Scotland’s Graeme Dott 18-13 to win the 2010 World Snooker Championship.
On Tuesday, 4 May 2010, Nude, Green Leaves and Bust by Pablo Picasso sells in New York for US$106.5 million, setting another new world record for a work of art sold at auction.
On Monday, 4 May 2015, The triennial Beef Australia exposition is held in Rockhampton, Queensland attracting 90,000 people. [4–9 May]
Images Citations in Composite: ID 17208541 © Anhong | Dreamstime.com; ID 35001957 © DiversityStudio1 | Dreamstime.com; ID 156394527 © Gerd Zahn | Dreamstime.com
Neville Buch
Latest posts by Neville Buch (see all)
- Presentism and Parallelism: Why Political Decisions-Makers Need to fund, contract, or employ professional historians - April 27, 2024
- What is “Stupidity” and Why it is Not a Dismissal in My Philosophic-Sociological History Work - April 26, 2024
- No! Not Yes: Optus Thinking is Machine Thinking - April 25, 2024