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 Sunday, 1 April 1945, WWII: Battle of Okinawa: The Tenth United States Army lands on Okinawa.
On Friday, 1 April 1960, Tuanku Abdul Rahman ibni Almarhum Tuanku Muhammad, 1st Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, dies in office. He is replaced by Hisamuddin Alam Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah, Sultan of Selangor.
On Friday, 1 April 1960, The United States launches the first weather satellite, TIROS-1.
On Friday, 1 April 1960, The 1960 United States Census begins. There are 179,323,175 U.S. residents on this day. All people from Latin America are listed as white, including blacks from the Dominican Republic, European whites from Argentina and Mexicans who resemble Native Americans.
On Wednesday, 1 April 1970, American President Richard Nixon signs the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act into law, banning cigarette television advertisements in the United States from January 1, 1971.
On Wednesday, 1 April 1970, American Motors Corporation introduces the Gremlin.
On Wednesday, 1 April 1970, The 1970 United States Census begins. There are 203,392,031 United States residents on this day.
On Tuesday, 1 April 1980, The Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) is formed in Lusaka, Zambia.
On Tuesday, 1 April 1980, The Mariel boatlift from Cuba begins.
On Tuesday, 1 April 1980, New York City’s Transport Works Union Local 100 goes on strike, which continues for 11 days.
On Tuesday, 1 April 1980, The 1980 United States Census begins. There are 226,545,805 United States residents on this day.
On Sunday, 1 April 1990, The Community Charge (poll tax) takes effect in England and Wales amid widespread protests.
On Sunday, 1 April 1990, Strangeways Prison riot: The longest prison riot in Britain’s history begins at Strangeways Prison in Manchester, and continues for 3 weeks and 3 days, until April 25.
On Sunday, 1 April 1990, The 1990 United States Census begins. There are 248,709,873 residents in the U.S.
Images Citations in Composite: ID 17208541 © Anhong | Dreamstime.com; ID 35001957 © DiversityStudio1 | Dreamstime.com; ID 156394527 © Gerd Zahn | Dreamstime.com
Neville Buch
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