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 19 August 1895, American frontier murderer and outlaw John Wesley Hardin is killed by an off-duty policeman, in a saloon in El Paso, Texas.
On Thursday, 19 August 1920, Start of the Second Silesian Uprising: The Poles in Upper Silesia rise up against the Germans.
On Sunday, 19 August 1945, Chinese Civil War: Mao Zedong and Chiang Kai-shek meet in Chongqing to discuss an end to hostilities between the Communists and the Nationalists.
On Friday, 19 August 1960, Cold War: In Moscow, American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers is sentenced to 10 years in prison for espionage.
On Friday, 19 August 1960, Sputnik program: The Soviet Union launches the satellite Sputnik 5, with the dogs Belka and Strelka (the Russian for “Squirrel” and “Little Arrow”), 40 mice, two rats and a variety of plants. This satellite returns to earth the next day and all animals are recovered safely.
On Tuesday, 19 August 1980, In one of aviation’s worst disasters, 301 people are killed when Saudia Flight 163 catches fire in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
On Sunday, 19 August 1990, Leonard Bernstein conducts his final concert, ending with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
On Wednesday, 19 August 2015, Bankrupt whistleblower Kathy Jackson is ordered to pay $1.4 million to the Health Services Union after the Federal Court of Australia finds that she misused union money.
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)
- Brisbane Humanists Film and Dinner Discussion: The Way, My Way - April 22, 2024
- Plurality in and of Thought. Functional Ideals of Silence and Dismissal - April 21, 2024
- The Way It Is, Don’t You Believe Them… - April 16, 2024