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.
On 5, Saturday December 1868, Arnold Sommerfeld born, German theoretical physicist (d. 1951)
On 5, Tuesday December 1893, Plural voting is abolished in New South Wales.
On 5, Thursday December 1918, Estonian War of Independence: The British light cruiser HMS Cassandra strikes a mine and sinks near Saaremaa in the Baltic Sea, killing 11 sailors.
On 5, Thursday December 1918, Schalk Willem Burger died, Boer military leader, lawyer, politician, statesman, and acting President of the South African Republic (1900-1902) (b. 1852)
On 5, Sunday December 1943, Eva Joly born, Norwegian-born French magistrate
On 5, Sunday December 1943, Nicolae Văcăroiu born, 55th Prime Minister of Romania
On 5, Friday December 1958, Subscriber trunk dialling (STD) is inaugurated in the United Kingdom by the Queen, when she dials a call from Bristol to Edinburgh and speaks to the Lord Provost.
On 5, Friday December 1958, Prime Minister Harold Macmillan personally inspects and opens the United Kingdom’s first ever motorway, the Preston Bypass, to traffic for the first time. The Bypass is now part of the M6 and M55 Motorways, and was significantly upgraded in the mid 1990s. 11 months later the M1, M45 and M10 Motorways open.
On 5, Friday December 1958, Dynamite Kid born, English professional wrestler
On 5, Friday December 1958, Willie Applegarth died, British Olympic athlete (b. 1890)
On 5, Friday December 1958, Patras Bokhari died, Pakistani humorist (b. 1898)
On 5, Thursday December 1968, Margaret Cho born, American actress and comedian
On 5, Tuesday December 1978, Neil Druckmann born, American video game writer and programmer
On 5, Tuesday December 1978, Olli Jokinen born, Finnish ice hockey player
On 5, Sunday December 1993, Rafael Caldera Rodríguez is elected President of Venezuela for the second time, succeeding interim president Ramón José Velásquez.
On 5, Sunday December 1993, Ross Barkley born, English footballer
On 5, Sunday December 1993, Doug Hopkins died, American musician (b. 1961)
On 5, Sunday December 1993, Alexandre Trauner died, Hungarian set designer (b. 1906)
On 5, Saturday December 1998, Hazel Bishop died, American chemist and inventor (b. 1906)
On 5, Friday December 2008, Human remains found in 1991 are identified as Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, using DNA analysis.
On 5, Friday December 2008, Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow, Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church (b. 1928), died.
On 5, Friday December 2008, Nina Foch, Dutch-born American actress (b. 1924), died.
On 5, Thursday December 2013, Nelson Mandela, 1st President of South Africa and Nobel laureate (b. 1918), died.
Other On This Day days in history
Neville Buch