The History Drop

On January 1, 1660 Samuel Pepys started his renowned diary, documenting life in London, including events like the Great Plague of 1664-65 and the Great Fire of 1666.

On January 1st 1877, Queen Victoria was declared Empress of India.

On January 1st  1959,  Fidel Castro took control in Cuba following a revolution that ousted Dictator Fulgencio Batista, subsequently establishing a Communist regime.

On January 1st  1999, Eleven European countries commenced using the Euro as their new single currency for electronic financial and business transactions. These countries included Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain.

On January 19th  1966, Indira Gandhi was elected as the prime minister of India, succeeding Lal Shastri. She held office until 1975 and returned to power from 1980 until her assassination in 1984 by her own bodyguards. Following her death, her only surviving son, Rajiv, took on the role of prime minister. 

On January 30th, 1933,  Adolf Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany by President Paul von Hindenburg. Hitler went on to become the leader of Nazi Germany. He then waged a war in Europe, seeing the deaths of an estimated 50 million persons through military conflict and through the Holocaust.

On February 1st, 1901, the royal yacht Alberta carried the body of Queen Victoria into Portsmouth Harbour. The Queen, who passed away at the age of 82 on January 22 at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, was being transported for her funeral in London the following day.

On February 8th, 1587, Mary Queen of Scots, was executed on the orders of her cousin, England’s Queen Elizabeth I.

On February 11th, 1975, Margaret Thatcher, famously nicknamed "The Iron Lady," became the first female leader of the British Conservative Party.

On February 16th, 1659, Britain saw the first recorded use of a cheque when Mr. Nicholas Vanacker used it to settle a debt.

On February 21st, 1804, British engineer Richard Trevithick showcased the first steam engine designed to run on rails, marking a groundbreaking moment in railway history.

On February 26th, 1797, the Bank of England issued its very first one-pound note. This was partly prompted by the panic in London caused by the French invasion of Fishguard. 

On March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy threw down the gauntlet with a signature, launching the Peace Corps! This program sent American volunteers globetrotting to spread education, health, and development knowdledge worldwide.

On March 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell made history with the very first telephone call to his sidekick, Thomas Watson. He uttered the now-legendary words: “Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you.” And just like that, the telecom revolution kicked off!

On March 15, 44 BCE in a plot twist straight out of a drama, Roman ruler Julius Caesar met his untimely end, thanks to a not-so-friendly group of senators, including Brutus and Cassius. This shocking moment sent the Roman Republic spiraling down and paved the way for Augustus and the glorious Roman Empire!

On March 25, 1957, six European nations—Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany—got together for a signature party, signing the Treaty of Rome! This was a major stepping stone toward the European Union we know and love today!

On March 30, 1981,in a nail-biting moment, President Ronald Reagan faced an assassination attempt outside the Washington Hilton Hotel, courtesy of John Hinckley Jr. Luckily, the bullet dodged his heart, and after a dramatic emergency surgery, he lived to tell the tale, leading to tighter security for future presidents!

On April 4, 1968, the world lost a legend when civil rights champion Martin Luther King Jr. was tragically assassinated in Memphis, igniting a fierce wave of protests and demands for justice.

On April 12, 1961, when cosmic history was made as Soviet space hero Yuri Gagarin orbited the Earth aboard Vostok 1, giving the Space Race a stellar boost!

On April 14, 1865, the nation held its breath as President Abraham Lincoln was shot by the infamous John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre in D.C., leading to heartbreak the following day.

On April 15, 1912, was a day of doom when the RMS Titanic met an iceberg in the chilly North Atlantic, claiming the lives of over 1,500 souls—talk about a tragic voyage!

On April 26, 1986, chaos erupted in Ukraine as a reactor explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant kicked off one of the worst nuclear disasters ever, leaving a lasting mark on the environment and public health.

On May 1, 1886, Workers across the United States protested for an eight-hour workday. The movement led to the Haymarket Riot in Chicago, where a bomb explosion resulted in violent clashes, shaping the labor rights movement.

On May 7, 1915, A German U-boat torpedoed the British ocean liner RMS Lusitania, killing 1,198 people, including Americans. This event increased tensions between the U.S. and Germany, contributing to America’s entry into World War I.

On May 8, 1945, Nazi Germany officially surrendered to the Allies, marking the end of World War II in Europe. Celebrations erupted worldwide as the long war in Europe finally concluded.

On May 14, 1948, the State of Israel was officially declared, marking the end of British rule in Palestine. The announcement led to immediate conflict as neighboring Arab states opposed its creation, sparking the first Arab-Israeli War.

On May 25, 1961, U.S. President John F. Kennedy delivered his famous speech urging America to land a man on the Moon before the end of the decade. This commitment led to the Apollo program and the historic Moon landing in 1969.

On June 6, 1944, Allied forces launched Operation Overlord, the largest amphibious invasion in history, landing on the beaches of Normandy, France. This marked the turning point of World War II in Europe, leading to the liberation of Nazi-occupied territories.

On June 12, 1987, U.S. President Ronald Reagan delivered a speech in West Berlin, urging Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to dismantle the Berlin Wall. The speech became a symbol of the Cold War’s end and the push for German reunification.

On June 16, 1963, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to travel to space aboard Vostok 6. Her historic flight paved the way for future female astronauts and highlighted the Soviet Union’s advancements in space exploration.

On June 19, 1865, Union troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce and enforce the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the last enslaved people in the U.S. The date is now celebrated as Juneteenth, marking the end of slavery in America.

On June 28, 1914 the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated in Sarajevo by Gavrilo Princip. This event set off a chain reaction that led to the outbreak of World War I.

On July 5, 1687, Sir Isaac Newton shook up the science scene with his mind-blowing "Principia," spilling the beans on his epic laws of motion and gravity.

Fast forward to July 2, 1644, when the Battle of Marston Moor kicked off, giving the English Parliamentarians a high-five in the Civil War.

Then boom! July 4, 1776, the United States ditched British rule with Thomas Jefferson's mic-drop Declaration of Independence, sparking the epic party we now call Independence Day.

Turning the clock to July 1, 1916, the Battle of the Somme went down as a dark chapter in World War I, with the British Army facing a gut-wrenching loss of 20,000 heroes in one brutal showdown.

On August 6th and 9th 1945, the U.S. dropped a mind-blowing atomic bomb on Hiroshima during the chaos of World War II. The colossal blast tragically snatched away about 80,000 lives in an instant. Just three days later, another bomb hit Nagasaki, nudging Japan to throw in the towel.

India throws the ultimate bash on August 15th each year. Back in 1947, after nearly a century of British rule, they finally broke free! The Indian Independence Act of July 18, 1947, set the stage for a brand new Indian nation, and the rest is history. It's a day filled with pride, honoring the epic journey of the Indian Independence Movement.

Meanwhile, Pakistan pops the confetti as it marks the birth of its own sovereign nation, cutting ties with the United Kingdom. Thanks to the Indian Independence Act of 1947, Pakistan was born, with West Pakistan (hello, present-day Pakistan) and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in tow. The Pakistan Movement, led by the legendary Muhammad Ali Jinnah and the All-India Muslim League, were the true heroes of this historic tale.

On August 1944, the Nazis discovered the hiding place of 15-year-old Jewish diarist Anne Frank and her family and were sent to concentration camps. The only surviving family member as Ann's father Otto Frank.

On September 2, 1666, the Great Fire of London erupted in a bakery on Pudding Lane near London Bridge. Fueled by winds, it turned into an uncontrollable blaze, rampaging through the city.

On September 1, 1939, Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany invaded neighboring Poland, triggering World War II.

World War II finally concluded on September 2 in 1945, with Japan’s surrender.

Black September refers to two historical events:

Jordanian Civil War (1970):

This conflict was also known as Black September, occurred between Jordan, led by King Hussein, and the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), led by Yasser Arafat. The fighting took place in September when Jordanian military fought against Palestine guerrillas, which saw thousands of people killed and the expulsion of the PLO from Jordan. 

Black September Organization (BSO):

Black September was named after the Jordanian Civil War, this militant faction of the Palestinian organisation Fatah was formed in 1971, the organisation is know for the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre. 

On October 1, 1207, King Henry III was born at Winchester Castle. He ascended the throne at the tender age of nine after the death of his father, King John, in 1216. Henry's reign was marked by a long period of rebuilding and consolidation following the tumultuous years of his father's rule. He was known for his deep religious faith, which influenced many of his decisions throughout his reign.

In 1911 the first escalator opened in Earl Court London. It was an engineering marvel of its time, sparking both curiosity and excitement among the public. The moving staircase, a novel concept, promised to revolutionize the way people navigated large buildings, offering a glimpse into the future of urban transit.

On 31st October 1922, Benito Mussolini assumed the role of prime minister of Italy, marking him as the first of Europe’s fascist dictators in the 20th century.

On 2nd October 1925, the first television transmission of a moving image is made by the Scottish inventor John Logie Baird.

On 31st October 1926 Harry Houdini died from a stomach injury. He remains a celebrated figure in magic and entertainment. Renowned for his escape acts, such as freeing himself from underwater shackles and sealed coffins, he captivated audiences and cemented his status as the ultimate escape artist.

On November 2, 1936, the British Broadcasting Corporation kicked off the world’s very first regular TV service, and guess what? A whopping 100 curious TV owners tuned in for the big show!

On November 20, 1947, Princess Elizabeth—who would wear the crown as Queen Elizabeth II—tied the knot with her cousin, Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten (the Duke of Edinburgh), in a royal bash at Westminster Abbey! Talk about a family reunion with a crown jewel twist!

On November 22, 1963, the world grieves the shocking announcement of President John F. Kennedy's assassination in Dallas, Texas.

On November 25, 1984, a fabulous flock of rock stars, dubbed Band Aid, gathered at Sarm Studios in London to belt out "Do They Know It's Christmas." Their mission? To sprinkle some holiday magic by directing all proceeds to help tackle the Ethiopian famine! Talk about a star-studded charity jam!

On the 24th December 1508, London houses receive piped water again for the first time in over a thousand years, since the departure of the Romans.

On the 20th December 1803, The United States doubles in size when it acquired 88831,321 square miles of land from France for $15 million, this is known as The Louisiana Purchase.

On the 10th December 1901, The first Nobel Peace Prizes were awarded worth $30,000 each. Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist, had died five years earlier leaving the fortune he had amassed from his invention of dynamite, to the awarding foundation.

On the 23rd December, 1922 the world’s first regular entertainment radio broadcasts are transmitted by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

On the  11th December 1936, Britain’s King Edward VIII renounces the throne in a radio broadcast to the nation. After the broadcast he boarded a ship to set off into the sunset with the twice-divorced Wallis Simpson in France.