Important Events From This day in History August 14th

 

2003 North America Power Outage

2003 : A major power outage never seen before across the Eastern United States and parts of Canada and including New York with over 15 million people affected . The total number affected is thought to be the worst power cut in North American history affecting more than 50 million . The effects included traffic lights failed, underground railways, people trapped in lifts, and because it was one of the hottest days of the year and temperatures approaching 32C some of the worst effects were caused due to the lack of air conditioning. Most did have power back with 24 hrs.

1917 Palestine Turks Attack Gaza

1917 : In Palestine Turks plundered and murdered some of the Jewish inhabitants. An Associated Press Official observed, “The attitude of the young Turks for the unfortunate non-Turkish races within their empire has been an open campaign of robbery, exploitation, and massacre.” The town of Gaza had to be evacuated and the regional violence was the worst since World War I began.

1929 Germany Graf Zeppelin

1929 : The Graf Zeppelin from Friedrichshafen Germany was prevented from taking off due to bad weather in Russia. It was supposed to travel to Tokyo on its second world cruise. It was possible that another course in Russia could be charted for it, but the weather remained uncertain.

1935 Social Security Bill Signed

1935 : Following the huge unemployment and suffering during the Depression President Roosevelt signed the social security bill providing unemployment compensation and pensions for the elderly.

1939 U.S.A. Oklahoma Rodeo

1939 : One of the largest rodeo parades in Oklahoma drew a crowd of 15,000 onlookers. The parade was two miles long and included horses, cowboys, and cowgirls. It all culminated in the Fifth Annual Fireman’s Rodeo.

1941 U.S.A. / Great Britain End Speculation

1941 : Speculation in the press over the last week about a possible agreement between the US and Britain following the disappearance of the American President, Franklin D Roosevelt and the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill ends when a joint declaration announce the Atlantic Charter.

1942 British Aircraft Carrier Eagle Destroyed

1942 : A huge number of Hitler’s troops attacked Stalingrad and German submarines were engaged in a three day battle with British convoys. The British reported that their aircraft carrier, “Eagle” was destroyed. In western Greece American bombers attacked a Nazi warship.

1945 Truman Announces Japanese Surrender

1945 : President Truman announces Japan has accepted terms for unconditional surrender following the second nuclear bomb on Nagasaki on the August 9 just a few days before, The agreement to the terms of the Potsdam Terms had been agreed on the August 10 but not made public till this date.

1947 Pakistan Gains Independence

1947 : The Dominion of Pakistan gains included modern-day Pakistan and Bangladesh, gains formal independence from Great Britain when the withdrawal of the British Raj and the formal ending of the British Indian Empire.

1956 U.S.A. Mrs. Lyndon Johnston

1956 : Mrs. Lyndon Johnston is skeptical that her husband will be the next president of the United States. In fact she thinks that it is about as likely as being struck by lightening. However, if her husband wins the presidency his wife will cooperate and she feels that Mr. Johnston will give the post his best effort.

1966 U.S.A. Lunar Orbiter

1966 : The U.S. Lunar Orbiter, a spacecraft circulating in space, was designed to take photos of the moon’s landscape in preparation for American astronauts landing on the lunar landscape. Its mission went well.

1967 UK Radio London

1967 : Wonderful Radio London one of the most successful pirate radio stations broadcast from the MV Galaxy 3 1/2 miles off shore from Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, closes down. Radio London was one of many Pirate Radio Stations that had grown up in the last 5 years the early 1960's was the peak period for Pirate Radio and nearly every teen in the UK spent more time listening to Pirate Radio than any other stations . The new Marine, etc., Broadcasting (Offences) Act takes effect which effectively made it illegal to operate a pirate radio station and Radio London closed down. The list of radio disc jockeys who made their name on the original pirate stations reads like a who's who of DJ's and includes Tony Blackburn, Kenny Everett, John Peel, Ed "Stewpot" Stewart, Dave Lee Travis and Emperor Rosko to name just a few. The only major pirate radio station that continued broadcasting was the original Radio Caroline who moved the operation to the Netherlands where offshore broadcasting was not illegal.

1969 Northern Ireland Britain To Deploy Troops

1969 : Following a number of days of violence in Londonderry, Belfast and other cities in Northern Ireland, the British Home Secretary James Callaghan announces troops will be deployed in Northern Ireland as a "limited operation" to restore law and order.

1977 Panama Canal Accord

1977 : President Jimmy Carter approved of the Panama Canal accord and wanted to convince congress to endorse it as well. Carter was investigating whether or not the Canal could be repaired or if a whole new one needed to be built. He asserted that the U.S. had the right to operate and defend the Canal until the end of the twentieth century.

1979 England Fastnet Yacht Race

1979 : A freak storm with force seven winds has decimated the Fastnet race with over 150 yachts still missing and at least 3 reported dead. The Fastnet is the last in a series of five races which make up the Admiral's Cup competition, the world championship of yacht racing. The final death toll for the race was 15 and because many of the boats were not equipped with a VHF radio it was some time before the organizers were able to determine how many boats were damaged, after the race new rules were put in place that all boats were fitted with VHF Radio's and additional qualifications for competing in the Fastnet were put in place.

1980 Poland Gdansk Shipyard Seized By Workers

1980 : Workers led by Lech Walesa in the Gdansk shipyard in Poland seize control and demand pay raises and the right to form a union free from communist control. In September the Solidarity (Solidarnosc) Union was formed, the workers' first independent trade union, led by shipyard electrician Lech Walesa. This was the start of the movement that allowed Poland to end Communist Rule in the country.

1986 Newspaper Preservation Project

1986 : The Iowa Newspaper Project was attempting to put on microfilm every newspaper that was ever published in the state, including all 99 counties. Newspapers are a valuable source of social history and help people find their lost ancestors. However, they are fragile and most newspapers only last about 50 years before they self-destruct.

1998 New Oxford Dictionary Completed

1998 : After more than 6 years a brand new "New Oxford Dictionary" is Completed Oxford University Press. This is the first publication of the dictionary written from scratch (normally each new edition makes amendments or additions). The New Oxford Dictionary contains 350,000 words with contemporary meanings including the usage of words, political correctness.

1999 U.S.A. Gun Buy Back Project

1999 : In the District of Columbia, the government had implemented a program to buy guns for $100.00 each. A victim of its own success, some municipal governments ran out of money and had to bribe people with running shoes and sewing machines instead of cash. However, the gun control program barely diminished the 220-250 million fire arms in circulation.

2003 3,000 Now Believed to Have Died From Heat Wave

2003 : Following the increased number of deaths caused by the extreme temperatures the during the ongoing heat wave, French health ministry have instituted an emergency hospital plan recalling doctors from holiday and providing additional staff, hospital beds and temporary mortuaries.

2006 Japan Oil Tanker Spill

2006 : A Japanese oil tanker spilled around 4,500 tons of oil into the Indian Ocean on this day after hitting another ship on a rescue mission. The oil spill was quickly contained, but it still became the largest spill involving a Japanese oil tanker.

2007 Iraq Suicide Bombers

2007 : A coordinated attack by four suicide bombers on villages of the Kurdish religious sect, the Yazidi, injured over 1,000 people and left 796 dead, marking the deadliest attack during the war in Iraq since 2003.

2008 Libya Lockerbie Bombing Compensation

2008 : The United States and Libya signed an agreement that would help to renew diplomatic relations by compensating victims of bombings. The deal stated that compensation would be given to victims of a 1986 bombing of a Berlin disco and to victims of the 1998 Lockerbie bombing.

2009 Romania Bus / Train Collision

2009 : A bus and train collided in Romania, killing over ten people and injuring others. The crash occurred after the bus driver ignored the stop signals at the train crossing.

2012 Tunisian Women Protest for Rights

2012 : Thousands of protesters gathered in the capital Tunis to protest against moves made by the Islamist controlled government which could potentially reduce women's rights. The concern was over wording in a draft of the new constitution for the country that stated that women were "complementary" to men.

2013 US Military Extends Same-Sex Benefits

2013 : Pentagon officials stated that marriage benefits will extend to same-sex spouses, including healthcare and housing. The policies would not be open to unmarried same-sex couples. Officials also stated that leave would be granted for military personnel to travel from states that did not allow gay marriage to a state that would allow them to be married legally.

2013 North Korea Kaesong Deal Reached

2013 : North and South Korean officials have reached a deal to reopen the Kaesaong Joint Industrial Zone after being closed since April. Details of the agreement were unclear and it was unknown when work would resume. However, officials reassured that the agreement included the prevention of future suspensions of work in the zone.

2013 That 70s Show Actress Dies

2013 : Lisa Robin Kelly, an actress who was known for her role on "That 70s Show" died at the age of forty-three. Kelly died at a Los Angeles rehab facility that she had voluntarily admitted herself. The cause of death was unclear however the coroner ruled out foul play.

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