Important Events From This day in History May 24th

 

24 May, 1974 U.S.A. Nixon David Frost Interview

1974 : Nixon has been interviewed on TV chat shows by David Frost and has defended the right that the President is within his rights to order phone tapping and burglaries if it is in the interests of public safety and has justified the use of these in the Watergate Scandal.

24 May, 1941 World War II German Battleship Bismarck Sinks HMS Hood

1941 : The German battleship Bismarck sank the HMS Hood with with the loss of more than 1,400 lives after a shell exploded in the armory in a battle of the giants of the sea during the Battle of the Denmark Strait.

24 May, 1856 The Pottawatomie Massacre

1856 : John Brown and his Free State volunteers murdered five men that were settled on the Pottawatomie Creek in southeastern Kansas. These were members of the pro-slavery Law and Order Party, but not themselves slave owners in 1856.

24 May, 1844 Morse's First Telegram

1844 : The U.S. government had requested a line be built between Baltimore and Washington, and it sent the first Morse electronic telegram in 1844.

24 May, 1883 U.S.A. Brooklyn Bridge

1883 : The Brooklyn Bridge, linking Brooklyn and Manhattan over the East River opens to traffic. In 1883 it was the largest suspension bridge in the world and had taken 13 years to complete.

24 May, 1930 Australia Amy Johnson

1930 : Amy Johnson lands her Gypsy Moth plane at Darwin in Australia having completed the first solo flight from England by a woman.

1934 Month Long Drought in Midwest

1934 : It is hoped some relief may occur from the month long drought in the Midwest with a small amount of rain forecast by the Weather Bureau in northern parts of the states affected but concerns over crop failure and many farms going bankrupt continue, it is also predicted the cost of most foods could double or treble in these already difficult times. Many farms are already seeing fertile land reduced to dust and know this years crops are doomed

1934 U.S.A. Auto Lite Plant in Toledo, Ohio

1934 : Fighting has broken out at the Auto Lite Plant in Toledo Ohio between non union members protected by the National Guard and union members with rocks being thrown by Union Members and the National Guard mounting machine guns to keep control of the plant. Gas Grenades were used to disperse jeering crowds who refused to disperse.

1939 U.S.A. Submarine Squalus

1939 : The submarine Squalus sunk in the Atlantic with the loss of many lives and the worst part of this tragedy was how the 5 that were saved only did so by sacrificing their 26 crew mates by closing the Bulk Head door to the battery compartment to stop the rest of the submarine flooding. This must have been one the most difficult decisions for any sub mariner and these men who were lucky enough to survive.

1946 U.S.A. Rail Strike

1946 : The crippled rail network caused by the rail strike has crippled America, the impact is felt in food, fuel and other commodities, and effectively splits the country into small communities reliant on local produce and services. What the strike has hi lighted is how much a longer strike could ruin the economy.

1959 U.S.A. Economy Grows

1959 : The economy is continuing to grow with more jobs and higher incomes across all sectors and Americans have never been better off a report also says Americans are saving more than at any time in recent history.

1961 U.S.A. "Freedom Riders"

1961 : Two buses carrying 27 Freedom Riders (25 black passengers and two white passengers) were arrested by city police officers in Jackson, Mississippi and charged with disobeying an officer and breach of peace.

1964 Peru vs Argentina Soccer Riot

1964 : Following the referee’s decision to disallow a goal in the last few minutes in a qualifier for the 1964 Olympics in a soccer match between Peru and Argentina the Peru fans riot and the resulting panic and lack of crowd control causes stampedes in which 300 fans are crushed and killed.

1968 France Strikes and possible revolution

1968 : The President of France, Charles de Gaulle, issues an ultimatum to unions and students who have brought the country to a standstill during three weeks of violent demonstrations over his reforms, saying the French people will have a choice during the coming referendum "Back Me or Sack Me". Many consider that a revolution could take place and tanks and the military are sent in to the worst trouble spots. The referendum was called off, but he called an election for the end of June to give the people of France the choice of vote for him and the reform that was needed or vote against him. The election gave De Gaulle's party a huge majority as public opinion appeared to turn against the strikers.

1976 U.S.A. Concorde

1976 : Air France from Paris and British Airways from London simultaneously began Concorde service to Dulles Airport, Washington cutting the travel time from 7 hours to 3 1/2 hours.

1978 England Princess Margaret Divorced

1978 : Princess Margaret the sister of Queen Elizabeth II of England, is divorced after 18 years of marriage from her husband, Earl Snowdon.

1995 U.S.A. Heidi Fleiss The Hollywood Madam

1995 : Heidi Fleiss who ran a high class prostitution operation in Hollywood was sentenced to three years in prison and fined $1,500 for running a call girl ring that catered to the rich and famous.

2001 Israel Dance Floor Collapse

2001 : A dance floor has collapsed in Jerusalem leaving at least 20 people dead and hundreds more injured at a wedding party.

2006 Major Flooding in Parts of Thailand

2006 : Over one hundred people went missing and many were found dead after major flooding occurred in the Northern part of Thailand. The flooding came at the beginning of the rainy season with three consecutive days of rain and caused massive property damage as well as displacing thousands of people and stranding others. The Uttaradit region was affected worst by the flooding.

2007 Russia Mine Blast Kills Many

2007 : A methane explosion in a Russian mine killed thirty-six workers and injured six in the Yubileynaya coal mine in Siberia. Over one hundred and fifty workers were successfully rescued after the blast, but two others were still missing.

2008 Former Democratic Republic of Congo Leader Arrested in Belgium

2008 : Jean-Pierre Bemba, the former vice-president of the Democratic Republic of Congo was arrested for war crimes near Brussels in Belgium. He had been exiled from the DR of Congo after being accused of treason and he was also accused of committing war crimes against the Central African Republic in 2002, as well as other offences. Bemba continually denied the charges.

2010 South Korea Suspends Trade with North Korea

2010 : North and South Korea had suspended trade with each other after North Korea was blamed for sinking a South Korean warship. The South Korean government demanded an apology from the North before the freeze would be lifted. The trade suspension added further tension to the already volatile situation between the two countries.

2012 Public Sector Workers Strike in Norway

2012 : Tens of thousands of state workers in Norway have gone on strike, the first of such a walk-out since 1984. Cities like Tromsoe, Bergen, Trondheim and Oslo were affected by the strike after unions demanded pay rises and improvements in working conditions.

2013 Ecuadorian President Starts Third Term

2013 : Rafael Correa was sworn in as the president of Ecuador for an unprecedented third term as leader of the country. Correa, a left wing leader, is thought of as highly popular in the country and had first taken power in 2007. He stated this would be his last term and he would be in power until 2017.

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