Thursday, April 03, 2025
Thursday Morning in the Blogosphere
Important Events From This day in History April 3
1968 U.S.A. - Martin Luther King Jr
1968 : Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "mountaintop" speech to a rally of striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn., less than 24 hours before he was assassinated Find More What happened in 1968
1860 U.S.A. - Pony Express Service Starts
1860 : The Pony Express a new faster mail service using riders on a horseback relay instead of the traditional stagecoaches begins service between St. Joseph, Mo., and Sacramento, Calif. The Pony Express reduced the time for mail to travel from the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to around ten days. After only 1 year in March 1861 after suffering large losses and not gaining the mail contract The Pony Express Company ceased trading.
1936 U.S.A. - Bruno Richard Hauptmann
1936 : Bruno Richard Hauptmann is executed in the electric chair for the kidnapping and the death of the Lindbergh baby
More about the Lindbergh Kidnapping
1948 U.S.A. - Marshall Plan
1948 : U.S. President Harry S. Truman signs into law the Foreign Assistance Act, commonly known as the Marshall Plan which channeled more than $13 billion in aid to Europe between 1948 and 1951
1954 UK - 100th Boat Race
1954 : Oxford ( Dark Blues ) wins the 100th Boat Race by four-and-a-half lengths from Cambridge ( Light Blues ) in rough conditions on the River Thames.
1955 Mexico - Train Crash
1955 : An express train is derailed and falls into a canyon near Guadalajara, Mexico leaving 300 dead after the crash.
1972 U.S.A. - North Vietnamese Invasion Of South Vietnam
1972 : Following the invasion of North Vietnamese on South Vietnam The United States prepares hundreds of B-52s and fighter-bombers for possible air strikes to blunt the recently launched invasion.
1974 U.S.A. - 148 Tornadoes
1974 : 148 tornadoes hit North America from Georgia to Canada within 16 hours and at times there were as many as 15 separate tornadoes on the ground at one time. The Super Outbreak affected a total of 11 US states and Ontario in Canada.
1974 U.S.A. - Watergate Scandal
1974 : Following the start of the investigation into the Watergate scandal, President Nixon was also facing serious questions about his taxes and agreed to pay $432,787.13 plus interest in back taxes for the years 1969 through 1972
1987 Switzerland - Sotheby's Auction Windsor ( Wallis Simpson ) Jewels
1987 : The late Duchess of Windsor's ( Wallis Simpson )Jewels has been sold for £31m ($50m) during an auction in Switzerland. Bidders filled Sotherby's Auction Rooms around the world including New York to have their bids relayed to Geneva.
1993 UK - Grand National
1993 : The English Grand National ends in chaos after a series of events at the start including protesters getting onto the track near the first fence and ended with only some of the riders competing in the race. The decision was made by the Jockey Club to declare the race void
1996 U.S.A. - Unabomber
1996 : Theodore John Kaczynski is arrested by the FBI accused of being the Unabomber, the elusive terrorist blamed for 16 mail bombs that killed three people and injured 23 during an 18-year period.
1998 U.S.A. - Dow Jones Over 9,000 First Time
1998 : The Dow Jones industrial average climbed above 9,000 for the first time.
2000 UK - Asylum Seekers
2000 : Asylum seekers in the UK are to receive vouchers to buy food and clothes and £10 a week in cash. This follows weeks of adverse publicity over begging on British streets involving asylum seekers.
2000 U.S.A. - US Microsoft Antitrust Case
2000 : A case started in 1998 was a set of consolidated civil actions filed against Microsoft Corporation by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and twenty U.S. states claiming Microsoft abused it's monopoly power in its handling of operating system sales with it's bundled web browser ( Internet Explorer ) to eliminate competition in the Browser Wars between Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator and Opera.
The main issue in the case was that Microsoft embedded it's Own Browser in it's Operating System for free .
On This day 2000 , Judge Jackson issued a two-part ruling: his conclusions of law were that Microsoft had committed monopolization, attempted monopolization, and tying in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act, and his remedy was that Microsoft must be broken into two separate units, one to produce the operating system, and one to produce other software components.
2004 Spain - Madrid Railway Bombers
2004 : Five suspects in the Madrid railway bombings blew themselves up in a building outside the Spanish capital.
2006 United States - Moussaoui is eligible for the death penalty
2006 : Al-Qaeda's Zacarias Moussaoui has been found eligible for the death penalty by a federal jury in Alexandria, Virginia. This is the first U.S. trial for the 9-11 terrorist attacks. The jurors agreed with federal prosecutors that Moussaoui's lies to F.B.I. agents had resulted in multiple deaths. The jury had reached their verdict on the fourth day of deliberations. Moussaoui refused to stand in court, and showed no reaction to the verdict until the jurors had left.
Today in Labor History April 3, 2025
Pietro Botto, the socialist mayor of Haledon, New Jersey invited the Paterson silk mill strikers to assemble in front of his house. 20,000 showed up to hear speakers from the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), Upton Sinclair, John Reed and others, who urged them to remain strong in their fight. The Paterson strike lasted from February 1 until July 28, 1913. Workers were fighting for the eight-hour workday and better working conditions. Over 1,800 workers were arrested during the strike, including IWW leaders Big Bill Haywood and Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. Five were killed. Overall, the strike was poorly organized and confined to Paterson. The IWW, the main organizer of the strike, eventually gave up. – 1913
Wednesday, April 02, 2025
Wednesday Morning in the Blogosphere
Important Events From This day in History April 2
1982 Falklands Islands - Argentina invades Falklands Islands
1982 : Argentina invaded the Falklands Islands, and quickly overcame the small garrison of British marines at the town of Stanley on East Falkland, this led to the Falklands Crisis ( Both sides never used the word war all throughout the conflict although the popular press in both countries did ), . The final official date of the conflict is given as 14th June just 6 weeks after the Argentinean Invasion with Britain back in full control of the Islands. Find More What happened in 1982
1980 U.S.A. - Windfall Act on Oil Industries High Profits
1980 : Following the increases of petrol in the mid to late 70's President Carter urged Congress to create legislation that would take advantage of the oil industry's high profits . And the "Crude Oil Windfall Profits Tax Act" did by collecting roughly $227 billion dollars over the next 10 years .
1801 U.S.A. - The Battle of Copenhagen
1801 : Twelve British ships commanded by Horatio Nelson aboard HMS Elephant engaged with Danish ships, following an agreement between Nelson and the Danish commander, Crown Prince Frederick to call a truce Nelson landed in Copenhagen and on May 19th, 1801 was awarded the Viscount Nelson of the Nile and of Burnham Thorpe in the County of Norfolk.
1917 U.S.A. - US Troops To World War I
1917 : President Woodrow Wilson tells Congress "The world must be made safe for democracy." asking Congress for a declaration of war and to send U.S. troops into battle against Germany in World War I .
1932 U.S.A. - Lindbergh Pays Ransom
1932 : Charles Lindbergh, whose son was kidnapped paid $50,000 ransom in a New York cemetery to a man who promised to return his kidnapped son. ( His son is later found dead after being murdered by Bruno Hauptmann, who was executed )
1941 Africa - Rommel Continues Advance Into Libya
1941 : Lieutenant General Erwin Rommel, "the Desert Fox," resumes his advance into Cyrenaica, modern-day Libya, signaling the beginning of what nine days later will become the recapture of Libya by the Axis forces.
1956 U.S.A. - "As the World Turns"
1956 : As the World Turns the first half-hour serial is aired at 1:30 PM airing each weekday on CBS. Currently the show is one hour long set in the fictional town of Oakdale, Illinois, with between over 13,000 episodes being shown.
1972 U.S.A. - Charlie Chaplin returns to the United States
1972 : Following 20 years of self imposed exile after he was accused of "un-American activities" as a suspected communist sympathizer during the era of McCarthyism. He returned only to receive an Honorary Oscar at the Academy Awards, and went back to his home in Vevey, Switzerland.
1974 France - President Georges Pompidou
1974 : The French President Georges Pompidou died from Waldenström macroglobulinemia in Paris.
1977 UK - Red Rum Grand National
1977 : Red Rum the diminutive horse with the heart of a champion wins the English Grand National for a record third time after winning in 1973 and 1974. The Grand National is widely recognized as one of the testing races in the world with the majority of horses falling or refusing to continue. This year was no exception with 9 of the 42 starters completing the 4.5 mile (7.2 kilometre) course at Aintree in Liverpool.
1979 Russia - Anthrax Epidemic
1979 : The world’s first anthrax epidemic begins in Ekaterinburg, Russia by the time it was finished 62 people were dead. The town did contain a biological weapons plant, and in 1992 the cause was confirmed as starting at that plant
1982 Falklands Islands Argentina invades Falklands Islands
1982 : Argentina invaded the Falklands Islands, and quickly overcame the small garrison of British marines at the town of Stanley on East Falkland, this led to the Falklands Crisis ( Both sides never used the word war all throughout the conflict although the popular press in both countries did ), . The final official date of the conflict is given as 14th June just 6 weeks after the Argentinean Invasion with Britain back in full control of the Islands.
1986 Greece - Bomb Explodes on TWA Boeing 727
1986 : Bomb Explodes on TWA Boeing 727 tearing hole in the side of the aircraft which sucks four passengers including an eight-month old baby from the aircraft. The TWA Passenger Jet was flying over Greece, on its way to Athens, when the bomb exploded
1987 U.S.A. - Speed Limit Increased to 65 MPH
1987 : Congress passed laws which allowed each state to increase the speed limit on rural roads from 55mph to 65mph. observed on our country's roads
1989 Cuba - Soviet Leader Visits Cuba To Patch Up Relations
1989 : Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in Havana to meet with Fidel Castro . Much of the problems stemmed from Russia's inability to continue large scale aid to Cuba due to it's economic woes.
1992 U.S.A. - John Gotti
1992 : Mob boss John Gotti often referred to as "The Teflon Don" because of the number of times he was charged but not convicted is finally convicted in New York of racketeering, murder, obstruction of justice, hijacking, illegal gambling, extortion, tax evasion and loan sharking largely helped through the testimony of an ex high ranking member of the Mafia who had turned informant Salvatore Gravano. John Gotti is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, where he died in 2002.
1998 France - Maurice Papon
1998 : A Former cabinet minister Maurice Papon is sentenced to 10 years in jail after proof is published in the press showing his signature on papers deportation 1,690 Jews of Bordeaux to Drancy internment camp from 1942 to 1944 during World War II.
Today in Labor History April 2nd
The Union Label Trades Department is chartered by the American Federation of Labor. Its mission: promote the products and services produced in America by union members, especially those products identified by a union label, shop card, store card, and service button - 1909
Tuesday, April 01, 2025
Tuesday Morning in the Blogosphere
Important Events From This day in History April 1
1918 Great Britain - Royal Air force is Founded
1918 : The Royal Air force is founded in England, this is truly an amazing piece of History as the first flight was only made 8 years before by Wilbur and Wright and for countries around the World to set up a separate arms of the Forces shows how important politicians believed the aircraft would become as a part of the military.
The aircraft in use in 1918 when the RAF started included the Sopwith Pup, Bristol F2B Fighters, Sopwith Camels and Royal Aircraft Factory SE5's
1933 Germany - Persecution of Jews
1933 : Nazi Germany begins the persecution of German Jews by declaring a boycott of Jewish owned businesses
, 1945 U.S.A. - US Forces Land on Okinawa
1945 : The United States Tenth Army commanded by Lieutenant General Simon Bolivar Buckner, Jr. land on Okinawa, main island of the Ryukyus, 362 miles from the Japanese home islands.
The Occupation of Island of Okinawa was considered crucial if there is to be an invasion of the Japanese mainland and during the campaign the U.S. Navy sustained greater casualties in this operation than in any other battle of the war and it was not until on about June 21st , ( 11 weeks ) that the main battles for the Island ended. ( In the event the Nuclear Bombs changed military strategy. )
, 1946 U.S.A. - Hawaii Earthquake and Tsunami
1946 : A major undersea earthquake measuring 7.4 magnitude in the north pacific ocean caused a Tsunami that by the time it reached Hawaii some 2,400 miles away and travelling at 500 miles per hour, only 4 1/2 hours after the quake waves reaching 60ft in height hit coastal areas of Hawaii causing the deaths of 150 + . This Tsunami prompted the setting up of the U.S. to establish the Seismic SeaWave Warning System to help in evacuation but any similar occurrence today would be even more devastating as can be shown with the damage and loss of life caused by Hurricane Katrina where the warning was greater than 6 hours.
, 1970 U.S.A. - AMC Gremlin
The AMC group introduced one of the first sub compact cars way back in 1970 before many realized gas prices would be a critical factor in future car buying, the car was called the Gremlin and cost $1879. Car imports were just starting to have an impact on the US market including the Volkswagen Beetle and the new generation of Japanese imports like the Datsun.
, 1970 U.S.A. - Cigarette Advertising Banned
1970 : President Nixon signed into law the banning of cigarette advertising on television and radio.
1983 UK - CND Peace Demonstrators
1983 : Tens of thousands of CND peace demonstrators form a human chain stretching 14 miles across Southern England from the American airbase at Greenham Common, via the Aldermaston nuclear research centre and ending at the ordnance factory in Burghfield.
1990 UK - Strangeways Prison
1990 : A thousand prisoners run amok in Strangeways Prison in Manchester in a violent riot setting fire to the chapel and gymnasium, and a number of prison cells, the inmates are protesting the primitive conditions and severe overcrowding.
The riot at Strangeways lasted 25 days the longest in British penal history.
, 1991 U.S.A. - Riverboat Gambling
1991 : Iowa becomes one of the first states to allow riverboat gambling .
, 1999 Europe - The Euro
1999 : Eleven countries in the European Union adopted the Euro as a common currency as the dream of monetary union became reality.
, 1999 U.S.A. - Melissa" e-mail virus
1999 : David Smith is arrested and charged with originating the "Melissa" e-mail virus, which infected more than 1 million computers worldwide and caused more than $80 million in damage.
Melissa is classified as a computer worm and shut down Internet mail systems that got clogged with infected e-mails propagating from the worm. Melissa was spread via the word processors Microsoft Word 97 and Word 2000 through the use of an inbuilt macro in the template and could mass-mail itself from e-mail client Microsoft Outlook 97 or Outlook 98.
, 1999 Great Britain - Minimum Wages
1999 : Britain introduces the first ever legally binding minimum rate of pay. From This Day all adults must be paid at least £3.60 an hour and workers under the age of 22 must get no less than £3 an hour.
I have created a small chart below giving an idea of some of the yearly earnings based ( equiv in US Dollars ) on minimum wage for an Adult Working Full Time in that country in 2007. If the figures depend on State of Province or by trade and profession we have taken the lowest figure paid.
Country Annual wage based on Minimum Wage In Equiv US Dollars
Algeria 3,799
Angola 973
Argentina 9,266
Australia 18,382
Belarus 1,987
Belgium 17,879
Brazil 3,130
Burundi 11
Canada 10,196
Chad 1,638
China No Minimum Wage Exists
Costa Rica 4,505
Czech Republic 7,168
Dominican Republic 2,305
El Salvador 1,747
Ethiopia 1,656
France 16,668
Haiti 1,497
Hungary 6,504
India No Minimum Wage Exists
Indonesia 1,369
Ireland 18,842
Jamaica 2,544
Japan 10,599
Kazakhstan 1,619
Kenya 1,785
Libya 1,143
Luxembourg 21,070
Malawi 594
Mexico 1,557
Netherlands 17,015
New Zealand 15,822
Nigeria 831
Poland 5,918
Portugal 7,258
Russia 871
Slovakia 5,400
South Africa 3,794
Switzerland 15,466
Uganda 206
United Kingdom 22,368
United States 12,168
Many Many Countries including China and India who are listed above do not have minimum wages and the countries range from very westernized countries like Germany, Finland and Norway through to some of the poorest countries in the World like Bangladesh, North Korea and Rwanda.
The figures do not mean workers will only earn that per year but are the minimum set if there is a minimum.
For much more detail and including many countries not listed here check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minimum_wages_by_country
Today in Labor History April 1st, 2025
Many believe that Cincinnati on this day became the first U.S. city to pay fire fighters a regular salary. Others say no, it was Boston, back in 1678, exact date unknown - 1853
(Strike! Revised, Expanded, and Updated Edition: In this latest edition of Strike! you can read about labor-management conflicts that have occurred over the past 140 years. Here you’ll learn much about workers’ struggle to win a degree of justice, from the workers’ point of view. Brecher also examines the ever-shifting roles and configurations of unions, from the Knights of Labor of the 1800s to the AFL-CIO of the 1990s.)