The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
Sorted by date Results 14 - 38 of 283
Menlo Park, New Jersey - October 22, 1879 - In a modest laboratory lit by gas lamps and fueled by relentless experimentation, Thomas Alva Edison achieved a breakthrough that would change the world. On this day in 1879, Edison successfully tested the first practical electric incandescent light bulb using a carbonized cotton thread filament. The bulb glowed for 13½ hours before finally burning out-an achievement that marked the dawn of the electric age. Lighting the Way Forward While...
On October 20, 1944, General Douglas MacArthur waded ashore on the island of Leyte in the Philippines, fulfilling a vow he had made more than two years earlier. With the words "I have returned," MacArthur not only kept a personal promise but also reignited hope for millions of Filipinos living under Japanese occupation. The Allied assault on Leyte marked the beginning of the liberation of the Philippines, a pivotal campaign in the Pacific theater of World War II and a moment of profound...
On October 27, 1870, Marshal François Achille Bazaine surrendered the French Army of the Rhine and the fortress city of Metz to Prussian forces-marking one of the most devastating defeats for France in the Franco-Prussian War. The surrender at Metz was not merely a military capitulation; it was a symbolic and strategic collapse that reshaped the trajectory of the war and the fate of the French Second Empire. With over 140,000 French troops laid down their arms, it became one of the largest...
Black Monday, October 28, 1929, marked one of the most catastrophic days in U.S. financial history, triggering a near 13% plunge in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and accelerating the collapse that led to the Great Depression. On October 28, 1929, the U.S. stock market experienced a seismic shock that reverberated across the globe. Known as Black Monday, this day marked a pivotal moment in the Wall Street Crash of 1929, a financial catastrophe that shattered investor confidence, decimated...
On October 31, 1984, India was shaken to its core by the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The event not only marked the end of an era in Indian politics but also unleashed a wave of violence and tragedy that would leave scars for generations. Indira Gandhi, a powerful and controversial figure, was killed by two of her own Sikh security guards-a moment that triggered immediate and catastrophic consequences in the nation's capital and beyond. Background: Indira Gandhi and Rising...
JERUSALEM - On October 18, 1009, a seismic event shook the Christian world-not an earthquake, but the deliberate and devastating destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Ordered by the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, the church-revered as the site of Jesus Christ's crucifixion, burial, and resurrection-was razed to its foundations, its sacred stones hacked down to bedrock. 🕌 The Caliph and His Campaign Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, the enigmatic and controversial sixth ca...
On October 17, 1777, British General John Burgoyne surrendered his army to American forces at Saratoga, New York, marking one of the most decisive turning points in the American Revolutionary War. The surrender not only ended the Saratoga campaign but also reshaped the global dynamics of the conflict, convincing France to formally ally with the fledgling United States and altering the course of history. The Saratoga Campaign: A Bold but Flawed Strategy General Burgoyne, known as "Gentleman...
On October 16, 1781, General George Washington stood on the precipice of a moment that would forever alter the course of American history. The Siege of Yorktown, which had begun weeks earlier on September 28, was nearing its climax. British General Charles Cornwallis, cornered and outmaneuvered, attempted a desperate nighttime evacuation across the York River. But nature intervened-violent storms thwarted the escape, sealing the fate of British forces and setting the stage for their surrender...
WASHINGTON, D.C. - October 19, 1789 - In a defining moment for the fledgling American republic, John Jay was sworn in as the first Chief Justice of the United States on October 19, 1789. His appointment marked the formal establishment of the Supreme Court under the newly ratified Constitution and set the foundation for the judiciary as a co-equal branch of government. A Founding Father Takes the Bench John Jay, a prominent statesman, diplomat, and co-author of the Federalist Papers, was nominate...
October 14, 1952 – NORTH KOREA - In the rugged terrain of North Korea's Iron Triangle, United Nations and South Korean forces launched Operation Showdown, a major offensive aimed at dislodging entrenched Chinese positions. What followed was the Battle of Triangle Hill, a brutal and protracted engagement that would become the bloodiest confrontation of the Korean War in 1952. Strategic Importance of the Iron Triangle The Iron Triangle, located near Chorwon County, was a vital logistical and c...
On October 21, 1600, the fields of Sekigahara in central Japan bore witness to one of the most decisive and consequential battles in Japanese history. The clash between Tokugawa Ieyasu and the coalition of rival warlords loyal to the Toyotomi clan not only determined the fate of feudal Japan but also ushered in over two centuries of relative peace and centralized rule under the Tokugawa shogunate. The Road to Sekigahara The late 16th century was a time of upheaval in Japan, known as the Sengoku...
October 12, 539 B.C. - The conquest of Babylon by Cyrus the Great in 539 BC stands as one of the most pivotal moments in world history. This event not only marked the end of the Neo-Babylonian Empire but also set the foundation for the rise of the Achaemenid Persian Empire, which would become the largest empire the world had yet seen. The capture of the legendary city of Babylon by the Persian army, under Cyrus's command, was notable not only for its military and political significance, but also...
Two hundred years ago, the Erie Canal was finally completed, and to celebrate the achievement the Governor of New York and other local elected officials engaged in a progressive celebration. They sailed from Lake Erie to New York Harbor with stops at communities along the way. It was like a 10-day tailgate with parties, speeches and all-day public celebrations, and it culminated in a ceremonial “wedding of the waters” when water from Lake Erie was poured into New York Harbor. The completion of t...
October 10, 680 CE - Karbala, Iraq - On October 10, 680 A.D., one of the most defining and tragic events in Islamic history unfolded on the plains of Karbala, near the Euphrates River in present-day Iraq. The Battle of Karbala marked the martyrdom of Hussain ibn Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, and became a symbol of resistance against tyranny and injustice. His death is commemorated annually by Muslims around the world, particularly within the Shi'a tradition, as Aashurah-a day of...
October 10, 732 - Near POITIERS, FRANCE - On this day in 732, one of the most consequential battles in European history unfolded near the towns of Tours and Poitiers in west-central France. The Battle of Tours-also known as the Battle of Poitiers-pitted the Frankish forces under Charles Martel against a large army of Umayyad Muslims led by Abdul Rahman Al Ghafiqi, the governor of Córdoba. The outcome would shape the religious, cultural, and political trajectory of Western Europe for centuries....
On October 6, 1973, a coalition of Egyptian and Syrian forces launched a surprise, coordinated attack against Israel, marking the beginning of the Yom Kippur War-also known as the October War or the Ramadan War. This conflict, which lasted until October 25, 1973, dramatically altered the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East and left a lasting legacy on military strategy and international relations. Central to the war were the decisive actions and leadership of commanders on all sides,...
Anyone who studies the early years of George Washington notices that in his position of being a part of the Colonial Virginia gentry, but not of the same means as his class, he was born for his pivotal role in the annals of history in leading what would become the United States of America to victory against the British King George. It is this focus on the early years of George Washington during his time as a surveyor and soldier in the French American War that forms the plot of the forthcoming...
On October 4, 1943, a pivotal event unfolded in the Pacific Theater of World War II: the United States completed the capture of the Solomon Islands from Japanese forces. This victory marked a significant milestone in the Allied campaign against Japan, altering the strategic landscape of the war and paving the way for future offensives in the Pacific. On September 4, 1943, a pivotal event unfolded in the Pacific Theater of World War II: the United States completed the capture of the Solomon...
On October 8, 1480, the banks of the Ugra River bore silent witness to a momentous turning point in Eastern European history. What unfolded was not a bloody clash of armies, but a tense standoff - a strategic silence that echoed louder than cannon fire. This confrontation between Grand Duke Ivan III of Moscow and Akhmat Khan of the Great Horde would ultimately sever the centuries-long Mongol yoke over Russian lands and usher in a new era of sovereignty. Background: The Mongol Grip on Rus Since...
Today, October 13, 2025, is Columbus Day. It is a federal and state holiday celebrating the achievements of the great Italian Admiral Christopher Columbus. Columbus, who was born in Genoa, Italy, is celebrated for his 1492 discovery of the Americas on behalf of the Spanish crown. Courthouses, banks, government offices, most schools, and some businesses are closed today in honor of Columbus and his discovery of North and South America. Sometimes Columbus is credited with proving that the Earth is...
On October 5, 2000, the streets of Belgrade, Serbia, became the epicenter of a historic political change. Mass demonstrations erupted against the regime of Slobodan Milošević, the long-standing Serbian strongman whose rule had shaped much of the Balkans' tumultuous 1990s. These events-culminating in the dramatic resignation of Milošević-are often called the "Bulldozer Revolution," signifying both the power of the people and the literal use of a bulldozer to break through police barricades. Backg...
In the autumn of 42 BC, the Roman Republic stood at a crossroads. The assassination of Julius Caesar two years earlier had plunged Rome into chaos, and the battle to determine its future reached a decisive moment on the plains near Philippi in Macedonia. On one side stood the forces of the Second Triumvirate-Mark Antony and Octavian-sworn to avenge Caesar's death. On the other, the armies of Brutus and Cassius, the leading conspirators in Caesar's assassination, who believed they were defending...
October 7, 105 BC, near the banks of the River Rhône in southern Gaul, the Roman Republic suffered one of the most devastating military defeats in its history. The Battle of Arausio, fought near the modern town of Orange, France, pitted two Roman armies against the migrating Cimbri, a Germanic tribe whose movements had already shaken the Roman frontier. The result was a catastrophic loss of life, a shattered Roman command structure, and a crisis that would ultimately reshape Roman military...
October 7, 1940 – A Strategic Blueprint for War - In the quiet corridors of Washington's naval intelligence offices, a memo was drafted on October 7, 1940, that would later ignite fierce debate among historians and conspiracy theorists alike. Known as the McCollum memo, this internal document outlined a provocative strategy: to counter Japanese expansion in East Asia by goading Japan into committing an "overt act of war"-an act that could justify American entry into World War II. What Was the M...
In the early hours of September 30, 1938, four European powers-Britain, France, Germany, and Italy-signed the Munich Agreement, a diplomatic accord that permitted Nazi Germany to annex the Sudetenland, a fortified and industrial region of western Czechoslovakia. The agreement, reached without Czechoslovakia's participation, was hailed by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain as a triumph of peace. Yet history would judge it as a catastrophic miscalculation that emboldened Adolf Hitler and...
