Liam O'Mara IV, PhD
@liamomaraiv.bsky.social
Snarky history professor; autistic bibliophile; anti-Zionist Jewish humanist; anarchist internationalist; antifa mountain man; geeky cat & bird dad; lover of Emily; views expressed are my own.
The first European-style school of #HigherEducation in the Americas was founded #ThisDayInHistory in 1536. #ColegioDeSantaCruz was run by #Franciscans, intended to train #Aztecs as priests & bishops, but they lacked money for it, and in 1555 Spain forbade #indigenous ordinations.
January 6, 2026 at 6:00 PM
The first European-style school of #HigherEducation in the Americas was founded #ThisDayInHistory in 1536. #ColegioDeSantaCruz was run by #Franciscans, intended to train #Aztecs as priests & bishops, but they lacked money for it, and in 1555 Spain forbade #indigenous ordinations.
Highlighting its rôle in #WageSlavery and the profits of the #oligarch class, #DalylightSavingsTime began four months early on #ThisDayInHistory in 1974, in response to the #1973OilCrisis, to make sure workers could keep the economy humming with less use of electric lighting.
January 6, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Highlighting its rôle in #WageSlavery and the profits of the #oligarch class, #DalylightSavingsTime began four months early on #ThisDayInHistory in 1974, in response to the #1973OilCrisis, to make sure workers could keep the economy humming with less use of electric lighting.
The #FourFreedoms were articulated by Pres. Franklin #Roosevelt (#FDR) in a #StateOfTheUnion on #ThisDayInHistory in 1941. They are: #FreedomOfSpeech, #FreedomOfWorship, #FreedomFromWant, & #FreedomFromFear, the third one meaning a high #StandardOfLiving everywhere in the world.
January 6, 2026 at 5:00 PM
The #FourFreedoms were articulated by Pres. Franklin #Roosevelt (#FDR) in a #StateOfTheUnion on #ThisDayInHistory in 1941. They are: #FreedomOfSpeech, #FreedomOfWorship, #FreedomFromWant, & #FreedomFromFear, the third one meaning a high #StandardOfLiving everywhere in the world.
The #SouthSeaCompany, a British corporation from 1711, used #InsiderTrading to inflate its #stock value, then collapsed in the 1720 #SouthSeaBubble. On #ThisDayInHistory in 1721, an inquiry revealed political corruption and company fraud, i.e., business as usual for #capitalists.
January 6, 2026 at 4:30 PM
The #SouthSeaCompany, a British corporation from 1711, used #InsiderTrading to inflate its #stock value, then collapsed in the 1720 #SouthSeaBubble. On #ThisDayInHistory in 1721, an inquiry revealed political corruption and company fraud, i.e., business as usual for #capitalists.
In a continuation of the brutal #anticommunist policies of the American puppet régime in #SouthKorea (see, e.g., #BodoLeageMassacre of 1950), the #GanghwaMassacre began on #ThisDayInHistory in 1951. Up to 1300 unarmed civilians were killed, supposedly for #socialist sympathies.
January 6, 2026 at 4:00 PM
In a continuation of the brutal #anticommunist policies of the American puppet régime in #SouthKorea (see, e.g., #BodoLeageMassacre of 1950), the #GanghwaMassacre began on #ThisDayInHistory in 1951. Up to 1300 unarmed civilians were killed, supposedly for #socialist sympathies.
The final reigning #RomanEmperor, #ConstantineXI, was crowned on #ThisDayInHistory in 1449 at Mystras. From the #Palaiologos dynasty, he was previously Despot of the Morea, and died in battle against #Ottoman Turkish forces in May 1453 at the #TheodosianWalls of #Constantinople.
January 6, 2026 at 3:30 PM
The final reigning #RomanEmperor, #ConstantineXI, was crowned on #ThisDayInHistory in 1449 at Mystras. From the #Palaiologos dynasty, he was previously Despot of the Morea, and died in battle against #Ottoman Turkish forces in May 1453 at the #TheodosianWalls of #Constantinople.
Four women (#AlaGertner, #RozaRobota, #EstusiaWajcblum, #ReginaSafirsztajn) were hanged at #Auschwitz #ConcentrationCamp on #ThisDayInHistory in 1945 for their heroic rôle in the October #Sonderkommando revolt. They stole powder from the munitions factory and smuggled it out.
January 6, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Four women (#AlaGertner, #RozaRobota, #EstusiaWajcblum, #ReginaSafirsztajn) were hanged at #Auschwitz #ConcentrationCamp on #ThisDayInHistory in 1945 for their heroic rôle in the October #Sonderkommando revolt. They stole powder from the munitions factory and smuggled it out.
Following the end of #WWII, demobilization and repatriation was slow. Discontent grew, leading to a #strike by 4000 troops in December, and on #ThisDayInHistory in 1946 the #ManilaMutiny broke out, in which 20,000 marched in #Manila against officer perks & to demand troop ships.
January 6, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Following the end of #WWII, demobilization and repatriation was slow. Discontent grew, leading to a #strike by 4000 troops in December, and on #ThisDayInHistory in 1946 the #ManilaMutiny broke out, in which 20,000 marched in #Manila against officer perks & to demand troop ships.
The #SoporeMassacre was perpetrated by #BSF (India's Border Security Force) on #ThisDayInHistory in 1993. In revenge for an ambush by militants in disputed #Kashmir (the #JammuAndKashmir state), the troops stopped a bus and gunned down about 57 civilians and wounded more than 50.
January 6, 2026 at 2:01 PM
The #SoporeMassacre was perpetrated by #BSF (India's Border Security Force) on #ThisDayInHistory in 1993. In revenge for an ambush by militants in disputed #Kashmir (the #JammuAndKashmir state), the troops stopped a bus and gunned down about 57 civilians and wounded more than 50.
Here are some tracks by #indiepop/#rock band #WendyWander of #Taiwan.
youtu.be/ltFNlTWDgU8
youtu.be/kyhthTloAIg
youtu.be/dUuhTw3gB5I
youtu.be/YzLdl-pVGBc
#LunchtimeListens #WorldMusic
youtu.be/ltFNlTWDgU8
youtu.be/kyhthTloAIg
youtu.be/dUuhTw3gB5I
youtu.be/YzLdl-pVGBc
#LunchtimeListens #WorldMusic
January 5, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Here are some tracks by #indiepop/#rock band #WendyWander of #Taiwan.
youtu.be/ltFNlTWDgU8
youtu.be/kyhthTloAIg
youtu.be/dUuhTw3gB5I
youtu.be/YzLdl-pVGBc
#LunchtimeListens #WorldMusic
youtu.be/ltFNlTWDgU8
youtu.be/kyhthTloAIg
youtu.be/dUuhTw3gB5I
youtu.be/YzLdl-pVGBc
#LunchtimeListens #WorldMusic
On #ThisDayInHistory in 1914, #Ford announced an eight-hour day & $5 daily wage - double the daily average. This inaugurated the era of #Fordism: pairing lower-cost, mass-produced goods with wages sufficient to buy them. Crucially, these concessions were meant to crush #unions.
January 5, 2026 at 7:30 PM
On #ThisDayInHistory in 1914, #Ford announced an eight-hour day & $5 daily wage - double the daily average. This inaugurated the era of #Fordism: pairing lower-cost, mass-produced goods with wages sufficient to buy them. Crucially, these concessions were meant to crush #unions.
To infiltrate & break worker organization & solidarity, #Peugeot hired 120 mercenaries & convicted criminals, and on #ThisDayInHistory in 1970 a group joined the factory in Sochaux, #France. The mercenaries, however, began sabotages & slow-downs as if they were #union themselves.
January 5, 2026 at 7:00 PM
To infiltrate & break worker organization & solidarity, #Peugeot hired 120 mercenaries & convicted criminals, and on #ThisDayInHistory in 1970 a group joined the factory in Sochaux, #France. The mercenaries, however, began sabotages & slow-downs as if they were #union themselves.
In an example of successful #DirectAction, 150 #unemployed workers organized by the #IWW #union, on #ThisDayInHistory in 1915, stormed the Commercial Club in #SiouxCity, Iowa, demanding work (and stealing bread rolls). The city council voted to create 400 jobs the very next day.
January 5, 2026 at 6:30 PM
In an example of successful #DirectAction, 150 #unemployed workers organized by the #IWW #union, on #ThisDayInHistory in 1915, stormed the Commercial Club in #SiouxCity, Iowa, demanding work (and stealing bread rolls). The city council voted to create 400 jobs the very next day.
During China's #CulturalRevolution, #ThisDayInHistory in 1967, the #ShanghaiPeoplesCommune was formed, inspired by the #ParisCommune. Initially backed by #MaoZedong, he withdrew support when it called for #democratic elections and an end to #CPC domination and state #capitalism.
January 5, 2026 at 6:00 PM
During China's #CulturalRevolution, #ThisDayInHistory in 1967, the #ShanghaiPeoplesCommune was formed, inspired by the #ParisCommune. Initially backed by #MaoZedong, he withdrew support when it called for #democratic elections and an end to #CPC domination and state #capitalism.
The sixth All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, usually called the Prague Party Conference, opened on #ThisDayInHistory in 1912. Over #Lenin's wishes, it effectively removed all remaining #Menshevik contributions, charting a purely #Bolshevik path.
January 5, 2026 at 5:30 PM
The sixth All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, usually called the Prague Party Conference, opened on #ThisDayInHistory in 1912. Over #Lenin's wishes, it effectively removed all remaining #Menshevik contributions, charting a purely #Bolshevik path.
#Populist #GermanWorkersParty (#DAP, (#DeutscheArbeiterpartei) was formed #ThisDayInHistory in 1919 in #Munich. Desperate to keep his job, #AdolfHitler joined as a state spy in September. By February he had remade it into #NSDAP (#NationalsozialistischeDeutscheArbeiterpartei).
January 5, 2026 at 5:00 PM
#Populist #GermanWorkersParty (#DAP, (#DeutscheArbeiterpartei) was formed #ThisDayInHistory in 1919 in #Munich. Desperate to keep his job, #AdolfHitler joined as a state spy in September. By February he had remade it into #NSDAP (#NationalsozialistischeDeutscheArbeiterpartei).
In a bloody revenge attack for the killing of six innocents on 4 January, on #ThisDayInHistory in 1976 members of the #ProvisionalIRA carried out the #KingsmillMassacre in #CountyArmagh, Northern Ireland. Gunmen stopped a minibus, took out and shot dead ten Protestant innocents.
January 5, 2026 at 4:30 PM
In a bloody revenge attack for the killing of six innocents on 4 January, on #ThisDayInHistory in 1976 members of the #ProvisionalIRA carried out the #KingsmillMassacre in #CountyArmagh, Northern Ireland. Gunmen stopped a minibus, took out and shot dead ten Protestant innocents.
With dishonest excuses much like those heard to-day, on #ThisDayInHistory in 1948 the #Zionist paramilitary (and future core of IDF) #Haganah bombed the #SemiramisHotel. The Christian #Palestinian-owned structure was dynamited in the cellar and collapsed, killing about 25 people.
January 5, 2026 at 4:00 PM
With dishonest excuses much like those heard to-day, on #ThisDayInHistory in 1948 the #Zionist paramilitary (and future core of IDF) #Haganah bombed the #SemiramisHotel. The Christian #Palestinian-owned structure was dynamited in the cellar and collapsed, killing about 25 people.
In the horrific #DreyfusAffair, on #ThisDayInHistory in 1895, French artillery captain #AlfredDreyfus was stripped of rank by a military court and sentenced to life on #DevilsIsland prison (#Cayenne, #FrenchGuiana). His only crime was being Jewish under rising European racism.
January 5, 2026 at 3:30 PM
In the horrific #DreyfusAffair, on #ThisDayInHistory in 1895, French artillery captain #AlfredDreyfus was stripped of rank by a military court and sentenced to life on #DevilsIsland prison (#Cayenne, #FrenchGuiana). His only crime was being Jewish under rising European racism.
At a time when #GreatBritain faced no danger of food shortages while #India was in dire need of food imports, on #ThisDayInHistory in 1943 the vicious imperialist PM #WinstonChurchill ordered Indian Ocean shipping cut by 56%. The #BengalFamine was the result, with 3 million dead.
January 5, 2026 at 3:00 PM
At a time when #GreatBritain faced no danger of food shortages while #India was in dire need of food imports, on #ThisDayInHistory in 1943 the vicious imperialist PM #WinstonChurchill ordered Indian Ocean shipping cut by 56%. The #BengalFamine was the result, with 3 million dead.
One possible starting point for the #PragueSpring, an effort to democratize #Czechoslovakia and build a new "#Socialism with a Human Face", came on #ThisDayInHistory in 1968 when #AlexanderDubček took power. This political liberalization was doomed by Soviet #ColdWar exigencies.
January 5, 2026 at 2:30 PM
One possible starting point for the #PragueSpring, an effort to democratize #Czechoslovakia and build a new "#Socialism with a Human Face", came on #ThisDayInHistory in 1968 when #AlexanderDubček took power. This political liberalization was doomed by Soviet #ColdWar exigencies.
#Māori rebels tried to escape the besieged fortress of #Ngātapa and on #ThisDayInHistory in 1869 the first group were caught and massacred. No trials were offered -- the #NewZealand authorities stripped and shot well over 100 half-starved people, some of them captive innocents.
January 5, 2026 at 2:00 PM
#Māori rebels tried to escape the besieged fortress of #Ngātapa and on #ThisDayInHistory in 1869 the first group were caught and massacred. No trials were offered -- the #NewZealand authorities stripped and shot well over 100 half-starved people, some of them captive innocents.
Try some #NovosBaianos from #Brazil.
youtu.be/mlm_SIw2YnI
youtu.be/WWfseMcAUZY
youtu.be/NDwzphLG53I
youtu.be/uUyBkJfU6OI
#PsychedelicSunday #LunchtimeListens
youtu.be/mlm_SIw2YnI
youtu.be/WWfseMcAUZY
youtu.be/NDwzphLG53I
youtu.be/uUyBkJfU6OI
#PsychedelicSunday #LunchtimeListens
January 4, 2026 at 8:00 PM
#Slavery is bad enough, but #racialized slavery is peak evil. Free-born black musician #SolomonNorthup was tempted into a gig in #WashingtonDC. There he was drugged, kidnapped, & enslaved. He gained freedom again #ThisDayInHistory in 1853, and wrote his memoir #TwelveYearsASlave.
January 4, 2026 at 6:30 PM
#Slavery is bad enough, but #racialized slavery is peak evil. Free-born black musician #SolomonNorthup was tempted into a gig in #WashingtonDC. There he was drugged, kidnapped, & enslaved. He gained freedom again #ThisDayInHistory in 1853, and wrote his memoir #TwelveYearsASlave.
The #SecondGulfOfSidraIncident occurred on #ThisDayInHistory in 1989, when two #MiG23 Floggers were shot down by two #F14Tomcat fighters. #Libya claimed expanded #TerritorialWaters so the US provoked fights by violating them. This was discussed in a paper I wrote some years ago.
January 4, 2026 at 6:00 PM
The #SecondGulfOfSidraIncident occurred on #ThisDayInHistory in 1989, when two #MiG23 Floggers were shot down by two #F14Tomcat fighters. #Libya claimed expanded #TerritorialWaters so the US provoked fights by violating them. This was discussed in a paper I wrote some years ago.