On this day in history
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On this day in history
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Random events from Wikipedia's "On this day" - powered by GitHub Actions, curated by Python's random()
#OTD (Aug 25) in the year 1823: American fur trapper Hugh Glass is mauled by a grizzly bear while on an expedition in South Dakota. #OTDIH #History #Skystorians #c19th
Hugh Glass
Hugh Glass was an American frontiersman, fur trapper, trader, hunter and explorer. He is best known for his story of survival and forgiveness after being left for dead by companions when he was mauled by a grizzly bear.
en.wikipedia.org
August 25, 2025 at 9:37 AM
#OTD (Aug 24) in the year 1662: The 1662 Book of Common Prayer is legally enforced as the liturgy of the Church of England, precipitating the Great Ejection of Dissenter ministers from their benefices. #OTDIH #History #Skystorians #EarlyModern #17thc
Book of Common Prayer (1662)
The 1662 Book of Common Prayer is an authorised liturgical book of the Church of England and other Anglican bodies around the world. In continuous print and regular use for over 360 years, the 1662 prayer book is the basis for numerous other editions of the Book of Common Prayer and other liturgical texts. Noted for both its devotional and literary quality, the 1662 prayer book has influenced the English language, with its use alongside the King James Version of the Bible contributing to an increase in literacy from the 16th to the 20th century.
en.wikipedia.org
August 24, 2025 at 9:34 PM
#OTD (Aug 24) in the year 1938: Kweilin incident: A Japanese warplane shoots down the Kweilin, a Chinese civilian airliner, killing 14. It is the first recorded instance of a civilian airliner being shot down. #OTDIH #History #Skystorians
Kweilin incident
The Kweilin incident occurred on August 24, 1938 when a Douglas DC-2 airliner named Kweilin carrying 18 passengers and crew was shot down by Japanese aircraft in China. There were fifteen fatalities including two crew. It was the first civilian airliner in history to be shot down by hostile aircraft. The pilot of the downed aircraft was American and the crew and passengers Chinese. As it was unprecedented for a civilian aircraft to be attacked, there was international diplomatic outrage over the incident. In the United States, it helped solidify the view that Japan was morally wrong in its war against China, however the incident was not enough to spur the United States into action against Japan despite Chinese entreaties. The Kweilin was rebuilt, renamed as the Chungking and destroyed by the Japanese army in a second attack two years later.
en.wikipedia.org
August 24, 2025 at 7:34 PM
#OTD (Aug 24) in the year 1945: birth of Ronee Blakley, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress #OTDIH #History #Skystorians
Ronee Blakley
Ronee Sue Blakley is an American actress, singer-songwriter, composer, producer and director.
en.wikipedia.org
August 24, 2025 at 3:35 PM
#OTD (Aug 24) in the year 1940: birth of Francine Lalonde, Canadian educator and politician (died 2014) #OTDIH #History #Skystorians
Francine Lalonde
Francine Lalonde was a Canadian politician who served on both the provincial and federal levels. Prior to being elected, she was a lecturer, teacher, and unionist.
en.wikipedia.org
August 24, 2025 at 9:35 AM
#OTD (Aug 23) in the year 1591: death of Luis de León, Spanish poet and academic (born 1527) #OTDIH #History #Skystorians #EarlyModern
Luis de León
Luis de León, was a Spanish lyric poet, Augustinian friar, theologian and academic.
en.wikipedia.org
August 23, 2025 at 7:34 PM
#OTD (Aug 23) in the year 1944: World War II: King Michael of Romania dismisses the pro-Nazi government of Marshal Antonescu, who is later arrested. Romania switches sides from the Axis to the Allies. #OTDIH #History #Skystorians
Michael I of Romania
Michael I was the last King of Romania, reigning from 20 July 1927 to 8 June 1930 and again from 6 September 1940 until his forced abdication on 30 December 1947.
en.wikipedia.org
August 23, 2025 at 3:34 PM
#OTD (Aug 23) in the year 1784: Western North Carolina (now eastern Tennessee) declares itself an independent state under the name of Franklin; it is not accepted into the United States, and only lasts for four years. #OTDIH #History #Skystorians #c18th
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia to the southwest, and Tennessee to the west. The state is the 28th-largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. Along with South Carolina, it makes up the Carolinas region of the East Coast. At the 2020 census, the state had a population of 10,439,388. Raleigh is the state's capital and Charlotte is its most populous and one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. The Charlotte metropolitan area, with an estimated population of 2,883,370 in 2024, is the most populous metropolitan area in North Carolina, the 21st-most populous in the United States, and the largest banking center in the nation after New York City. The Research Triangle, with an estimated population of 2,368,947 in 2023, is the second-most populous combined metropolitan area in the state, 31st-most populous in the United States, and is home to the largest research park in the United States, Research Triangle Park.
en.wikipedia.org
August 23, 2025 at 1:37 PM
#OTD (Aug 23) in the year 1904: The automobile tire chain is patented. #OTDIH #History #Skystorians
Snow chains
Snow chains, or tire chains, are devices fitted to the tires of vehicles to provide increased traction when driving through snow and ice.
en.wikipedia.org
August 23, 2025 at 11:34 AM
#OTD (Aug 23) in the year 1782: British forces under Edward Despard complete the reconquest of the Black River settlements on the Mosquito Coast from the Spanish. #OTDIH #History #Skystorians #c18th
Edward Despard
Edward Marcus Despard, an Irish officer in the service of the British Crown, gained notoriety as a colonial administrator for refusing to recognise race as a distinction in English law and, following his recall to London, as a republican conspirator. Despard's associations with the London Corresponding Society, the United Irishmen and United Britons led to his trial and execution in 1803 as the alleged ringleader of a plot to assassinate the King.
en.wikipedia.org
August 23, 2025 at 9:34 AM
#OTD (Aug 22) in the year 1915: birth of David Dellinger, American activist (died 2004) #OTDIH #History #Skystorians
David Dellinger
David T. Dellinger was an American pacifist and an activist for nonviolent social change. Although active beginning in the early 1940s, Dellinger reached peak prominence as one of the Chicago Seven, who were put on trial in 1969.
en.wikipedia.org
August 22, 2025 at 7:34 PM
#OTD (Aug 22) in the year 1827: José de La Mar becomes President of Peru. #OTDIH #History #Skystorians #c19th
José de la Mar
José Domingo de la Merced de La Mar y Cortázar was a Peruvian military leader and politician who served as the third President of Peru.
en.wikipedia.org
August 22, 2025 at 5:36 PM
#OTD (Aug 22) in the year 1908: birth of Henri Cartier-Bresson, French photographer and painter (died 2004) #OTDIH #History #Skystorians
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson was a French humanist photographer, and also an artist. He was considered a master of candid photography, and was an early user of 35mm film. He pioneered the genre of street photography and viewed capturing what he named the decisive moment as the essence of the very best pictures.
en.wikipedia.org
August 22, 2025 at 3:35 PM
#OTD (Aug 22) in the year 1338: death of William II, Duke of Athens (born 1312) #OTDIH #History #Skystorians #Medievalsky
William II, Duke of Athens
William II was the third son of Frederick III of Sicily and Eleanor of Anjou. He inherited the Duchy of Athens after the death of his elder brother Manfred on 9 November 1317.
en.wikipedia.org
August 22, 2025 at 1:39 PM
#OTD (Aug 22) in the year 1874: birth of Max Scheler, German philosopher and author (died 1928) #OTDIH #History #Skystorians #c19th
Max Scheler
Max Ferdinand Scheler was a German philosopher known for his work in phenomenology, ethics, and philosophical anthropology. Considered in his lifetime one of the most prominent German philosophers, Scheler developed the philosophical method of Edmund Husserl, the founder of phenomenology.
en.wikipedia.org
August 22, 2025 at 11:34 AM