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Caribbean slaves harvest sugar under the watchful eye of British slave-masters in 1823. (William Clark) On this day in 1831, over 60,000 slaves in Jamaica revolted against their colonial masters. As the abolitionist movement gained momentum in London, slaves in British Jamaica - producers of sugar, cotton and coffee - began discussing strikes and peaceful…
A "Boche" and "Tommy" share a cigarette at a POW camp during the later years of the war. "Fraternisation" like this was generally discouraged by higher command after the 1914 Christmas Truce. (Reddit) On Christmas Eve of 1914, nearly 100,000 soldiers on both sides laid down their arms in a series of informal ceasefires along…
London in 1919. (Flickr) On this day in 1919, the British parliament signed into law the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919. The Act lifted all restrictions on women taking part in "public functions" such as voting, serving in public office and on juries, and working as lawyers. Additionally, the Act required that women no longer…
Continue reading ➞ 12/23 – The Sex Disqualification Act of 1919
Captain Dreyfus is depicted symbolically breaking his sword, and submitting to military justice. (TimesofIsrael.com) On this day in 1894, French army captain Alfred Dreyfus - a Jewish Alsatian - was wrongfully convicted of treason by the government of the French Third Republic. His prosecutor argued that Dreyfus had smuggled military secrets to the German Empire.…
The Battle of Gaugamela. (Wikimedia Commons) Most people know that Alexander the Great - King of Macedon, legendary military leader - was a wildly successful general who conquered huge swaths of Eurasia and the Mediterranean and kicked off the Hellenistic Age, a renaissance of Greek culture. Through a series of impressive military victories, Alexander and…
One of Goldman's many mugshots. (Wikimedia Commons) On this day in 1919, American anarcho-feminist Emma Goldman was deported to Russia, her home country, for crimes listed under the Anarchist Expulsion Act. Goldman - born in Lithuania, then part of the Russian Empire - travelled to America in 1885. As a young woman, Goldman began writing;…
American troops and Panamanian women in 1989. (OSW) On this day in 1989, US military forces invaded Panama, a small country linking Central and South America. Titled Operation Just Cause (or, according to many soldiers who took part in the operation, "Just 'cause"), the invasion was justified by US command as a necessity for protecting…
Mongolian soldiers during the Battle of Khalkhin Gol. (Wikimedia Commons) The Western narrative of WWII often forgets much of what happened in the far East. Although the Pacific Campaign gets a considerable amount of American attention, many readers and researchers focus largely on the North African and European theatres. Most sources agree that WWII began…
Hitler (R) with Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini (L). Mussolini's "hands on" approach to military leadership - which Hitler emulated - ended up handicapping both Axis armies. (Wikipedia) On this day in 1941, Nazi German leader Adolf Hitler appointed himself leader of the Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH), or High Command of the German Army. The…
A bombing run by a B-52 as seen from the air. (National Air Force Museum) On this day in 1972, American president Richard B. Nixon announced a renewed Christmas bombing campaign of North Vietnam: a massive aerial strike of civilian and military targets by B-52 strategic bombers codenamed Operation Linebacker II. The previous iteration of…
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