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Uranus. (World Atlas) On this day in 1781, Uranus was discovered by German military-band musician William Herschel. Originally thought to be a star by Hipparchos in 128 BCE, Uranus is in fact the third largest planet in our solar system and possessed of its own ring series. In honour of Herschel's groundbreaking discovery that enables…
Finnish soldiers ambushing Red Army troops during the Winter War. (Pinterest) On this day in 1940, the Moscow Peace Treaty was signed in Russia. The agreement marked the end of the Winter War, a 105-day conflict between Finland and the USSR. Intent on acquiring portions of Eastern Finnish territory for themselves, the Soviets had invaded…
Gorbachev (R) meeting with American president George H. W. Bush in 1991. (The Times of Israel) On this day in 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev was elected General Secretary of the Soviet Union (USSR). A former tractor driver, Gorbachev joined the Communist Party in his youth and attained a law degree during the Khrushchev Thaw of the…
Pinkerton's incredibly detailed 1818 map of the East Indies. (Wikimedia Commons) The end of the 19th century was a tumultuous time in Southeast Asian history. Many colonial nations developed strong nationalist movements and, eventually, overthrew their colonial masters. Unlike Africa - recently colonized during the "Scramble for Africa" in the 1880s and 1890s - much…
Continue reading ➞ Indonesia – From Colonization to Independence
Tibetan resistance members - including monks - handing over weapons to PLA authorities in the wake of the failed 1959 uprising. (The Telegraph) On this day in 1959, protests began in the Tibetan Autonomous Region in defiance of Chinese military occupiers. Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, was slated to attend a theatrical performance at…
An IJA "banzai" charge on Manado, Indonesia, sometime in 1942. (Reddit) On this day in 1942, Dutch troops on Indonesia - then known as the Dutch East Indies - surrendered to Japanese forces. Beginning one day after the assault on Pearl Harbour in December of the following year, the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) launched a…
Continue reading ➞ 03/09 – The Fall of the Dutch East Indies
Soldiers and women who formed in Petrograd during the uprising. (Daily Mail) On this day in 1917 (or February 23rd according to the Old Calendar), riots broke out in Petrograd, then-capital of Russia. As WWI wore on in the East, a series of spectacular military failures weakened Russian morale, damaged the economy and increased frustration…
Continue reading ➞ 03/08 – International Womens Day & The February Revolution
An artistic depiction of a U-boat surfacing after knocking out an Allied merchant vessel. (Fine Art America) On this day in 1941, German U-boat (submarine) U-47 disappeared off the west coast of Ireland. Captained by "U-Ace" Günther Prien, the submarine was one of the most infamous of its kind. During his short career, Prien and…
Muhammad Ali seconds after knocking out Sonny Liston. The 1964 victory raised Ali's profile and enabled him to join the Nation of Islam. (Time) On this day in 1964, Cassius Clay - African American heavyweight boxer and activist - changed his name to Muhammad Ali. Ali had converted to Islam in 1961 and became friends…
A depiction of Khusraw sharing his poems with a few followers later on in life. (Simerg) On this day in 1046, Isma'ili writer Nasir Khusraw embarked on a seven-year exploration of the Middle East. Born in Bactria (now Tajikistan), Khusraw worked as a tax collector there until he experienced a crisis of faith. Struggling to…
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