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A 1944 colourised photograph of FDR. The president had been worn down by the war at this point, and died soon after. (Histomania) On this day in 1941, American president Franklin D. Roosevelt (or FDR) delivered his state of the union address. In the groundbreaking speech, FDR enumerated Four Freedoms that he believed all human…
A Ford assembly line during the early 20th century. (Focus.de) On this day in 1914, workers at the American Ford Motor Company - famed for producing the Model T car and revolutionizing automobile production - began working 8-hour days and receiving a $5 daily salary. At the orders of founder Henry Ford, Ford workers were…
A drawing from an early edition of "12 Years a Slave". (Wikimedia Commons) On this day in 1853, Solomon Northup - a Black, free-born American from New York - regained his freedom after 12 years of illegal enslavement. Having worked as a violinist and farmer in the Northern states (where slavery was illegal), Northup travelled…
Mussolini surrounded by armed guards in the 1920s, prior to embracing his infamous quasi-military outfit. (Wikimedia Commons) On this day in 1925, Italian Fascist Benito Mussolini abruptly announced his transition from democratically-elected Prime Minister to cartoonish dictator. For his first years in power - after coming to prominence with his March on Rome in 1922…
M113s like the ones pictured above were lightly armoured but struggled to manoeuvre in the dense, difficult terrain of Vietnam. (Wikimedia Commons) On this day in 1963, the Battle of Ấp Bắc took place in Vietnam's Định Tường province. ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) troops from South Vietnam had detected a large force…
Caesar, by Clara Grosch, 1892. On this day in 45 BCE, the Julian Calendar came into effect in the Roman Empire by order of Julius Caesar. Previously, the Empire had relied on the Roman calendar: a system that accounted for 355 days and sometimes had a 23 day "intercalary" month inserted around March, based on…
A German machine-gunner moves towards the front lines during the winter of 1944. (GFP) On this day in 1944, remnants of the German army attacked the advancing Allies in the final German offensive of WWII. Codenamed Operation Nordwind by the OKH (High Command of the German Army), the operation was inspired largely by Hitler's misguided…
Rasputin (middle) with two Russian officers in the early 20th century. (Wikimedia Commons) On this day in 1916, Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin was murdered by enemies of Tsar Nicholas II, ruler of the Russian Empire. Rasputin - spiritual advisor to the Tsar and his family - was hated by many in the royal court for…
Then-president Václav Havel (L) with American Secretary of Defense William Cohen (R) in 1997. (Defense.gov) On this day in 1989, Czech writer and activist Václav Havel was elected president of Czechoslovakia (now Czechia) in that country's first free, post-communist election. The Central European country had just recently removed itself from the USSR (Union of Soviet…
Canadian casualties are removed by stretcher bearers during the fighting in Ortona. (UrbanToronto.ca) On this day in 1943, the 1st Canadian Division captured the Italian town of Ortona from Axis forces. Aside from being a strategically significant sea port on the East coast of Italy, Ortona was one of the key German strongholds on the…
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