Content by F T.Bear
Good morning! Rise and shine!
Today in history is a place for you early risers to exercise your brains as you wait for the day to begin. Please, by all means, bring your own bits of history to the comments section and add your memories of what YOU did on this day however many years ago.
The beauty of an early morning historical post is that the date can mean the event happened today “our time” or today “other side of the world” time.
From the life and death of Plato through to the latest most recent history as it happens, we intend on bringing you stimulating and educational historical knowledge.
July 29
1981: Police use their batons on about 2000 anti-tour protesters,
who were trying to march up Molesworth St. in Wellington. The
protesters were trying to reach the South African Consulate, to express
their displeasure at the Springbok tour. The violence of this night
was the turning point in the violence that would plague the tour.
1981: Kiri Te Kanawa, sings at the royal wedding of Prince Charles
and Lady Diana Spencer. She sang “Let the Bright Seraphim” from
Handel’s “Samson” while the newly weds signed the register, to a
television audience of about 1 billion, in 74 countries.
1958: The US Congress passes legislation that establishes the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA was in part
created in response to the 1957 launch of the Soviet Unions first
satellite “Sputnik 1”, so beginning the “space race”.
1588: The Spanish Armada is defeated off the coast of France, by an
English naval force lead by Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Drake.
The Spanish fleet, comprising, 130 ships with 2500 guns, 8000 seamen,
and 20,000 soldiers was devastated by England’s heavier guns and the
ability of the English to create confusion in the Spanish.
