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I have read the South Carolina secession document – and it was a defensive-sounding piece. I would like to read what Tennessee said in order to get re-admitted to the Union.
On july 26,1863, Sam Houston, who led the Texans to victory in their struggle for independence against Mexico, dies in Texas. Houston had opposed Texas' secession from the Union.
Also today in 1943 the Italian Fascist Party was desolved and a non-fascist Cabinet formed. The new Italian Cabinet immediately imposes Martial Law .Today in 1944. During the battle of Imphal two Ghurks soldiers win the Victoria Cross. Corporal Agansing Rai? for attacking a strong Japanese machine gun position killing ten and causing the others to flee. Sergeant Netrabahadur Tahapa (posthumous award) for leading a charge with Grenades and Kukri. Today in 1945 the Potsdam Declaration demand unconditional Japanese surrender. Winston Churchill resigns following a landslide general election defeat. Clement Atlee becomes the new Prime Minister.The Japanese Warships Haruna, Ise, Huyuha and Amagi sunk or damaged by allied air attack at Kure in southern Japan.
You know I was thinking maybe we should start a 'Today in history' thread in each catagory (as the info becomes available) then the members could add bits to each one. The last couple of posts could be moved over to the WWII thread under 'Today in history'.
July 27 1953 After three years of a bloody and frustrating war, the United States, the People's Republic of China, North Korea, and South Korea agree to an armistice, bringing the Korean War to an end. The armistice ended America's first experiment with the Cold War concept of “limited war.”
July 30, 1864 Battle of the CraterOn this day, the Union's ingenious attempt to break the Confederate lines at Petersburg by blowing up a tunnel that had been dug under the Rebel trenches fails. Although the explosion created a gap in the Confederate defenses, a poorly planned Yankee attack wasted the effort and the result was an eight-month continuation of the siege.
July 311975 Jimmy Hoffa vanishesTeamsters Union president Jimmy Hoffa is reported missing in Detroit, Michigan. He was last seen alive in a parking lot outside the Red Fox restaurant the previous afternoon. To this day, Hoffa's fate remains a mystery, although many believe that he was murdered by organized crime figures.
August 1, 1914 WW1 beginsFour days after Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, Germany and Russia declare war against each other, France orders a general mobilization, and the first German army units cross into Luxembourg in preparation for the German invasion of France. During the next three days, Russia, France, Belgium, and Great Britain all lined up against Austria-Hungary and Germany, and the German army invaded Belgium. The "Great War" that ensued was one of unprecedented destruction and loss of life, resulting in the deaths of some 20 million soldiers and civilians.
August 71964 Congress passes Gulf of Tonkin ResolutionThe United States Congress overwhelming approves the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving President Lyndon B. Johnson nearly unlimited powers to oppose "communist aggression" in Southeast Asia. The resolution marked the beginning of an expanded military role for the United States in the Cold War battlefields of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
August 91945 Atomic bomb dropped on NagasakiOn this day in 1945, a second atom bomb is dropped on Japan by the United States, at Nagasaki, resulting finally in Japan's unconditional surrender.
1776 London learns of American independenceOn August 10, 1776, news reaches London that the Americans had drafted the Declaration of Independence.
BERLIN WALL BUILT:August 15, 1961Two days after sealing off free passage between East and West Berlin with barbed wire, East German authorities begin building a wall--the Berlin Wall--to permanently close off access to the West. For the next 28 years, the heavily fortified Berlin Wall stood as the most tangible symbol of the Cold War--a literal "iron curtain" dividing Europe.
August 161977 Elvis Presley diesElvis Presley is found dead at Graceland, his mansion in Memphis. While congestive heart failure was cited as the official cause of death, drug abuse was suspected as a contributing factor.Elvis was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, on Jan. 8, 1935, and moved with his family to Memphis, Tennessee, as a teenager. He worked as a movie theater usher and a truck driver while learning the guitar.
