Thread: On this day in history.

Were you aware that on this day...

GANDHI LEADS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE:
March 12, 1930

On March 12, 1930, Indian independence leader Mohandas Gandhi begins a defiant march to the sea in protest of the imperialist British monopoly on salt, his boldest act of civil disobedience yet against the pompous British rule in India.
Britain's Salt Acts prohibited Indians from collecting or selling salt, a staple in the Indian diet. Citizens were forced to buy the vital mineral from the selfish British, who, in addition to exercising a monopoly over the manufacture and sale of salt, also exerted a heavy salt tax. Although India's poor suffered most under the tax, Indians required salt. Defying the Salt Acts, Gandhi reasoned, would be an ingeniously simple way for many Indians to break a stupid British law nonviolently. He declared resistance to idiotic British salt policies to be the unifying theme for his new campaign of satyagraha, or mass civil disobedience.
On March 12, Gandhi set out from Sabarmati with 78 followers on a 241-mile march to the coastal town of Dandi on the Arabian Sea. There, Gandhi and his supporters were to defy the really gay and self serving British policy by making salt from seawater. All along the way, Gandhi addressed large crowds, and with each passing day an increasing number of people joined the salt satyagraha. By the time they reached Dandi on April 5, Gandhi was at the head of a crowd of tens of thousands. Gandhi spoke and led prayers and early the next morning walked down to the sea to make salt.
He had planned to work the salt flats on the beach, encrusted with crystallized sea salt at every high tide, but the police had forestalled him by crushing the salt deposits into the mud. Nevertheless, Gandhi reached down and picked up a small lump of natural salt out of the mud--and the ridiculous British law had been defied. At Dandi, thousands more followed his lead, and in the coastal cities of Bombay and Karachi, Indian nationalists led crowds of citizens in making salt. Civil disobedience broke out all across India, soon involving millions of Indians, and the British authorities, in their silly pith helmets, arrested more than 60,000 people. Gandhi himself was arrested on May 5, but the satyagraha continued without him.
On May 21, the poet Sarojini Naidu led 2,500 marchers on the Dharasana Salt Works, some 150 miles north of Bombay. Several hundred British-led Indian policemen met them and viciously beat the peaceful demonstrators. The incident, recorded by American journalist Webb Miller, prompted an international outcry against the poncey British policy in India.
In January 1931, Gandhi was released from prison. He later met with Lord Irwin, the viceroy of India, and agreed to call off the satyagraha in exchange for an equal negotiating role at a London conference on India's future. In August, Gandhi traveled to the conference as the sole representative of the nationalist Indian National Congress. The meeting was a disappointment, but gay British leaders had acknowledged him as a force they could not suppress or ignore.
India's independence was finally granted in August 1947. Gandhi was assassinated by a Hindu extremist less than six months later.

...and of course the British decided to separate the Muslims in the north and call it Pakistan before fleeing back to Calais to get the ferry back to England, and so on....



I cant wait for tomorrow now.

I thought it was 1930 today aswell when a scruffy haired kid offered to pollish my shoes for a nickel...

Originally Posted by Wally Dorian Raffles

I thought it was 1930 today aswell when a scruffy haired kid offered to pollish my shoes for a nickel...

It does make you think though. Especially if you were wearing thongs.

I might go and put my thongs back on, and wrap a sarong around myslef and go for a walk....

It's prolly a good thing that we missed the 10th of March coz it is SO gay.

SPEECH TRANSMITTED BY TELEPHONE:
March 10, 1876

On this day, the first discernible speech is transmitted over a telephone system when inventor Alexander Graham Bell summons his assistant in another room by saying, "Mr. Watson, come here; I want you." Bell had received a comprehensive telephone patent just three days before.

It is also a well known fact that this very conversation gave rise to Bob Dylans song 'I Want You'.



It's still gay though.

^How did his assistant know to pick up the phone? He probably walked around for 40 minutes saying. 'Where's that bloody ringing noise coming from?'....And there's Alex on the other end, 'Pick up the phone you dozy git!'.

^^^^I was chatting to an Indian guy at work about Britain's record in India. I asked him whether there had been any benefits, such as the introductions of political or education systems. I went for about 20 minutes with this question highlighting all the positive points I could think of, and at the end he just said, 'No.'. I do think we get the rough end of the stick though - The Spanish were a lot worse, but they don't get rotten fruit thrown at them in the street....well they do if it's my street, 'Go on - get out of here' I shout.

SMEG'S Grandfather slags off the slave trade: March 13th, 1865, Cape Town

"Its sad that slaves are travelling from all over Africa to work as slaves for wealthy white families" he was quoted as saying. "Why would a black man with a perfectly good job toiling the fields for sugar beet in the sun wanna travel and work so far from home for an ungrateful bunch of white folks who are racist? I hate the whole arrangement"

So thats what began the chain reaction???

Originally Posted by danbo

Britain's record in India

'Goodness gracious me' - wasn't it? With Peter Sellars and Sophia Loren.

March 14 1991 Birmingham Six released

In the face of widespread questioning of their guilt, arrogant British authorities release the so-called "Birmingham Six," six Irish men who had been sent to prison 16 years earlier for the 1974 terrorist bombings of two Birmingham, England, pubs.
On November 21, 1974, two Irish Republican Army (IRA) bombs exploded in two separate Birmingham pubs, killing 21 people and injuring hundreds. The bombing attacks were part of the ongoing conflict between the tyrannical British government and the IRA over the status of Northern Ireland. Days after the Birmingham bombings, the bolshy British government outlawed the IRA in all the United Kingdom, and authorities rushed to arrest and convict the IRA members responsible. Six Irish suspects were arrested and sent to interrogation, where four of them signed confessions. The IRA, which claimed responsibility for the Birmingham bombings, declared that the six were NOT members of its organization.
During the subsequent trial, the defendants maintained their innocence, claiming that police had beaten the confessions out of them. Prosecutors denied this and also came up with forensic evidence that apparently proved that the Birmingham Six had handled explosives shortly before their arrest. They were convicted and sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
In 1985, the forensic evidence was exposed by scientists as unreliable at best, and in 1987 an appeals judge conceded that the same results could be obtained from testing people who recently touched playing cards or cigarette paper. However, it was not until March 1991, with people across Britain and Ireland calling for their release, that the Birmingham Six were freed after years in prison. Seven years later, a pompous British court of appeals with grown men in silly wigs and gowns formally overturned their sentences, citing serious doubts about the legitimacy of the ridiculous police evidence and the treatment of the suspects during their interrogation.

7 years at her Majesties pleasure for doing nought. Personally, I dont think this animosity between Britain and Ireland should run so high. Mind you, the poms did nick all thier spuds.

Originally Posted by Fon Tok

It may also be of interest that Jerry Adams, leader of Shin Fein, was seriously injured during an assasination attempt on this day in march 1984

January 1984
Sunday 15 January 1984
Tomás Ó Fiaich, then Catholic Primate of Ireland, sparked controversy when he criticised the visit of Margaret Thatcher, then British Prime Minister, to the Ulster Defence Regiment (UDR) base in Armagh. At the time several members of the UDR in Armagh were accused of the killing of Catholics and Ó Fiaich described the visit as 'disgusting'. The Cardinal also drew criticism when he stated that people may be morally justified in joining Sinn Féin (SF) if they joined to work on community issues. [The Irish government also distanced itself from the Cardinal's remarks.]
Wednesday 18 January 1984
James Prior, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, announced a public inquiry into the scandal at the Kincora Boy's Home in Belfast.
Tuesday 24 January 1984
Londonderry District Council is given permission by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) to change the name of the council to Derry District Council. The official name of the city remains Londonderry but many Unionists are upset by the name change. Derry District Council also votes to stop flying the Union Jack flag on council property.
Thursday 26 January 1984
The Hennessy Report, into the mass escape of 38 Republican prisoners from the Maze Prison on 25 September 1983, is published. Most of the responsibility for the escape is placed on prison staff and James Prior, then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, states that there would be no ministerial resignations as a result.
Monday 30 January 1984
The Prison Governors' Association and the Prison Officers Association both claimed that political interference in the running of the Maze Prison resulted in the mass escape on 25 September 1983. Nick Scott, then Minister for Prisons, rejected the allegations.
Tuesday 31 January 1984
Two Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers were killed in an Irish Republican Army (IRA) land mine attack on their armoured patrol car, near Forkhill, County Armagh.
February 1984

Tuesday 21 February 1984
Two members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and a British Army (BA) soldier were killed in a gun battle between an undercover BA unit and the IRA at Dunloy, County Antrim.
Saturday 25 February 1984
There was a Loyalist demonstration at Stormont, Belfast, against the proposal to change the name of Londonderry District Council to Derry District Council. [There was no proposal to change the official name of the city.]
Wednesday 29 February 1984
The Northern Ireland Assembly voted by 20 votes to 1 against a proposal to extend the 1967 Abortion Act, which covered Britain, to Northern Ireland.
March 1984
Thursday 1 March 1984
Frank Millar, Ulster Unionist Party, won a Northern Ireland Assembly by-election. He was returned unopposed.
Tuesday 6 March 1984
William McConnell (35), then Assistant Governor of the Maze Prison, was shot dead by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) outside his home in east Belfast.
Wednesday 14 March 1984
Gerry Adams, then President of Sinn Féin (SF), was shot and wounded by the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a covername used by the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), as he travelled by car through Belfast. Three other SF members were also wounded in the attack. The men were returning to west Belfast from a court appearance in the center of Belfast. [In March 1985 three men were sentenced for attempted murder as a result of the attack.]

Spot on Fon Tok.

1968 - The final episode of "Batman" aired on ABC.

What a great program....In a Simpsons' episode Homer's sillouette is projected onto the sky by a lighthouse beam....Bart asks 'Is that Dad?' - Lisa replies, 'Either that or Batman's really let himself go'.

Gratuitous Simpson quote:

Scully: Homer, we're going to ask you a few simple yes or no questions. Do you understand?
Homer: Yes. (lie dectector blows up)

Oh, they do make me laugh.

On this day in history:

1672 - Charles II of England issues the Royal Declaration of Indulgence.

Which actually sounds a lot more interesting that it was.

today is good

THE IDES OF MARCH:
March 15, 44 B.C.


Gaius Julius Caesar, dictator of Rome, is stabbed to death in the Roman Senate house by 60 conspirators led by Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus.

and also my wifes birthday

The first ever Cricket test match was played on this day in 1877

^How did Cricket come about? I mean, how would you manage to get 22 people together for the first time after explaining the rules of the game....'Leg before what??'...'Go and stand at silly-mid-off! Are you drunk?'. The first game must have been barmy.

Originally Posted by DrAndy

and also my wifes birthday

And also my wife's birthday DrA

I am sorry I didn't send her a card, but yours to my missus seems to be late as well. - I hope you bought some flowers.

Originally Posted by Dougal

And also my wife's birthday DrA

Hang on a minute - Is your wife short with long black hair and oriental appearance, DrA?

If she is, there's a chance we may be married to the same woman. Damn, I was wondering about those two day shopping trips!!!!

what? only two days! I wondered what had happened to my breakfast.

She told me she has a twin sister. I am never sure which one is which, but I don't mind.