THE sharemarket started 2013 with a bang as US lawmakers agreed a budget deal to avoid the worst of the so-called fiscal cliff that had threatened to derail the world's biggest economy. The benchmark S&P/ASX 200 closed up 1.2 per cent at a 19-month high of 4705.9, also after better Chinese manufacturing data helped lift commodity … Continue reading Australian stocks surge to 19-month high as US fiscal cliff averted
Tag: United States
December 31 1999 Panama Canal handover
On December 31st 1999, the United States, in accordance with the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, officially handed over control of the Panama Canal, putting the strategic waterway into Panamanian hands for the first time. Crowds of Panamanians celebrated the transfer of the 50-mile canal, which links the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and officially opened when the SS … Continue reading December 31 1999 Panama Canal handover
December 30 2006 Saddam Hussein executed
On December 30th 2006, fallen dictator Saddam Hussein was hanged at dawn, a dramatic end for a leader who ruled Iraq by fear for three decades before a U.S. invasion toppled him. He was then convicted of crimes against humanity. As day broke on one of the holiest days of the Muslim year and the … Continue reading December 30 2006 Saddam Hussein executed
December 29 1890 US Army massacres Indians at Wounded Knee
On December 29th 1890, in the final chapter of America's long Indian wars, the U.S. Cavalry killed 146 Sioux at Wounded Knee, on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota. Throughout 1890, the U.S. government worried about the increasing influence at Pine Ridge of the Ghost Dance spiritual movement, which taught that Indians had been … Continue reading December 29 1890 US Army massacres Indians at Wounded Knee
December 24 1979 Soviet tanks enter Afghanistan
On December 24th 1979, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the Soviet-Afghan Friendship Treaty of 1978. As midnight approached, the Soviets organised a massive military airlift into Kabul, involving an estimated 280 transport aircraft and three divisions of almost 8,500 men each. Within a few days, the Soviets had secured Kabul, … Continue reading December 24 1979 Soviet tanks enter Afghanistan
December 15 1874 Hawaiian King Kalakaua visits USA
On December 15th 1874, Hawaiian King David Kalakaua became the first reigning king to visit the United States. King Kalakaua visited President Ulysses S Grant at the White House. David Kalakau, the last king of Hawaii, was born in Honolulu in 1836. He was the son of a high chief, and was educated at the … Continue reading December 15 1874 Hawaiian King Kalakaua visits USA
December 11 1936 Edward VIII abdicates British throne
On December 11th 1936, after ruling for less than one year, Edward VIII was the first English monarch to freely abdicate the throne. He chose to abdicate after the British government, public, and the Church of England condemned his choice to marry the American divorcée Wallis Warfield Simpson. On the evening of December 11, he … Continue reading December 11 1936 Edward VIII abdicates British throne
December 8 1980: John Lennon murdered
On December 8th 1980, John Lennon, a former member of the Beatles rock group that transformed popular music in the 1960s, was shot and killed by an obsessed fan in New York City. The 40-year-old artist was entering his luxury Manhattan apartment building when Mark David Chapman shot him four times at close range with … Continue reading December 8 1980: John Lennon murdered
December 7 1941: Japan attacks Pearl Harbor
On December 7th 1941, at 7:55 am Hawaii time, a swarm of 360 Japanese war planes appeared out of the clouds above the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. then descended on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in a ferocious assault. The surprise attack struck a critical blow against the U.S. Pacific fleet and … Continue reading December 7 1941: Japan attacks Pearl Harbor
October 29 1929 Stock market crashes
On October 29th 1929, Black Tuesday hit Wall Street when investors traded 16,410,030 shares on the New York Stock Exchange in a single day. Billions of dollars were lost, wiping out thousands of investors, and stock tickers ran hours behind because the machinery could not handle the tremendous volume of trading. In the aftermath of … Continue reading October 29 1929 Stock market crashes
October 22 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis
On October 22nd 1962, in a televised speech of extraordinary gravity, President John F. Kennedy announced that U.S. spy planes had discovered Soviet missile bases in Cuba. These missile sites, under construction but nearing completion, housed medium-range missiles capable of striking a number of major cities in the United States, including Washington, D.C. Kennedy announced … Continue reading October 22 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis
October 9 1992 Meteorite crashes into car in Peekskill, NY
On October 9th 1992, 18-year-old Michelle Knapp was watching television in her parents' living room in Peekskill, New York when she heard a thunderous crash in the driveway. Alarmed, Knapp ran outside to investigate. What she found was startling, to say the least: a sizeable hole in the rear end of her car, an orange … Continue reading October 9 1992 Meteorite crashes into car in Peekskill, NY
October 8 1871 Great Chicago Fire begins
On October 8th 1871, flames sparked in the Chicago barn of Patrick and Catherine O'Leary, igniting a two-day blaze that killed between 200 and 300 people, destroyed 17,450 buildings, left 100,000 homeless and caused an estimated $200 million (in 1871 dollars; over $3 billion in 2012 dollars) in damages. Legend has it that a cow … Continue reading October 8 1871 Great Chicago Fire begins
October 1 1949 Mao Zedong proclaims People’s Republic of China
On October 1st 1949, naming himself head of state, communist revolutionary Mao Zedong officially proclaimed the existence of the People's Republic of China; Zhou Enlai was named premier. The proclamation was the climax of years of battle between Mao's communist forces and the regime of Nationalist Chinese leader Chiang Kai-Shek, who had been supported with … Continue reading October 1 1949 Mao Zedong proclaims People’s Republic of China
September 25 2005 IRA officially disarms
On September 25th 2005, two months after announcing its intention to disarm, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) gave up its weapons in front of independent weapons inspectors. The decommissioning of the group's substantial arsenal took place in secret locations in the Republic of Ireland. One Protestant and one Catholic priest as well as officials from … Continue reading September 25 2005 IRA officially disarms
September 23 1994 The Shawshank Redemption debuts
On September 23rd 1994, The Shawshank Redemption, starring Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins, opened in theatres around the United States. Based on a short story titled “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption,” by the best-selling author Stephen King, the movie followed the story of a man named Andy Dufresne (Robbins) who is sentenced to life … Continue reading September 23 1994 The Shawshank Redemption debuts
September 19 1957 Nevada is site of first ever underground nuclear explosion
On September 19th 1957, the United States detonated a 1.7 kiloton nuclear weapon in an underground tunnel at the Nevada Test Site (NTS), a 1,375 square mile research centre located 65 miles north of Las Vegas. The test, known as Rainier, was the first fully contained underground detonation and produced no radioactive fallout. A modified … Continue reading September 19 1957 Nevada is site of first ever underground nuclear explosion
September 18 1973 Jimmy Carter files report on UFO sighting
On September 18th 1973, future President Jimmy Carter filed a report with the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP), claiming he had seen an Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) in October 1969. During the presidential campaign of 1976, Democratic challenger Carter was forthcoming about his belief that he had seen a UFO. He described waiting … Continue reading September 18 1973 Jimmy Carter files report on UFO sighting
September 12 1953 John F. Kennedy marries Jacqueline Bouvier
On September 12th 1953, Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy, the future 35th president of the United States, married Jacqueline Bouvier in Newport, Rhode Island. Seven years later, the couple would become the youngest president and first lady in American history. Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy was born into a prominent New York family in 1929 and grew … Continue reading September 12 1953 John F. Kennedy marries Jacqueline Bouvier
September 11 2001 Attack on America
On September 11 2001, at 8:45 a.m. on a clear Tuesday morning, an American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Centre in New York City. The impact left a gaping, burning hole near the 80th floor of the 110-story skyscraper, instantly killing … Continue reading September 11 2001 Attack on America
September 8 1664 New Amsterdam becomes New York
On September 8th 1664, Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant surrendered New Amsterdam, the capital of New Netherland, to an English naval squadron under Colonel Richard Nicolls. Stuyvesant had hoped to resist the English, but he was an unpopular ruler, and his Dutch subjects refused to rally around him. Following its capture, New Amsterdam's name was changed … Continue reading September 8 1664 New Amsterdam becomes New York
September 4 2002 Kelly Clarkson wins first American Idol
On September 4th 2002, Kelly Clarkson, a 20-year-old cocktail waitress from Texas, won Season One of American Idol in a live television broadcast from Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre. Clarkson came out on top in the amateur singing contest over 23-year-old runner-up Justin Guarini after millions of viewers cast their votes for her by phone. She was … Continue reading September 4 2002 Kelly Clarkson wins first American Idol
August 29 2005 Hurricane Katrina slams into Gulf Coast
On August 29th 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana, as a Category 4 hurricane. Despite being only the third most powerful storm of the 2005 hurricane season, Katrina was the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States. After briefly coming ashore in southern Florida on August 25 as a … Continue reading August 29 2005 Hurricane Katrina slams into Gulf Coast
August 14 1994 Terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal is captured
On August 14th 1994, terrorist Illich Ramirez Sanchez, long known as Carlos the Jackal, was captured in Khartoum, Sudan, by French intelligence agents. Since there was no extradition treaty with Sudan, the French agents sedated and kidnapped Carlos. The Sudanese government, claiming that it had assisted in the arrest, requested that the United States remove … Continue reading August 14 1994 Terrorist known as Carlos the Jackal is captured
August 13 1926 Fidel Castro born
On August 13th 1926, Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro was born in the Oriente province of eastern Cuba. The son of a Spanish immigrant who had made a fortune building rail systems to transport sugar cane, Fidel attended Roman Catholic boarding schools in Santiago de Cuba. He became involved in revolutionary politics while he was a … Continue reading August 13 1926 Fidel Castro born
Craig Hill 