September 27th

On this day – 27th September 1968 - The musical Hair opened 

Hair opened in the Shaftesbury Theatre and ran for a staggering 1997 performances until the roof of the theatre collapsed in 1973. The musical was delayed until the Theatres act was enforced so the show could include nudity and profanity. It was one of the first rock musical and it is said that it has defined the genre. Since it depicted use of illegal drugs, showed sexuality, showed nudity and had profanity it caused  much controversy in its time. In Bergen ,Norway, locals gathered to form a human barricade to try to prevent the performance. Hair is still relevant today and has been revived several times.

September 25th

On this day – 25th September 1972 – Rejected Norway EU membership through a referendum 

Norway had been considering to join the European Union (then called European Community) previously as well, but their application had been denied. In 1972, however, had the main terms for Norway’s membership been negotiated and only a yes from the population stood between Norway’s membership in EU. However, the no side won the referendum with a 53.3 percent and Norway withdrew their application. The same happened in 1994, and Norway have still not joined the EU.

September 24th

On this day – September 24th 1957 – The stadium Camp Neu was opened

Camp Neu in Spain was officially opened in 1957. The building if the stadium started in March 1954 and it took 3 years to build it. The building of the stadium ended up going 336 % over budget. It was built as, and is today the stadium for the football team FC Barcelona. Barcelona defeated Legia Warsaw 4-2 in the first match played in the new stadium. The stadium seats 99,354, which makes it Europe’s largest.

September 23rd

On this day – 23rd of September 2002 – Firefox was launched! 

Firefox, a free and open- source web-browser was first created in September 2002 under the name “Phoenix”. The web browser had to change its name due to trademark issues, and it was first renamed firebird. This name also had to be changed due to criticism from the “Firebird Software Project”. In November 2004 was Mozilla Firefox 1.0 released. Firefox had a desk browser share of 17 percent in June 2015. http://gs.statcounter.com/#desktop-browser-ww-monthly-201208-201507

September 22

On this day – 22nd September 1980 –  The start of the Iran-Iraq war

The war between the two countries started in 1980 when Iran attacked Iraq. Although Iran was the first to attack spent this nation most of the time of the war on the offence. In terms of hoe the war was fought was this very similar to WW1. No-man’s land, trench warfare and barbed wire was common where the fighting took place. The war lasted until 1988, which made it into the 20th century longest lasting conventional war. The outcome of the war was around a half million dead soldiers, but no change in borders and no repayment to either of the countries. Iraq was not identified by U.N. as the aggressor of the war until 1991.

September 21st

On this day – 21st of September 1999 – The 921 earthquake in Taiwan

The earthquake happened near the town of Jiji and was the second most deadly in Taiwans history. With 2415 people killed and 11305 injured the earthquake caused material damages estimated to 10 billion US dollars. The earthquake measured  7.3 on the richter scale and there are records of 12,911 after quakes in the months following the main tremor. One of the aftershocks measured 6.8 on the richter scale and causing more damages and three more lives were lost. The quake is now ingrained in Taiwanese history and is referred to as the 921 earthquake.

September 20th

On this day – 20th of September 1946 – The first Cannes Film Festival was held

The film festival is one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world. It is held annually, usually in May, in Cannes in France. The history of the festival goes back to 1938 when an international Cinematographer festival was set up, but the Cannes Film festival as it is known today was created in 1946. Since 1955 have the winners received the “Palme d’Or”, or the golden palm (Although this was called Grand Prix du Festival between 1964 and 1974). The first to receive this award  was Delbert Mann for “Marty” from USA.

September 19th

On this day – September 19th 1692 –Giles Corey tortured to death in the Salem Witch Trials

The Salem witch trials was a series of prosecutions and executions for Witchery around the Salem are in Massachusetts, US. A total of 20 people were executed, and one of those was Giles Corey. He was accused together with his wife for witchcraft, which he testified against an allegedly accused of witchery. In his own trial refused Corey to plead guilty or not guilty. To get him to plead was he laid under an increasing load of heavy rocks, known as Peine forte et dure. He died of this torture on the 19th of September 1962 after surviving two days of this torture.

September 18th

On this day – 18th of September 2014 – Scottish referendum

Scotland became an independent country during the middle ages, but it entered a union with England in 1707. Since then have Scotland been a part of The United Kingdom, but it has kept its independent culture. On this day, last year, voted Scotland on independence. 55 percent, against 45 voted no to independence and the union between England and Scotland continued. The night after the referendum met hundreds of “unionists” in Glasgow to a rather violent celebration. Interestingly enough became the Scottish National Party the third largest in the 2015 UK general election. Will Scotland push for a new referendum in the future, in particular after the Brexit vote this summer?

September 17th

On this day -17th of September 1787 – The American constitution was signed 

The American constitution was signed in Philadelphia in 1787 and ratified the year after. The drafting of the constitution had begun in May the same year. Several months was spent on discussion the issues and by the end was none of the delegates happy with the whole constitution. The final draft was presented to the delegates on September 12th and the final meeting, with the signing of the constitution was held on September 17th. The constitution has sine been amended several times. Well-known amendments includes abolition of slavery and extensions of voting rights. The American constitution is both the shortest and the oldest constitution still in use. “We the people” is possible also the best-known fraise of any constitution.

A copy of the original constitution can be found at http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_zoom_1.html

September 16th

On this day – 16th of September 1920 –The Wall Street bombing happened

Terrorism is not a new phenomenon and on September 16th in 1920 was Wall Street an offer for an attack. A bomb went off outside Wall Street, killing 38 people. Another 140 people were injured in the attack, making it the deadliest terrorist attack up to that point. No one was charged for the attack, but Italian anarchist or communists was thought to be the most likely suspect at the time.

September 15th

On this day – 15th of September 1935 – Was the Nuremberg Laws implemented in Germany

The Nuremberg laws were a set of racist laws against Jews in German, which were institutionalized at the Nazi-party’s rally in Nuremberg on September 15th. The laws excluded Jews from citizenship and it forbid Jews to marry non-Jews.  The definition of Jew in those laws were a person who had three or four Jewish grandparents. This essentially meant that practice of the religion had no significant of whether a person was defined as jewish or not. The laws were written in just two days, based on several previous drafts and ideas, and just like that was racism a part of Germanys laws.

September 14th

On this day – 14th of September 1985 - The first episode of “The Golden Girls” aired.

The Golden Girls was an American sitcom that ran on TV from 14th of September 1985 to May 1992. The show was about four older women who shared a home in Florida. The TV show received several awards, among other three Golden Globe awards. The series ended after seven seasons, when one of the main actors, Bea Arthur, chose to leave the show. 22.7 million viewers watched the final episode. Betty White is the only one of the four main actors who are still alive today.

September 13th

On this day – 13 September 1916 – Roald Dahl was born

Today it is 100 years since the famous author Roald Dahl was born. He wrote several famous books, but is probably best known for his children’s stories. His most famous children books includes Charlie and the chocolate factory, Matilda, the BFG, Witches, The fantastic Mr Fox and George’s marvellous medicine. Several of his books are made into movies the latest was The Big Friendly Giant directed by Steven Spielberg that came out this summer.

Roald Dahl was born in Wales by Norwegian parents and he is named after the polar explorer, Roald Amundsen. His childhood is described in his novel “Boy: Tales of Childhood”, where many of the inspirations for his later books are explained. He participated in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. His first published work was "a piece of cake" in 1942 about his wartime experiences. Dahl married Patricial Neal in 1953 and they had five children together. On the 23 of November 1990 died Roald Dahl of leukaemia, but his stories are still read by children and grownup alike, all around the world. Personally he was a huge part of my own childhood and I still love his books!

My favourite books are Charlie and the chocolate factory and Matilda. What is yours? 

September 12th

On this day – 12th of September 490 BC - The Battle of Marathon

The battle of Marathon was fought between the Greek and the Persian empires. It was a part of the first attempt to subjugate Greece by Persian troops. The Greek troops defeated the much larger Persian troop, and the battle was a turningpoint in the Greek-Persian wars. The battle has played a role in todays society as well, because this battle gave the name and the distance for today’s Marathon. Ever wondered why a Marathon is 42km (26 miles)? The Greek soldier, Pheildippides was allegedly sent from the battlefield to Athens with news of the Greek victory. He arrived in Athens, exclaimed, “We have won” and died. The accuracy of this is highly debated, but already in the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896, was Marathon included as a competition.

September 11th

On this day – 11th of September 2012 - over 200 workers were killed in factory fires.

For many people will 9/11 always be he day of the terror attacks in New York. However, this is not the only tragedy to have happen on this date. 11th of September is also the date when the fires in the garment factories in Bangladesh started, although a few years later. The first of the Bangladesh fires started in a small shoe factory north in the country. Just hours later started a second fire – this time in a much larger factory where workers ended up being trapped in the basement of the building with no way to escape. Over 200 workers were killed in the two fires.

Sepember 10th

On this day - September 10th 1977 - The last execution by guillotine in France

The guillotine has a long history in France. Most people probably associate its use with the French Revolution and the "Regin of Terror" where thousand of people was executed this way. However, the use of the guillotine continued in France until this day in 1977. Hamida Djandoubi was the last to be executed by the guillotine, and he was also the last person to be executed in western Europe. Djandoubi was sentenced to death for the torture and murder of 21 year old Elisabeth Bousquet in France.

The Guillotine has a long history in France

 

September 9th

On this day – 9th of September – 1513 - Lost the scots at the Battle of Flodden 

The kingdom of England and The kingdom of Scotland was constantly in conflicts around the  13th and 14th century. The Battle of Flodden was one of the larger conflicts. Scotland, led by James IV decided to try to invade England, and on the 9th of September met the two countries troops in Northumberland, north in England. James IV was killed during the battle and the scots led a devastating loss. Somewhere around 5000 and 12000 scots died during the battle. This was not the last time Scotland and England fought against each other.  Other remarkable losses by Scotland includes the Battle at Culloden in 1746 and the more peaceful referendum last year.

September 8th

On this day - 8th of September 1974 -Richard Nixon  was pardoned for his involvement in the Watergate scandal

The Watergate scandal was a political scandal where the administration of president Nixon was caught surveilling offices of political opponents.  The Nixon administration then tried to cover up both what was done and their involvement. When the scandal was uncovered it caused major problems and Nixon was nearly impeached. In the face of impeachment Nixon resigned as the president of the US on August 9th 1974. After the new administration came to office Gerald Ford, the new president, pardoned Richard Nixon on September 8th. The scandal is named after the Watergate complex in which the scandal was uncovered. Watergate has since become a synonym with political scandals.

September 7th

On this day - September 7th 1978 - Bulgarian dissident, Markov, was killed with an Umbrella

Georgi Markov was a writer from Bulgaria who escaped and moved to London during the communist regime in his home country. After he left Bulgaria in 1969 worked he as a reporter for BBC, and the assassination might have been a plot between KGB (Soviet secret police) and Bulgarian government to keep him quiet. Markov was waiting for the bus on the Waterloo bridge in London when he felt a sting in his thigh. A man with an umbrella had left the area in a taxy shortly after. Markov was left with what looked like a pimple, but he died four days later from ricin poisoning (also known from breaking bad). A small pellet with ricin had probably been shot from the tip of the umbrella, and the assassination have later been nicknamed the “umbrella killing”. The prime suspect, Gullino, is still alive, and no one has been charged for the murder.

September 6th

On this day – 6th of September 1991 -  Leningrad was renamed Saint Petersburg

In 1991 was the second largest city in Russia renamed St. Petersburg. The city held the name Petrograd between 1914 and 1924. The reason for this first name change was to eliminate the German words Sankt and Burg. In 1924 was the name changed to Leningrad in honour of Lenins death. In 1991 with the fall of the Soviet Union was the city given back its old name, Saint Petersburg. The city was original named after its founder, Tsar Peter the Great, in 1703 and the city functioned as the capital of Russia between 1713 and 1728.

September 5th

On this day – 5th of September 1972 – The  Munich Massacre

In 19772 hosted the German city Munich the XX Olympic summer games. In the  second week of hosting, on September 5th, was 11 Israeli Olympic participants taken as hostages by a Palestinian group known as “Black September”. The five hostage-takers had entered the participant’s village during the night, and although several of the Israel weightlifters put up a fight, they did not stand a chance against the AKM rifles. The hostage-takers demanded the liberation of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Israel refused. Sadly, all 11 hostages, five of their hostage-takers and one German police officer were all killed in the days the hostage situation lasted and the rescue attempt which ended the conflict.

By High Contrast - Own work, CC BY 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19948068

September 4th

On this day – 4th of September 1781 - The city of Los Angeles was founded

Los Angeles was first founded as “El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora La Reina de los Ángeles de Porciúncula” by a group of 44 Spanish settlers in 1781. The name means "The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of the Porciúncula River" in English. The area continued to be relatively small Spanish city for the years followin this Spanish settlement and in 1820 was the population only around 650 people. New Spain becme independent from the Spanish empire in 1821 and the city became a part of Mexico. It was not until 1847 that it became a part of the US. The city is today today the second largest in the US and it is known for its Hollywood sign, its movie industry and "th walk of fame". 

September 4th

On this day – 4th of September 1998 – Google was founded as a privately owned company 

Google, The technological firm, most known for their search engines, were founded as a privately owned company on the 4th of September in 1998. Two Ph.D. students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, at Stanford University, founded the firm together. Google.com had been registered as a domain a year earlier, but it was on this day, in 1998, that the company was registered as a company. Imaging how our computer would would have been different without google today? 

September 3d

On this day – 3. September – 1967 changed Sweden from left to right hand driving

Sweden, as a lone country in mainland Europe, drove on the left side of the road until the 3. of September 1967. A few years later had Sweden held a referendum on whether or not the wanted to change which side of the road they were driving on. A huge majority had voted against changing, but the government decided against the referendum, and at 5 in the morning was the new regulations implemented. Malta, Great Britain, Ireland, North Ireland and the Canary Islands are the only European countries which today drives on the left side of the road.

September 2

On this day – 2. September 1666 - The great fire of London 

The fire started on the 2. of September 1666 and lasted for three days, until the 5th of September. The fire started in a bakery and a French watchmaker was later hanged for starting the fire (although it was later proved that he had not been in the city when the fire started and thus could not be responsible for it). The fire ruined the medieval parts of London and around 13.000 houses were burned to the ground in the few devastating days the fire lasted. Around 70.000 people (out of the 80.000 who lived in central London) were affected by the fire, but only a few people were registered as deseased in the fire. However, no one really knows how many people died from the fires, since the deats of those in the lower classes were not registered.  

London a few years before the fire

September 1st

On this day – 1st of September – 1939 – The start of the Second World War. 

The first of September 1939 is considered the start of the Second World War. On this day invaded the German forces Poland. This was the last straw for Great Britain and France, which declared war against Germany two days later. On the 17th of September joined USSR (Soviet Russia) in on the campaign in Poland, due to a secret agreement between the foreign ministers of each country. The war campaign by Germany and USSR in Poland ended on October 6th, when the two countries divided and annexed Poland between themselves.