November 7th

On this day – 7th November 1520 – The start of Stockholm Bloodbath 

Stockholm Bloodbath lasted from the 7th to the 10th of November in 1520. The bloodbath began after Denmark, under King Christian II, successfully invaded Sweden. Christian II was crowned as the king of Sweden on November 4th. The invasion was a part of a larger dispute over Swedish membership in the “Kalmar Union” between the Scandinavian countries. Around 80 people were executed between the 7th and the 10th of November, most of them where from the clergy and the nobility in Sweden. They were executed although they had been promised a general amnesty from King Christian II, and most of the nobility had been imprisoned during a conference at the royal palace. Most of the executed were hanged, although some were beheaded as a punishment instead of. The Stockholm Bloodbath led to a revolt cumulating in the Swedish War of Liberation where Sweden again gained its independence.

November 3

On this day – November 3, 1957 – Sputnik2, with the dog Laika, was launched into orbit

Sputnik 2 was launched by the Soviet Union almost a month after Sputnik 1. Sputnik 2 is most famous because it contained a dog, Laika, who thereby became the first animal to enter the earth’s orbit. The spacecraft also contained a radio transmitter, a programming unit and a temperature-control system. Laika was a 6kg large dog of unknown breed. She had been selected out of 10 other possible dogs. Her compartment in the spacecraft was large enough for her to bot lie down and stand, and it was fitted with food and water. Sadly, Laika only survived a few hours in the spacecraft due to overheating. The spacecraft orbited the earth for 162 days. 

November 2

On this day –2. November 1936 – BBC launched the first regular high-resolution TV service 

BBC, The British Broadcasting Company, launched BBC Television Service in 1936. It was renamed to BBC TV in 1960 and to BBC1 in 1964. The channel used high definition (defined as over 200-line at the time) systems to broadcast, while impressive for that time it is not high definition by todays standards . BBC broadcasted Monday through Saturday every week from 15.00-16.00 and from 21.00-22.00. The channel is still in use today, but it was taken down between 1939 and 1946 due to concerns that the Germans could use the transmitters. BBC is funded through television licence and it is one of the most watched channel in UK today. Famous shows created by and aired on BBC1 includes Doctor Who, Spooks, Jane Eyre and East Enders

14" television set from 1958 

November 1st

On this day – November 1st 1993 – EU was created (The Maastricht Treaty became effective)

The Treaty on European Union, commonly known as the Maastricht Treaty, was created with the goal of integrating Europe. It was based on the European Economic Community. The treaty had been signed already in February in 1992, but it became effective on November 1st in 1993. The treaty created the European Union and its structure of three pillars (European Community, Common Foreign and Security Policy and Justice and Home affairs). The treaty also led to the introduction of the common currency, the Euro, a few years later. 

Ratification of the treaty became complicated in three countries. Denmark had to add four exceptions before its citizens voted yes in a second referendum. In France the treaty was only narrowly supported. The treaty also created political disagreement in United Kingdom, who are now about to leave the union after a referendum.