# Today in History **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [July 10, 2016, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530 "2016-07-10T04:53:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 126
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2024, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/2505 "2024-06-18T17:50:11Z")
Today is the 109th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, which finally ended the Napoleonic Wars. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2024, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/2506 "2024-12-06T16:19:46Z")
The Halifax explosion occurred on December 6, 1917. Two ships collided in Halifax Harbour. One was loaded with explosives en route to France. As set out in the Wikipedia article on largest explosions: > On 6 December 1917, [SS _Imo_](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Imo) and [SS _Mont-Blanc_](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Mont-Blanc) collided in the [harbour](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax_Harbour) of [Halifax, Nova Scotia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halifax,_Nova_Scotia). _Mont-Blanc_ carried 2,653 tonnes of various explosives, mostly [picric acid](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picric_acid). After the collision the ship caught fire, drifted into town, and exploded. The explosion killed 1,950 people and destroyed much of Halifax. An evaluation of the explosion’s force puts it at 2.9 [kilotons of TNT](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/TNT_equivalent) (12 [TJ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terajoule)).[[31]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Largest_artificial_non-nuclear_explosions#cite_note-ExplosionsBombsBumps-31) Halifax historian Jay White in 1994 concluded: “Halifax Harbour remains unchallenged in overall magnitude as long as five criteria are considered together: number of casualties, force of blast, radius of devastation, quantity of explosive material, and total value of property destroyed.”[[32]](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Largest_artificial_non-nuclear_explosions#cite_note-32) One hero of the day was Vince Coleman, a train dispatcher and telegraph operator with the Intercolonial Railway. When it became apparent that an explosion was imminent, his co-workers fled the rail station. He was about to leave as well when he realised that there was an inbound train that would arrive shortly. He stayed at his post and sent a telegram up line, warning of the danger: > “Hold up the train. Ammunition ship afire in harbor making for Pier 6 and will explode. Guess this will be my last message. Good-bye boys." The train was stopped and about 300 lives saved. The warning was also the first news that got out of the explosion, aiding quick organization of rescue efforts. Coleman died. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2024, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/2507 "2024-12-11T19:30:19Z")
The Statute of Westminster, 1931, received royal assent in the UK on December 11, 1931. The Statute recognised the full autonomy of the then-six British Dominions: Australia, Canada, Irish Free State, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and Union of South Africa. The Statute came into force immediately for Canada, Irish Free State and Union of South Africa. Australia brought it into force in 1942 (backdated to September 3, 1939 as part of a war measure), while New Zealand brought it into force in 1947. Newfoundland never brought the Statute into force, because it went bankrupt two years after the Statute was passed and surrendered its self-government to Britain. The Statute did not apply to Newfoundland until it joined Confederation in 1949, as a province of Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/2508 "2024-12-15T08:37:03Z")
The Battle of St Eustache occurred on December 14, 1837, at St Eustsche , Lower Canada (now Quebec). It was the final battle of the 1837 Lower Canada Rebellion. British regular troops and Lower Canada militia defeated a group of poorly armed Lower Canada _Patriotes_. The government troops lost 3 soldiers killed in action, while approximately 70 _Patriotes_ were killed. The British troops were led by Sir John Colborne, a veteran of the Peninsular War and Waterloo. The British troops engaged in severe reprisals after the battle, burning various villages and homes of _Patriote_ leaders. Several _Patrotes_ were exiled to Sydney, New South Wales, where the suburb of Canada Bay was named after them. The cannon marks on the church of St Eustache, the final holdout of the _Patrotes_ during the battle, are still there. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2024, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/2509 "2024-12-21T03:17:44Z")
The Pan Am 747, _Clipper Maid of the Seas_, travelling the Frankfurt to New York route, was destroyed by a bomb while over Lockerbie, Scotland. 270 people died: 359 aboard the flight, and 11 on the ground. (Personal note: I was flying Pan Am, Frankfurt to NY, the next day, returning from a wedding in New Delhi. It was a rather tense flight.) ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/2510 "2025-01-03T14:20:53Z")
January 3, 1892: J R R Tolkien born in Bloemfontein, Orange Free State ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2025, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/2511 "2025-01-11T05:18:48Z")
January 11, 1973 The American League adopted the designated hitter rule. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2025, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/2512 "2025-01-13T17:01:42Z")
January 13, 2012 — the Costa Concordia grounding ---
**Author:** ![OldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3bc359/32.png) [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2025, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/2513 "2025-01-15T20:50:28Z")
January 15, 1919 The Great Molasses Flood in Boston. 21 dies. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2025, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/2514 "2025-01-17T02:36:30Z")
**January 16, 1809** : Lt Gen Sir John Moore dies of his wounds at the Battle of Corunna, a port on the north-western coast of Spain, and was hastily buried there. Corunna was a rearguard action fought by the British Army against General Soult and the French Army. The British succeeded in holding off the French long enough to escape via the ships of the Royal Navy. Moore’s success and death inspired the poem “The Burial of Sir John Moore after Corunna”. The first and last verses are: > [@](#): > > Not a drum was heard, not a funeral note, > As his corse to the rampart we hurried; > Not a soldier discharged his farewell shot > O’er the grave where our hero we buried. > … > Slowly and sadly we laid him down, > From the field of his fame fresh and gory; > We carved not a line, and we raised not a stone, > But we left him alone with his glory. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2025, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/2515 "2025-04-02T05:03:30Z")
At midnight March 31 / April 1, 1949, Newfoundland ceased to be an independent country and became Canada’s 10th province. Some Newfoundlanders still insist it was a bad April Fools joke by Britain and Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/2516 "2025-04-03T12:27:34Z")
April 3, 1860: The Pony Express started operation. Unfortunately, it only operated for 18 months before going into bankruptcy. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2025, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/2517 "2025-04-10T01:48:47Z")
**April 9, 1917** : [Battle of Vimy Ridge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Vimy_Ridge) begins, the first time that all four Canadian divisions fight as a single unit, the Canadian Corps. After four days of fighting, Vimy Ridge falls, on schedule. > Historians attribute the success of the Canadian Corps to technical and tactical innovation, meticulous planning, powerful artillery support and extensive training, as well as the inability of the 6th Army to properly apply the new German defensive doctrine. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2025, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/2518 "2025-04-15T04:13:56Z")
A British passenger ship sank in the north Atlantic on April 14, 1912. Apparently there have been a few books and documentaries about it. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2025, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/2519 "2025-04-16T01:55:56Z")
Must have been a massive story, almost Olympic in nature. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2025, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/2520 "2025-04-18T18:33:47Z")
April 17, 1982: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, signed the Patriation proclamation which brought the _Constitution Act, 1982_, into force, ending Britain’s vestigial legislative authority over Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2025, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/2521 "2025-04-19T02:42:39Z")
April 18, 1916: The Easter Uprising started at His Majesty’s post office in Dublin. Although unsuccessful, it was the first event in the Irish War of Independence, followed by the Irish Civil War. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/2522 "2025-05-07T01:46:34Z")
The last episode of _Friends_ aired on My 6, 2004. Known as “The Last One” or “The One Where They Say Goodbye” ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2025, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/2523 "2025-05-07T02:29:30Z")
May 7 (1931): the police besiege [Francis Crowley.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Crowley) “Outside the building, a force of 300 police officers armed with rifles, machine guns, and tear gas assembled. The events attracted 15,000 bystanders.” The old movie trope of the gunsel calling out “you’ll never take me alive, copper!” had its origin in this event (though IRL the police didn’t parade forth Crowley’s long-suffering mother and parish priest to beg his surrender), via that trope, the actual tragedy of the mentally-deficient and gangster movie-addled [Derek Bentley](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Bentley). ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2025, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530/2524 "2025-05-09T12:45:19Z")
May 9, 1386: The Treaty of Windsor between Portugal and England is signed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530.md?page=125) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/today-in-history/759530.md?page=127)