Browsing: October

A Brief History On October 26, 1979, Kim Jae-kyu, the head of the South Korean CIA, assassinated the country’s president, Park Chung Hee.  The president died on the spot of gunshot wounds to the chest and head. Digging Deeper One pervasive conspiracy theory regarding the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy is that the American CIA was somehow involved.  While such theories are usually treated as forays into fiction, the assassination of the South Korean president by his own CIA show that the idea might not be all that farfetched. Director Kim used a Walther PPK to shoot his…

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on October 25th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On October 25, 1415, the Battle of Agincourt was fought between the English personally led by King Henry V and the French, led by representatives of King Charles VI, resulting in a history changing victory by the English over the greater numbers of the French. On October 25, 1854, the United Kingdom, the Ottoman Empire, and the French Empire fought against Russia…

A Brief History On October 25, 1924, the Daily Mail, a London based British newspaper, published a fake letter called “the Zinoviev letter,” a letter said to be from Grigory Zinoviev, a Moscow based leader of the Communist International.  The letter was a fake and intentionally presented to sway public opinion against the Labour Party in Britain’s 1924 elections. Digging Deeper The fake letter was successful in stoking anti-communist public hysteria and getting the Conservative Party a victory in the elections. While calling the media “Fake News” is often seen as a conspiracy theory ploy used by one side or…

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on October 24th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On October 24, 1260, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres was dedicated. On October 24th, 1537, in a cruel twist of fate, Queen Jane Seymour died of complications following childbirth after having just 12 days earlier provided Henry VIII with his much longed-for son and heir. On October 24, 1871, a number of Chinese immigrants to the United States (perhaps 17…

A Brief History On October 24, 2017, rock and roll and New Orleans jazz pioneer Antoine “Fats” Domino died.  His 1949 song, “The Fat Man,” is considered by some to be the first rock and roll hit, selling over a million copies.  Elvis Presley and the Beatles were fans of Domino, and Fats is not the only great person of considerable girth. Digging Deeper Another rock and roller, Chubby Checker, got his stage name from a comparison to Fats Domino!  Yet another rock and roll great, Mama Cass Elliot, is enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and…