Browsing: September 1

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on September 1st.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On September 1, 1715, King Louis XIV of France died after having ruled for 72 years, the longest reign of a king or queen of any major European country. On September 1st, 1914, Martha, the last known passenger pigeon, was found dead in her cage by her keepers at the Cincinnati Zoo. On September 1, 1914, the last known living Passenger Pigeon died…

A Brief History On September 1, 2004, terrorists seeking the independence of Chechnya from Russia invaded School Number One in Beslan, North Ossetia, Russia, taking 1,100 hostages, of which well over 700 were school children.  The incident lasted three days and cost 333 innocent lives and the lives of 31 of the 32 terrorists. Digging Deeper The Riyad-us Saliheen attackers had pre-staged weapons and explosives in the school weeks before the attack.  A standoff followed demands that Chechnya be given independence, and after three days, Russian forces began an assault that triggered explosions and shooting by the terrorists and a…

A Brief History On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland under false pretenses, staging a phony border “incident” that gave them a claim of legitimacy.  Little remembered by the public at large, was that Germany had an ally that also took part in that invasion. Digging Deeper No, we are not talking about the Soviet Union, with their infamous “stab in the back” attack on Poland on September 17, 1939, after Germany had invaded.  We are referring to Slovakia, a fellow Slavic country with people sharing similar language and cultural traits with the Poles. The Slovak Republic contributed about 50,000…

A Brief History On September 1, 1939, US Army General George C. Marshall, Jr. was appointed as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army.  Marshall would go on to lead the American military effort through World War II and later be appointed General of the Army, a 5 star rank created so that the United States military would have general officers equivalent to the European Allies’ Field Marshal rank.  (It would not do to have a lesser rank American in charge of Allied Field Marshals.) Digging Deeper George Marshall was a highly competent officer and not one prone…

A Brief History Dear students, welcome to the Fall 2018 semester! Digging Deeper I hope that all of you had a spectacular summer!  I am looking forward to helping you learn about history over the coming weeks! I have already introduced myself to you in class, but now I would like to introduce this site.  As in past years, this web site has served as a major resource for students in my courses and is intended to help you learn about our history in a free and concise manner.  Moreover, as I am the sole owner of this site, I…