Browsing: Society

A Brief History On October 10, 1973, Spiro Agnew, former Governor of Maryland and current Vice President of the United States, resigned his office following criminal charges.  Agnew’s crimes and subsequent resignation constituted one of the worst political scandals in U.S. history, as he was only the second U.S. vice president to resign and the only one to resign because of crimes.  Just like other people, politicians sometimes do the wrong thing, however when they do, and it becomes public knowledge, a scandal often ensues.  Here 9 such scandals are listed.  For similar stories, please also read the History and Headlines articles: “10 U.S. Politicians Who…

A Brief History On October 9, 2012, Malala Yousafzai boarded her school bus in northwest Pakistan.  A gunman asked for Malala by name, then pointed a Colt 45 at her and fired three shots.  One bullet hit the left side of Malala’s forehead, traveled under her skin the length of her face and then penetrated her shoulder.  In the days immediately following the attack, she remained unconscious and in critical condition, but later her condition improved enough for her to be sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in England for intensive rehabilitation.  She went on to win Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize and the Sakharov Prize for 2013. Digging…

A Brief History On October 8, 1806, British forces fighting the French at Boulogne employed Congreve rockets, the same type of rockets mentioned in the National Anthem of the United States (“…and the rockets red glare…”). Here nine people or things named “Rocket” are listed.   Digging Deeper 9. Congreve Rockets. These weapons of war were actually developed to replicate the Mysorean rockets which had been used in India against the British in the late 18th century.  The Mysorean Rockets were the first iron-cased rockets to have been successfully utilized in combat.  The British rocket program began in 1801, and the Congreve rocket was the…

A Brief History On October 6, 1976, the former dictator (Prime Minister) of Thailand, Thanom Kittikachorn, returned to Thailand after he had fled the country in 1973, which generated mass protests.  The ensuing crushing of the protesters in an incident that became known as the Thammasat University Massacre made way for a military coup in which the military seized power from the elected civilian government.  It is a widespread belief that countries run by the military are second rate.  This article elaborates on this conception and the things dictatorships and military governments commonly do that fuel it. Digging Deeper If your country’s leader wears a military…

A Brief History On October 1, 2001, Mullah Omar agreed to a proposal by the head of Pakistan’s most important Islamic party to have terrorist Osama bin Laden taken to Pakistan where he would be held under house arrest and tried by an international tribunal.  This proposal was not realized and soon after an American-led coalition invaded the country, overthrowing Omar’s Taliban, but remaining in the country even to this day.  In this article, 9 places that have seen bitter fighting for control of territory that is not exactly prime land are listed.  Some of the places may briefly have…