A Brief History On July 2, 1990, 1,426 faithful Muslims attending the annual pilgrimage to Mecca called the “Hajj,” were trampled and suffocated to death in a tunnel.  Sadly, the Hajj is no stranger to such disasters, although not necessarily on this scale. Digging Deeper The incident happened as several people fell off a pedestrian bridge over a huge column of other faithful passing through the 550 meter long tunnel.  When the crowd below had people land on them, a rush followed causing constriction of the crowd in the tunnel, resulting in trampling and suffocation.  The tunnel, designed for only…

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on July 1st.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On July 1, 1863, the battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania began, perhaps the most important battle of the US Civil War. Pursuant to the British North America Act, on July 1, 1867, the colonies of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia joined to form the semi-autonomous federal Dominion of Canada, which began an accretion of provinces and territories to the mostly self-governing Dominion…

A Brief History On July 1, 1980, Canada officially adopted “O Canada” as its national anthem.  Dating back to 1880, “O Canada” became the informal national anthem of Canada in 1939.  The English form of the lyrics have been amended several times, including in 2018, while the French words remained the same. Digging Deeper Other countries have well known stirring anthems, and we list a few for you to pick from as your favorite: France, “La Marseillaise,” 1792. Germany, ”Deutschland Über Alles,” 1922. United Kingdom, “God Save the King (or Queen),” 1745. United States, “Star-Spangled Banner,” written 1814, adopted 1931.…

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on June 30th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On June 30, 1559, King Henry II of France engaged in a jousting tournament when his opponent’s lance pierced the face guard of Henry’s helmet, sending splinters into his face, eye, and brain. On June 30, 1882, the assassin of President Garfield, Charles J. Guiteau, was executed by hanging in Washington, D.C. On June 30, 1908, the Tunguska region of Siberia, Russia was rocked by an incredible…

A Brief History On June 30, 1908, the Tunguska region of Siberia, Russia was rocked by an incredible explosion that stunned people hundreds of miles away.  Perhaps 80 million trees in the Taiga Forest were flattened, and as many as three people died.  Luckily, the event occurred in an unpopulated area. Digging Deeper Covering an area of 830 square miles, the event was caused by an above ground explosion, three to six miles high, of an asteroid, probably 160 to 200 feet in diameter.  The airburst left no crater on the ground and initially puzzled investigators.  The asteroid is believed…