A Brief History On June 28, 1776, an incident that may have escaped your elementary school education occurred when one of General George Washington’s elite bodyguards was hanged for “mutiny, sedition, and treachery.” Digging Deeper Irish born Thomas Hickey, of unknown age, had immigrated to North America and served in the British Army during the French and Indian War, as an attendant to Major General William Johnson.  When the Americans declared Independence in 1776, Hickey joined the revolution as a private in the Continental Army, serving in George Washington’s personal bodyguard corps called the “Life Guard.” Hickey found himself in…

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A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on June 27th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons), was shot to death by a mob with blackened faces in a Carthage, Illinois jail while awaiting trial for treason. On June 27, 1980, President Jimmy Carter authorized Helen Keller Day to commemorate her 100th birthday. On June 27, 1981, the Chinese Communist Party issued its report on…

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A Brief History On June 27, 2017, a massive cyber attack began on Europe, the USA, and Australia, with Ukraine being the main target.  Businesses, government offices, utilities, banks, and other targets were hit, 80% of which were in Ukraine. Digging Deeper Although disguised to appear as ransomware, the 2 day attacks were found out by Ukrainian investigators to have been perpetrated by Russian agents within Ukrainian territory.  The hackers’ equipment was seized, and it was also discovered this same group was responsible for a 2016 attack against Ukrainian financial institutions and utilities. After the 2014 seizure of the Crimea…

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A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on June 26th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On June 26, 1409, the Roman Catholic Church reached a low point of unity when a third pope was crowned by the Council of Pisa. On June 26, 1483, Richard Plantagenet, Duke of Gloucester, proclaimed himself King Richard III of England! On June 26, 1794, the army of the First Republic of France (the result of the French Revolution) made the first…

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A Brief History On June 26, 1997, the first of the Harry Potter series of novels by JK Rowling was published in Britain.  Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was the first of what have been seven novels so far, featuring the young title wizard and his friends in their schooling and other adventures. Digging Deeper Not only have the books sold over 600 million copies, eight feature films starring the characters have also been made, pulling in a staggering $7.7 billion at the box office. Obviously, Ms. Rowling has profited greatly from the success of her iconic creation, and…

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