CORONATION OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II:
June 2, 1953
On June 2, 1953, Queen Elizabeth II is formally crowned monarch of the United Kingdom in a lavish ceremony steeped in traditions that date back a millennium. A thousand dignitaries and guests attended the coronation at London's Westminster Abbey, and hundreds of millions listened on radio and for the first time watched the proceedings on live television. After the ceremony, millions of rain-drenched spectators cheered the 27-year-old queen and her husband, the 30-year-old duke of Edinburgh, as they passed along a five-mile procession route in a gilded horse-drawn carriage.
Elizabeth, born in 1926, was the first-born daughter of Prince George, the second son of King George V. Her grandfather died in 1936, and her uncle was proclaimed King Edward VIII. Later that year, however, Edward abdicated over the controversy surrounding his decision to marry Wallis Warfield Simpson, an American divorcee, and Elizabeth's father was proclaimed King George VI in his place.
During the Battle of Britain, Princess Elizabeth and her only sibling, Princess Margaret, lived away from London in the safety of the countryside, but their parents endeared themselves to their subjects by remaining in bomb-damaged Buckingham Palace throughout the German air offensive. Later in the war, Elizabeth trained as a second lieutenant in the women's services and drove and repaired military trucks.
In 1947, she married her distant cousin, Philip Mountbatten, a former prince of Greece and Denmark who renounced his titles in order to marry Elizabeth. He was made duke of Edinburgh on the eve of the wedding. The celebrations surrounding the wedding of the popular princess lifted the spirits of the people of Britain, who were enduring economic difficulties in the aftermath of World War II. Their first child, Prince Charles, was born in 1948 at Buckingham Palace. A second, Princess Anne, was born in 1950. On February 6, 1952, the royal couple were in Kenya in the midst of a goodwill tour when they learned the king had died.
Elizabeth was immediately proclaimed Britain's new monarch but remained in seclusion for the first three months of her reign as she mourned her father. During the summer of 1952, she began to perform routine duties of the sovereign, and in November she carried out her first state opening of the Parliament. On June 2, 1953, her coronation was held at Westminster Abbey.
The ceremony at Westminster was one of pomp and pageantry, and the characteristically poised Elizabeth delivered in a solemn and clear voice the coronation oath that bound her to the service of the people of Great Britain and the British Commonwealth. In the procession through the streets of London that followed, Elizabeth and her husband were joined by representatives from the more than 40 member states of the Commonwealth, including heads of state, sultans, and prime ministers. British troops like the Yeomen of the Guard were joined by a great variety of Commonwealth troops, including police from the Solomon Islands, Malaysians in white uniforms and green sarongs, Pakistanis in puggaree headdresses, Canadian Mounties, and New Zealanders and Australians in wide-brimmed hats. After the parade, Elizabeth stood with her family on the Buckingham Palace balcony and waved to the crowd as jet planes of the Royal Air Force flew across the Mall in tight formation.
In five decades of rule, Queen Elizabeth II's popularity has hardly subsided. She has traveled more extensively than any other British monarch and was the first reigning British monarch to visit South America and the Persian Gulf countries. In addition to Charles and Anne, she and Philip have had two other children, Prince Andrew in 1960 and Prince Edward in 1964. In 1992, Elizabeth, the wealthiest woman in England, agreed to pay income tax for the first time.
On April 21, 2006, Queen Elizabeth turned 80, making her the third oldest person to hold the British crown. Although she has begun to hand off some official duties to her children, notably Charles, the heir to the throne, she has given no indication that she intends to abdicate.
On This Day......
On This Day......
A smile is a window on your face to show your heart is home
On This Day......
DUNKIRK EVACUATION ENDS:
June 4, 1940
On June 4, 1940, the evacuation of Allied forces from Dunkirk on the Belgian coast ends as German forces capture the beach port. The nine-day evacuation, the largest of its kind in history and an unexpected success, saved 338,000 Allied troops from capture by the Nazis.
On May 10, 1940, the Germans launched their attack against the West, storming into Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg. Faced with far superior airpower, more unified command, and highly mobile armored forces, the Allied defenders were a poor match for the German Wehrmacht. In a lightning attack, the Germans raced across Western Europe. On May 12, they entered France, out-flanking the northwest corners of the Maginot Line, previously alleged by French military command to be an impregnable defense of their eastern border. On May 15, the Dutch surrendered.
The Germans advanced in an arc westward from the Ardennes in Belgium, along France's Somme River, and to the English Channel, cutting off communication between the Allies' northern and southern forces. The Allied armies in the north, which comprised the main body of Allied forces, were quickly being encircled. By May 19, Lord John Gort, the British commander, was already considering the withdrawal of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) by sea.
Reluctant to retreat so soon, the Allies fought on and launched an ineffective counterattack on May 21. By May 24, Walther von Brauchitsch, the German army commander in chief, was poised to take Dunkirk, the last port available for the withdrawal of the mass of the BEF from Europe. Fortunately for the Allies, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler suddenly intervened, halting the German advance. Hitler had been assured by Hermann Goering, head of the Luftwaffe, that his aircraft could destroy the Allied forces trapped on the beaches at Dunkirk, so Hitler ordered the forces besieging Dunkirk to pull back.
On May 26, the British finally initiated Operation Dynamo--the evacuation of Allied forces from Dunkirk. The next day, the Allies learned that King Leopold III of Belgium was surrendering, and the Germans resumed the land attack on Dunkirk. By then, the British had fortified their defenses, but the Germans would not be held for long, and the evacuation was escalated. As there were not enough ships to transport the huge masses of men stranded at Dunkirk, the British Admiralty called on all British citizens in possession of sea-worthy vessels to lend their ships to the effort. Fishing boats, pleasure yachts, lifeboats, and other civilian ships raced to Dunkirk, braving mines, bombs, and torpedoes.
During the evacuation, the Royal Air Force (RAF) successfully resisted the Luftwaffe, saving the operation from failure. Still, the German fighters bombarded the beach, destroyed numerous vessels, and pursued other ships within a few miles of the English coast. The harbor at Dunkirk was bombed out of use, and small civilian vessels had to ferry the soldiers from the beaches to the warships waiting at sea. But for nine days, the evacuation continued, a miracle to the Allied commanders who had expected disaster. By June 4, when the Germans closed in and the operation came to an end, 198,000 British and 140,000 French troops were saved. These experienced soldiers would play a crucial role in future resistance against Nazi Germany.
With Western Europe abandoned by its main defenders, the German army swept through the rest of France, and Paris fell on June 14. Eight days later, Henri Petain signed an armistice with the Nazis at Compiegne. Germany annexed half the country, leaving the other half in the hands of their puppet French rulers. On June 6, 1944, liberation of Western Europe finally began with the successful Allied landing at Normandy.
June 4, 1940
On June 4, 1940, the evacuation of Allied forces from Dunkirk on the Belgian coast ends as German forces capture the beach port. The nine-day evacuation, the largest of its kind in history and an unexpected success, saved 338,000 Allied troops from capture by the Nazis.
On May 10, 1940, the Germans launched their attack against the West, storming into Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg. Faced with far superior airpower, more unified command, and highly mobile armored forces, the Allied defenders were a poor match for the German Wehrmacht. In a lightning attack, the Germans raced across Western Europe. On May 12, they entered France, out-flanking the northwest corners of the Maginot Line, previously alleged by French military command to be an impregnable defense of their eastern border. On May 15, the Dutch surrendered.
The Germans advanced in an arc westward from the Ardennes in Belgium, along France's Somme River, and to the English Channel, cutting off communication between the Allies' northern and southern forces. The Allied armies in the north, which comprised the main body of Allied forces, were quickly being encircled. By May 19, Lord John Gort, the British commander, was already considering the withdrawal of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) by sea.
Reluctant to retreat so soon, the Allies fought on and launched an ineffective counterattack on May 21. By May 24, Walther von Brauchitsch, the German army commander in chief, was poised to take Dunkirk, the last port available for the withdrawal of the mass of the BEF from Europe. Fortunately for the Allies, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler suddenly intervened, halting the German advance. Hitler had been assured by Hermann Goering, head of the Luftwaffe, that his aircraft could destroy the Allied forces trapped on the beaches at Dunkirk, so Hitler ordered the forces besieging Dunkirk to pull back.
On May 26, the British finally initiated Operation Dynamo--the evacuation of Allied forces from Dunkirk. The next day, the Allies learned that King Leopold III of Belgium was surrendering, and the Germans resumed the land attack on Dunkirk. By then, the British had fortified their defenses, but the Germans would not be held for long, and the evacuation was escalated. As there were not enough ships to transport the huge masses of men stranded at Dunkirk, the British Admiralty called on all British citizens in possession of sea-worthy vessels to lend their ships to the effort. Fishing boats, pleasure yachts, lifeboats, and other civilian ships raced to Dunkirk, braving mines, bombs, and torpedoes.
During the evacuation, the Royal Air Force (RAF) successfully resisted the Luftwaffe, saving the operation from failure. Still, the German fighters bombarded the beach, destroyed numerous vessels, and pursued other ships within a few miles of the English coast. The harbor at Dunkirk was bombed out of use, and small civilian vessels had to ferry the soldiers from the beaches to the warships waiting at sea. But for nine days, the evacuation continued, a miracle to the Allied commanders who had expected disaster. By June 4, when the Germans closed in and the operation came to an end, 198,000 British and 140,000 French troops were saved. These experienced soldiers would play a crucial role in future resistance against Nazi Germany.
With Western Europe abandoned by its main defenders, the German army swept through the rest of France, and Paris fell on June 14. Eight days later, Henri Petain signed an armistice with the Nazis at Compiegne. Germany annexed half the country, leaving the other half in the hands of their puppet French rulers. On June 6, 1944, liberation of Western Europe finally began with the successful Allied landing at Normandy.
A smile is a window on your face to show your heart is home
On This Day......
June 26
1906 First Grand Prix is staged
The first French Grand Prix--the first race of that type to be held anywhere--was staged in Le Mans by the Automobile Club of France and won by Hungarian driver Ferenc Szisz in a 90hp Renault. The race covered 1,200 kilometers over two days, and was run under a new set of rules that would become a standard element of Grand Prix racing. The Automobile Club of France stipulated that all cars were to weigh no more than 1,000 kg. Three cars could be entered by each manufacturer, with each car operated by a two-man crew. The rules encouraged the entry of lightweight cars with absurdly large engines. The Panhard entry, for example, had a four-cylinder engine with a displacement of 18,279cc and pistons the diameter of pie plates. Szisz's 13-liter Renault covered the 768 miles of rural dirt roads at an average speed of 63mph. The leading cars were all hitting close to 100mph. Their nose-heavy weight distribution, lightweight chassis, and primitive tires made the cars nearly impossible to handle. While the Renault car's drive shaft was less advanced than others in the race, the car boasted the important innovation of removable tire-carrying rims. Tire changes with removable rims took around four minutes, as opposed to the 15 minutes required to change the fixed-rim tires. Szisz stopped his car nine times to replace tire punctures, but he was still able to finish 32 minutes ahead of the second place Nazzaro's Fiat. By 1908, the Automobile Club of France had finally worked out a sensible set of rules to govern the car entries. The contestants of that year's French Grand Prix had to drive cars with a minimum weight of 2,425 pounds and a maximum engine displacement of 13 liters. This guaranteed that all the cars had a modicum of structural integrity; and it imposed a limit of around 105hp on the cars of that time. Still, with cars hitting top speeds of 105mph, racing on rutted dirt and gravel roads with poor tires and two-wheel brakes, Grand Prix racing was a perilous venture. Not to mention that Grand Prix crowds typically lined the roads and craned their necks to watch the drivers barrel down at them. Grand Prix racing was effectively banned between 1908 and 1912, due to the mounting number of fatalities incurred by both drivers and spectators.
1906 First Grand Prix is staged
The first French Grand Prix--the first race of that type to be held anywhere--was staged in Le Mans by the Automobile Club of France and won by Hungarian driver Ferenc Szisz in a 90hp Renault. The race covered 1,200 kilometers over two days, and was run under a new set of rules that would become a standard element of Grand Prix racing. The Automobile Club of France stipulated that all cars were to weigh no more than 1,000 kg. Three cars could be entered by each manufacturer, with each car operated by a two-man crew. The rules encouraged the entry of lightweight cars with absurdly large engines. The Panhard entry, for example, had a four-cylinder engine with a displacement of 18,279cc and pistons the diameter of pie plates. Szisz's 13-liter Renault covered the 768 miles of rural dirt roads at an average speed of 63mph. The leading cars were all hitting close to 100mph. Their nose-heavy weight distribution, lightweight chassis, and primitive tires made the cars nearly impossible to handle. While the Renault car's drive shaft was less advanced than others in the race, the car boasted the important innovation of removable tire-carrying rims. Tire changes with removable rims took around four minutes, as opposed to the 15 minutes required to change the fixed-rim tires. Szisz stopped his car nine times to replace tire punctures, but he was still able to finish 32 minutes ahead of the second place Nazzaro's Fiat. By 1908, the Automobile Club of France had finally worked out a sensible set of rules to govern the car entries. The contestants of that year's French Grand Prix had to drive cars with a minimum weight of 2,425 pounds and a maximum engine displacement of 13 liters. This guaranteed that all the cars had a modicum of structural integrity; and it imposed a limit of around 105hp on the cars of that time. Still, with cars hitting top speeds of 105mph, racing on rutted dirt and gravel roads with poor tires and two-wheel brakes, Grand Prix racing was a perilous venture. Not to mention that Grand Prix crowds typically lined the roads and craned their necks to watch the drivers barrel down at them. Grand Prix racing was effectively banned between 1908 and 1912, due to the mounting number of fatalities incurred by both drivers and spectators.
A smile is a window on your face to show your heart is home
On This Day......
This Day In History | Automotive
August 27
1859 Oil is found in Pennsylvania
Edwin Drake struck oil at 69 feet near Titusville, Pennsylvania--the world's first successful oil well. This source of crude oil, or petroleum, opened up a new inexpensive source of power and quickly replaced whale oil in lamps. Within a few decades of Drake's discovery, oil drilling was widespread in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the East Indies. However, it was the development of the automobile that catapulted petroleum into a position of paramount importance, for petroleum is the primary source of gasoline. Asphalt, also derived from petroleum, is used to surface roads and highways.
1904 First sentence for speeding violation is issued
Newport, Rhode Island, imposed the first jail sentence for a speeding violation on this day. This was a harsh sentence in 1904 because traffic laws were still relatively new--the first traffic code wasn't implemented until 1903, when New York introduced a two-page book of regulations. Early traffic regulations varied drastically from state to state, some having no speed limits at all.
1938 Another land speed record is set
Captain George Eyston established a new land speed record of 345.49mph when he sailed over the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in a Rolls-Royce-powered Thunderbolt. The land-speed trials have been held every year since 1903, serving as a test of automotive technology and proof of climbing speeds. Captain Eyston's record was especially memorable, for it was one of the few years that the record was not held by Malcolm Campbell, who dominated the trials for almost 30 years. The current record is held by Andy Green at 763.035mph.
August 27
1859 Oil is found in Pennsylvania
Edwin Drake struck oil at 69 feet near Titusville, Pennsylvania--the world's first successful oil well. This source of crude oil, or petroleum, opened up a new inexpensive source of power and quickly replaced whale oil in lamps. Within a few decades of Drake's discovery, oil drilling was widespread in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the East Indies. However, it was the development of the automobile that catapulted petroleum into a position of paramount importance, for petroleum is the primary source of gasoline. Asphalt, also derived from petroleum, is used to surface roads and highways.
1904 First sentence for speeding violation is issued
Newport, Rhode Island, imposed the first jail sentence for a speeding violation on this day. This was a harsh sentence in 1904 because traffic laws were still relatively new--the first traffic code wasn't implemented until 1903, when New York introduced a two-page book of regulations. Early traffic regulations varied drastically from state to state, some having no speed limits at all.
1938 Another land speed record is set
Captain George Eyston established a new land speed record of 345.49mph when he sailed over the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah in a Rolls-Royce-powered Thunderbolt. The land-speed trials have been held every year since 1903, serving as a test of automotive technology and proof of climbing speeds. Captain Eyston's record was especially memorable, for it was one of the few years that the record was not held by Malcolm Campbell, who dominated the trials for almost 30 years. The current record is held by Andy Green at 763.035mph.
A smile is a window on your face to show your heart is home
On This Day......
This Day In History | Entertainment
August 28
1987 John Huston dies
Director John Huston dies of pneumonia at age 81, after a lifelong career in entertainment.
Huston was the son of actor Walter Huston, a vaudeville performer who began appearing in films in 1929. John Huston performed on the vaudeville circuit from age three. As a teenager, he became an amateur boxer, quitting high school and eventually becoming the California lightweight champion.
Huston drifted in his 20s and 30s, working as a stage actor before moving to Mexico and joining the U.S. Cavalry. He wrote short stories and plays, worked as a reporter, and collaborated on several screenplays, including Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932). Finally, in 1937, he settled down and focused on screenwriting, then directing. He made his directing debut with The Maltese Falcon, starring Humphrey Bogart. The film was a critical success, and Huston continued directing even during his stint in the army, during World War II, when he made several documentaries.
After the war, he directed another Bogart film, Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), which featured Walter Huston in a supporting role for which he won an Oscar. The film also won Best Screenplay and Best Director.
John Huston courageously stood up to the House Un-American Activities Committee when it began persecuting suspected communists. He helped form the Committee for the First Amendment and eventually left the country as the practice of blacklisting suspected communists spread. Huston settled in Ireland with his third wife, Ricki Soma, and their children. Daughter Anjelica Huston was raised in Britain, but her father later moved to Mexico. He continued, however, to direct. Among his best-known films are The Asphalt Jungle(1950), The African Queen (1951), and Prizzi's Honor (1985), for which Anjelica Huston won an Oscar. Huston continued to work throughout his 70s, despite suffering from emphysema, which required him to use an oxygen tank.
1988 Jason Robards wins Emmy
Actor Jason Robards is awarded an Emmy for his performance in the miniseries Inherit the Wind on this day in 1988. Robards, the son of an actor, was born in 1922 and struggled for decades in the New York theater world before stunning critics with his performance in Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh in 1956. After that show, he became an established theater star for decades. He made his first film, The Journey, in 1959 and appeared in more than 50 movies during the next 30 years. He won Best Supporting Actor Oscars for All the President's Men (1976) and Julia (1977). Robards died in December 2000.
August 28
1987 John Huston dies
Director John Huston dies of pneumonia at age 81, after a lifelong career in entertainment.
Huston was the son of actor Walter Huston, a vaudeville performer who began appearing in films in 1929. John Huston performed on the vaudeville circuit from age three. As a teenager, he became an amateur boxer, quitting high school and eventually becoming the California lightweight champion.
Huston drifted in his 20s and 30s, working as a stage actor before moving to Mexico and joining the U.S. Cavalry. He wrote short stories and plays, worked as a reporter, and collaborated on several screenplays, including Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932). Finally, in 1937, he settled down and focused on screenwriting, then directing. He made his directing debut with The Maltese Falcon, starring Humphrey Bogart. The film was a critical success, and Huston continued directing even during his stint in the army, during World War II, when he made several documentaries.
After the war, he directed another Bogart film, Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), which featured Walter Huston in a supporting role for which he won an Oscar. The film also won Best Screenplay and Best Director.
John Huston courageously stood up to the House Un-American Activities Committee when it began persecuting suspected communists. He helped form the Committee for the First Amendment and eventually left the country as the practice of blacklisting suspected communists spread. Huston settled in Ireland with his third wife, Ricki Soma, and their children. Daughter Anjelica Huston was raised in Britain, but her father later moved to Mexico. He continued, however, to direct. Among his best-known films are The Asphalt Jungle(1950), The African Queen (1951), and Prizzi's Honor (1985), for which Anjelica Huston won an Oscar. Huston continued to work throughout his 70s, despite suffering from emphysema, which required him to use an oxygen tank.
1988 Jason Robards wins Emmy
Actor Jason Robards is awarded an Emmy for his performance in the miniseries Inherit the Wind on this day in 1988. Robards, the son of an actor, was born in 1922 and struggled for decades in the New York theater world before stunning critics with his performance in Eugene O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh in 1956. After that show, he became an established theater star for decades. He made his first film, The Journey, in 1959 and appeared in more than 50 movies during the next 30 years. He won Best Supporting Actor Oscars for All the President's Men (1976) and Julia (1977). Robards died in December 2000.
A smile is a window on your face to show your heart is home
On This Day......
2005 Hurricane Katrina slams into Gulf Coast near New Orleans
Hurricane Katrina makes landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana, as a Category 4 hurricane on this day in 2005. Despite being only the third most powerful storm of the 2005 hurricane season, Katrina was the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States. After briefly coming ashore in southern Florida on August 25 as a Category 1 hurricane, Katrina gained strength before slamming into the Gulf Coast on August 29. In addition to bringing devastation to the New Orleans area, the hurricane caused damage along the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, as well as other parts of Louisiana.
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city on August 28, when Katrina briefly achieved Category 5 status and the National Weather Service predicted “devastating damage to the area. But an estimated 150,000 people, who either did not want to or did not have the resources to leave, ignored the order and stayed behind. The storm brought sustained winds of 145 miles per hour, which cut power lines and destroyed homes, even turning cars into projectile missiles. Katrina caused record storm surges all along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The surges overwhelmed the levees that protected New Orleans, located at six feet below sea level, from Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River. Soon, 80 percent of the city was flooded up to the rooftops of many homes and small buildings.
Tens of thousands of people sought shelter in the New Orleans Convention Center and the Louisiana Superdome. The situation in both places quickly deteriorated, as food and water ran low and conditions became unsanitary. Frustration mounted as it took up to two days for a full-scale relief effort to begin. In the meantime, the stranded residents suffered from heat, hunger, and a lack of medical care. Reports of looting, rape, and even murder began to surface. As news networks broadcast scenes from the devastated city to the world, it became obvious that a vast majority of the victims were African-American and poor, leading to difficult questions among the public about the state of racial equality in the United States. The federal government and President George W. Bush were roundly criticized for what was perceived as their slow response to the disaster. The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Michael Brown, resigned amid the ensuing controversy.
Finally, on September 1, the tens of thousands of people staying in the damaged Superdome and Convention Center begin to be moved to the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, and another mandatory evacuation order was issued for the city. The next day, military convoys arrived with supplies and the National Guard was brought in to bring a halt to lawlessness. Efforts began to collect and identify corpses. On September 6, eight days after the hurricane, the Army Corps of Engineers finally completed temporary repairs to the three major holes in New Orleans’ levee system and were able to begin pumping water out of the city.
In all, it is believed that the hurricane caused more than 1,800 deaths and more than $80 billion in damages to both private property and public infrastructure. One million people were displaced by the disaster, a phenomenon unseen in the United States since the Great Depression. Four hundred thousand people lost their jobs as a result of the disaster. Offers of international aid poured in from around the world, even from poor countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Private donations from U.S. citizens alone approached $600 million.
The storm also set off 36 tornadoes in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, resulting in one death.
President Bush declared September 16 a national day of remembrance for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Hurricane Katrina makes landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana, as a Category 4 hurricane on this day in 2005. Despite being only the third most powerful storm of the 2005 hurricane season, Katrina was the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States. After briefly coming ashore in southern Florida on August 25 as a Category 1 hurricane, Katrina gained strength before slamming into the Gulf Coast on August 29. In addition to bringing devastation to the New Orleans area, the hurricane caused damage along the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, as well as other parts of Louisiana.
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city on August 28, when Katrina briefly achieved Category 5 status and the National Weather Service predicted “devastating damage to the area. But an estimated 150,000 people, who either did not want to or did not have the resources to leave, ignored the order and stayed behind. The storm brought sustained winds of 145 miles per hour, which cut power lines and destroyed homes, even turning cars into projectile missiles. Katrina caused record storm surges all along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The surges overwhelmed the levees that protected New Orleans, located at six feet below sea level, from Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River. Soon, 80 percent of the city was flooded up to the rooftops of many homes and small buildings.
Tens of thousands of people sought shelter in the New Orleans Convention Center and the Louisiana Superdome. The situation in both places quickly deteriorated, as food and water ran low and conditions became unsanitary. Frustration mounted as it took up to two days for a full-scale relief effort to begin. In the meantime, the stranded residents suffered from heat, hunger, and a lack of medical care. Reports of looting, rape, and even murder began to surface. As news networks broadcast scenes from the devastated city to the world, it became obvious that a vast majority of the victims were African-American and poor, leading to difficult questions among the public about the state of racial equality in the United States. The federal government and President George W. Bush were roundly criticized for what was perceived as their slow response to the disaster. The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Michael Brown, resigned amid the ensuing controversy.
Finally, on September 1, the tens of thousands of people staying in the damaged Superdome and Convention Center begin to be moved to the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, and another mandatory evacuation order was issued for the city. The next day, military convoys arrived with supplies and the National Guard was brought in to bring a halt to lawlessness. Efforts began to collect and identify corpses. On September 6, eight days after the hurricane, the Army Corps of Engineers finally completed temporary repairs to the three major holes in New Orleans’ levee system and were able to begin pumping water out of the city.
In all, it is believed that the hurricane caused more than 1,800 deaths and more than $80 billion in damages to both private property and public infrastructure. One million people were displaced by the disaster, a phenomenon unseen in the United States since the Great Depression. Four hundred thousand people lost their jobs as a result of the disaster. Offers of international aid poured in from around the world, even from poor countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Private donations from U.S. citizens alone approached $600 million.
The storm also set off 36 tornadoes in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, resulting in one death.
President Bush declared September 16 a national day of remembrance for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
A smile is a window on your face to show your heart is home
On This Day......
pompom;472528 wrote: 30th November 1874
Winston Churchill born at Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire.
"All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope."
I didn't realise he was born at Blenheim...
incredible man
Winston Churchill born at Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire.
"All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope."
I didn't realise he was born at Blenheim...
incredible man
Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answers...Rainer Maria Rilke
On This Day......
i worship his words!!
On This Day......
pompom;508986 wrote: 8th January 1935
Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi.
Golly, he would be 72 now!
Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi.
Golly, he would be 72 now!
Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answers...Rainer Maria Rilke
On This Day......
pompom;508996 wrote: This year will see the 30th anniversary of his death, aged only 42 
I wasn't really a fan of his music but I was shocked when I heard that he had died
I wasn't really a fan of his music but I was shocked when I heard that he had died
Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answers...Rainer Maria Rilke
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greydeadhead
- Posts: 1045
- Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 8:52 am
On This Day......
Bill Graham 1931 -1991
The Fillmore Acid Test toke place.. 1966
The Fillmore Acid Test toke place.. 1966
Feed your spirit by living near it -- Magic Hat Brewery bottle cap
On This Day......
1934
In America, detectives capture gangster and Public Enemy Number One John Dillinger.
1924
The start of the first Winter Olympics at Chamonix in the French Alps.
1917
United States of America buy the Dutch West Indies (now the Virgin Islands) for $25m.
In America, detectives capture gangster and Public Enemy Number One John Dillinger.
1924
The start of the first Winter Olympics at Chamonix in the French Alps.
1917
United States of America buy the Dutch West Indies (now the Virgin Islands) for $25m.
A smile is a window on your face to show your heart is home
On This Day......
1966 - Three men were convicted of the murder of Malcolm X
1867 - In Hawaii, the volcano Great Mauna Loa erupted.
1702 - The Daily Courant, the first regular English newspaper was published.
1302 - The characters Romeo and Juliet were married this day according to William Shakespeare.
1867 - In Hawaii, the volcano Great Mauna Loa erupted.
1702 - The Daily Courant, the first regular English newspaper was published.
1302 - The characters Romeo and Juliet were married this day according to William Shakespeare.
A smile is a window on your face to show your heart is home
On This Day......
28th September :
Today in
Television History
1944 - "The Boys From Boise" was shown on WABD in New York as the first full-length comedy written for television.
1955 - The World Series was televised in color for the first time. The game was between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers.
1961 - "Dr. Kildare" premiered on NBC-TV.
1961 - "Hazel" premiered on NBC-TV.
1976 - The 100th episode of "M*A*S*H" aired on CBS.
1984 - Bob Hope showed outtakes of his 34 years in television on NBC.
1987 - The first episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" aired.
Today in
Television History
1944 - "The Boys From Boise" was shown on WABD in New York as the first full-length comedy written for television.
1955 - The World Series was televised in color for the first time. The game was between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers.
1961 - "Dr. Kildare" premiered on NBC-TV.
1961 - "Hazel" premiered on NBC-TV.
1976 - The 100th episode of "M*A*S*H" aired on CBS.
1984 - Bob Hope showed outtakes of his 34 years in television on NBC.
1987 - The first episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" aired.
A smile is a window on your face to show your heart is home
On This Day......
BBC ON THIS DAY | Front Page
A smile is a window on your face to show your heart is home