This Week in History

HISTORY, 25 Dec 2023

Satoshi Ashikaga – TRANSCEND Media Service

25-31 December 2023

Dear TMS Readers, thank you for reading This Week in History until this week (the last posting).  Have a Happy New Year, all of you!

Videos of the Week:

André Rieu – تبين عيني live in Bahrain (Tabeen Ayni) (6:44) – YouTube

Flash Mob – Started by one little girl – Ode to Joy (5:48) – YouTube

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25 December

[1]      Why Is Christmas Celebrated on December 25? :

• Was Jesus born on December 25? Is December 25 Jesus’ birthday?
• When Was Jesus Born? Biblical and Historical Evidence
• The Date of Jesus’ Birth: How December 25th Became Jesus’ Birthday
• Yes, Christ was born on December 25: Here is the proof
• Biblical Evidence Shows Jesus Christ Wasn’t Born on Dec. 25

[2]      Historicity of Jesus :

• The Bible Says Jesus Was Real. What Other Proof Exists?
• Did Jesus Exist? Searching for Evidence Beyond the Bible
• Did Jesus really exist? Is there any historical evidence of Jesus Christ?
• Who Wrote the Bible? Evidence of Authors
• Who Wrote the Gospels, and How Do We Know for Sure?
• The Piso Family and the Story of The Bible

1000  The foundation of the Kingdom of Hungary: Hungary is established as a Christian kingdom by Stephen I of Hungary.

[History of Hungary]

• Hungary – Magyar, Ottoman, Habsburg
• History of Hungary
• Hungary profile – timeline

1758  Halley’s Comet is sighted by Johann Georg Palitzsch, confirming Edmund Halley‘s prediction of its passage. This was the first passage of a comet predicted ahead of time.

1914   A series of unofficial truces occur across the Western Front to celebrate Christmas.

[The WWI Christmas Truce of 1914 ]

• 1914 | Sainsbury’s Ad | Christmas 2014 – YouTube
• A Century Ago, When The Guns Fell Silent On Christmas
• The Real Story Of The Christmas Truce Of 1914
• It was German soldiers who made first move in the Christmas Truce
• How did the Christmas truce of 1914 happen?

1941  World War II: Battle of Hong Kong ends, beginning the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong.

1946  The first European self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction is initiated within the Soviet Union‘s F-1 nuclear reactor.

1962  The Soviet Union conducts its final above-ground nuclear weapon test, in anticipation of the 1963 Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

1963  Turkish Cypriot Bayrak Radio begins transmitting in Cyprus after Turkish Cypriots are forcibly excluded from Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation.

1977   Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin meets in Egypt with its president Anwar Sadat.

1989  Romanian Revolution: Deposed President of Romania Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife, Elena, are condemned to death and executed after a summary trial.

1991  Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as President of the Soviet Union (the union itself is dissolved the next day). Ukraine’s referendum is finalized and Ukraine officially leaves the Soviet Union.

[1]      Resignation of Mikhail Gorbachev:

• Mikhail Gorbachev’s Resignation and Dissolution of the Soviet Union – Dec. 25, 1991 – ABC Nightline – YouTube
• Text of Gorbachev resignation speech on 25 December 1991 (translated into English)
• The Gorbachev era and the collapse of the Soviet Union

[2]      Dissolution of the Soviet Union :

• The Soviet Union’s Final Hours
• Disintegration of USSR | Dissolution of the Soviet Union [December 25, 1991]
• The Undoing Of The U.S.S.R.: How It Happened
• END OF THE SOVIET UNION; The Soviet State, Born of a Dream, Dies – The New York Times
• Dissolution of the USSR | History of Western Civilization II

[3]      Ukraine’s Independence from the Soviet Union:

• “Ukrainian independence led to the dissolution of the Soviet Unionby 26 December 1991.”
• 1991 Ukrainian independence referendum
• 1989–1991 Ukrainian revolution
• A timeline of Ukraine’s history
• “During WWII, Ukrainian nationalists saw the Nazis as liberators from Soviet oppression. Now, Russia is using that chapter to paint Ukraine as a Nazi nation.”

[4]      Russians in Ukraine  and CIA:

• CIA Intervention in Ukraine Has Been Taking Place for Decades
• Op-Ed: The CIA has backed Ukrainian insurgents before. Let’s learn from those mistakes
• Anatomy of a Coup: How CIA Front Laid Foundations for Ukraine War
• Ukrainian spies with deep ties to CIA wage shadow war against Russia
• The Covert Operation to Back Ukrainian Independence that Haunts the CIA

———————

26 December

1862  The largest mass-hanging in U.S. history took, Minnesota, where 38 Native Americans died.

[1]      US-Dakota War of 1862 | Holocaust and Genocide Studies :

• Largest Mass Execution in US History: 150 Years Ago Today
• 26, 1862: Mass Execution of Dakota Indians
• Dakota War of 1862 – Execution
• Did Abraham Lincoln Order the Execution of 38 Dakota Fighters?

[2]      Native Americans – History of Hate & Discrimination in America

Discrimination-Native-Americans-Final-Report.

• The Legacy of Injustices Against Native Americans
• Poll: Native Americans report discrimination
• The Generational Impact Of Racism On Health: Voices From American Indian Communities

1948  The last Soviet troops withdraw from North Korea.

1972  Vietnam War: As part of Operation Linebacker II, 120 American B-52 Stratofortress bombers attacked Hanoi, including 78 launched from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, the largest single combat launch in Strategic Air Command history.

1980  Witnesses report the first of several sightings of unexplained lights near RAF Woodbridge, in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, an incident called “Britain’s Roswell“.

1991  The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union meets and formally dissolves the Soviet Union, ending the Cold War.

[1]      Dissolution of the Soviet Union :

• The Soviet Union’s Final Hours
• Collapse of the Soviet Union | Causes, Facts, Events, & Effects
• The Undoing Of The U.S.S.R.: How It Happened
• END OF THE SOVIET UNION; The Soviet State, Born of a Dream, Dies – The New York Times
• Dissolution of the USSR | History of Western Civilization II

[2]      How and Why the Soviet Union Collapsed:

• Collapse of the Soviet Union | Causes, Facts, Events, & Effects
• How the Soviet Union’s collapse explains the current Russia-Ukraine tension
• What Caused the Soviet Union to Collapse 30 Years Ago?
• Why Did the Soviet Union Collapse?
• 10 Reasons For The Collapse Of The Soviet Union
• Why did the Soviet Union collapse? | Page 3 | History Forum
• Was the Soviet Union’s Collapse Inevitable? | HISTORY

1998  Iraq announces its intention to fire upon U.S. and British warplanes that patrol the northern and southern no-fly zones.

2012  China opens the world’s longest high-speed rail route, which links Beijing and Guangzhou.

———————-

27 December

1831  Charles Darwin embarks on his journey aboard HMS Beagle, during which he will begin to formulate his theory of evolution.

1929  Soviet General Secretary Joseph Stalin orders the “liquidation of the kulaks as a class“.

1935  Regina Jonas is ordained as the first female rabbi in the history of Judaism.

1945  The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is created with the signing of an agreement by 29 nations.

[1]      IMF (Articles of Agreement of the International Monetary Fund (downloadable):

• IMF-Timeline
• History of International Monetary Fund – Timeline –

[2]      Works of IMF:

• The IMF: The World’s Controversial Financial Firefighter
• IMF Financing and Debt Service Relief
• IMF Lending
• IMF Lending Programs
• World Economic Outlook
• Global Financial Stability Report, October 2023: Financial and Climate Policies for a High-Interest-Rate Era
• Member Financial Data

1949  Indonesian National Revolution: The Netherlands officially recognizes Indonesian independence. End of the Dutch East Indies.

[1]      History of Indonesia :

• Indonesia | History, Flag, Map, Capital, Language, Religion, & Facts |
• Timeline of Indonesian history

[2]      Independence of Indonesia:

• Timeline of the Indonesian National Revolution
• Indonesia – Colonialism, Revolution, Independence
• Geography and history of Indonesian Independence
• Indonesian National Revolution (15 August 1945-27 December 1949)
• Indonesian War of Independence
• Proclamation of Indonesian Independence

Independence for Indonesia

• History Of The Proclamation Of Indonesian Independence

1966  The Cave of Swallows, the largest known cave shaft in the world, is discovered in Aquismón, San Luis Potosí, Mexico.

1985  Palestinian guerrillas kill eighteen people inside the airports of Rome, Italy, and Vienna, Austria.

[1]      27 December 1985: Gunmen kill 16 at two European airports:

• 1985 Rome and Vienna airport attacks
• The Palestinians who staged attacks at Rome and Vienna…
• TERROR IN 1985: BRUTAL ATTACKS, TOUGH RESPONSE

[2]      The Palestine Guerrilla Movement :

• Palestinian fedayeen
• Palestinian political violence
• Palestine – Nationalism, Intifada, Occupation
• Turning Defeat into Opportunity: The Palestinian Guerrillas after the June 1967 War
• The History Behind Tensions Between Israelis And Palestinians

1989  The Romanian Revolution concludes, as the last minor street confrontations and stray shootings abruptly end in the country’s capital, Bucharest.

1996  Taliban forces retake the strategic Bagram Airfield which solidifies their buffer zone around Kabul, Afghanistan.

2004  Radiation from an explosion on the magnetar SGR 1806-20 reaches Earth. It is the brightest extrasolar event known to have been witnessed on the planet.

2007  Former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto is assassinated in a shooting incident.

2008  Operation Cast Lead: Israel launches three-week operation on Gaza.

[Israel’s Wars & Operations: Operation Cast Lead]

• “The Gaza War, also known as Operation Cast Lead (Hebrew: מִבְצָע עוֹפֶרֶת יְצוּקָה), also known in the Muslim world as the Gaza Massacre.. was a three-week armed conflict between Gaza Strip Palestinia paramilitary groups and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
• Background & Overview of Operation Cast Lead
• 12.2008 –18.01.2009 Operation Cast Lead | IDF
• Video: “Justified Vengeance” and The History of Israeli “False Flags”(2001-2023): Palestine Portrayed as “The Aggressor”
• Lessons from Israel’s Wars in Gaza (rand.org)
• Israel/Gaza: Operation “Cast Lead”: 22 days of death and destruction
• White Flag Deaths: Killings of Palestinian Civilians during Operation Cast Lead
• Casualties of the Gaza War (2008–2009)

———————-

28 December

1941  World War II: Operation Anthropoid, the plot to assassinate high-ranking Nazi officer Reinhard Heydrich, commences.

1943  Soviet authorities launch Operation Ulussy, beginning the deportation of the Kalmyk nation to Siberia and Central Asia.

[ETHNIC IDENTITY AS STIGMA: KALMYKS IN DEPORTATION (1943–1956)]

• Kalmyks
• Kalmyk Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
• December 28, 1943: Operation Ulusy, the Forgotten Genocide
• Real-life horror stories of the Kalmyks who survived Stalin’s deportation
• Kalmyk DPs and the Narration of Displacement in Post-World War II Europe

1967  American businesswoman Muriel Siebert becomes the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange.

2006  War in Somalia: The militaries of Somalia‘s Transitional Federal Government and Ethiopian troops capture Mogadishu unopposed.

2009  Forty-three people die in a suicide bombing in Karachi, Pakistan, where Shia Muslims are observing the Day of Ashura.

———————-

29 December

1911  Mongolia gains independence from the Qing dynasty, enthroning 8th Jebtsundamba Khutughtu as Khagan of Mongolia.

1934  Japan renounces the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the London Naval Treaty of 1930.

1937  The Irish Free State is replaced by a new state called Ireland with the adoption of a new constitution.

1989  Czech writer, philosopher and dissident Václav Havel is elected the first post-communist President of Czechoslovakia.

[1]      Velvet Revolution :

• Velvet Revolution | Definition, History, & Facts
• Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia 1989 NHD – YouTube
• What to Know About Czechoslovakia’s Velvet Revolution
• 1989 Czechoslovak presidential election :

[2]      Vaclav Havel :

• Václav Havel: The 1st and Last Democratically Elected President of Czechoslovakia – YouTube
• The political thought of Vaclav Havel: Philosophical influences and contemporary applications
• Havel’s idea of post-democracy in a comparative perspective
• Václav Havel and the Political Uses of Tragedy
• Václav Havel’s Meanings: His Key Words and Their Legacy, Danaher, Williams, Pribán
• Václav Havel’s Search for Emancipatory Governmentality
• The Czech Republic: Vaclav Havel | European Journal – YouTube

1989  The Nikkei 225 for the Tokyo Stock Exchange hits its all-time intra-day high of 38,957.44 and closing high at 38,915.87, serving as the apex of the Japanese asset price bubble.

1996  Guatemala and leaders of Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity sign a peace accord ending a 36-year civil war.

2006  The UK settles its Anglo-American loan, post-WWII loan debt.

———————-

30 December

1916  The last coronation in Hungary is performed for King Charles IV and Queen Zita.

[Modern History of Hungary]

• Hungary – Magyar, Ottoman, Habsburg
• Hungary in World War I
• History of Austria-Hungary during World War I
• Hungary – WWI Losses, Treaty of Trianon, Sovereignty
• Coronation of Emperor Charles I of Austria as King of Hungary, 1916
• World War I – Austria-Hungary, Collapse, Causes
• Why Was Hungary Punished So Severely After World War One? – YouTube
• The Death Of The Austro-Hungarian Army 1916 – YouTube

1922  The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) is formed.

[Soviet Union: History, leaders and legacy]:

• Russia – Soviet Union, Tsardom, Revolution
• History of the Soviet Union
• Soviet Union – Countries, Cold War & Collapse

1972  Vietnam War: Operation Linebacker II ends.

1993  Israel establishes diplomatic relations with Vatican City and also upgrades to full diplomatic relations with Ireland.

[Holy See–Israel relations]

• VATICAN, ISRAEL SET HISTORIC ACCORD
• This week in Jewish history | Israel and the Vatican establish diplomatic relations 
• Fundamental Agreement Between the Holy See and the State of Israel
• Israel’s Relations with the Vatican
• Fundamental Agreement between The Holy See and Israel (December 1993)
• The Holy See and Israel: The Historic Fight against the Jews and their State
• The Vatican is risking its relationship with the Jewish world
• The Fundamental Agreement Between the Holy See and the State of Israel: A Symposium – The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law

2006  Former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein is executed.

[1]      G.W.Bush, Saddam Hussein, Revenge?

• Iraq 2003: Deluded Revenge
• Bush calls Saddam ‘the guy who tried to kill my dad’
• Revenge: A family affair
• “[A]fter the gulf war, Saddam was heard on official Iraq media promising to hunt down and punish Bush, even after he left office…classified evidence proving that the car bomb was meant for Bush, from Saddam.”
• Deep roots of Bush’s hatred for Saddam | Iraq
• Plot by Baghdad to Assassinate Bush Is Questioned

[2]      Trial of Saddam Hussein :

• Timeline: Saddam Hussein Dujail trial
• Saddam Hussein Trial Fast Facts
• The Trial of Saddam Hussein –an Interim Report
• Saddam Hussein’s trial was meant to be a symbol of a new democratic Iraq
• Saddam Hussein Trial
• Transcript of Saddam in court
• Opinion: Inside Saddam Hussein’s ‘chamber of horrors,’ I reflect on 20 years since the Iraq War

[3]      Execution of Saddam Hussein:

• Timeline: Saddam’s Violent Road to Execution
• Saddam Hussein Executed
• SADDAM FULL EXECUTION (HANGING)
• The ROUGH Execution Of Saddam Hussein – The 5th President Of Iraq – YouTube
• Reactions to the execution of Saddam Hussein
• TRAGIC MISTAKES MADE IN THE TRIAL AND EXECUTION OF SADDAM HUSSEIN MUST NOT BE REPEATED | OHCHR
• (PDF) Saddam Hussein’s Trial, Execution: A case for forced justice
• Iraq: Amnesty International deplores death sentences in Saddam Hussein trial
• Saddam Hussein executed, ending era in Iraq

2013  More than 100 people are killed when anti-government forces attack key buildings in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

———————-

31 December

1946  President Harry S. Truman officially proclaims the end of hostilities in World War II.

1963  The Central African Federation officially collapses, subsequently becoming Zambia, Malawi and Rhodesia.

1981  A coup d’état in Ghana removes President Hilla Limann‘s PNP government and replaces it with the Provisional National Defence Council led by Flight lieutenant Jerry Rawlings.

1983  In Nigeria, a coup d’état led by Major General Muhammadu Buhari ends the Second Nigerian Republic.

1991  All official Soviet Union institutions have ceased operations by this date, five days after the Soviet Union is officially dissolved.

[Dissolution of the Soviet Union]

• Collapse of the Soviet Union | Causes, Facts, Events, & Effects
• The dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
• Why Did the Soviet Union Collapse?
• How the Soviet Union’s collapse explains the current Russia-Ukraine tension
• The Undoing Of The U.S.S.R.: How It Happened
• Was the Soviet Union’s Collapse Inevitable?

1992  Czechoslovakia is peacefully dissolved in what is dubbed by media as the Velvet Divorce, resulting in the creation of the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic.

1994  This date is skipped altogether in Kiribati as the Phoenix Islands and Line Islands change time zones from UTC−11:00 to UTC+13:00 and UTC−10:00 to UTC+14:00, respectively.

1999  The first President of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, resigns from office, leaving Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as the acting President and successor.

[1]      From Yeltsin to Putin :

• 31 December 1999: Putin takes over as Yeltsin resigns
• How Russia’s secret service took control of the country’s top office
• The man who helped make ex-KGB officer Vladimir Putin a president
• History As It Happens: Why Yeltsin chose Putin, why Putin chose war
• What Happened To Boris Yeltsin?
• Putin, Clinton, and Presidential Transitions

[2]      NATO Expansion:

• NATO Expansion: What Yeltsin Heard
• “Boris Yeltsin privately stated he was not against NATO expansion in the 1990s while publicly opposing the military alliance, declassified files show.”
• Putin Didn’t Always See NATO as the Enemy
• Putin Says He Discussed Russia’s Possible NATO Membership With Bill Clinton
• Inside the Complicated Relationship Between Russia and NATO
• “Russian leaders including Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin, and Vladimir Putinactually expressed interest in joining NATO, but were ignored.”
• NATO: Why Russia has a problem with its eastward expansion
• Putin’s ‘A Solid Man’: Declassified Memos Offer Window Into Yeltsin-Clinton Relationship
• Analysis: How a 1999 NATO operation turned Russia against the West
• Ignored Warnings: How NATO Expansion Led to the Current Ukraine Tragedy
• The 1999 Kosovo War and the Crisis in U.S.-Russia Relations
• How NATO’s expansion helped drive Putin to invade Ukraine
• Russia’s Putin Says Western Leaders Broke Promises, But Did They?
• Bush Admits US Broke Promise on NATO Expansion; Says Ukraine Should ‘Destroy as Many Russian Troops’ as Possible
• Russia’s belief in Nato ‘betrayal’ – and why it matters today

1999  The U.S. government hands control of the Panama Canal (as well all the adjacent land to the canal known as the Panama Canal Zone) to Panama. This act complied with the signing of the 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties.

[1]      History of the Panama Canal :

• Panama Canal: History, Definition & Canal Zone
• A timeline of the Panama Canal – Los Angeles Times
• 7 Fascinating Facts About the Panama Canal | HISTORY
• Panama Canal Zone
• Panama Canal – Construction, US Intervention, Trade
• How Does the Panama Canal Work? – YouTube

[2]      Transfer to Panama:

• Who Owns the Panama Canal?
• The Panama Canal Treaties: Jimmy Carter
• Torrijos–Carter Treaties
• S. agrees to transfer Panama Canal to Panama | September 7, 1977 | HISTORY
• Panama Canal Turned Over to Panama
• Key Decision Point Coming for the Panama Canal
• Statement on the Transfer of the Panama Canal to the Republic of Panama
• The impact of the Panama Canal transfer on the Panamanian economy

2000  The last day of the 20th Century and 2nd Millennium.

2009  Both a blue moon and a lunar eclipse occur.

2019  The World Health Organization is informed of cases of pneumonia with an unknown cause, detected in Wuhan.[17] This later turned out to be COVID-19, the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic

2020  The World Health Organization issues its first emergency use validation for a COVID-19 vaccine.

_____________________________________________

Satoshi Ashikaga is a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment. Having worked as researcher, development program/project officer, legal protection/humanitarian assistance officer, human rights monitor-negotiator, managing-editor, and more, he prefers a peaceful and prudent life.  His previous work experiences, including those in war zones and war-torn zones, constantly remind him of the invaluableness of peace.

Disclaimer: The author and TMS take no responsibility for–and do not necessarily subscribe to–contents of websites hyperlinked as sources.

This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 25 Dec 2023.

Anticopyright: Editorials and articles originated on TMS may be freely reprinted, disseminated, translated and used as background material, provided an acknowledgement and link to the source, TMS: This Week in History, is included. Thank you.

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