First Confidential

THIS DAY IN HISTORY - AUGUST 29th

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., Quote

“I find that the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are moving: To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it — but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.”

~ Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Wikiquote (Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. (August 29, 1809 – October 7, 1894) was an American physician, poet, professor, lecturer, and author. Regarded by his peers as one of the best writers of the 19th century, he is considered a member of the Fireside Poets. His most famous prose works are the "Breakfast-Table" series, which began with The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table (1858). He is also recognized as an important medical reformer.)

This Day in History

August 29th, 1350

Coins: ● Ancient kiln, cache of copper coins excavated in Shaanxi ● Ancient copper coins ● U.S. Liberty copper coins.

Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708).

Wikipedia  Photo: ● Ancient kiln, cache of copper coins excavated in Shaanxi ● Ancient copper coins ● U.S. Liberty copper coins.

August 29th, 1498

Vasco da Gama decides to depart Calicut and return to Portugal

Vasco da Gama decides to depart Calicut (Kozhikode) and return to Portugal.

Wikipedia  Painting: Nineteenth century depiction of Vasco da Gama / Vasco da Gama's ship with gods above by Ernesto Casanova (1880)

August 29th, 1521

Byzantine Empire Collage Ottoman Turks capture Nándorfehérvár, now known as Belgrade

Ottoman Empire (Turkish Empire or Turkey):
1521 - Ottoman Turks capture Nándorfehérvár, now known as Belgrade.
1526 - Battle of Mohács: Ottoman Turks led by Suleiman the Magnificent defeat and kill the last Jagiellonian king of Hungary and Bohemia.
1541 - Ottoman Turks capture Buda, the capital of the Hungarian Kingdom.

Wikipedia  Image: Ottoman Empire Maximal extent with the vassal states of the Ottoman Empire in AD 1590s; Battle of Kosovo (1389); Fall of Constantinople (1453); Sultan Mehmed I Ottoman miniature, 1413-1421; Fall of Constantinople (1453); Siege of Rhodes (1522); Battle of Kosovo (1389); Battle of Mohács (1526). Nándorfehérvár vára 1456.

August 29th, 1756

Seven Years' War: was a world war that took place between 1756 and 1763. It involved most of the great powers of the time and affected Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines. Seven Year's War: Battle of Lagos; Naval battle between Britain and France

Seven Years' War:
1756 - Frederick the Great attacks Saxony, beginning the Seven Years' War.

Wikipedia  Painting: The Death of General Wolfe (1771) by Benjamin West, depicting the Battle of the Plains of Abraham; Battle of Hochkirch; Battle of Minorca of May 20, 1756, shortly after the French landing on Minorca; Siege of Kolberg (1761); Leibgarde battalion at Kolin, 1757; Battle of Zorndorf in August 1758 where Russian and Prussian armies suffered heavy casualties and both claimed a victory. Battle of Lagos, by Théodore Gudin.

August 29th, 1778

American Revolutionary War Collage American Revolutionary War: Battle of Rhode Island; British and American forces battle indecisively

American Revolutionary War:
1778 - Battle of Rhode Island; British and American forces battle indecisively.

Wikipedia  Paintings: Washington Crossing the Delaware, by Emanuel Leutz; Battle of the Chesapeake, French (left) and British (right) lines; Battle of Bunker Hill, The Death of General Warren at the Battle of Bunker Hill by John Trumbull; The Defeat of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar, September 13, 1782, by John Singleton Copley; Washington and the Comte de Rochambeau at Yorktown, 1781; "The surrender at Saratoga" shows General Daniel Morgan in front of a French de Vallière 4-pounder; Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown by (John Trumbull, 1797).
Battle of Rhode Island; Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route.

August 29th, 1825

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: panorama view of the city ● Christ the Redeemer, is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ● Rio de Janeiro at night ● Rio de Janeiro at carnival

Portugal recognizes the Independence of Brazil.

Wikipedia  Photo: The city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; panorama view of the city ● Christ the Redeemer, is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ● Rio de Janeiro at night ● Rio de Janeiro at carnival.

August 29th, 1833

United Kingdom legislates the abolition of slavery in its empire

United Kingdom legislates the abolition of slavery in its empire.

Wikipedia  Photo: 1833 - United Kingdom legislates the abolition of slavery in its empire

August 29th, 1861

Lincoln Memorial: an American national monument built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln - located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. across from the Washington Monument American Civil War: Battle of Antietam; Stone Bridge at Antietam Battlefield - Sharpsburg, Maryland American Civil War: American Civil War: First Battle Between Ironclads; CSS Virginia/Merrimac (left) vs. USS Monitor, in 1862 at the Battle of Hampton Roads

American Civil War:
1861 - Union forces capture Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

Wikipedia  Image: ● Lincoln Memorial; an American national monument built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln - located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. across from the Washington Monument.
● The northern army led by George McClellan and the southern army led by Robert E. Lee met at Antietam Creek, Maryland in September, 1862. It was a bloody battle where 13,000 Confederates and 12,000 Union troops died in just one day. McClellan had hesitated to attack before the battle thus letting the southern troops regroup. Also, he had saved reserves and refused to use them at the end of the battle thinking that Lee was holding reserves for a counterattack, even though those reserves didn't exist. The Union victory stopped Lee's northward advance and was a turning point in the war.
● Battle of Antietam / Stone Bridge at Antietam Battlefield - Sharpsburg, Maryland
● First Battle Between Ironclads: CSS Virginia/Merrimac (left) vs. USS Monitor, in 1862 at the Battle of Hampton Roads.
● Although photography was still in its infancy, war correspondents produced thousands of images, bringing the harsh realities of the frontlines to those on the home front in a new and visceral way. The Atlantic.

August 29th, 1910

Japan - Korea Satellite image: shows North and South Korea (upper left) as well as the Japanese island of Shikoku, between Kyushu to the southwest and Honshu to the north. credit Earth Observatory, NASA

Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910: also known as the Japan–Korea Annexation Treaty, becomes effective, officially starting the period of Japanese rule in Korea.

Wikipedia  Image: Japan - Korea Satellite image: shows North and South Korea (upper left) as well as the Japanese island of Shikoku, between Kyushu to the southwest and Honshu to the north. credit Earth Observatory, NASA.

August 29th, 1922

First radio advertisement is broadcast on WEAF-AM in New York City

First radio advertisement is broadcast on WEAF-AM in New York City.

Wikipedia  Image: May 20, 1922 Issue of The Saturday Evening Post cover, Old Couple Listening to Radio by Norman Rockwell

August 29th, 1941

Estonia: Tornimäe business quarter in Tallinn ● Lighthouse by Baltic Sea Stony Coast in Pärnu County, Estonia ● Approximately 7,000 swamps in Estonia which cover up to 22.3% of Estonian territory ● Osmussaar (Swedish: Odensholm) is one of many islands in the territorial waters of Estonia ● The Northern coast of Estonia consists mainly of limestone cliffs ● Estonia is famous for its countless of manors which used to house the ruling German elite ● Estonialandscape.

World War II: in Tallinn, the Capital of Estonia is occupied by Nazi Germany following an occupation by the Soviet Union.

Wikipedia  Photo: Estonia: Tornimäe business quarter in Tallinn ● Lighthouse by Baltic Sea Stony Coast in Pärnu County, Estonia ● Approximately 7,000 swamps in Estonia which cover up to 22.3% of Estonian territory ● Osmussaar (Swedish: Odensholm) is one of many islands in the territorial waters of Estonia ● The Northern coast of Estonia consists mainly of limestone cliffs ● Estonia is famous for its countless of manors which used to house the ruling German elite ● Estonialandscape

August 29th, 1997

List of modern conflicts in the Middle East

Modern conflicts in the Middle East, social unrest and terrorist attacks:
1997 - Rais massacre; In Algeria, at least 98 villagers are killed by the Armed Islamic Group of Algeria.
2003 - Ayatollah Sayed Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, the Shia Muslim in Iraq, is assassinated in a terrorist bombing, along with nearly 100 worshippers as they leave a mosque in Najaf.

Wikipedia  Photo: Middle East satellite image, NASA. ● Camels are seen early morning on a beach in the Marina area of Dubai October 16, 2008. (Steve Crisp, Reuters) ● A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad burns during clashes between rebels and Syrian troops in Selehattin, near Aleppo, on July 23, 2012. (Bulent Kilic, AFP / GettyImages) ● Egyptians gather in their thousands in Tahrir Square to mark the one year anniversary of the revolution on Jan. 25, 2012 in Cairo Egypt. Tens of thousands have gathered in the square on the first anniversary of the Arab uprising which toppled President Hosni Mubarak. (Jeff J Mitchell, Getty Images) ● Black smoke rises above the Tehran skyline as supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi burn tires and other material in the streets as they fight running battles with police to protest the declared results of the Iranian presidential election in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 13, 2009. (Ben Curtis, AP) ● The Iron Dome defense system fires to interecpt incoming missiles from Gaza in the port town of Ashdod, Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012. (Tsafrir Abayov, AP)

August 29th, 2005

Hurricane Collage: (A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low-pressure center surrounded by a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain) Hurricane Katrina devastates much of the U.S. Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, killing more than 1,836 and causing over $80 billion in damage

2005 - Hurricane Katrina devastates much of the devastates from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, killing more than 1,836 and causing over $125 billion in damage.

Wikipedia  Image: Hurricane Andrew sequence, NASA ● Hurricane Mitch at peak intensity (formed October 22, 1998 - Dissipated November 5, 1998) ● Hurricane Katrina taken on August 28, 2005, at 11:45 AM EDT by NOAA when the storm was a Category Five hurricane ● Hurricane Jeanne September 23, 2004, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) ● PDC Global Hazards Atlas displaying 3 hour precipitation accumulation, typhoon Evan (04P), with JTWC positions, segments, and winds...over the South Pacific Ocean ● Satellite imagery provided by NOAA and taken by the Japan Meteorological Agency's MTSAT weather satellite shows Typhoon Roke as it approaches Japan, September 20, 2011. Over 1.3 million ordered to evacuate in Japan ahead of Typhoon Roke.
● Hurricane Katrina taken on August 28, 2005, NOAA satellite image / Superdome in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.

August 29th, 2012

At least 26 miners are killed and 21 missing after a blast in the Xiaojiawan coal mine, located at Panzhihua in Sichuan Province, China.

Xiaojiawan coal mine disaster: At least 43 miners are killed and 3 missing after a blast in the Xiaojiawan coal mine, located at Panzhihua in Sichuan Province, China.

Wikipedia  Photo: A gas explosion at the Xiaojiawan coal mine in the Sichuan province of China has killed at least 43 miners and three others are reported to be trapped beneath the rubble.