July 12: On This Day in World History … briefly
Interesting historic snippets and facts taken from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London.
1536: Great scholar and humanist dies
Desiderius Erasmus, the great classicist of the Renaissance dies. He would be greatly missed for his cultivated common sense and his ability to criticise kings and churchmen. His greatest work ‘Colloquia’ opened new ground by exposing the abuses of the Church, paving the way for the likes of Martin Luther, Erasmus also published the first Greek text of the New Testament and a new Latin translation with the hope of reconciling faith and reason, so bringing Christianity and the culture of the Ancients closer together. An advocate of charity and moderation in all things, Erasmus was deeply critical of corruption in the church and fell out with Luther over methods of teaching; gentle reason and tolerance were his preferred tools. Erasmus spent much of his later life in Cambridge and Bäsel. Though always surrounded by controversy, he became widely known and respected and advanced the revival of learning.
“I have a Catholic soul and a Lutheran stomach.” Erasmus, on why he failed to fast during Lent
1705: Death of Anglican priest Titus Oates, anti-Catholic conspirator who alleged there was a plot to assassinate Charles II and place his Catholic brother James on the throne, thus causing the execution of 35 suspects and the exclusion of Catholics from parliament.
1789: Fire sweeps Paris after two days of rioting.
1799: Britain passes the Combination Act, which bars any combination of working men trying to improve the working conditions in an attempt to prevent the spread of revolutionary ideas from France and the formation of trade unions.
1878: Turkey cedes Cyprus to Britain.
1910: First British pilot is killed in crash
British aviation claims its first victim when Charles Stewart Rolls (33) crashed his French-built Wright biplane at a flying competition in Bournemouth. According to one spectator, the rudders of the biplane seemed to break during a tilt, causing the machine to crash nose-first to the ground. Rolls was still in his seat after the crash, but all attempts to revive him failed. An accomplished aviator, Rolls was the first person to fly non-stop both ways across the Channel. He was also a partner in the Rolls Royce car manufacturing company and won the 1 000 mile (1 600km) motor-racing trial in 1900.
1920: Canal opens officially
The Panama Canal, the world’s largest engineering project, is officially opened by President Woodrow Wilson. Construction began in 1881, but halted with the financial collapse of the French contractor de Lesseps. President Roosevelt took up the project, and construction was resumed in 1904. The first vessel sailed through on January 7, 1914.
1930: Bradman’s score breaks all records
Australia’s Don Bradman breaks all test cricket records with a score of 334 runs against England at Leeds, breaking RE Foster’s record at Sydney 27 years before. He also set a record for the number of runs scored in a single day of play – 309 of his 334 runs happened on this day.
1944: The RAF becomes the first air force to use jet aircraft in operational service.
1952: Dwight D Eisenhower resigns from the army in order to begin a presidential campaign.
1982: Hostilities between Britain and Argentina over the Falkland Islands are officially ended.
1987: Sunday Times in court over ‘Spycatcher’
The Sunday Times newspaper found itself in the dock over the controversial book ‘Spycatcher’, written by former M15 agent Peter Wright. The government stopped publication of the book in England and attempted to prevent publication in Australia. The Sunday Times went against the government’s injunction and published excerpts of the book. The British government insisted that the book was a breach of confidentiality. Wright revealed the innermost workings of M15 and highlighted some of the illegal activities of the agency. It also suggested that Sir Roger Hollis, a former M15 boss, was a Soviet spy and that the agency attempted to undermine Harold Wilson’s Labour government in 1974-76. The political implications were embarrassing for the-then government and it imposed an injunction on The Guardian, The Observer, and the Sunday Times, forbidding even a mention of the book in the press.
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