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On this day in history in 1737, American Founding Father Francis Hopkinson was born. Hopkinson, among other accomplishments, is credited with designing the American Flag and composing America's first National Anthem.

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#thisdayinhistory #foundingfather

On #ThisDayInHistory in 1976, Chilean socialist economist #OrlandoLetelier was murdered in DC by agents of the #Pinochet régime. The carbomb also killed US citizen #RonniMoffitt. An American helper was imprisoned but the US worked to discredit Letelier instead of punishing Chile.

On #ThisDayInHistory in 2001 the UK NGO #StopTheWar Coalition was founded in London, hoping to stop the impending invasion of #Afghanistan. They continued their activities for the #Iraq war as well. This photo is from a smaller event in Westminster at which I joined them in 2004.

#JRRTolkien's young-readers book #TheHobbit was first published on #ThisDayInHistory in 1937. It was the first time #MiddleEarth was glimpsed, though he had spent 20+ years working on it by then. The very next day is the in-universe birthday of #BilboBaggins (& of #FrodoBaggins).

Folks often forget #Christianity was imposed on much of #Europe by force. In the #LivonianCrusade, an attack on the #Finnic & #Baltic #pagans in modern #Latvia & #Estonia, the #BattleOfStMatthewsDay was #ThisDayInHistory in 1217. In its aftermath, many were forcibly baptized.

On #ThisDayInHistory in 1898, the #DowagerEmpress #Cixi staged a coup in #China that ended the transformative policies of the #HundredDaysReform. Her #TongzhiRestoration was partly #reactionary and limited the scope for change to areas like the military. The #Qing fell in 1911.

The #authoritarian rule of #FerdinandMarcos began in the #Philippines with #Proclamation1081 on #ThisDayInHistory in 1972. This established #MartialLaw in the island country, lasting effectively until the #PeoplePowerRevolution of 1986. Never forget that a state can be defeated.

On #ThisDayInHistory in 1973, US citizen #FrankTeruggi was killed by agents of the #Pinochet régime in Santiago, Chile. Because he was a member of #IWW, i.e. a leftist, the US government sought no justice. In fact, records later declassified showed the US gov. backed the killing.

#JimCroce died in an aeroplane crash in the evening on #ThisDayInHistory in 1973 during a concert tour. The hired #Beechcraft had just taken off in #Louisiana when it crashed, killing all on board. Croce was only 30 years old. His song #TimeInABottle hit number one posthumously.

UK terror force the #BlackAndTans went on a rampage in #Balbriggan on #ThisDayInHistory in 1920. They
burnt 50 homes & businesses, looted & beat people, and killed two. Such incidents in the #IrishWarOfIndependence highlight the violent basis of #colonial #occupation everywhere.

The earlier #SSFrance, the only French #FourStacker #OceanLiner, was launched on #ThisDayInHistory in 1910. The #CGT (#FrenchLine) ship proved highly popular, and was called the "#Versailles of the Atlantic" in reference to her rich #BaroqueRevival styling. She served until 1936.

On #ThisDayInHistory in 1967, the #QueenElizabeth2 (#QE2) of the #Cunard line was launched in the UK. The last large ocean liner built on the #Clyde in #Scotland, she served for decades as the only #OceanLiner in service, until replaced in 2008 by the French-built Cunarder #QM2.

The struggles of Capt. #EdwardJSmith when it came to running massive #OlympicClass #OceanLiners was clear well before the #TitanicDisaster. In 1911 on #ThisDayInHistory, whilst captain of #RMSOlympic, he was involved in a collision with warship #HMSHawke; both took heavy damage.

The remarkable #RMSMauretania was launched on #ThisDayInHistory in 1906 on the #RiverTyne in England. #Mauretania became a legend for holding the Atlantic #BlueRiband speed record for 20 straight years, having taken it from her sister ship #RMSLusitania, another #Cunard wonder.

#RMSAdriatic, which launched on #ThisDayInHistory in 1906, was the fourth and largest of a quartet of #WhiteStarLine sisters, the #BigFour, but the only one not to be the biggest #OceanLiner in the world at her launch, though she had the first #SwimmingPool & #TurkishBath at sea.

#SalahAdDin (#Saladin) of the #AyyubidSultanate launched the #SiegeOfJerusalem on #ThisDayInHistory in 1187. Following the disastrous #BattleOfHattin the #KingdomOfJerusalem had few soldiers, yet fought hard. Still, #BalianOfIbelin was forced to surrender in less than two weeks.

The British #SouthAfricaAct, passed #ThisDayInHistory in 1909, created the legal foundation for #apartheid by limiting the franchise & parliament to white men. #Liberal PM #HerbertAsquith backed it, as did #Tory leader #ArthurBalfour, who made #WhiteSupremacist arguments for it.