Blog Archives

The Censor and the Reporter

Posted on January 23, 2011 by Action for Freedom — 1 Comment

Source: TheChronicleHerald.ca Second World War navy officials wanted U-boat attacks downplayed, but Halifax papers were in a war of their own. By Mark Bourrie | Excerpt from The Fog of War HALIFAX WAS Canada’s front-line city, the one town in…

Dec 26, 1956: Carmaker Preston Tucker Dies

Posted on December 26, 2010 by Action for Freedom — Leave a comment

On December 26, 1956, the visionary carmaker Preston Tucker dies of lung cancer. He was just 53 years old. Tucker began his career in the auto industry as a mail messenger at General Motors. He quickly worked his way out…

Dec 26, 2004: Tsunami Devastates Indian Ocean Coast

Posted on December 26, 2010 by Action for Freedom — Leave a comment

A powerful earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, on this day in 2004 sets off a tsunami that wreaks death and devastation across the Indian Ocean coastline. The quake was the second strongest ever recorded and the estimated 230,000…

Tagged with: 2004, Aceh, December 26, Indian Ocean, Indonesia, Pacific Ocean, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, This Day in History, This Day In History, Tsunami, World War II
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Dec 26, 1972: Truman Dies

Posted on December 26, 2010 by Action for Freedom — 1 Comment

On this day in 1972, former President Harry S. Truman dies in Independence, Missouri. Then-President Richard Nixon called Truman a man of “forthrightness and integrity” who had a deep respect for the office he held and for the people he…

Tagged with: 1972, December 26, Franklin D Roosevelt, Harry Truman, History, Japan, Marshall Plan, This Day in History, This Day In History, Twentieth Century, United States, World War II
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Dec 23, 1944: The Execution of Eddie Slovik is Authorized

Posted on December 23, 2010 by Action for Freedom — 1 Comment

On this day, Gen. Dwight Eisenhower endorses the finding of a court-martial in the case of Eddie Slovik, who was tried for desertion, and authorizes his execution, the first such sentence against a U.S. Army soldier since the Civil War,…

Dec 22, 1808: Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony Given World Premiere in Vienna

Posted on December 22, 2010 by Action for Freedom — Leave a comment

If the initial reviews failed to recognize it as one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, one needs to understand the adverse conditions under which the work was first heard. The concert venue was freezing cold; it was…

Tagged with: 1808, BBC, Classical music, December 22, Ludwig van Beethoven, Music, Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven), This Day in History, This Day In History, United States, Walter Murphy, World War II
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Dec 9, 1950: Harry Gold Sent to Prison for His Role in Atomic Espionage

Posted on December 9, 2010 by Action for Freedom — Leave a comment

Harry Gold–who had confessed to serving as a courier between Klaus Fuchs, a British scientist who stole top-secret information on the atomic bomb, and Soviet agents–is sentenced to 30 years in jail for his crime. Gold’s arrest and confession led…

Tagged with: 1950, David Greenglass, December 9, Harry Gold, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, Klaus Fuchs, Manhattan Project, Soviet Union, This Day in History, This Day In History, United States, World War II
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December 8, 1941: The United States Declares War on Japan

Posted on December 8, 2010 by Action for Freedom — Leave a comment

On this day, as America’s Pacific fleet lay in ruins at Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt requests, and receives, a declaration of war against Japan. Leaning heavily on the arm of his son James, a Marine captain, FDR walked haltingly…

December 7, 1941: FDR Reacts to News of Pearl Harbor Bombing

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Action for Freedom — Leave a comment

On this day in 1941, at around 1:30 p.m., President Franklin Roosevelt is conferring with advisor Harry Hopkins in his study when Navy Secretary Frank Knox bursts in and announces that Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor. The attack killed more…

Tagged with: 1941, December 7, FDR, Pearl Harbor Bombed, Pearl Harbor Day, Reaction, This Day in History, United States, United States armed forces, World War 2, World War II
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December 7, 1941: Pearl Harbor Bombed

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Action for Freedom — Leave a comment

At 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time, a Japanese dive bomber bearing the red symbol of the Rising Sun of Japan on its wings appears out of the clouds above the island of Oahu. A swarm of 360 Japanese warplanes followed, descending…