This Day in History is DUE’s daily dose of trivia for all the history buffs out there. So sit back and take a ride of all the fascinating things that happened today!
People are trapped in history and history is trapped in people, and hence, every day has been a significant one in the foibles of history. Now, let’s take a tour of “This Day in History – 3rd July”.
1908: Tilak arrested for sedition
On July 3rd 1908, Bal Gangadhar Tilak was arrested for sedition by the British. Bal Gangadhar Tilak, born Keshav Gangadhar Tilak and popularly known as Lokmanya Tilak, was a popular Indian nationalist and Independence activist who was one of the first popular leaders of the freedom movement.
2013: Coup in Egypt
Egyptian defence minister Abdul Fatah al-Sisi staged a coup and forced out President Mohamed Morsi, just over a year after he was elected.
1988: Iran Air flight 655 is shot down by a US Navy ship
The USS Vincennes mistakenly shot down the aeroplane en route to Dubai, killing all 290 people aboard. The Vincennes, a guided-missile cruiser, incorrectly identified the plane as a military aircraft. In 1996, the United States government made a cash settlement with Iran to close the case Iran had brought against the US in the International Court of Justice.
1962: Algeria gains its independence from France
Algeria’s independence from France, after 132 years of French rule, was finalized after the signing of the Évian Accords in the spa town of Évian-Les-Bains. The accords ended a 7-year long violent war of independence. Independence was finally achieved after July 1, 1962, referendum favoured complete Algerian independence. Ahmed Ben Bella became the first President of the country.
1863: Battle of Gettysburg ends
The 3-day long battle during the American Civil War was fought between the Union and Confederacy in-and-around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Thought to be one of the bloodiest battles of the war – around 50,000 soldiers were lost on both sides – the Battle of Gettysburg marked a key turning point in the conflict. The decisive Union victory led to the retreat of Confederate soldiers from the north.
1844: The Great Auks go extinct
The last known pair of Great Auks, members of a species of flightless birds, were killed off the coast of Iceland at the request of a collector. It is believed that the extinction of these birds was caused by human activities and hunting due to the high demand for their feathers.
