About This Blog
An alternative "On This Day", On This Deity aims to bring light to and celebrate Culture Heroes, Outsider Icons, Beloved Immortals and Revolutionary Events in history.
Dorian
14th February 1779 The Death of Captain James Cook
“Do just once what others say you can’t do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again.” Whatever you may think about British colonial expansion, its impact and subsequent noxious effects, you have to admire the bravery, spirit … Continue reading
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11th February 1650 the Death of René Descartes
Today, on the anniversary of his death in 1650, we remember the life and work of French philosopher and mathematician, René Descartes. Although not overtly political, the work of Descartes succeeded in redefining much of philosophical thought, to the extent … Continue reading
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10th February 1778 the death of Carl Linnaeus
The Bible, Genesis 2:20, states: “And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field”. But actually it wasn’t Adam. It was a Swedish botanist: Carl Linnaeus. My dad … Continue reading
3rd February 1468 Johannes Gutenberg and the Printing Revolution
As befits such a momentous world-shifting event, On This Deity proudly presents two overviews to mark the occasion of the death of Johannes Gutenberg and the Printing Revolution he begat. These days we are constantly told that the Internet is the … Continue reading
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1st January 1804 The Black Jacobins and the Haitian Revolution
On New Year’s Day in 1804, Haiti proclaimed its independence: After ten years of struggle, an army of former slaves led by their charismatic leader Toussaint L’Ouverture had fought the French and British to a standstill. After the British colonies … Continue reading
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29th December 1916 the Death of Grigori Rasputin
The death on this day in 1916 of Gregory Rasputin left a legacy as full of myth and misinformation – along with some bizarre truths – as his life had been. Poisoned with five times the usual lethal dose of … Continue reading
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17th December 2010 The Self-Immolation of Mohamed Bouazizi
What a magic carpet ride it’s been this past year for our brothers and sisters in North Africa and the Middle East. Egypt’s Mubarak-led police state deposed, Libya’s mad dog Gaddafi fittingly gunned down in a sewer. And the struggle … Continue reading
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9th December 1996 the Death of Mary Leakey
No matter who we are and what we think, the beautiful truth is that we are all children of Africa. It was in no small part the painstaking work of Mary Leakey that revealed this. For more than 50 years … Continue reading
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2nd December 1547 the Death of Hernán Cortés
“He came dancing across the water with his galleons and guns, Looking for the new world in that palace in the sun”- from Cortez the Killer by Neil Young Hernán (Hernando) Cortés was a glory-seeking, ruthless murderer capable of barbaric cruelty, who … Continue reading
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30th November 1994 The Revolutionary Suicide of Guy Debord
On the evening of November 30th 1994, in the remote French village of Champot, revolutionary and avant-gardist Guy Debord enacted his final spectacle of deconstruction when he shot himself through the heart. He was 62. For the prime mover of … Continue reading
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13th November 1949 The Birth of the AK-47
Sixty-four years ago today, Mikhail Kalashnikov completed his development of the AK-47 semi-automatic assault rifle – an invention so reliable, so easy and inexpensive to manufacture and so serviceable that the way was opened up for post-war freedom fighters finally … Continue reading
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3rd November 1918 The Kiel Mutiny
Following the stalemate that resulted from the Battle of Jutland in 1916, the German surface fleet was trapped in its home bases whilst only the U-boats continued a losing battle against allied shipping. By the autumn of 1918 the Imperial German … Continue reading
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23rd October 2006 The Death of Dr Jane Elizabeth Hodgson
There are many reasons why a pregnancy may be unwanted. A woman may have no access to contraception or already have too many mouths to feed. It may endanger her health, even her life. She may have been raped. The … Continue reading
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22nd October 1941 The Execution of Guy Môquet
It happened in a quarry behind a prison camp on the outskirts of Châteaubriand. In three groups of nine, twenty-seven men were lined up. Behind them a pit to fall into. Before them a row of German guns. It was … Continue reading
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14th October 1066 The Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest
The British Isles has a long history of invaders: Angles, Danes, Saxons, Vikings. But on 28th September 1066, when William, Duke of Normandy, landed at Pevensey in Sussex, an invasion force on this scale had not occurred since the Romans … Continue reading
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2nd October 1958 the Death of Marie Stopes
“I have some things to say about sex, which, so far as I am aware, have not yet been said … things which seem to me to be of profound importance to men and women who hope to make their … Continue reading
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28th September 1928 Alexander Fleming Discovers Penicillin
“One sometimes finds what one is not looking for. When I woke up just after dawn on Sept. 28, 1928, I certainly didn’t plan to revolutionise all medicine by discovering the world’s first antibiotic, or bacteria killer. But I guess … Continue reading
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13th September 1922 The Destruction of Smyrna
For centuries, the great and ancient city of Smyrna on the Anatolian coast had been home to a large Greek population and was possibly even the birthplace of Homer. By the beginning of the 20th century, it was one of … Continue reading
Posted in Atrocities, World Events 1 Comment
8th September 1969 The Death of Alexandra David-Neel
A tribute to the extraordinary self-determining inner- and outer-world explorer Alexandra David-Néel will appear here soon.
11th August 1881 the Death of Jane Digby
On This Deity today proudly presents a love story of lust and adventure; the story of Jane Elizabeth Digby, who died 130 years ago today, a woman who did her own thing, when doing one’s own thing was very much … Continue reading
7th August 1933 the Simele Massacre
“Who, after all, speaks, today, of the extermination of Armenians,” asked Adolf Hitler in 1939. But, then as now, even less speak of the genocide of the Assyrians – the torchbearers of the earliest civilisation – who fell victim to the same … Continue reading
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6th August 1945 the Bombing of Hiroshima
On 6th August 1945, the United States government unleashed upon the world the first weapon of mass destruction when the nuclear bomb “Little Boy” was detonated over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Exploding with a yield equivalent to 12,500 tonnes of … Continue reading
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5th August 1895 the Death of Friedrich Engels
Today we recall the social theorist and world-changer – Friedrich Engels – who died 116 years ago on this day. Chiefly known as the lifelong friend, literary executor and “junior partner” of Karl Marx, their collaborative relationship is among the … Continue reading
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3rd August 2006 the Death of Arthur Lee
Today we honour Arthur Lee – the African American protest singer, metaphysical poet and leader of LA’s pioneering psychedelic refuseniks Love – who quit this planet five years ago after an arduous battle with cancer. Like Lou Reed, Arthur’s work … Continue reading
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31st July
Nought to report on this day. Instead, here’s something for you to chew on: “Modern industrial civilization has developed within a certain system of convenient myths. The driving force of modern industrial civilization has been individual material gain, which is … Continue reading
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30th July 2006 the Death of Murray Bookchin
Today we pay tribute to one of the great revolutionary thinkers of the twentieth century – social critic, anarchist, utopian and eco-pioneer, Murray Bookchin – who died five years ago aged 85. He was for twenty-five years the most prominent American proponent … Continue reading
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28th July 1968 the Founding of the American Indian Movement
From the first contact with their invaders, American Indians have striven to be treated with the respect deserving of an indigenous, sovereign and culturally distinct nation. In turn, they’ve faced overt attempts by their conquerors at genocide, removal and forced … Continue reading
Posted in Dissent, World Events 1 Comment
26th July 1953 the Birth of the 26th of July Movement
Today we recall the most revered date in Cuba’s history. For it was on this day, 26th July 1953, that Fidel Castro led the failed attack against the corrupt Fulgencio Batista dictatorship that would ultimately give its name and serve … Continue reading
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25th July 2001 the Death of Phoolan Devi
She was born a low-caste “untouchable”. By the time she was twenty, she’d been raped so many times she’d lost count. But she would rise from poverty, rape, abuse and degradation to avenge her honour and become a champion of … Continue reading
Posted in Heroines 2 Comments
24th July
Nought to write about on this day. I’ll leave you instead with something to ponder from proto-feminist and beloved ancestor, John Stuart Mill: “In this age, the mere example of non-conformity, the mere refusal to bend the knee to custom, … Continue reading
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23 July 1967 the Detroit Riot
Forty-four years ago today, the Detroit police raided an after-hours bar in the city’s poor black ghetto where 80 people were celebrating the return of two African American soldiers from the Vietnam War. Typically in such raids, the cops would … Continue reading
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22nd July 2005 the Murder of Jean Charles de Menezes
Today we remember one of the great miscarriages of British justice of the present time, in which the British police – indeed the Metropolitan police, those paragons of English authority whose collective beats are more international and mutli-cultural than probably … Continue reading
Posted in Atrocities, World Events 3 Comments
21st July 1969 “One Giant Leap For Mankind”
Forty-two years ago today – and just sixty-seven years after the very first piloted aircraft flight – Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first humans to walk on the moon. Or so it is claimed.
Posted in World Events 12 Comments
19th July 1850 the Death of Margaret Fuller
One hundred and sixty-one years ago today, the pioneering feminist, Transcendentalist leader, freethinker and intellectual giant Margaret Fuller drowned tragically when the cargo ship carrying her and her family from Italy struck a sandbar just fifty yards off the coast … Continue reading
18th July 1988 the Death of Nico
“I’m flying to Ibiza. It’s my favourite place, and I think I’ll die there.” And twenty-three years ago today, Nico fulfilled her own prophecy after a fatal bicycle fall on the Spanish island she’d loved so much. She was 49. … Continue reading
Posted in Heroines 2 Comments
15th July 1907 the Martyrdom of Qiu Jin
Today we pay tribute to the extraordinary Chinese poetess, radical women’s rights leader and revolutionary, Qiu Jin – executed one hundred and seven years ago on this day at the age of 31. At the turn of the twentieth century, while Qiu’s … Continue reading
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12th July 1936 the Murder of Jose Castillo
There are events in history that are unremarkable in isolation but, with hindsight, can be traced back to reveal earth-shattering roots. Today we recall such an event. The murder of Lt. José Castillo seventy-five years ago today was to the … Continue reading
Posted in World Events 1 Comment
11th July 1954 “In God We Trust”
On 11th July 1954, the U.S. Congress enacted Public Law 84-140, which decreed that “In God We Trust” would henceforth appear on all American currency. This pious new motto was a direct violation of the First Amendment. The separation of … Continue reading
Posted in World Events 4 Comments
10th July 1985 the Bombing of the Rainbow Warrior
On July 10th 1985, French intelligence agents acting under direct orders of President François Miterrand bombed the Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior in Auckland harbour to prevent its protest voyage to the nuclear testing site of Moruroa in French Polynesia. The French … Continue reading
Posted in Atrocities, World Events 1 Comment
9th July 1977 the Death of Alice Paul
Today we pay tribute to Alice Paul, the pioneering American feminist and most overlooked women’s right leader of the 20th century. Nearly a half-century before Martin Luther King Jr., Alice Paul employed militant non-violent protest tactics to win full voting … Continue reading
8th July 1822 the Death of Percy Bysshe Shelley
Today we lament the tragically early death of Percy Bysshe Shelley, who drowned when his schooner sank in a sudden violent storm in the Gulf of Spezia. He was twenty-nine years old. His body washed ashore ten days later and, … Continue reading
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7th July 2006 the Death of Syd Barrett
Today we pay tribute to the legendary Syd Barrett, erstwhile leader of the Pink Floyd and Psychedelic Frontiersman # 1, who quit this planet five years ago after decades of reclusive living and battles with mental illness.
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6th July 1934 the Death of Nestor Makhno
Today we recall the Ukrainian revolutionary leader, Nestor Makhno, who died seventy-seven years ago on this day in poverty, illness and oblivion. Fellow exiles who had watched Makhno drink and cough himself to death in the slums of Paris could … Continue reading
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5th July
Nought to report on this day, 5th July. But as yesterday was the date Americans celebrate their Day of Independence even though the legal separation of the 13 Colonies from Great Britain occurred in fact on 2nd July 1776, let’s … Continue reading
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1st July 1876 the Death of Mikhail Bakunin
Today we contemplate the extraordinary life and legacy of Mikhail Bakunin, the revolutionary colossus and leading spirit of 19th-century anarchism who – one hundred and thirty-five years ago today – died in poverty and defeat at the age of sixty-two. Out-manoeuvred and … Continue reading
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30th June
No great act has as yet occurred on this date. Instead, we extend a raised fist in solidarity to the hundreds of thousands British workers who are today striking over planned pension cuts. “A wise and frugal government, which shall leave … Continue reading
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28th June 1936 the Death of Alexander Berkman
Seventy-five years ago on this day, Alexander Berkman died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest. Suffering from poor health and broken dreams, it was a sad and discomfiting end to the noble life of this seemingly inexorable revolutionary … Continue reading
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26th June 1541 the Death of Francisco Pizarro
Four hundred and seventy years ago, on 26th June 1541, Francisco Pizarro – Spanish conquistador and murderous subjugator of the entire Inca Empire – got his just desserts when he was assassinated by his own people. The old ruffian, near 70, … Continue reading
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22nd June 1939 the Death of Benjamin Tucker
Not with any spectacular knock-out blow did today’s subject achieve his legacy in the pantheon of American anarchist luminaries. He wasn’t a “propaganda-by-the-deed” antihero like Alexander Berkman; nor was he an inspiring, fiery, superstar orator like Emma Goldman. And despite … Continue reading
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21st June 1877 the Molly Maguires’ Day of the Rope
On 21st June 1877, in the anthracite-mining county of Schuylkill, Pennsylvania, ten Irish immigrant men alleged to have been members of an oath-bound secret sect of vigilantes called the Molly Maguires were hanged in what came to be known as … Continue reading
Posted in Atrocities, Dissent 2 Comments
20th June 1912 the Death of Voltairine de Cleyre
Today we pay tribute to an extraordinary frontierswoman and freethinker, Voltairine de Cleyre, who died 99 years ago as she had lived: “a free spirit, an Anarchist, owing no allegiance to rulers, heavenly or earthly.” A leading luminary in the … Continue reading
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19th June 1953 the Execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Today marks the 58th anniversary of the deaths of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg in the electric chair at New York’s Sing Sing prison. Convicted of conspiring to pass atomic secrets to the Soviet Union, the Rosenbergs – who maintained their … Continue reading
Posted in Atrocities, World Events 6 Comments
18th June 1858 the Death of the Rani of Jhansi
Today we pay tribute to Lakshmi Bai – the Rani (queen) of Jhansi – killed in battle one hundred and fifty-three years ago by British Imperialists during India’s First War of Independence. She was twenty-two years old. The story of this freedom-fighting … Continue reading
Posted in Heroines 4 Comments
16th June 1836 the Class War Begins
One hundred and seventy-five years ago today, a group of working-class radicals founded an organisation that would turn the world upside down. The London Working Men’s Association would be responsible for the key radical demands that were incorporated into the … Continue reading
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15th June 1962 the Port Huron Statement
Forty-nine years ago today, a small group of American students authored a mission statement that would serve as the defining document of the revolutionary 1960s. We are people of this generation, bred in at least modest comfort, housed in universities, … Continue reading
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12th June 1963 the Assassination of Medgar Evers
Forty-eight years ago today, civil rights leader Medgar Evers was assassinated in the driveway of his home; his wife and young children, who’d been waiting up for him, watched in horror as he bled to death on the doorstep. Lynchings … Continue reading
11th June 1963 the Revolutionary Suicide of Thich Quang Duc
Today we recall one of the most singularly vivid images of the twentieth century when 67-year-old Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức sat down in the lotus position at a busy crossroads in Saigon, doused himself in petrol, lit a much … Continue reading
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10th June 1988 the Singing Revolution
Twenty-three years ago 10th June 1988, a crowd of 15,000 Estonians gathered at the traditional Old Town Festival spontaneously began singing their unofficial national anthem. A song which, under the Soviet yoke, they were forbidden to sing. The crowd then … Continue reading
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9th June 1938 the Yellow River Flood
Seventy-three years ago today, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, Chinese Nationalist troops under the orders of Chiang Kai-Shek blew up the dikes holding back the Yellow River in an attempt to stop the invading Japanese. The mighty river – known … Continue reading
Posted in Atrocities 4 Comments
8th June 1809 the Death of Thomas Paine
Today we pay tribute to Thomas Paine, Forgotten Founding Father of the United States, who died two hundred and two years ago today on 8th June 1809. Revolutionary, pamphleteer, writer, agitator, radical, propagandist, deist – by the time of … Continue reading
7th June 1893 Gandhi’s First Act of Civil Disobedience
One hundred and eighteen years ago today, the twentieth century’s most famous non-violent revolutionary, Mohandas Gandhi, committed his first act of civil disobedience when the then 24-year-old Indian lawyer was forcibly ejected from a train at South Africa’s Pietermaritzburg Railway … Continue reading
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3rd June 1943 the Zoot Suit Riots
On the night of 3rd June 1943, as American men of all ethnicities shipped off to service in World War II, the city of Los Angeles witnessed a violent racist outbreak when a group of fifty sailors ran amok viciously … Continue reading
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2nd June 1780 the Gordon Riots
Two hundred and thirty-one years ago, London was rocked by the biggest and most dramatic riots in British history. There was more damage to property than Paris suffered during the French Revolution, leaving hundreds dead, hundreds more wounded, and dozens … Continue reading
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1st June 1968 the Death of Helen Keller
Today we pay tribute to one of the twentieth century’s most potent symbols of courage and fortitude, the legendary Helen Keller. Rendered deaf and blind at nineteen months as a result of what was probably scarlet fever, the extraordinary story … Continue reading
Posted in Heroines 4 Comments
29th May 1851 ‘Ain’t I a Woman?’
Today we recall that extraordinary, incendiary moment when former slave, itinerant preacher, abolitionist and firebrand Sojourner Truth took to the podium at the 1851 Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio, raised herself to her full height of over six feet, … Continue reading
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28th May 1871 Defeat of the Paris Commune
Today we lament the unfathomably brutal suppression of the first proletarian revolution in history, the Paris Commune. Just three months earlier, on 18th March 1871, the workers of Paris rose up, seized power from the new provisional French government, … Continue reading
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27th May 1980 the Suppression of the Kwangju Democratisation Movement
Today we lament the brutal suppression of the Kwangju Democratisation Movement. Ten days earlier, the citizens of the liberal South Korean city of Kwangju joined a student-led uprising in opposition to the illegitimate authoritarian rule of General Chun Doo-hwan. In response, … Continue reading
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26th May 1830 the Indian Removal Act
Today we lament the passage of President Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act – paving the way for White America’s long-wished for heave-ho of all Indians to lands west of the Mississippi river. “What good man would prefer a country covered … Continue reading
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24th May 1856 the Commencement of John Brown’s Holy War
One hundred and fifty-five years ago in Kansas, on the night of 24th May 1856, a gang of seven abolitionists paid an unexpected visit to the home of militant pro-slavery advocate James Doyle. Doyle and two of his sons were … Continue reading
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23rd May 2008 the Death of Utah Phillips
Today we raise a fist in tribute to folk singer, anarchist, activist, historian and storyteller extraordinaire, Utah Phillips, who died three years ago on this day at the age of seventy-three. A Mark Twain-meets-Howard Zinn with a guitar, Phillips dedicated … Continue reading
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22nd May 1885 the Death of Victor Hugo
Today we pay our respects to that towering giant of French letters – the visionary poet, epic novelist, revolutionary playwright, Romantic, mystic, activist and politician, Victor Hugo. An unqualified hero to his countrymen, when he died on this day one … Continue reading
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20th May
Another available date for future revolutionaries to take note of, and something to consider… “If you reason instead of repeating what is taught you; if you analyze the law and strip off those cloudy fictions with which it has been … Continue reading
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18th May 1955 the Death of Mary McLeod Bethune
In that grim 100-year period between the end of the Civil War and the onset of the Civil Rights movement, the only thing more challenging than being an African American was the double whammy of being both black and female. … Continue reading
17th May
Budding revolutionaries and politicos take note: this date is yours for the taking. Revolution has always been in the hands of the young, but that doesn’t absolve the older generations! Parents: are you doing your job? Do your teenage or … Continue reading
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16th May 1918 Woodrow Wilson’s Gag Order
“Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech,” states the First Amendment to the US Constitution. Except when it suits Congress. And ninety-three years ago today, President Woodrow Wilson pushed through the Sedition Act of 1918 – a blatant … Continue reading
Posted in World Events 1 Comment
14th May 1940 the Death of Emma Goldman
Today we celebrate an extraordinary life of an extraordinary woman – the propagandist, orator, writer, agitator, firebrand and revolutionary anarchist – Emma Goldman. Known as “Red Emma,” “the mother of anarchy in America” and “the most dangerous woman in the world,” … Continue reading
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13th May 1968 Paris Revolts
No other city is more synonymous with revolution than Paris. It had turned the world upside down in 1789, 1830, 1848 and 1871. And forty-three years ago today on 13th May 1968, its citizens – one million of them – … Continue reading
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11th May 1846 the Commencement of Manifest Destiny
On 11th May 1846, the 11th president of the United States, James Polk, asked Congress to recognise the existence of a war with Mexico triggered by America’s annexation of Texas. Two days later, war was officially declared and thus … Continue reading
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10th May 1857 the Great Indian Rebellion
One hundred and fifty-four years ago today in Meerut, three infantry regiments of Indian Sepoys turned their guns on their commanding British officers. Shouting ‘Maro phirangi ko’ (death to foreigners), they killed any European in sight, burnt the officers’ quarters, … Continue reading
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9th May 1976 the Revolutionary Suicide of Ulrike Meinhof
“How can stupidity invade intelligence?” asked Ulrike Meinhof of post-war West Germany’s fascistic, imperialistic and increasingly capitalistic policies of betrayal. Since her death thirty-five years ago on this day at the age of forty-one, we’ve been asking that very … Continue reading
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7th May 1763 Pontiac’s Rebellion
Two hundred and forty-eight years ago today, one of the most significant Indian rebellions in the history of Colonial America began when a confederacy of tribes under the leadership of Chief Pontiac attacked British forces at Fort Detroit. Pontiac’s war … Continue reading
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6th May 1862 the Death of Henry David Thoreau
Today we pay tribute to the author, naturalist, poet-prophet, mystic, abolitionist and unrepentant individual – Henry David Thoreau. When he died on this day in 1862 from tuberculosis at the age of 44, this giant in the American pantheon was … Continue reading
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5th May 2011 the Death of WWI’s Final Warrior
Early this morning, the last living soldier and genuine veteran of World War One quit this planet at the inspiring age of 110. Claude Stanley Choules signed up to the Royal Navy in 1915 when he was just 14 years … Continue reading
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4th May 1886 the Haymarket Affair
Today is the 125th anniversary of the so-called Haymarket Affair – the most sensational American labour incident in the 19th century. What began on May 1st 1886 as a nationwide movement for the 8-hour workday ignited on this day during … Continue reading
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3rd May 1849 the May Uprising in Dresden
One hundred and sixty-two years ago today, the May Uprising in Dresden began – the final insurrection in a revolutionary wave that had been sweeping across nearly all of Europe in the wake of and inspired by the French Revolution … Continue reading
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2nd May 1919 the Death of Gustav Landauer
Today we are remembering one of the great lost thinkers of the twentieth century, the German Jewish anarchist, philosopher and “prophet of community” – Gustav Landauer. Academic and author Jesse Cohn has suggested: “If there were any justice in this … Continue reading
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1st May 1886 May Day! May Day!
Today, May Day, marks the international celebration of the social and economic achievements of the labour movement. Except in the United States. Yet it is from the New World that May Day received its inspiration. One hundred and twenty-five … Continue reading
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27th April 1882 the Death of Ralph Waldo Emerson
He’s been called the “prophet of his generation,” “America’s Plato,” “the Sage of Concord” and “the single most influential figure in American literary history”. Today we celebrate a true colossus – Ralph Waldo Emerson – who died one hundred and twenty-nine … Continue reading
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25th April 1974 the Carnation Revolution
At twenty minutes past midnight on 25th April 1974, Lisbon night owls heard the unthinkable coming through their radios. “Sines, Vila Morena” was a well-known anthem to young people and intellectuals, but with lyrics extolling the virtues of brotherhood and … Continue reading
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23rd April 1968 the Columbia University Student Protest
It was the spring of 1968, the “year that rocked the world”. In America, the anti-Vietnam movement was intensifying, stirred by the Tet Offensive and My Lai Massacre. The women’s rights movement was mobilising. And Black Power and the Black … Continue reading
Posted in Dissent, Heroes, Heroines, Revolution, World Events 2 Comments
21st April 1792 the Execution of Tiradentes
Two hundred and nineteen years ago today, Joaquim Jose da Silva Xavier – better known as Tiradentes – was hanged in Rio de Janeiro. His body was then chopped into pieces, which were displayed along the road between Rio and … Continue reading
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20th April 1911 the Lynching of Will Porter
Between 1882 and 1968, 4,743 lynchings occurred in the United States. And that only accounts for those that were recorded. Behind every one of these 4,743 extrajudicial “mob rules” executions, there is indubitably a sick and tragic story – … Continue reading
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19th April 1824 the Death of Lord Byron
Yes, he was “mad, bad and dangerous to know” – flamboyant, dynamic and notorious for his scandalous love affairs and aristocratic excesses. A proto-rock star, he was the most famous literary figure of his day – capturing the imagination of Europe … Continue reading
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17th April 1975 Pol Pot Declares Year Zero
Thirty-six years ago today, Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge captured Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh and declared revolutionary Year Zero. After five years of bloody civil war, the conquering Communist guerrillas were welcomed as heroes by a relieved population desperate for peace … Continue reading
Posted in Atrocities, Tyrants, World Events 1 Comment
16th April
No great action has thus far occurred on this day that warrants an On This Deity entry. Instead, here’s something to think about: “Personally I’m in favor of democracy, which means that the central institutions in the society have to be … Continue reading
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15th April 1865 the Death of Abraham Lincoln
Seven score and six years ago today, at 7.22am on 15th April 1865, Abraham Lincoln died – nine hours after an assassin’s bullet entered the back of his head. This self-educated, rough-hewn lawyer from Illinois with virtually no administrative or … Continue reading
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14th April 1964 the Death of Rachel Carson
Today we commemorate one of the twentieth century’s greatest revolutionary heroines – the mother of the environmental movement, Rachel Carson. Passionate naturalist, brilliant biologist, fearless crusader and gifted writer of extraordinary command, this outwardly demure and unassuming woman took on … Continue reading
13th March 1873 the Colfax Massacre
One hundred and eighty-three years ago today, a brutal massacre occurred in Colfax, Louisiana that remains shockingly little-known considering the magnitude of the violence – it is one of the largest incidents of race-related mass murder in America’s non-combatant history … Continue reading
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12th April 1989 the Revolutionary Suicide of Abbie Hoffman
Today we commemorate everyone’s favourite Groucho Marxist – the radical activist, Abbie Hoffman. Co-founder of the Yippies and author of Steal This Book and Revolution for the Hell of It, Hoffman was one of the most colourful and iconic figures … Continue reading
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