The United Nations expelled Taiwan and admitted China. (1971) By admitting the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the UN had to unseat the ambassador of Taiwan because Taiwan is not recognized as an independent entity from China by the PRC.
The Charge of the Light Brigade took place. (1854) One of the most devastating battles in British military history took place during the Crimean War. Lord James Cardigan led his British calvary of 600 men to fight against Russian troops armed with heavy artillery in the Battle of Balaclava. Cardigan lost more than 40 percent of his troops in the battle, which as it turned out, had been a miscommunication in orders — they should not have been sent in to fight. Cardigan later was honored as a hero, and the battle was made even more famous by a poem penned by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, The Charge of the Light Brigade.
The United States invaded Grenada. (1983) US President Ronald Reagan sent in troops under the guise of protecting American nationals living in the country; the invasion, however, came just six days after the country’s Prime Minister, Maurice Bishop, was executed in a bloody coup led by Bernard Coard, a Marxist who then assumed power. In what was called Operation Fury, the US assumed control of Grenada until a new government could be installed.
US President Nixon vetoed the War Powers Resolution. (1973) The resolution aimed to give the US Congress more power over declarations of war and limit Presidential power to do so without approval from Congress. On November 7, the law was passed by Congress, overriding President Nixon’s veto.
Nazi Party leader Heinrich Himmler began a crackdown on the Edelweiss Pirates, a group of youths who opposed the Third Reich. (1944) The children avoided having to join the Hitler Youth by dropping out of school at age 14. They didn’t have to report to military duty until age 17. The Edelweiss Pirates helped to hide army deserters, among others, from Nazi forces. In response, Himmler sent many of the youths to concentration camps, and in November, 13 people were hanged, six of them teenagers from this group.
The Toronto Stock Exchange was established. (1861) The Toronto Stock Exchange now is the eighth largest exchange in the world. The New York Stock Exchange, in comparison, is the largest exchange in the world and was established in 1817.
Cuban President Fidel Castro announced a ban on US Dollars. (2004) The ban was Castro’s response to increased US embargoes on Cuba.
The British won one of the greatest, most unlikely, victories in the history of warfare at the Battle of Agincourt during the Hundred Year’s War. (1415) King Henry V led about 5,500 British troops into battle against more than 20,000 French troops. Due to a bit of a strategic advantage, King Henry’s forces were able to prevail against the overwhelming odds. Henry V later was recognized as the French heir to the throne and became the leader of France as well.
Francis Beckman, an American Archbishop of Dubuque in the Roman Catholic Church, denounced swing music as a path to Hell. (1938) Beckman famously claimed the music would, “gnaw away at the moral fiber of young people.” His campaign against the popular music of the day was unsuccessful.
Spanish painter Pablo Picasso was born. (1881) Picasso, who lived the majority of his life in France, was a famous cubist artist and one of the most important art figures of the 20th century.