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US troops leave Beirut (1984); Napoleon escapes Elba (1815); Berlin Act signed, leading to European colonization of Africa (1885); Luftwaffe reformed (1935); Grand Canyon and Grand Tetons National Parks dedicated (1919, 1929); Britannia launched, later sunk in WW1 (1914); first pneumatic subway demonstrated in NYC (1870); US lifts travel ban on Libya (2004); Baring’s Bank collapses due to trader’s losses (1995); John Harvey Kellogg born, creator of dry cereal (1852).
The last US troops have left Beirut. (1984) President Ronald Reagan had sent troops to be a peacekeeping force in the nation in 1982 after an Israeli invasion. During the two years the troops spent in Beirut, more than 200 servicemen were killed.
Napoleon flees Elba. (1815) he Had been exiled there after being defeated by a coalition of European countries, but had escaped within a year. He was captured again a few months later and sent back into exile.
The Berlin law has been signed. (1885) The Berlin Act came out of the Berlin Conference, which was held to begin regulating European colonization and actions in Africa. The conference ushered in an era of new imperialism in Europe and eradicated most of Africa’s existing political autonomy. Perhaps the most notable part of the treaty was the granting of some 800,000 square miles (about 2 million square km) of the Congo as essentially personal property to Leopold II of Belgium.
The Luftwaffe has reformed. (1935) The infamous German Air Force had been disbanded at the end of World War I but was reorganized again by Hitler as it became increasingly militant. The Luftwaffe was one of the strongest military forces Germany had during WWII and is best known for the bombing of London.
The Grand Canyon and Grand Tetons National Parks have been dedicated. (1919,1929) The former was dedicated by President Wilson, although President Theodore Roosevelt had previously designated it a National Monument. President Coolidge dedicated Grant Tetons National Park ten years later, after a decade of social and political maneuvering by ranchers, tourist industry workers, and John D. Rockefeller, who had purchased huge amounts of land in the area.
Titanic’s sister ship has been launched. (1914) HHMS Britannia was a sister ship to Olympia and Titanic and she was also intended to be a passenger liner. She unfortunately, she was launched right at the start of WW1, she was drafted as a hospital ship and she hit a mine and sank in Greece two years after launch.
The first pneumatic subway was demonstrated to the public. (1870) The Beach Pneumatic System was the first attempt to build a subway in New York, and had its first demonstration on this day. While the project was initially very successful, financial problems caused by the stock market crash stalled it.
The United States has lifted the travel ban on Libya. (2004) The travel ban had been in place for 23 years due to the country’s political policies and a long history of conflict, espionage and counterintelligence with the United States.
One of the oldest banks in the UK has gone bankrupt. (1995) Baring’s bank, the oldest investment institution in Britain, collapsed after a trader, Nick Leeson, lost $1.5 billion speculating in futures.
John Harvey Kellogg is born. (1852) Kellogg developed the first dry cereal as a remedy for insanity – among other ailments – and became extremely wealthy when it became popular as a breakfast food.
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