Mardi Gras celebrations began in New Orleans in 1827, inspired by Parisian celebrations. Sit-down strikes were declared illegal by the Supreme Court in 1939. The Shanghai Communiqué was issued in 1972, a significant step towards a civil relationship between China and the US. Divorce became legal in Ireland in 1997. President George Bush announced the end of the Persian Gulf War in 1991. The 22nd constitutional amendment was ratified in 1951, limiting US presidents to two terms. Andersonville Jail received its first Union prisoners in 1864, where over a quarter of prisoners died. “People” magazine was first published in 1974. The Reichstag caught fire in 1933, leading to martial law and curtailed civil liberties in Germany. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born in 1807.
The first Mardi Gras celebrations took place in New Orleans. (1827) Inspired by similar celebrations in Paris, a group of masked students paraded through the street on this day, marking the first Mardi Gras celebrations. Early French settlers had had similar celebrations, but they had been banned throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Once Louisiana became part of the United States, the ban was lifted and Mardi Gras celebrations began taking place annually.
Sit-down strikes have been declared illegal by the Supreme Court. (1939) There were several very successful sit-down strikes in the United States, most notably the Flint Sit-Down Strike, in which the United Auto Workers occupied General Motors for more than 40 days. On this day, however, the Supreme Court ruled that a sit-down strike violates the property owner’s rights and they were declared illegal. While sit-down strikes still occur periodically in the United States, they are usually unsuccessful.
The Shanghai Communiqué has been issued. (1972) The communiqué was issued by Zhou Enlai, the Chinese premier, summarizing Nixon’s visit to China along with areas of agreement and disagreement between the two nations. It was an extremely important first step towards a civil relationship between the two countries.
Divorce has become legal in Ireland. (1997) The law was strongly opposed by the Roman Catholic Church, but voted for by over 14 million Irish citizens. Ireland was the last country in Europe to allow divorce.
President George Bush has announced the end of the Persian Gulf War. (1991) “Kuwait is liberated, the Iraqi army is defeated,” Bush announced this day, promising that allied forces would halt attacks by midnight. The whole war had lasted about two months, with six weeks made up of air attacks.
The 22nd constitutional amendment has been ratified. (1951) The amendment limited U.S. presidents to two terms, whereas previously they served as many terms as they could be elected to. It was largely passed due to the election of Franklin Roosevelt to four terms, which gave him control of the country for nearly 20 consecutive years.
The first Union prisoners arrived at Andersonville Jail. (1864) Jails in both North and South were notorious for being dirty, full of disease, and overcrowded. Of these, Andersonville was one of the worst. Over a quarter of the prisoners died, and the prison commandant, Henry Wirz, was later executed for brutality and ill-treatment.
“People” magazine is published for the first time. (1974) The magazine was one of the first to combine celebrity gossip with human interest stories and is known for obtaining the first exclusive rights to many celebrity photographs and their annual “100 Most Beautiful People” feature.
The Reichstag, the German parliament building, caught fire. (1933) Hitler blamed the fire on the Communists and used it as an excuse to institute martial law and curtail civil liberties in Germany.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow born. (1807) Longfellow, along with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Thoreau, was a major force behind the Transcendentalist movement in America. He is best known for his works “Paul Revere’s Ride” and “The Song of Hiawatha”.
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