Nixon’s peace proposal was rejected by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong negotiators, leading to five more years of the Vietnam War. OHS was established after the 9/11 attacks. Poland was annexed by Nazi Germany in 1939. Clinton was impeached in 1998 but acquitted in 1999. Solidarnosc trade union was banned in Poland in 1982. Peshtigo Fire killed over 1,000 people in Wisconsin in 1871. Franklin National Bank collapsed due to fraudulent leadership in 1974. Ken War set a new world water speed record in 1978. The first cross-US airplane race took place in 1919. Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in World Series history in 1956.
US President Nixon’s peace proposal was rejected by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong negotiators. (1970) President Richard M. Nixon had outlined a five-point peace proposal to end the Vietnam War that included a ceasefire and eventual US military withdrawal. The proposal was rejected outright because Communist leaders wanted a total and immediate withdrawal of US troops. The war continued for another five years.
US President George W. Bush has announced plans for a new Office of Homeland Security (OHS). (2001) The office was established in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and the subsequent increase in terrorist threats. The director of OHS was named on this day and the department officially commenced operations on November 25, 2002.
Nazi German forces successfully annexed Poland. (1939) The Germans invaded Poland on September 1, in the military action that started World War II.
The US House of Representatives has launched an inquiry into the impeachment of US President Bill Clinton. (1998) President Clinton was impeached on December 19, 1998 on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice in connection with the Monica Lewinsky affair. The Senate acquitted him, however, on February 12, 1999.
The Polish parliament has approved a law banning the Solidarnosc trade union. (1982) The government imposed martial law to end the activities of all trade unions in the country as the government feared workers’ strikes. The Solidarity trade union, the first non-communist trade union in the communist states of Eastern Europe, angered the Eastern bloc countries. Ultimately, the Polish government was unsuccessful and negotiated with the trade unions.
Fires erupted throughout the Midwestern United States, including the deadliest wildfire in US history. (1871) The “Peshtigo Fire” in Wisconsin burned 1,875 square miles (about 4,850 square kilometers) of land and caused more than 1,000 deaths, more than any other wildfire in US history. The “Great Chicago Fire” also broke out on this day and is much better known. More than 200 people were killed in that two-day fire, which may have been started by a cow kicking a lantern. Fires also broke out along Lake Michigan on the Chicago side; in Howell, Michigan; and in Manistee, Michigan.
Fraudulent leadership and mismanagement led to the collapse of Franklin National Bank in the United States. (1974) The circumstances of the crash were suspicious and involved a well-known Italian Mafia banker, Michele Sindona, also known as The Shark. At the time, it was the worst bank failure in US history.
A new world water speed record has been set. (1978) Ken War of Australia set the speed record of approximately 317 miles per hour (511 kilometers per hour) in his fast boat, Spirit of Australia. That record he held for over 30 years.
The first cross-US airplane race took place. (1919) Sixty-three airplanes competed in a 5,400-mile (about 8,690 kilometers) round-trip race between the East and West coasts. Lieutenant Belvin Maynard wins, finishing the race in just under nine days, between stopovers and air service.
The only perfect game in Major League Baseball World Series history has been pitched. (1956) Don Larsen, pitching for the New York Yankees, led the team to a 2-0 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game 5 of the series.
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