#OnThisDay 1943: #LepaRadić, a Bosnian Serbian #resistance fighter, was executed by the SS. She helped 150 women and children escape the SS. Before she was hung, she shouted defiantly: “Fight, people, for your freedom! Do not surrender to the evildoers!” She was 17 years old at the time.

#OnThisDay 1894: The #CrippleCreek miner’s #strike began. It lasted 5 months and is notable for being the only time in U. S. history when a state militia SUPPORTED striking workers. It ended with a union victory after a standoff between the State militia and a private army funded by the mine owners

#OnThisDay 1787: A group of wealthy merchants funded a private army to crush a series of #protests known as #ShaysRebellion. The protesters- farmers, workers, & rural veterans- were responding to political corruption, cronyism, & economic policies that hurt the poor and middles classes.

#OnThisDay, Feb 2nd: People gather at Gobblers Knob to witness the meteorological prognostications of a rodent of unusual size. For those unaware of the origins of #GroundhogDay, they can be traced back to traditions associated with the celebrations of #Candlemas and #Imbolc in Europe.

#OnThisDay Feb 2nd: Is the celebration of #Candlemas. Traditionally, household candles were blessed at this, the last of three ‘light’ festivals in the Catholic Church; the first two being Advent and Christmas. It coincided with the pre-Christian festival of #Imbolc.

On Jan 30th 1649, King #CharlesI was beheaded. He was found guilty of High Treason & using his position for personal gain & attempting to "uphold in himself an unlimited and tyrannical power to rule according to his will, and to overthrow the rights and liberties of the people."

On Jan 30th 1972, #BloodySunday British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians during a protest march in Derry, #NorthernIreland. 14 were killed, some shot while fleeing or trying to help the wounded. Many more were injured by rubber bullets or batons; two were run down by British Army vehicles.

On Jan 30th 1933 A new Chancellor was appointed in Germany. One of his first moves was to free his supporters who had been imprisoned for a failed coup. He then expanded a federal police force called the #Gestapo- short for 'Geheime Staatspolizei,' which means Secret State Police.

Joyous #Imbolc, One and all! As the #WheelOfTheYear turns, let us look forward to the arrival of spring, and to an increase in the health and happiness of hearth and home. A festival of renewal, fire, and fertility, marking the midpoint between the dark of winter and the light of spring.

#OnThisDay 1945 The surviving inmates of the #Auschwitz-Birkenau #ConcentrationCamp were freed. An estimated 6 million Jewish people were killed during the Nazi #Holocaust, along with millions of others, including homosexuals, trans people, political protesters, and the disabled, among others.

#OnThisDay 41 CE… Roman Emperor #Caligula, was assassinated. Ascending to throne at the age of 24, Caligula has become synonymous with wealth, excess & corruption, and serves as a warning against the dangers of a ruler with unconstrained personal power.

#OnThisDay 1795 A #Dutch naval fleet was captured by a #French cavalry charge. Yes, that’s right; a cavalry charge against ships. A French #Hussar Regiment charged across the frozen #ZuiderzeeBay in the Netherlands to board the ships which were frozen at anchor off the port of Den Helder.

#OnThisDay 1879 150 British and colonial troops successfully defended an attack against an intense assault by 3,000 to 4,000 #Zulu warriors at a place called #Rorke’sDrift. Eleven Victoria Crosses were awarded to the defenders, along with a number of other decorations and honours.

#OnThisDay 1919… Irish Republican MPs of the #SinnFéin party founded an independent Irish Parliament, called Dáil Éireann, which adopted the Declaration of Irish Independence. This same day, the #Soloheadbeg ambush occurred when members of the #IRA ambushed RIC -Royal Irish Constabulary- officers.

#OnThisday 1671... Welsh born Captain Sir #HenryMorgan and his #privateer (or #pirate) armada attacked Spanish #Panama. Morgan’s forces routed the Spanish garrisons and plundered Panama City. Spain protested, but Morgan was treated as a hero, knighted & was even named Lt. Governor of Jamaica.

#OnThisDay We celebrate the birth and the life of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. #MLK championed civil rights, labor rights, & the right to vote through non-violent #resistance. Although he achieved many great things during his lifetime, many of his Dreams remain unfulfilled.

#OnThisDay 1958: #BattleOfHayesPond, a fight between the KKK and members of the #LumbeeTribe in N. Carolina occurred. The Lumbee Tribe drove off the Klan & some Klansmen were injured, but no one died. Local public opinion turned against the Klan & the KKK leader was convicted for inciting a riot.

#OnThisDay 1920: The #VolsteadAct went into effect, thus ushering in the era of #Prohibition. Prohibitionists sought to end the sale and consumption of alcohol, and thus cure society's ills, such as: alcoholism, domestic violence, and corruption (And also to weaken their political opposition.)

#OnThisDay 27 B.C.E. Octavian #Caesar was granted the title #Augustus by the Roman Senate, marking the start of the Roman Empire. He gained total control through a series of incremental power gains, by co-opting the Senate, and appealing to the people, touting the republican traditions of Rome.

#OnThisDay 1919… The #GreatMolassesFlood occurred. A storage tank filled with more than 2 million gallons of molasses burst. The waist high wave of molasses swept through the streets of Boston at 35 mph. 21 people were killed, and more than 150 were injured.

#OnThisDay 1811… The largest revolt of enslaved peoples in America, #GermanCoastRevolt ended. Enslaved people fighting for their liberty killed two white men. In response white militias killed more than 80 enslaved men, many without trial. Some were decapitated & their heads were put on spikes.

#OnThisDay, #TwelfthNight in medieval England Communities would get together to #Wassail the orchards: march through the apple orchards, singing loud songs, banging pots and pans (and, of course, drinking cider) in order to drive away evil spirits and ensure a good harvest for the coming year.

#OnThisDay 1592 Filipa de Sousa was found guilty by #Inquisition of being a lesbian. She was scourged & exiled. She is recognized as one of the first victims of homophobia in Brazil and is an icon of the country's #LGBT movement.

#OnThisDay 1916: Grigori #Rasputin was killed. According to accounts he drank 3 glasses of poisoned wine then was shot twice in the chest, but he didn't die. His killers fled, but he chased them. He was then shot in the head, killing him. His body was thrown into an icy river, just to be sure.

#OnThisDay 1980... The #RendleshamForest incident occurred. This was series of reported #UFO / #UAP sightings just outside an RAF/USAF airbase in Suffolk, England. It became one of the best-known UFO/UAP events worldwide and has been called #BritainsRoswell.

#OnThisDay 1657.. The first document calling for #ReligiousFreedom among the Europeans of North America was signed; the #FlushingRemonstrance. Created by non-Quaker English citizens of what would become New York to protest official persecution of Quakers. It called to end a ban on Quaker worship.

#OnThisday 1776 At the #BattleOfTrenton the Continental Army, led by General George Washington, defeated an army of Hessian soldiers. They crossed the ice covered #DelawareRiver. At night. On Christmas. The only American casualties were from frostbite: two men who made the 9 mile march barefoot.

#OnThisDay 1783 #GeorgeWashington resigned his commission as General of the Army. His action to voluntarily relinquish control of the military established the precedent of civilian control of the military & the idea that a single man should not have the capacity to lead our country into war.

Glückliche #Mutternacht! - According to the medieval English historian Bede in the 8th Century, the pagan Anglo-Saxons marked this evening as #Mōdranicht or #Mother’sNight. It is a night dedicated to Mothers everywhere, to female ancestors, and to heavenly Mothers.

Io #Saturnalia! An ancient Roman festival and holiday in honor of the god Saturn, held between December 17th and 23rd. Celebrated with banquets, gift-giving, and continual partying. There was a carnival atmosphere, in which common social norms were overturned, such as allowing gambling.

#OnThisDay 1773 To protest economic policies specifically tailored to help large corporations while hurting the middle class, the #SonsOfLiberty dumped tea into Boston Harbor, destroying property belonging to the British East India Company worth $1,700,000 in today’s dollars. #BostonTeaParty

#OnThisDay 1967 The #SilverBridge in Point Pleasant WV collapsed killing 46 people. In the year leading up to the collapse there were numerous sightings of the #Mothman cryptid. It was reportedly seen over the bridge just before the collapse. After the collapse, the sightings abruptly ceased.

On the 25th day of Kislev, in 3762 on the Hebrew Calendar (A.K.A. 2 B.C.E) the Jewish people rebelled against the Seleucid Empire, led by the despotic and megalomaniacal Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Seleucids were attempting to impose their religious mores and practices upon the Jews. #HappyHanukkah

#OnThisDay 1791 The #BillOfRights was ratified, guaranteeing various rights such as the rights to #FreedomOfSpeech, #FreedomOfReligion, and #FreedomOfPress, freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures, as well as the right to bear arms and to petition the government for redress of grievances.

December 8th is celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church as the Feast of the #ImmaculateConception. Contrary to popular belief, this refers not to the conception of Jesus, but rather to his mother, the #VirginMary who -according to Roman Catholic belief- was also conceived by miraculous means.

#OnThisDay 1969 The LAPD deployed a Special Weapons Attack Team (later changed to ...'and Tactics'). The target of that first #S.W.A.T. raid was the headquarters for a local #BlackPantherParty which organized free breakfasts for students and taught classes in black history and community support.

#OnThisDay 1945 "A date which will live in infamy." The Japanese Navy attacked #PearlHarbor. President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan, thus entering the U.S. into World War II. More than 2400 Americans were killed in the attack & more than 1100 wounded including 68 civilians.

#OnThisDay, the feast of #StNicholas of Myra. Imprisoned during the #DiocletianPersecution of Christians, but released after Constantine the Great promulgated the #EdictOfMilan in 313, which allowed for the public practice of Christianity in the Roman Empire he was known for his generosity.

#OnThisDay 1933 The #21stAmendment was ratified, thus ending #Prohibition. Prohibition tried to end drunkenness, domestic violence, crime, & mental illness, & poverty. It failed. But it brought an increase in organized crime & a reduction of tax revenue. It was unpopular even among non-drinkers.

#OnThisDay 1945 #Flight19- a group of five planes- disappeared over the #BermudaTriangle. Although initial investigation concluded that the flight leader chose the wrong direction after both his compasses stopped working, the report was later amended to "cause unknown."

Gruss vom #Krampus! Dec 5th, is called #Krampusnacht, and commemorates the Krampus; a monstrous horned figure who scares bad children. While #StNicholas rewards well-behaved children, the bad ones are punished by Krampus. The worst are stuffed into a basket and carried off, never to be seen again!

#OnThisDay 1954 The U.S. Senate voted to censure #JosephMcCarthy for “conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute.” McCarthy was a demagogue whose propaganda tactics led to a period known as the Second #RedScare as well as the #LavenderScare

#OnThisDay 1955 #RosaParks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man. As a result, she was arrested for violating a #JimCrowLaw (racial segregation law). She lost her job and received death-threats for years. It also led to national legal reforms and an end to racial segregation.

#OnThisDay 1864 The #SandCreekMassacre- the mass murder of a village of #Cheyenne and #Arapaho- occurred. A force from the Third Colorado Cavalry militia group killed and mutilated over 600 people, mostly women and children. Despite a federal investigation, no charges were ever brought.

#OnThisDay 1978 A charismatic leader named Jim Jones, who blended radical Chirstian religious ideology with political authoritarianism, convinced many of his followers to consume a mixture of Flavor Aid and cyanide. Those that resisted were shot. A total of 918 people died at #Jonestown.

#OnThisDay 1777 The #ArticlesOfConfederation sent to the #ThirteenColonies for ratification. The first constitutional of the early United States, they intentionally established a weak federal government while asserting the “sovereignty, freedom, and independence” of each state.

#OnThisDay 1558: #QueenElizabethI became Queen at the age of 25. She would reign for 45 years. Her impact on England, the British Isles, and the world was tremendous, and her reign is seen as a golden age; and all this at a time when many believed that a woman should not rule at all.

#OnThisDay 1315: Common-born militia from the #SwissConfederacy defeated a much larger force of professional #Hapsburg soldiers at the #BattleOfMortgarten. The Swiss won using blocks of infantry armed with #halberds & #pikes. This tactic came to dominate European battlefields for centuries.

#OnThisDay 1966... Two young couples from #PointPleasant, WV told police they had seen a large black creature with wings and glowing red eyes which chased after their car. Over the next 13 months, there were more than 100 recorded sightings of the creature which came to be known as the #Mothman.

#OnThisDay 1002, #Aethelred II the Unready ordered the death of all of the Danes who lived in England; an event known as the #StBricesDayMassacre. As a result, Viking King #SweynHaraldsson invaded England shortly thereafter, and forced Aethelred to flee.