TODAY’S HISTORY LESSON: JUNE 29
1613 Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, burns down during a performance of “Henry VIII”
1652 Massachusetts declares itself an independent commonwealth.
1767 The British parliament passes the Townshend Revenue Act, levying taxes on America.
1804 Privates John Collins and Hugh Hall of the Lewis and Clark Expedition were found guilty by a court-martial consisting of members of the Corps of Discovery for getting drunk on duty. Collins received 100 lashes on his back and Hall received 50.
1880 France annexes Tahiti.
1888 First (known) recording of classical music made, Handel’s Israel in Egypt on wax cylinder
1888 Professor Frederick Treves performs the first appendectomy in England.
1900 The Imperial Chinese Court issues what is essentially a declaration of war against foreigners in China blaming them for hostilities and giving license to the Boxers for even greater ferocity
1905 Russian troops intervene as riots erupt in ports all over the country, leaving many ships looted.
1926 Fascists in Rome add an hour to the work day in an economic efficiency measure.
1940 US passes Alien Registration Act requiring Aliens to register
1950 President Harry S. Truman authorizes a sea blockade of Korea
1956 Federal interstate highway system act signed
1964 Civil Rights Act of 1964 passes after an 83-day filibuster in the US Senate
1972 The Supreme Court ruled in Furman v. Georgia that the death penalty could constitute “cruel and unusual” prompting some states to revise their laws.
1982 Voting Rights Act of 1965 extended
1982 Israel invades Lebanon.
1990 Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are banned to protect the ozone layer
2007 Apple releases the first iPhone
REFERENCE: history.net, onthisday.com, thepeopleshistory.com, timeanddate.com, scopesys.com, on-this-day.com