http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
June 26, 1948: U.S. begins Berlin Airlift
On this day in 1948, U.S. and British pilots begin delivering food and supplies by airplane to Berlin after the city is isolated by a Soviet Union blockade.
When World War II ended in 1945, defeated Germany was divided into Soviet, American, British and French zones of occupation. The city of Berlin, though located within the Soviet zone of occupation, was also split into four sectors, with the Allies taking the western part of the city and the Soviets the eastern. In June 1948, Josef Stalin's government attempted to consolidate control of the city by cutting off all land and sea routes to West Berlin in order to pressure the Allies to evacuate. As a result, beginning on June 24 the western section of Berlin and its 2 million people were deprived of food, heating fuel and other crucial supplies.
Though some in U.S. President Harry S. Truman's administration called for a direct military response to this aggressive Soviet move, Truman worried such a response would trigger another world war. Instead, he authorized a massive airlift operation under the control of General Lucius D. Clay, the American-appointed military governor of Germany. The first planes took off from England and western Germany on June 26, loaded with food, clothing, water, medicine and fuel.
By July 15, an average of 2,500 tons of supplies was being flown into the city every day. The massive scale of the airlift made it a huge logistical challenge and at times a great risk. With planes landing at Tempelhof Airport every four minutes, round the clock, pilots were being asked to fly two or more round-trip flights every day, in World War II planes that were sometimes in need of repair.
The Soviets lifted the blockade in May 1949, having earned the scorn of the international community for subjecting innocent men, women and children to hardship and starvation. The airlift--called die Luftbrucke or "the air bridge" in German--continued until September 1949, for a total delivery of more than 1.5 million tons of supplies and a total cost of over $224 million. When it ended, the eastern section of Berlin was absorbed into Soviet East Germany, while West Berlin remained a separate territory with its own government and close ties to West Germany. The Berlin Wall, built in 1961, formed a dividing line between East and West Berlin. Its destruction in 1989 presaged the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union and marked the end of an era and the reemergence of Berlin as the capital of a new, unified German nation.
Ironic that I have been posting quite a bit about Berlin the last couple of days, and then, this winds up being the anniversary of a very important date and events in Berlin history. Didn't plan it like this, but hey, if it works....
This date is an important one in the history of Berlin. There was the Soviet blockade of Berlin, which the Western Allies (France, Great Britain, and the United States) responded to with the Berlin Airlift, allowing crucial supplies that enabled the small western section of the city to continue. Well over a decade later, shortly following the construction of the Berlin Wall, President John F. Kennedy visited the site of the Brandenburg Gate, with the Wall in between the West and the famous landmark, which lay on the eastern side. Kennedy uttered those now famous words, "Ich bin ein Berliner", which famously literally translates to "I am a doughnut". Yet, the spirit of his words of resistance to tyranny and the harsh division which the Berlin Wall represented were well understood, and lived on.
Some other things also happened on this date in history. The Roman Emperor Julian was killed, and General Jovian was proclaimed Emperor by his troops on the battlefield. The Duke of Gloucester appointed himself King Richard III of England. Now, here's something surprising that I always thought was a fairy tale, but apparently actually happened: : the Pied Piper actually led children of Hamelin away. The Lewis and Clark Expedition reached a landmark at the end of the Kansas River. The bicycle was patented in the United States, and the first pure food laws were established in the States, as well (think we could use pure food laws these days as well, actually). This date marked the end of the June Days Uprising in Paris. The first section of the famous Atlantic City boardwalk was completed. Wagner's "Valkyrie" premiered in Munich. Karl Benz of Germany received an American patent for a gasoline run automobile. The first movie theater in the United States opened on this date. The Soviet Union gave up on it's special calendar. The three New York baseball teams played a unique game in history, in which all three participated, alternating during innings, promoting war bonds. The Freedom Charter was agreed to in South Africa. The Beatles released "A Hard Day's Night" and on the same day, blacks and whites in St. Augustine rioted over racial segregation. Italian Somaliland became independent from Italy, on the same day that Madagascar gained independence from France. Kuwait rejected Iraq's annexation plans. Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency on grounds of a conspiracy. The CN Tower opened in Toronto. Elvis performed in his last concert ever in Indianapolis. The Palace of Versailles was bombed by separatists from Bretagne. Muhammad Ali retired as heavyweight boxing champion. The Supreme Court ruled that 16 year olds can be given the death sentence. Nelson Mandela addressed Congress the year after his infamous imprisonment. On this date in 1994, record setting hot temperatures were set throughout the American southwest, and on the same day, Yassir Arafat returned to Palestine after 27 years.
Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:
363 - Roman Emperor Julian was killed during the retreat from the Sassanid Empire. General Jovian is proclaimed Emperor by the troops on the battlefield.
684 - St Benedict II begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1096 - Peter the Hermit's crusaders forced their way across Sava, Hungary.
1243 - The Seljuk Turkish army in Asia Minor was wiped out by the Mongols.
1284 - Pied Piper lures 130 children of Hamelin away (actually happened)
1409 - Council of Pisa selects Petros Philargi as 3rd Pope: Alexander V
1483 - Duke of Gloucester appointed himself King Richard III of England
1498 - Toothbrush invented
1553 - Christ's Hospital in England granted a charter
1630 - Swedish troops under Gustaf II Adolf lands at Peenemunde
1714 - Spain and Netherlands sign peace/trade agreement
1718 - Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich of Russia, Peter the Great's son, mysteriously dies after being sentenced to death by his father for plotting against him.
1721 - Dr Zabdiel Boylston gives 1st smallpox inoculations in America
1723 - After a lasting siege and bombardment by cannons, Baku surrenders to the Russians.
1794 - Battle of Colors: France under Jourdan beats Austrian army at the Battle of Fleurus.
1797 - Charles Newbold patents first cast-iron plow. He can't sell it to farmers, though, they fear effects of iron on soil!
1804 - The Lewis and Clark Expedition reached the mouth of the Kansas River after completing a westward trek of nearly 400 river miles.
1807 - Lightning hits gunpowder warehouse in Luxembourg; 230 die
1819 - The bicycle was patented by W.K. Clarkson, Jr.
1843 - Hong Kong was proclaimed a British crown colony.
1844 - John Tyler took Julia Gardiner as his bride, thus becoming the first U.S. President to marry while in office.
1848 - First pure food law enacted in US
1848 - End of the June Days Uprising in Paris.
1857 - 62 receive Victoria Cross
1857 - Cawnpore England massacre
1862 - Battle of Beaver Dam Creek-Union repulses Confederacy in Virginia
1862 - Day 2 of 7 Days-Battle of Mechanicsville VA (Meadow Bridge)
1862 - US Army of Virginia established under Gen John Pope
1870 - The first section of the boardwalk in Atlantic City, NJ, was opened to the public.
1870 - Wagner's opera "Valkyrie" premieres in Munich
1870 - The Christian holiday of Christmas is declared a federal holiday in the United States.
1879 - Ismael Pasha resigns as khedive of Egypt
1894 - Karl Benz of Germany receives US patent for gasoline-driven auto
1894 - The American Railway Union called a general strike in sympathy with Pullman workers.
1900 - A commission that included Dr. Walter Reed began the fight against the deadly disease yellow fever.
1900 - The United States announced that it would send troops to fight against the Boxer rebellion in China.
1902 - Order of Merit instituted by King Edward VII
1902 - Start of Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of 3 Garidebs" (BG)
1906 - Hongar Szisz wins first Grand-Prix (Le Mans, France)
1907 - Russia's nobility demanded drastic measures to be taken against revolutionaries.
1907 - Bolsheviks overthrows transport in Tiflis
1908 - Shah Muhammad Ali's forces squelched the reform elements of Parliament in Persia.
1909 - 23rd US Womens Tennis: H Hotchkiss beats Maud Barger-Wallach (60 61)
1909 - Victoria & Albert Museum opens in London
1910 - 24th US Womens Tennis: H Hotchkiss Wightman beats L Hammond (64 62)
1910 - Hazel Hotchkiss wins US Lawn Tennis Association championship
1911 - Nieuport sets an aircraft speed record of 83 mph (133 kph)
1912 - Gustav Mahler's 9th Symphony premieres in Vienna
1915 - Germany suppresses its "Vorwarts" newspaper after it called for peace
1916 - Cleveland Indians experiment with #s on their jerseys (one game)
1917 - First US Expeditionary Force arrive in France during WW I
1917 - General John "Black Jack" Pershing arrived in France with the American Expeditionary Force.
1919 - NY Daily News begins publishing
1924 - After eight years of occupation, American troops left the Dominican Republic.
1924 - Ziegfeld Follies opens on Broadway
1925 - Charlie Chaplin's comedy, "The Gold Rush," premiered in Hollywood.
1926 - A memorial to the first U.S. troops in France was unveiled at St. Nazaire.
1927 - Comet 7P/Pons-Winnecke approaches within 0.0394 AUs of Earth
1927 - The Cyclone roller coaster opens on Coney Island
1929 - ENKA/Vereinigte Glanzstoff Factory merge AKU (Genl Kunstzijde Union)
1934 - FDR signs Federal Credit Union Act, establishing Credit Unions
1934 - Germany & Poland sign no-attack treaty
1934 - W E B Du Bois resigns position at NAACP
1935 - Andrew Sandham's 100th FC hundred, 103 v Hants
1935 - Lloyd Waner sets record of 18 putouts in center in doubleheader
1935 - SDAP & CPH achieve majority in city council in Amsterdam
1935 - Work service for recent graduate obligatory in Germany
1936 - 1st flight of Fw61 helicopter
1936 - Everett Marshall beats Ali Baba in Columbus, to become wrestling champ
1937 - Test cricket debut of Len Hutton v NZ at Lord's, scores 0 & 1
1938 - Cin Red Lonny Frey hits 8 doubles in a doubleheader
1940 - End of USSR experimental calendar; Gregorian readopted 6/27
1941 - Finland enters WW II against Russia
1941 - Lithuanian fascist massacre 2,300 Jews in Kovno
1942 - The Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter was flown for the first time.
1942 - German assault on British at Mersa Matruh
1944 - Second British army reaches Grainville-Mouen line
1944 - Yanks, Dodgers and Giants play unique 6 inn game for War Bonds, each playing successive innings, final score Dodgers-5, Yanks-1 and Giants-0
1945 - England win the second Victory test cricket at Bramall Lane by 41 runs
1945 - The U.N. Charter was signed by 50 nations in San Francisco, CA.
1946 - Dutch Nazi collaborator Arnold Meijer sentenced to 5 years
1946 - Fred Allen's last radio show, his guest is Jack Benny
1948 - The Berlin Airlift began as the U.S., Britain and France started ferrying supplies to the isolated western sector of Berlin.
1949 - 1st Belgian parliamentary election where women can vote (CVP gains)
1950 - Pres Gottwald of Czech confirms Milada Horakova's death sentence
1951 - The Soviet Union proposed a cease-fire in the Korean War.
1952 - Dutch social democratic party wins elections (29%)
1952 - Nelson Mandela and 51 others infringe South Africa curfew
1953 - KCTV (now KLST) TV channel 8 in San Angelo, TX (CBS) 1st broadcast
1953 - Russian vice-premier/interior minister Beria arrested
1954 - Jim Peters runs marathon in 2:17:39.4
1955 - Freedom Charter signed in South-Africa
1955 - Patty Berg wins LPGA Western Golf Open
1958 - Gaston Eyskens becomes premier of Belgium
1958 - Mackinac Straits Bridge, Michigan dedicated
1958 - Vanguard SLV-2 launched for Earth orbit (failed)
1959 - CBS journalist Edward R. Murrow interviewed Lee Remick. It was his 500th and final guest on "Person to Person."
1959 - U.S. President Eisenhower joined Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in ceremonies officially opening the St. Lawrence Seaway.
1959 - Ingemar Johansson TKOs Floyd Patterson in 3 for heavyweight boxing title
1960 - British Somaliland (now Somalia) gains independence from Britain
1960 - Hall of Fame allows veteran committee to vote annually
1960 - Italian Somaliland declares independence from Italian-administration
1960 - Madagascar (formerly Malagasy Rep) declared independence from France
1961 - A Kuwaiti vote opposed Iraq's annexation plans.
1962 - Blacks begin passive resistance in Cairo Ill
1962 - Boston Red Sox Earl Wilson no-hits LA Angels, 2-0
1962 - WSEC (now WLRN) TV channel 17 in Miami, FL (PBS) begins broadcasting
1963 - Alfons Gorbach forms Austrian government
1963 - Dutch 2nd Chamber condemns commercial TV
1963 - U.S. President John Kennedy announced "Ich bin ein Berliner" (I am a Berliner) at the then newly constructed Berlin Wall.
1964 - Beatles release "A Hard Day's Night" album
1964 - Blacks and Whites riot over racial segregation in St Augustine
1964 - Moise Tsjombe forms government in Congo
1965 - Wallon party forms in Belgium
1966 - "Time for Singing" closes at Broadway Theater NYC after 41 perfs
1966 - Kanton Bazel leads female suffrage in Switzerland
1967 - Pope Paul VI names 27 new cardinals
1968 - Executive Council decides both AL & NL to divide into 2 divisions
1968 - Iwo Jima & Bonin Islands returned to Japan by US
1970 - Frank Robinson hits 2 grand slams as Orioles beat Senators 12-2
1971 - "Man of La Mancha" closes at ANTA Wash Sq Theater NYC after 2329 perfs
1971 - Angels suspend Alex Johnson (after 5 benchings & 29 fines)
1971 - The U.S. Justice Department issued a warrant for Daniel Ellsberg, accusing him of giving away the Pentagon Papers. "
1972 - Bob Massie takes 16 wickets (8-84 & 8-53) on Test cricket debut v Eng
1972 - IRA proclaims resistant in North-Ireland
1973 - London production of "Grease" premieres
1973 - On Plesetsk Cosmodrome 9 people are killed in an explosion of a Cosmos 3-M rocket.
1974 - Liz Taylor's 5th divorce (Richard Burton)
1974 - The Universal Product Code is scanned for the first time to sell a package of Wrigley's chewing gum at the Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio
1975 - Cher divorces Sonny Bono
1975 - Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency due to "deep and widespread conspiracy."
1975 - Two FBI agents and a member of the American Indian Movement are killed in a shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota; Leonard Peltier is later convicted of the murders in a controversial trial.
1976 - WS shortstop Toby Harrah plays DH without touching a batted ball
1976 - The CN (Canadian National) Tower in Toronto opened, the world's tallest free-standing structure.
1977 - 42 die in fire inmate causes at Maury County Jail in Columbia Tenn
1977 - Elvis Presley sings in Indianapolis, last performance of his career
1977 - The Yorkshire Ripper kills 16 year old shop assistant Jayne MacDonald in Leeds, changing public perception of the killer as she was the first victim who was not a prostitute.
1978 - Brittany separatists bomb Palace of Versailles in France
1978 - First dedicated oceanographic satellite, SEASAT 1, launched
1978 - Air Canada Flight 189 to Toronto overruns the runway and crashes into the Etobicoke Creek ravine. Two of 107 passengers on board perish.
1979 - Muhammad Ali, at 37 years old, announced that he was retiring as world heavyweight boxing champion.
1979 - Rocker Nigel Olsson runs a stop sign, crashes & kills a driver
1981 - "For Your Eyes Only" premieres in US
1981 - In Mountain Home, Idaho, Virginia Campbell took her coupons and rebates and bought $26,460 worth of groceries. She only paid 67 cents after all the discounts.
1982 - Carlos Lopes runs Europe record 10k (27:34.39)
1982 - US vetos UN Security Council resolution for a limited withdrawal from Beirut of Israeli & Palestine Liberation Organization forces
1983 - "Loving" premieres on TV
1983 - "Show Boat" closes at Uris Theater NYC after 73 performances
1983 - Ayako Okamoto wins LPGA Rochester Golf International
1984 - 1st flight of Shuttle Discovery (41-D) scrubbed at T -4
1984 - Barbra Streisand records "Here We Are at Last"
1985 - Wilbur Snapp was ejected after playing "Three Blind Mice" during a baseball game. The incident followed a call made by umpire Keith O'Connor.
1986 - South African journalist Zwelakhe Sisulu arrested
1987 - Losing 9-0 to Red Sox, Yanks score 11 in 3rd and win 12-11 in 10 inn
1987 - Supreme Court Justice Lewis F Powell Jr announces his retirement
1987 - The movie "Dragnet" opened in the U.S.
1989 - Canada updates coins with a new potrait of the Queen
1989 - Supreme Court rules 16 year olds can receive death penalty
1990 - 122°F in Phoenix Arizona
1990 - 8 Kansas and Oklahoma radio stations boycott K D Lang, due to her anti-meat ad
1990 - New Kid on the Block Donnie Wahlberg release from hospital after fall
1991 - "Getting Married" opens at Circle in Sq Theater NYC for 70 perfs
1991 - ANC leader Nelson Mandela addresses congress
1991 - Amy Elizabeth Goodman, of California, crowned America's Junior Miss
1991 - Charlotte Hornets make Larry Johnson of UNLV, NBA's #1 draft pick
1991 - Ky medical examiner announces Zachary Taylor died of natural causes
1992 - India leases Tin Bigha corridor to Bangladesh
1992 - NYC's MTA votes to ban cigarette ads on Jan 1, 1993
1992 - Supreme Court rules fund soliciting can be banned at airports
1992 - Denmark upsets German 2-0, to win European Soccer championship
1993 - "Late Night with David Letterman" airs for last time on NBC-TV
1993 - Actress Julia Roberts and country singer Lyle Lovett wed
1993 - NY Met Eddie Murray is 20th to get 1,600 RBIs
1993 - Rebecca Jones, of Georgia, 18, crowned America's Junior Miss
1993 - US Tomahawk-rockets hit Iraqi secret service, Baghdad
1993 - The U.S. launches a missile attack targeting Baghdad intelligence headquarters in retaliation for a thwarted assassination attempt against former President George H.W. Bush in April in Kuwait.
1994 - "Broken Glass" closes at Booth Theater NYC after 73 performances
1994 - "Medea" closes at Longacre Theater NYC after 82 performances
1994 - 104°F (40°C) at Denver Colorado
1994 - 107°F (41.6°C) at Albuquerque New Mexico 1994 - 112°F (44.4°C) at El Paso Texas
1994 - 122°F (50°C) at Laughlin Nevada
1994 - 126°F (52.2°C) in Death Valley Calif
1994 - Air Ivory Fokker's-27 crashes at Abidjan (16 killed/1 lives)
1994 - Donna Andrews wins ShopRite LPGA Golf Classic
1994 - Kirby Puckett pass Rod Carew with 2,088 hit as Twin's top hit leader
1994 - PLO-leader Yasser Arafat returns to Gaza after 27 years
1994 - US loses to Romania 1-0 in 1994 soccer world cup
1995 - Gunmen ambush Egyptian pres Hosni Mubarak, escapes unharmed
1995 - Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani deposes his father Khalifa bin Hamad al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, in a bloodless coup.
1996 - Irish Journalist Veronica Guerin is shot in her car while in traffic in the outskirts of Dublin
1996 - The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Virginia Military Institute to admit women or forgo state support.
1997 - The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Communications Decency Act of 1996 that made it illegal to distribute indecent material on the Internet.
1997 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld state laws that allow for a ban on doctor-assisted suicides.
1997 - Galileo, Ganymede Observations (Orbit 9)
1997 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Communications Decency Act violates the First Amendment
1998 - The U.S. and Peru open school to train commandos to patrol Peru's rivers for drug traffickers.
1998 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that employers are always potentially liable for supervisor's sexual misconduct toward an employee.
2000 - The Human Genome Project and Celera Genomics Corp. jointly announced that they had created a working draft of the human genome.
2000 - Indonesia's President Abdurrahman Wahid declared a state of emergency in the Moluccas due to the escalation of fighting between Christians and Muslims.
2000 - The first map of the human genome, which required decoding more than 3 billion biochemical "letters" of human DNA, is completed.
2001 - Ray Bourque (Colorado Avalanche) announced his retirement just 17 days after winning his first Stanley Cup. Bouque retired after 22 years and held the NHL record for highest-scoring defenseman and playing in 19 consecutive All-Star games.
2002 - David Hasseloff checked into The Betty Ford Center for treatment of alcoholism.
2002 - WorldCom Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
2003 - Former South Carolina senator Strom Thurmond died at age 100.
2003 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Lawrence v. Texas that gender-based sodomy laws are unconstitutional.
2008 - The U.S. Supreme Court rules in District of Columbia v. Heller that the ban on handguns in the District of Columbia is unconstitutional.
The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:
http://www.historyorb.com/today/events.php
http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/jun26.htm
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
http://www.infoplease.com/dayinhistory
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