The Huế chemical attacks occurred on June 3, 1963, when soldiers of
the Army of the Republic of Vietnam poured liquid chemicals from tear
gas grenades onto praying Buddhists in Huế, South Vietnam (location of
attacks pictured). The Buddhists were protesting against religious
discrimination by the regime of President Ngo Dinh Diem, a Roman
Catholic. The attacks caused 67 people to be hospitalised for skin
blistering and respiratory ailments, and led the United States to
threaten privately to withdraw support for Diem. The protests were part
of a Buddhist campaign for religious equality after nine people were
killed while defying a ban on flying the Buddhist flag. An inquiry
determined that the chemical used failed to vapourise as it should have
done, exonerating the soldiers from charges that they had used poison or
mustard gas. However, Diem had already been forced to appoint a panel of
three cabinet ministers to meet with Buddhist leaders for negotiations
regarding religious equality. The talks led to the signing of the Joint
Communique, but the policy changes it provided were not implemented and
widespread protests continued, leading to the assassination of Diem in a
military coup.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hu%E1%BA%BF_chemical_attacks>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1658:
Pope Alexander VII appointed François de Laval as vicar
apostolic of New France.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_de_Laval>
1781:
American Revolutionary War: Jack Jouett made a "midnight ride"
to warn Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia legislature of coming British
cavalry who had been sent to capture them.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Jouett>
1943:
Off-duty US sailors fought with Mexican American youths in Los
Angeles, spawning the Zoot Suit Riots.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoot_Suit_Riots>
1973:
At the Paris Air Show, a Tupolev Tu-144 broke up in mid-flight
and disintegrated, killing the six members of the crew and eight
bystanders on the ground.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Paris_Air_Show_crash>
1982:
An assassination attempt on Shlomo Argov, the Israeli
ambassador to the United Kingdom, failed; this was later used as
justification for the 1982 Lebanon War.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shlomo_Argov>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
guardian angel:
A spirit believed to protect and to guide a particular person.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/guardian_angel>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
If the Internet teaches us anything, it is that great value
comes from leaving core resources in a commons, where they're free for
people to build upon as they see fit.
--Lawrence Lessig
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lawrence_Lessig>