The International Conference on the Holocaust and Genocide was the first
major conference in the field of genocide studies and marked the shift
from viewing genocide as an irrational phenomenon to one that could be
studied and understood. It was held at the Hilton Hotel in Tel Aviv on
20–24 June 1982 and was initially organized by Israel Charny, Elie
Wiesel, and Shamai Davidson. The Turkish government tried to have the
conference cancelled because it included presentations on the Armenian
genocide, which Turkey denies. Turkey threatened to close its borders to
Syrian and Iranian Jews fleeing persecution. In response, the Israeli
government called participants, claiming the conference was cancelled
and asking them not to attend. The official Israeli Holocaust memorial
and Tel Aviv University withdrew, as did many high-profile participants
including Wiesel. The organizers refused to remove the Armenian genocide
from the program and held the conference with fewer participants than
planned.
Read more:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Conference_on_the_Holocaust_and_Genocide>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1340:
Hundred Years' War: The English fleet commanded by Edward III
almost completely destroyed the French fleet at the Battle of Sluys.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Sluys>
1932:
A group of military officers and civilians engineered a
bloodless coup in Siam, ending the absolute rule of the Chakri dynasty.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siamese_revolution_of_1932>
1937:
The U.S. Navy's first two fast battleships, North Carolina and
Washington, of the North Carolina class, were respectively ordered from
the New York and Philadelphia Naval Shipyards.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina-class_battleship>
2010:
Julia Gillard was sworn in as the first female prime minister
of Australia after incumbent Kevin Rudd declined to contest a leadership
spill in the Labor Party.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Gillard>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
merchandising:
1. (also attributively) gerund of merchandise
2. (archaic) Trade in merchandise.
3. (originally US) The promotion of goods for sale in a store,
especially through advertising, attractive displays, discounts, etc.;
also (generally), the promotion of any goods or services for sale.
4. (specifically) The promotion of a film, music group, theatre
production, etc., through the sale of goods bearing motifs associated
with the subject being promoted; also, such goods themselves
collectively; merchandise.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/merchandising>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Insurrection, n. An unsuccessful revolution. Disaffection's
failure to substitute misrule for bad government.
--Ambrose Bierce
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ambrose_Bierce>