The Birmingham campaign was a strategic movement in the spring of 1963 organized by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to draw attention to the unequal treatment of black Americans in Birmingham, Alabama. Organizers, led by Martin Luther King, Jr. (pictured) used nonviolent direct action tactics, beginning with a boycott of businesses. Sit-ins and marches followed, intended to provoke mass arrests. After the campaign ran low on adult volunteers, high school, college, and elementary students were trained to participate, resulting in hundreds of arrests and greater media attention. To dissuade demonstrators and control the protests the local police used water jets and dogs on children and bystanders. In some cases, bystanders attacked the police, who responded with force. Scenes of the ensuing mayhem caused an international outcry, leading to intervention by the Kennedy administration. By the end of the campaign, King's reputation surged, the "Jim Crow" signs in Birmingham came down, and public places became more open to blacks. The campaign brought national force to bear on the issue of racial segregation and was a major factor in the push towards the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham_campaign
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1815:
Mount Tambora in Indonesia began one of the most violent volcanic eruptions in recorded history, killing at least 71,000 people, and affecting worldwide temperatures for the next two years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tambora
1868:
A British military expedition to Abyssinia culminated in a rout of Ethiopians and the later suicide of Emperor Tewodros II. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Expedition_to_Abyssinia
1925:
The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was first published. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby
1970:
In the midst of business disagreements with his bandmates, Paul McCartney announced his departure from The Beatles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_McCartney
1992:
Nagorno-Karabakh War: At least 40 Armenian civilians were massacred in Maraga, Azerbaijan. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maraga_Massacre
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
popliteal: (anatomy) Of the area behind the knee. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/popliteal
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
I know now that it was meant to be this way. Sometimes, we have to look beyond what we want and do what's best. This is the path that I've chosen. Let's talk about something else. …You've become a truly great warrior … yet, you've remained humble. You've shown me that power is nothing if not guided by love. And watching you grow has helped me grow … That's why I'm here. in --Dragon Ball GT https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dragon_Ball_GT:_Season_2#Piccolo.27s_Decision
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