The Tiananmen Square protests were a set of national protests in the
People's Republic of China, which occurred between 1989-04-15 and
1989-06-04, centered at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The protests
were part of a conflict between the Chinese democracy movement and
the Communist Party of China. After several weeks, a decision was
made to forcibly remove the protesters. Entry of the troops into the
city was actively opposed by the citizens of Beijing, and an estimated
2,600 people died in the ensuing conflict. The suppression of the
protest was represented for many by the famous footage and photographs
of a lone protester, taken on June 5, standing in front of a column
of advancing tanks, halting their progress. The "tank man" continued
to stand defiantly in front of the tanks for half an hour before an
onlooker came over and pulled him away. Despite efforts, to this day
no one knows who the solitary figure was; TIME dubbed him "The
Unknown Rebel" and later named him one of the "100 Most Influential
People of the 20th Century."
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989
Today's selected anniversaries:
96 - Nerva became Roman Emperor, ending the Flavian dynasty, and
the era of the Five Good Emperors began.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerva)
1850 - United States Congress passed Fugitive Slave Act
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugitive_Slave_Law_of_1850)
1851 - New York Times began publishing.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Times)
1895 - Daniel David Palmer made the first chiropractic adjustment.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_David_Palmer)
1931 - The Mukden Incident: A section of a Japanese-built railroad
was allegedly destroyed by Chinese terrorists, providing an
excuse for the Japanese annexation of Manchuria.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mukden_Incident)
Wikiquote of the day:
"A faith is something you die for, a doctrine is something you kill
for. There is all the difference in the world." -- Tony Benn
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Tony_Benn)