A Focus on History – November 29 through December 5

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November 29
In spite of strong Arab opposition, the United Nations votes for the partition of Palestine and the creation of an independent Jewish state. – 1947
Making good on his most dramatic presidential campaign promise, newly-elected Dwight D. Eisenhower goes to Korea to see whether he can find the key to ending the bitter and frustrating Korean War. At the end of the Korean War the United States suffered 36,516 casualties and spent nearly $70 Billion, approximately $660 Billion in today’s dollars. – 1952.
November 30
During a White House ceremony attended by James S. Brady, president Bill Clinton signs the Brady handgun-control bill into law. The law requires a prospective handgun buyer to wait five business days while the authorities check on his or her background. In 1981, James Brady, who served as press secretary for then president Ronald Reagan, was shot in the head during an attempt on president Reagan’s life. – 1993.
December 1
The Ford Motor Company introduces the continuous moving assembly line which could produce a complete car every two-and-a-half minutes. – 1913.
African American Rosa Parks refuses to go to the back of a Montgomery, Ala. bus, to add fuel to the growing civil rights movement’s campaign to win desegregation and end the deep South’s “Jim Crow” laws. – 1955.
Shortly after 11 a.m., 132 feet below the English Channel, workers drill through a wall of rock and connect an underwater tunnel, Chunnel, which links Great Britain with the European mainland of France. It took almost 13,000 workers four years to complete the 95 miles of tunnels which cost $15 Billion. – 1990.
December 2
In Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned Napoleon I, the first Frenchman to hold the title of emperor in 1,000 years. – 1804.
The Enron Corporation files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a New York court to spark one of the largest corporate scandals in the U.S.. Enron’s collapse cost investors billions of dollars, wiped out approximately 5,600 jobs, and liquidated almost $2.1 Billion in pension plans. – 2001.
Court documents filed in Boston reveal Walmart Stores Inc. has agreed to pay $40 Million to 87,500 Massachusetts employees who claimed the retailer denied them rest and meal breaks, manipulated time cards, and refused to pay overtime. – 2009.
December 3
An explosion at a Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India leads to the worst industrial accident in history. More than 2,000 persons die and another 200,000 were injured when toxic gas enveloped the city. – 1984.
Arrests begin in Middleton, N.J. of teachers striking in violation of a no-strike law. Ultimately 228 educators were jailed for up to seven days before they were released following the Middleton Township Education Association’s agreement to take the dispute to mediation. – 2001.
December 4
Heavy smog begins to hover over London, England. It persists for four days and leads to the deaths of at least 4,000 residents. – 1952.
December 5
A fire at the Brooklyn Theater in New York City kills nearly 300 individuals and injures hundreds more. Some victims perished from a combination of burns and smoke inhalation; others were trampled to death in the general panic that ensued. – 1876.
The 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified to repeal the 18th Amendment and bring an end to the era of National prohibition of alcohol in The U.S.. – 1933.

Sources: History.com, Toil and Trouble, by Thomas R. Brooks; American Labor Struggles, by Samuel Yellen; IWW calendar, Solidarity Forever; Historical Encyclopedia of American Labor, edited by Robert E. Weir and James P. Hanlan; Southwest Labor History Archives/George Meany Center; Geov Parrish’s Radical History; workday Minnesota; Andy Richards and Adam Wright, AFL-CIO Washington DC Metro Council.

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