This day in History –September 4

Sep 04, 2022 News

---

Compiled by Zena Henry

British vessels open fire on Chinese war ships over opium

Kaieteur News – The Battle of Kowloon was fought between British and Chinese ships in Kowloon, China, on 4 September, 1839. It has been called “the first shot of the First Opium War”. The armed conflict of the First Opium War occurred when British boats opened fire on Chinese war junks enforcing a food sales embargo on the British community. The ban was ordered after a Chinese man died in a drunken brawl with British sailors at Tsim Sha Tsui. The Chinese authorities did not consider the punishment to be sufficient as meted out by British officials, so they suspended food supplies in an attempt to force the British to turn over the culprit. Captain Charles Elliot was the Chief Superintendent of British trade in China, and he sailed to Kowloon in the cutter Louisa for food supplies during the embargo, accompanied by the schooner Pearl and a pinnace from HMS Volage. They encountered three Chinese junks, and Elliot sent interpreter Karl Gutzlaff with demands to allow the supply of provisions. He finally delivered an ultimatum after several hours of correspondence: the junks would be sunk if supplies were not received. The stated time period expired with no results, so the British opened fire on the junks, which returned fire with support from the on-shore fort. The larger junks pursued the British boats which were sailing away after running low on ammunition, but the British re-engaged the ships after replenishing their ammunition, and the Chinese retreated to their former position, ending the clash in a stalemate. The Opium War or the Anglo-Chinese War was a series of military engagements fought between Britain and the Qing dynasty between 1839 and 1842. The immediate issue was the Chinese seizure of private opium stocks at Canton to stop the banned opium trade, and threatening the death penalty for future offenders. The British Government insisted on the principles of free trade and equal diplomatic recognition among nations, and backed the merchants’ demands. (Source: Military history)

 Apache leader and warriors surrender to European settlers in US

On September 4, 1886, Apache leader Geronimo surrendered to U.S. Government troops. For 30 years, the Native American warrior had battled to protect his tribe’s homeland however, by 1886 the Apaches were exhausted and outnumbered. General Nelson Miles accepted Geronimo’s surrender, making him the last Native American warrior to formally give in to U.S. forces and signalling the end of the Indian Wars in the Southwest.

Geronimo was born in 1829 and grew up in what is present-day Arizona and Mexico. His tribe, the Chiricahua Apaches, clashed with non-Native settlers trying to take their land. In 1858, Geronimo’s family was murdered by Mexicans. Seeking revenge, he later led raids against Mexican and American settlers. In 1874, the U.S. Government moved Geronimo and his people from their land to a reservation in east-central Arizona. Conditions on the reservation were restrictive and harsh and Geronimo and some of his followers escaped. (Source: History)

The first live transcontinental television is broadcasted

On September 4, 1951, President Harry S. Truman’s opening speech before a conference in San Francisco is broadcast across the nation, marking the first time a television programme was broadcast from coast to coast. The speech focused on Truman’s acceptance of a treaty that officially ended America’s post-World War II occupation of Japan.

The broadcast, via then-state-of-the-art microwave technology, was picked up by 87 stations in 47 cities, according to CBS. In his remarks, Truman lauded the treaty as one that would help “build a world in which the children of all nations can live together in peace.” As communism was threatening to spread throughout Pacific Rim nations such as Korea and Vietnam, the U.S. recognised the need to create an ally in a strong, democratic Japan. (History.com)

 Arkansas Governor calls out the National Guard to prevent Black students from enrolling in High School

The Little Rock Nine were a group of nine Black students who enrolled at formerly all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in September 1957. Their attendance at the school was a test of Brown v. Board of Education, a landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling that declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional. On September 4, 1957, the first day of classes at Central High, Governor Orval Faubus called in the Arkansas National Guard to block the Black students’ entry into the high school. Later that month, President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent in federal troops to escort the Little Rock Nine into the school. It drew national attention to the civil rights movement. (History.com)

Mark Spitz becomes the first competitor to win seven medals at a single Olympic Games

Mark Andrew Spitz (born February 10, 1950) is an American former competitive swimmer and nine-time Olympic champion.

He was the most successful athlete at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, winning seven gold medals, all in world record time. This was an achievement that lasted for 36 years until it was surpassed by fellow American Michael Phelps, who won eight golds at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Buckminsterfullerene, the first fullerene molecule of carbon is discovered

Buckminsterfullerene is a type of fullerene with the formula C60. It has a cage-like fused-ring structure (truncated icosahedron) made of 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons, and resembles a soccer ball.

Each of its 60 carbon atoms is bonded to its three neighbours. Buckminsterfullerene is a black solid that dissolves in hydrocarbon solvents to produce a violet solution. The compound was discovered in 1985 and has received intense study, although few real-world applications have been found. Buckminsterfullerene was discovered by Sir Harry Kroto of the University of Sussex and Richard Smalley and Bob Curl of Rice University in 1985 during a joint research project. Their discovery led to a Nobel Prize in 1996. (Source: azonano.com)

 Google is founded by Stanford University students

Google LLC is an American multinational technology company that focuses on search engine technology, online advertising; cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics.

It has been referred to as the “most powerful company in the world” and one of the world’s most valuable brands due to its market dominance, data collection, and technological advantages in the area of artificial intelligence. It is considered one of the Big Five American information technology companies, alongside Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft.

Google was founded on September 4, 1998, by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were PhD students at Stanford University in California. Together they own about 14 percent of its publicly listed shares and control 56 percent of the stockholder voting power through super-voting stock.

Pope Benedict XVI becomes the longest-lived pope

Pope Benedict XVI, born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, on 16 April, 1927 is a retired prelate of the Catholic Church who served as the head of the church and the sovereign of the Vatican City state from 2005 until his resignation in 2013. Benedict’s election as Pope occurred in the 2005 papal conclave that followed the death of Pope John Paul II. Benedict chose to be known by the title “Pope Emeritus” upon his resignation. On 4 September, 2020, Benedict became the longest-lived person to have held the office of pope, at 93 years, 4 months, 16 days, surpassing Leo XIII, who died in 1903.

 

 

 

---

---