Thursday, the 7th of August, 2014 is the 219th day in 2014 and in the 32nd calendar week.
General Events:
Assyrian Martyrs Day
August 7, 2014 in the World
In August of 1933, the Simele Massacre would become the first of many massacres committed by the Iraqi government against the Assyrians of Northern Iraq.
The term is used to describe not only the massacre in Simele, but also the killing spree that took place among 63 Assyrian villages in the Dohuk and Mosul districts that led to the deaths of 3,000 Assyrians.
The Simele Massacre would also become the inspiration for Ralph Lemkin who would later coin the term “genocide.” In 1933, Lemkin made a presentation at the League of Nations Conference on international criminal law in Madrid. His essay on the Crime of Barbarity as a crime against international law was presented to the Legal Council. Based on the Simele massacre, Lemkin’s concept of the crime would later evolve into the idea of “genocide.”
Today, Assyrians around the world commemorate this event on August 7th as the Assyrian Martyr’s Day.
Where is Assyrian Martyrs Day?
Worldwide
Battle of Boyaca Day
August 7, 2014 in Colombia
The Battle of Boyaca Day is celebrated in Colombia on August 7 every year to commemorate the defeat of the Spanish Monarchy and Achievement of definitive Independence by the people of Colombia from the Spanish rule. Although the freedom struggle continued for years, the Battle of Boyaca was the decisive one for the achievement of independence.
On August 7, 1819, Simón Bolívar engaged Spanish General José María Barreiro in battle near the Boyaca River in present-day Colombia. The Spanish force was spread out and divided, and Bolívar was able to kill or capture almost all of the enemy combatants. It was the decisive battle for the liberation of New Granada (now Colombia).
Where is Battle of Boyaca Day?
Nationwide Colombia
Purple Heart Day
August 7, 2014 in the USA
On this day in 1782, General George Washington, the commander in chief of the Continental Army, created a decoration consisting of a purple, heart-shaped piece of silk, with a narrow edge of silver, with the word Merit stitched across the face in silver. It was called the “Badge for Military Merit”. The badge was to be presented to soldiers for “any singularly meritorious action”. The honoree’s name was also inscribed in a “Book of Merit.” This badge is considered to be the first official military combat badge. The “Badge of Military Merit” was only awarded to three known soldiers during the Revolutionary War.
The Purple Heart as we know it today was reestablished in 1932 to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the birth of George Washington. The original criteria for award of the Purple Heart as published in the War Department Circular No. 6 of February 22, 1932 states that the medal be awarded to anyone serving in the Army who had received combat-related injuries or had received the AEF’s Meritorious Service Citation Certificate during WWI, the latter criteria harkening back to the intent of George Washington’s “Badge of Military Merit”.
In April 1942 the War Department amended its policy regarding the issuance of the Purple Heart. The new regulations authorized the posthumous award of the Purple Heart retroactive to December 7, 1941, and eliminated the use of the medal as a merit award.
Where is Purple Heart Day?
Nationwide USA
Lighthouse Day
August 7, 2014 in the USA
Today is National Lighthouse Day! On this day in 1789, the United States Congress approved an Act “for the establishment and support of lighthouses, beacons, buoys, and public piers.” This piece of legislation commissioned the first Federal lighthouse, which was constructed at the entrance of Chesapeake Bay. Two hundred years later, Congress designated August 7th as National Lighthouse Day to commemorate this important moment in history and to celebrate these beautiful structures.
For centuries, lighthouses have served as beacons of light, guiding ships safely to harbor through storms, fog, or dark of night. The oldest existing lighthouse in the United States is the Sandy Hook Lighthouse in New Jersey (1764), which is still in operation. Often in inaccessible locations, modern lighthouses are more functional and less picturesque; usually they use solar-charged batteries and have a single stationary flashing light sitting on a steel skeleton tower. The last manned lighthouse built in the U.S. was the Charleston Light constructed in 1962.
Where is National Lighthouse Day?
Nationwide USA
Historical Events:
322 BC – Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great.
1461 – Ming Dynasty Chinese military general Cao Qin stages a coup against the Tianshun Emperor.
1573 – Francis Drake’s fleet returns to Plymouth
1575 – Spanish troops conquer Oudewater, almost all inhabitants died
1620 – Johannes Kepler’s mother arrested for witchcraft
1714 – The Battle of Gangut: the first important victory of the Russian Navy.
1782 – George Washington first creates Purple Heart medal (original name Badge of Military Merit) as commander of the Continental Army
1819 – Battle of Boyacá; Bolívar defeats Spanish in Colombia
1888 – Theophilus Van Kannel of Phila patents revolving door
1909 – US issues 1st Lincoln penny
1915 – Assault up Russell’s Top at Gallipolis, 232 Australians die
1927 – Peace Bridge between US & Canada dedicated
1933 – The Iraqi Government slaughters over 3,000 Assyrians in the village of Sumail. The day becomes known as Assyrian Martyrs Day.
1940 – Largest amount paid for a stamp ($45,000 for 1 1856 British Guiana)
1944 – IBM dedicates the first program-controlled calculator, the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (known best as the Harvard Mark I).
1955 – Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering, the precursor to Sony, begins selling its first transistor radios in Japan
1964 – Turkey begins air attack on Greek-Cypriots
1964 – US Congress approves Gulf of Tonkin resolution
1976 – Scientists in Pasadena, California, announce Viking I found strongest indications to date of possible life on Mars
1981 – The Washington Star ceases all operations after 128 years of publication.
1987 – 5 Central American presidents sign peace accord in Guatemala
1990 – Desert Shield begins – US deploys troops to Saudi Arabia
1994 – 1st telephone link between Israel & Jordan