Opening of the Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council, announced by Pope John XXIII in 1959, opened this day in 1962, lasted for three years, and remains a symbol (controversial to some) of the church‘s readiness to adapt to modern life. 1962.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pumped the last of the floodwaters out of New Orleans, some 43 days after Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Gulf Coast. 2005.
The U.S. Congress passed a bill, by a wide margin, granting U.S. President George W. Bush broad authority to use force against Iraq, as Bush and his administration continued to make the case for what became the Iraq War. 2002.
In a ceremony in London, the International Women of the Year Association awarded the title Greatest Woman Achiever of the Century to Russian cosmonaut Valentina V. Tereshkova, the first woman in space. 2000.
During the confirmation hearings of Clarence Thomas—who had been nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court—the lawyer and educator Anita Hill testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee and accused him of sexual harassment. The hearings polarized Americans, and Thomas was narrowly confirmed, 52–48. 1991.
Former Beatle John Lennon‘s Imagine was released as a single; an iconic song of hope and peace, it is arguably the best-known work of his solo career. 1971.
The South African (Boer) War began between Great Britain and the two Boer (Afrikaner) republics—the South African Republic (Transvaal) and the Orange Free State.1899.
Protestant troops under Jörg Göldli were defeated by Roman Catholic troops at the Battle of Kappel during the Swiss Reformation. 1531.
