In history this week
For you, this week may involve the careful carving of pumpkins, or perhaps the inspired repurposing of ghostly bedsheets. For the Earp brothers in 1881, this week they meticulously polished their six-shooters ready for the legendary shootout at the O.K. Corral.
Here is the history of the week:
25th October 1415 — The battle of Agincourt
In 1415 Henry V lead England to victory against the French in a crucial battle at Agincourt. England’s unexpected victory, despite being outnumbered 60,000 to 12,000, was a pivotal success in the Hundred Years’ War which crippled France and paved the way for continued military success.
23rd October 1707 — The first parliament of Great Britain
The first Parliament of the Kingdom of Great Britain was established in 1707 after the merging of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland. It laid the foundations for the political playground we have in Westminster today.
25th October 1760 — George III is crowned king of England
George III was crowned King of England in 1760, later to be crowned King of the United Kingdom in 1801. During his reign, George lost the American colonies during The American War of Independence — and also his sanity. His mental state dwindled to the point where he suffered sporadic fits of madness, rendering him unfit to rule in 1810. George III was dubbed “Farmer George” by satirists, at first to ridicule his intrigue in agricultural matters over political discussion, but later to highlight his economic prudence as the antithesis of his successor’s benevolence.
King George III’s house in Richmond went on the property market earlier this month:
25th October 1881 — Picasso is born
Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born in Málaga, Spain. When he was born, he was so small that the midwife thought he was stillborn and subsequently abandoned him on a table to attend his mother. Fortunately his uncle, who was a doctor, was able to save him. Commonly associated with pioneering Cubism, Picasso became one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.
26th October 1881 — Shootout at the O.K. Corral
The shootout at the O.K. Corral was a 30-second barrage of bullets which claimed the lives of three men. The interpersonal feud, between the Earp brothers and a notorious gang called The Cowboys, climaxed when deputy Marshal Virgil Earp allegedly shot Billy Clanton in the chest at point-blank range. The chaos which ensued became immortalised in media, going down as one of the most legendary shootouts.
24th October 1929 — Black Thursday starts the Great Depression
On Black Thursday the Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged by 11 per cent, marking the first day of the Walls Street Crash, precipitating the Great Depression and plunging thousands into poverty.
Earlier this month US President Donald Trump gave a positive review of one of the Great Depression’s most damaging tariffs:
24th October 1931 — Al ‘Scarface’ Capone is sentenced to prison
Al Capone was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era and became the FBI’s first Public Enemy No 1. Capone, who has been credited with the murders of 33 victims, was convicted of tax evasion on October 17 and sentenced a week later. Capone ended up at the “inescapable” Alcatraz prison.
Recently Prince William has urged the police to use “Al Capone” style tactics to catch international ivory traders and drug kingpins:
22 October 1962 — JFK announces blockade of Cuba
The Cold War began heating up as President John F. Kennedy announced that the United States would be blockading Cuba after Soviet nuclear weapons had been discovered there. Kennedy interpreted the Soviet’s missile installation as a provocative step towards war, and responded by waving a threat of nuclear retaliation. When The Cold War began to dissipate in 1991, the world could finally un-zip their hazmat suits, having narrowly dodged a nuclear meltdown.
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