Human Rights a Day

Dalai Lama of Tibet escapes to India. Tibet embraced Buddhism in the 7th century under head of state and spiritual leader Dalai Lama. The present and 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was identified at the age of two as a reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. From an early age, he tried to deal with the tensions between his country and China. But China, feeling its power threatened, invaded Tibet in 1950, asserting its sovereignty over the centuries-old region. Tibetan anger grew until an anti-Chinese uprising in 1959 prompted the Chinese military to attack. They fired hundreds of artillery shells, destroying the Dalai Lama’s summer place, killing thousands of Tibetans and leaving many more homeless. The Dalai Lama fled with 20 others, including six of his cabinet ministers. After a 15-day journey, they arrived in India on March 31, 1959 and were given asylum. Since then the Dalai Lama has set up a Tibetan government in exile in Dharamsala, India, also known as “Little Lhasa.” The government of China has been strongly criticized for its human rights abuses in Tibet, in contrast to the Dalai Lama, who received the Nobel Peace prize in 1989 for his consistent promotion of peaceful resistance. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Native women’s group loses discrimination case. In 1991, when the federal government was trying to change the constitution, it gave $10 million to four aboriginal groups to secure their input throughout an extensive consultative process. Unfortunately, the government overlooked the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC), whose members felt they should have been at what they considered a male-dominated table. Belatedly trying to correct matters, the government gave NWAC $560,000, but it didn’t stop the women from taking the federal government to court for violating their charter rights – by denying them freedom of expression and discriminating against them based on gender. On March 30, 1992, Judge Walsh of the federal Court of Canada dismissed the case, saying that while more money would have given the NWAC more voice in the process, it is not up to the courts to ensure that every organization has money during a consultative process. The judge also found that the other four aboriginal groups represented both men and women, and therefore the court should not be interfering with the government’s choices. This decision was appealed all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, which agreed with Judge Walsh in dismissing the case. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Catherine Callbeck becomes Canada’s first woman elected premier of a province. Catherine Callbeck spent her life alternating between her love of business and her penchant for politics. Born July 25, 1939 in Central Bedeque, Prince Edward Island, she earned bachelors of commerce and education and did post-graduate work in business administration before teaching business in New Brunswick and Ontario. She then returned to PEI to join the family business until her interest in politics landed her in the provincial legislature in 1974 as a Liberal MLA and member of the cabinet. Another stint with the family business was interrupted twice by political stints: in Ottawa as a Liberal MP and then, in January 1993, a return to provincial politics. When the Liberal Party of PEI chose her as leader, she immediately assumed the position of premier, later becoming the first woman elected premier when she and her party won the general PEI election by a landslide (they captured all but one seat) on March 29, 1993. After three and a half years as premier, she returned to the family business, only to be coaxed back to politics in 1997 when appointed to the Senate of Canada. Among Callbeck’s many distinctions is an honorary doctorate of laws from New Brunswick’s Mount Allison University. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Arab countries propose peace plan to Israelis. Even before Israel became an independent country, its citizens and neighboring Arabs were prone to battle. Every peace plan put forward evaporated in the heat of violence. Arabs refused to recognize Israel, and Israelis refused to return any land won during the 1967 Six-Day War: West Bank, Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights. And yet, March 28, 2002 marked a day of hope, when all Arab countries managed to agree on a peace plan process, one that would end the conflict and establish normal relations with Israel. In return, Israel was to return the occupied land, allow Palestinian refugees to return to Israel, and establish a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. As with previous initiatives, there was heated disagreement and scepticism on all sides (including within the United States, long involved in Middle East politics). And sadly, the initiative ended up sharing the usual fate of previous peace proposals. New peace initiatives continue to be proposed. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Elsie MacGill was a woman of unusual capability and resilience. Born in Vancouver on March 27, 1905, she was the first woman to graduate with an electrical engineering degree from the University of Toronto, then the first woman to receive her masters in aeronautical engineering from the University of Michigan. Although she contracted polio the same year, the determined young engineer defied the odds and taught herself to walk with two metal canes. She went on to become the first woman to design and test aircraft. Though her disability prevented her from becoming a pilot, she insisted on being a passenger on all test flights to better understand the planes’ performance. During World War II, MacGill became chief engineer of the Hawker Hurricane, a fighter plane used during the Battle of Britain. In 1943, MacGill married William Soulsby, moved to Toronto and started her own consulting firm. Beyond work, MacGill became an author and actively supported women in business. Among her numerous honours were the Order of Canada, the 1967 centennial medal and the Amelia Earhart medal from the International Association of Women Pilots. She was also inducted into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame and the Canadian Science and Engineering Hall of Fame. She died in 1980 at the age of 75. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bora Laskin dies while Chief Justice of Canada’s Supreme Court. Born in Fort William (Thunder Bay), Ontario on October 5, 1912, Bora Laskin pursued education in a big way: He earned his bachelor of arts, masters of arts, and bachelor of laws degrees from the University of Toronto and his masters of laws from Harvard Law School. Shortly after being called to the bar, Laskin taught at the University of Toronto and Osgoode Hall Law School, also publishing and editing notable legal texts and reports. His first appointment as a judge in 1965 was prestigious: the Ontario Court of Appeal. Within five years, he’d been appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada – the first Jewish person in Canada to sit on the top bench. Less than four years later, as chief justice, Laskin set about modernizing the court and allowing more parties (interveners) to have a say in cases of national importance. He also disagreed so often with court decisions, he was dubbed the “great dissenter.” Although many credit him with influencing future interpretations of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, he didn’t live to see that impact himself. On March 26, 1984, less than two weeks after becoming a Companion of the Order of Canada, and while he was still Chief Justice, Laskin died at the age of 71. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Can’t fire HIV-positive naval seamen, federal Court of Canada warns. After enlisting with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in 1980, Simon Thwaites spent six years progressing to the rank of master seaman, where he spent most of his time on naval vessels. The same year, the Canadian Red Cross informed him he was HIV positive. He voluntarily told the CAF, but when staff there learned he was homosexual, they downgraded his security clearance to a level that made it impossible to do his job. Forced to accept menial work on shore, he found himself issued an honourable discharge in November 1989. The CAF argued that any other postings lacked the ready access to medical facilities his condition required. Thwaites took his case to the federal Human Rights Tribunal, which ruled that the CAF had discriminated against him based on his disability. He was awarded $147,015 for past and future loss of wages, $5,000 for special compensation, plus interest and costs. The CAF appealed in federal court, which upheld the ruling in favour of Thwaites on March 25, 1994. The court found that HIV was not a legitimate reason to be discharged, and that Thwaites should have been given a legitimate assessment of his ability to do his job. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Provincial Freeman first published by Mary Ann Shad. Mary Ann Shadd was born in Wilmington, Delaware, the oldest of 13 children to Harriet and Abraham Shadd. Both her parents were leaders in the Underground Railroad, which helped black slaves reach freedom in Canada. Her parents sent her to a Quaker school, and her love of learning led her to open a school for black children, then to continue teaching for years. When the U.S. Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Law in 1850, forcing authorities in all states to send black slaves back to captivity in the south, Shadd and her brother Isaac moved to Canada. On March 24, 1853, Shadd and Rev. Samuel Ringgold Ward edited and published The Provincial Freeman, a weekly newspaper dedicated to the ideals of freedom and educating black people in Canada and the United States. In this process, Shadd became the first black woman publisher in North America and the first woman publisher in Canada. The paper was first published in Windsor, then Toronto and then Chatham, Ontario and continued until September 20, 1857. The newspaper was considered aggressive for its time as Shadd and others were critical of those who took advantage of freed slaves, and critical of black religious leaders in the south for not encouraging blacks to become self-reliant. The paper read, "Self-reliance Is the Fine Road to Independence." Shadd married Thomas F. Cary from Toronto in 1856 and while living in Chatham, they had two children. Cary died in 1860 and eventually Shadd moved to Washington, D.C. where she established a school for black children and studied law at Howard University, becoming a lawyer in 1870. Shadd died in Washington on June 5, 1893. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Germany grants Adolph Hitler dictatorial powers.
 How did Adolph Hitler rise to power? For various and strange reasons, Hitler was sworn in as chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933, and his cabinet’s few Nazis were assigned key positions, including control of the police. Weeks later, the Nazis burned down the German Parliament building (the Reichstag) and blamed it on the communists. Hitler used the event as an excuse to con President Hindenburg and the cabinet into passing emergency laws that quashed freedom of speech, a free press, the right to assemble and most other basic rights. The stage was set, and the Nazis proceeded to use brutish and murderous tactics and spend millions of marks to win the next election. When they managed to win only 44 per cent of the popular vote on March 5th, Hitler decided to employ another strategy to grasp full control. He drafted changes to the constitution that would essentially create a dictatorship. He called his proposal the Enabling Act, or “the law for removing the distress of the people and the Reich.” Two-thirds of the Reichstag had to support the act to turn it into law, and Hitler found himself 31 votes short. By the time he’d applied various methods of persuasion and pressure, the Catholic Centre Party delivered him the votes he required on March 23, 1933. Only the 84 Social Democrats voted against giving Hitler his new dictatorial powers. In the end, the elected representatives of Germany gave Hitler all the power he needed. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Canada’s first women radio broadcaster, Jane Gray, dies. Only a few years after landing her first radio broadcasting job in London, Ontario on CJGC at the age of 28, Jane beat out 90 other applicants to host a cooking program on Toronto’s CFRB radio. Many Torontonians remember Gray’s public appearances, where she dressed in native costume and played Indian princess Mus-Kee-Kee to answer questions from the station’s listeners. A savvy broadcaster who even dabbled in buying and selling radio time slots, she moved from radio to television in its early years, the 1940s. Perhaps her best known television work was as daily host of the Jane Gray Show on CHCH TV. When asked about her career, Gray was fond of saying, “I’ve done it all.” She died on March 22, 1985. Three years later, she became the first woman radio performer to be inducted into the Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Commemoration date to eliminate racial discrimination. For decades, black South Africans had to carry identification papers known as “passbooks” anywhere they went. Passbooks formed a central part of the country’s racist apartheid system by placing severe restrictions on their holders. For blacks, needless to say, passbooks were a constant source of anger and resentment. On March 21, 1960, a large crowd gathered in Sharpeville, South Africa to peacefully protest the laws requiring passbooks. South African police opened fire on the group, killing 69 people. That date became associated with racial discrimination, and in 1966, the United Nations proclaimed it the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. Twenty years later, South Africa repealed the passbook requirement and later abolished the apartheid system. The commemoration of the 1960 tragedy will continue, however, as long as racial discrimination contributes to violence and death somewhere in the world. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Libby Riddles makes history for women in winning Iditarod Trail dogsled race. In 1925, a diphtheria epidemic required medical supplies to be rushed to Nome, Alaska. Traditional methods of transport could get no goods further than within 674 miles of the site. Teams of dogsleds rushed the precious medicine the rest of the way. In 1973, Alaskan officials decided to memorialize this traipse by turning the 1,150-mile Iditarod Trail between Anchorage and Nome into an official race. Soon, hardy drivers (mushers) and their dog teams from around the world were flocking to the gruelling event. In 1980, a young woman who had moved from Wisconsin to Alaska at the age of 16 entered her first Iditarod race and placed 18th. After landing 20th the following year, she knew she needed a new approach, so she teamed up with Joe Garnie to breed and train her own dogs. On March 20, 1985, through a blinding blizzard, Riddles crossed the finish line after 18 days, 20 minutes and 17 seconds on the trail. She became the first woman to win the race and its $50,000 purse, and cashed in on her victory by becoming an author and public speaker besides a race-dog breeder. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Canadian women take gold at first Women’s Ice Hockey World Championships. Given the popularity of women’s ice hockey today, it’s hard to believe that prior to 1990, it had a very low profile. Not until March 19, 1990 did the International Ice Hockey Association open a World Championship to women. On that date, Ottawa played host for three days to nine teams from Canada, the United States, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, West Germany and Japan. Canada clinched gold, the U.S. took silver, and the Fins claimed the bronze. Canada’s women players maintained their gold winning streak in every World Championships to follow through 2004. This level of women’s hockey lead to even greater heights. In 1997 there was great excitement among female hockey players when the International Olympic Committee ruled the top five women’s teams in the sport’s World Championships would become the qualifiers for the Olympics in Nagano, Japan the following year. They’d be the first women Olympic hockey players in history. So, on February 8, 1998, six women’s teams (Japan became the additional automatic qualifier as the Olympics’ host country) battled it out for medals. Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the International Olympic Committee, was the force behind the decision; he wanted to get as many women as men into sports. At Nagano, the United States won gold, Canada clinched silver and Finland took home bronze. China came in fourth, Sweden fifth and Japan last. Canada’s women’s team did one better in the next Olympic round by capturing the gold at the Salt Lake Olympics in 2002. Perhaps more importantly, the excitement the women’s games generated served as a catalyst for Canada to create and expand girls’ teams and leagues coast to coast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

White South Africans vote to end apartheid. International pressure against South Africa’s ongoing white-minority rule and apartheid system had by the 1980s brought boycotts against South African products and sports teams. The result was a deteriorating economy. Clearly, something had to change. When F.W. de Klerk became president of South Africa in 1989, he worked swiftly to shift more power to the black majority. In 1990, he lifted the four-year-old state of emergency that still existed in most provinces. He also began negotiating the end of apartheid with the once-outlawed African National Congress (ANC) and leader Nelson Mandela, who had been imprisoned for 27 years. On March 18, 1992 an overwhelming majority of whites in South Africa voted in a referendum to end their oppressive and racist system. It would be up to parliamentarians to vote themselves out of existence. The last few days of the apartheid countdown were particularly difficult, as right-wing white parliamentarians and the leader of the Zulus took exception to some of the conditions. However, on December 22, 1993, Parliament finally adopted an interim constitution that would stay in place until a new one was created. Free elections were held, electing the ANC government with President Mandela. However, this was an interim process allowing for a balance of powers between blacks, whites and mixed-race constituents. A few years later, the country adopted a new constitution that went into legislative effect on December 10, 1996. The new constitution did away with the power sharing, replacing it with a democratic-style system of government. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Future behind-the-scenes civil rights activist Bayard Rustin is born. Bayard Rustin was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania on March 17, 1912 and raised by a Quaker grandmother. A bright student and accomplished athlete, he formed an early understanding about racism. His involvement in the Young Communist League between 1936 and 1941 would later be used against this great civil rights leader, but it was probably his homosexuality that robbed him of the prominence he deserved. Rustin was credited with great ideas and organizational skills as a behind-the-scenes worker in the American civil rights movement. He called on his Quaker principles of non-violent resistance when imprisoned for disobeying federal laws regarding service in World War II. On his release, he turned to teaching this method in India and Africa for a number of years. That experience served him well as the chief organizer of the 1963 “March on Washington” – the protest during which Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I have a dream” speech. During his lifetime, Rustin was denounced for many things, including his liberal views and unwavering support of Israel. Following a human rights expedition to Haiti, Rustin fell ill. He died in New York City on August 24, 1987. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

RCMP Sikhs allowed to wear turbans. Baltej Singh Dhillon was born in Malaysia in 1966 and immigrated to Canada at the age of 16. He trained to be an officer with the RCMP, but as a baptized Sikh, was required to wear a turban as a tenet of his religion. This precluded him from wearing the hat that formed part of the RCMP’s ceremonial uniform. In this he shared a dilemma with many Canadian Sikhs who felt under pressure to comply with regulations against their beards and turbans. Dhillon chose to challenge the regulation – an act that generated severe criticism, petitions, court challenges and even a death threat. But his perseverance paid off and on March 15, 1990, Canada’s Solicitor General Pierre Cadieux announced that Sikhs in the RCMP were welcome to wear their turbans and other religious symbols as part of their uniform. Dhillon became an RCMP officer with the city of Surrey, British Columbia, where he worked on the case of Air India flight 182 in which a bomb exploded mid-flight, killing 329 people, 280 of which were Canadian citizens. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

U.S. soldiers massacre 500 civilians at My Lai, Vietnam. While serving in Vietnam in late 1967, a U.S. Army regiment named Charlie Company suffered one casualty and several injuries from a Viet Cong booby trap in Quang Ngai province. Captain Ernest Medina, set on revenge, gave the men a pep talk and plotted the destruction of the village known as My Lai 4. At 7:22 a.m. on March 16, 1968, U.S. Army helicopters stormed the village of 700. Their mission was to root out the Viet Cong, and despite a lack of evidence that the village was harbouring enemy soldiers, the troop proceeded to murder men, women and children of all ages. Many who offered no resistance were shot in the back or at close range, regardless. One group was in a drainage ditch as the soldiers fired on them. When a two-year-old boy rose to run from the ditch, platoon leader William Calley threw him back in and shot him. In the end, 500 civilians were killed and a cover-up ensued that took months to bring to light. When the Pentagon’s General William Peers completed his closed-door investigation, he recommended action be taken against the enlisted men and officers for rape, murder and the cover-up. In the end, only Calley was convicted of murder, and President Nixon’s secretary of the Army released him on parole. However, the public’s outraged reaction to the massacre was instrumental in turning American public opinion against the war. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Future suffragist, journalist and judge Emily Murphy is born. Emily Ferguson was born into a wealthy and influential Canadian family on March 14, 1868 in Cookstown, Ontario. Years later, she and her Anglican minister husband, Arthur Murphy, moved to Alberta, where she took up the cause of women’s equality. Her constant pressure led the Alberta government to pass the Dower Act in 1911, ensuring the right of a wife to one-third of her husband’s property. When Alberta’s attorney general made Murphy an Edmonton magistrate in 1916, she was the first woman in the British Commonwealth to hold such a position. She pushed for the abolition of drugs and narcotics. Articles she wrote under the pen name Janey Canuck were full of stereotypes and prejudice against racial and ethnic minorities.On her first day as a magistrate, a lawyer challenged her authority, saying women were not “persons” under the British North America Act, and therefore ineligible for appointment to the bench or the Senate of Canada. To silence such opinion, Murphy became one of the “Famous Five” (Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney, Irene Parlby and Henrietta Muir Edwards being the other four) who challenged women’s lack of status. Although the Famous Five lost their case at Canada’s Supreme Court, the judicial committee of the Privy Council of the House of Lords in England ruled in their favour on October 18, 1929. Months later, on February 15, 1930, Cairine Wilson was appointed Canada’s first woman senator for Ontario. Murphy died on October 27, 1933. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

British Columbia passes the Chinese Restriction Act. In the late 1800s, Chinese people wishing to immigrate to Canada were welcomed into the country because they offered cheap (and in some cases, disposable) labour for building Canada’s Canadian Pacific Railroad (CPR). Once the railroad was completed, however, CPR reneged on its pledge to pay their passage back to China. Incidents of discrimination and resentment quickly escalated. On March 13, 1885, British Columbia passed the Chinese Restriction Act, preventing Chinese immigrants from entering the province. Since immigration was under federal jurisdiction, the Canadian government initially disallowed the act and similar BC legislation. But it wasn’t long before the Canadian government implemented its own restrictions – imposing a head tax on Chinese immigrants that started at $5 and rose to a peak of $500. This stopped the flow of Chinese immigration until the exclusionary parts of the Immigration Act were changed in 1947. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Florence Bird Memorial Library opens at Status of Women Canada office. Florence Rhein was born in 1908 in Philadelphia and brought up in a privileged family that believed in gender equality. After marrying journalist John Bird, she moved with him to Montreal, then Winnipeg. While her husband worked for the Winnipeg Tribune, Bird wrote articles under the pen name Anne Francis and took up radio broadcasting. Shortly after World War II, when the couple moved to Ottawa, she became a women’s rights activist. By 1967, Bird was chair of the Canadian Royal Commission on the Status of Women, where she released a study that led to the creation of the Canadian government’s Status of Women, dedicated to the equality of women and men. In recognition of her work, Bird was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada in 1971, and a senator in 1978. She died in Ottawa in July 1998. On March 12, 1999, the Canadian Status of Women offices in Ottawa honoured her by opening the Florence Bird Memorial Library, which boasts more than 20,000 publications and documents concerning women’s and equality issues. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

African American Dr. Reginald Weir competes in U.S. Indoor Lawn Tennis Championship. When a New Yorker named Dr. Reginald Weir signed up to play indoor lawn tennis at a national tournament scheduled for March 11, 1948, it raised no eyebrows. The organizers failed to block him for the simple reason that it never occurred to them that a black man might have the title of a physician. Thus, red-faced officials ended up letting him play, even though blacks at the time were banned from U.S. Indoor Lawn Tennis Association events. Unfortunately for Weir, however, he lost in the second round to the fellow who won the championship, Bill Talbert. Having broken the race barrier, Weir continued to compete, and in 1952, he and a fellow black player, George Stewart, became the first black men to play in the USLTA national championship. Although both men lost in their first round, they inspired other black pioneers of tennis, perhaps including Arthur Ashe. It was Ashe who won the U.S. Open in 1968, throwing open the gates for black men and women to excel in the sport. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Anti-abortion extremist murders Florida doctor. Despite daily pickets, protests and death threats from anti-abortionists, Dr. David Gunn provided abortion services to women in Alabama, Georgia and Florida. He paid for his courage and defiance with his life on March 10, 1993. That’s the day anti-abortion extremist Michael Griffin responded to what he called “a sign from God” by murdering Gunn outside the Pensacola Florida Women’s Medical Services abortion clinic. The crime fuelled the debate over abortion in the U.S. John Burt, regional director of the anti-abortion organization Rescue America, said, "The use of lethal force was justifiable, provided it was carried out for the purpose of defending the lives of unborn children." Although Griffin was sentenced to life in prison in 1994 for the murder of Dr. Gunn, doctors performing abortions continued to be killed or wounded by anti-abortion fanatics for several years following Gunn’s death. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Zimbabwe’s rigged election proves a turning point. When the practice of a white minority ruling over a black majority ended in 1980 in Africa’s Rhodesia, the country was renamed Zimbabwe. Initially, the nation’s new president, Robert Mugabe, and his Zanu-PF Party pushed through reforms instrumental in achieving greater fairness across the population. But Mugabe soon turned more tyrant than democratic leader. He oppressed opposition, violated basic human rights and obliterated the freedom of the press for which the country had been renowned. He spoke of turning white-controlled land over to black farmers, but the process was marked by violence, cronyism and a complete disregard for fairness. In the end, most of the land was turned over to the president’s friends and relatives – with disastrous results. Corruption reigned. On March 9, 2002, Mugabe’s election was so heavily rigged that the Opposition Presidential candidate Morgan Tsvangirai and every country observing the election (except South Africa) declared it illegitimate, and even Zimbabwe’s courts ordered a third day of voting. For the Commonwealth countries, it was the last straw. After the election, they cut all ties with Zimbabwe. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Artist Carl Beam receives Governor General’s Award for art. Carl Beam was born the eldest of nine children on the West Bay First Nations (later to be renamed M'chigeeng) reserve on Manitoulin Island, Ontario on May 24, 1943. Although his white father was killed during World War II, his Ojibway maternal grandfather took a significant interest in his upbringing. In his late 20s, Beam followed in his artist mother’s footsteps by studying at the Kootenay School of Art before further studies at the University of Victoria and then graduate studies at the University of Alberta. His art has been described as telling stories on canvas, with references to time and use of cultural markers. While his art included aboriginal and European culture and commentary, Beam never wanted to be pinned down by labels. He said, “My work is not made for Indian people, but for thinking people. In the global and evolutionary scheme, the difference between people is negligible.” Beam’s work was featured in galleries across Canada. When the National Gallery purchased The North American Iceberg, the first work by an aboriginal artist in almost six decades, Beam stood out and renewed the interest in aboriginal artistry. Years earlier, Beam and his first wife had five children. Then in 1979 Beam met his second wife Ann in Toronto and they had a daughter Anong. After time in the United States, they ended up back in Ontario and eventually back in M’Chigeeng. On March 8, 2005 the Canada Council announced that Beam was the winner of the Governor General’s Award for the Visual and Media Arts. At the ceremony he was very ill, suffering from the effects of diabetes. On July 30, 2005 Beam died at the age of 62. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Golda Mabovitz was born in Kiev, Russia on May 3, 1898 and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She married Morris Meyerson before moving to Tel Aviv, which was part of Palestine in 1921. There she became actively involved in the labour movement and the creation of the Jewish state of Israel. Shortly after Israel became independent in 1948, she was named minister of labour, a post she held until 1956. Prime Minister Ben Gurion eventually appointed her foreign minister, a post she held until 1966. Gurion also encouraged her to adopt a more Hebrew-sounding name; she chose Meir, which means “to burn brightly.” After a stint as the Labour Party’s Secretary General on March 7, 1969, Meir was nominated by the party to become Prime Minister of Israel. As Prime Minister, Meir presided over great turmoil and conflict, including an attack by Egypt and Syria during the Yom Kippur War. On October 6, 1973, while Jews were observing their Day of Atonement, Egypt and Syria attacked Israel in an attempt to take back occupied territories they’d lost during the Six-Day War of 1967. Israel won the battle at a staggering cost of 2,700 soldiers dead. The controversy this generated influenced Meir to step down in the spring of 1974 even after her party won the general election. She died in Jerusalem on December 8, 1978 at the age of 80. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

U.S. Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision outlaws slavery. Dred Scott was a black slave who lived in the slave state of Missouri. In 1846, when Scott’s master moved briefly to Illinois and Wisconsin – both “free states” – before returning to Missouri, Scott saw an opportunity to sue for his freedom. Scott won his case in Missouri, only to have the Missouri Supreme Court overturn the ruling. When the case proceeded to the U.S. Supreme Court, seven of the nine justices decided against Scott on March 6, 1857. Scott was not free and could not have the same rights as a white man, they stated, because blacks were “beings of an inferior order.” Justice Roger B. Taney’s decision also stipulated that Negroes could not sue in federal court and had "no rights which any white man was bound to respect." Nor did the court stop there. The judges declared federal laws against slavery to be unconstitutional; the U.S. Congress and territory legislature had no right to ban slavery, they explained. And finally, they argued, because the 5th amendment of the constitution guarantees property rights and slaves are property, Congress has no right to interfere. Southerners were happy with the decision; Northerners were not. Instead of putting the issue of slavery to rest, the decision ended up so aggravating those who were opposed to slavery, that it had an impact on the country entering into civil war in 1861. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

U.S. Supreme Court: Black students can attend schools and universities. In the early 1950s, black and white students in many states were governed by policies of “separate but equal,” which meant they would attend separate educational institutions on the guise that they could be equal. When the University of North Carolina was ordered to admit three black students in 1954, it appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. The court’s March 5, 1956 ruling upholding the decision rankled other states. Virginia’s governor, Thomas Stanley, said, “A very large proportion of Virginians would want to continue segregation of the races because we believe we can provide a better system of education by doing that." Stanley and other governors unhappy with the Supreme Court’s stance soon devised ways to circumvent the ruling, such as subsidizing white students to attend private schools where racial segregation still thrived. Only years of court fights, protests and activism persuaded the more reluctant states to allow true integration throughout their public and private educational systems. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Bertha Wilson becomes first woman appointed to Canada’s Supreme Court. Bertha Wilson was born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland in 1923 and earned an MA and teaching diploma from the University of Aberdeen before emigrating to Canada with her husband in 1949. Her desire to attend Dalhousie Law School in Halifax in 1954 was not met with open arms from the dean, Horace E. Read, who told her, “Madam, we have no room here for dilettantes. Why don’t you just go home and take up crocheting?” She persevered, got in and graduated. In 1959, the young lawyer moved to Ontario, where she worked with the Toronto firm of Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt. Appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal in 1975, she earned acclaim for decisions on sexual discrimination and human rights. On March 4, 1982 – the same year Canada’s constitution adopted the Charter of Rights and Freedoms – Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau appointed Wilson to the Supreme Court of Canada. Men in the legal profession, including Chief Justice Bora Laskin, suggested to the prime minister that there were men more deserving who should be sitting on the top bench. However, as the first woman, Wilson made her mark by writing decisions that highlighted the importance of respecting and accommodating the rights of Canadian minorities. Wilson will also be remembered as the judge who wrote the decision to strike down Canada’s abortion laws in the criminal code. While she retired from the Supreme Court in 1991 at the age of 67, eight years before legally required, her involvement in and around the law continued with work affecting aboriginal people, as well as women in the law. In 1992 she was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada. Wilson died in Ottawa on April 28, 2007 at the age of 83. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

U.S. Supreme Court prohibits communists from teaching in New York schools. At the height of the “red scare” in the United States, a number of laws were passed to prevent anyone with communist sympathies from working in the public service. In the state of New York, the Feinberg Law prohibited people who’d called for a government overthrow to teach. Designed to catch Communist Party members, the law enabled school boards to fire a number of teachers for their political beliefs. But when a group of teachers and parents challenged the law, “Adler vs. the Board of Education of the City of New York” went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. On March 3, 1952, the court upheld the law. Six of the nine judges stressed the importance of shielding students from subversive propaganda pushed by teachers “to whom they look for guidance, authority and leadership." The three dissenting judges stated that the law "turns the school system into a spying project." It would be more than a decade before another Supreme Court decision in 1967 rendered most of the Feinberg Law (and equivalent laws in other states) unconstitutional. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Britain allows former Chilean dictator Pinochet to go home without trial for human rights abuses. In June 1973, Chilean President Salvador Allende appointed General Augusto Pinochet as the country’s commander-in-chief. It was a fateful decision. Just months later, Pinochet seized control of the democratically elected government and Allende was murdered in a military coup. In Pinochet’s subsequent bid to rid the country of left-leaning dissidents, he had thousands of Chileans tortured and murdered until his reign ended in 1990. But for years after, Pinochet carried on as commander-in-chief and created a position for himself of senator-for-life. Although many Chileans, especially those who lost loved ones to his murderous regime, wanted justice, the aging former dictator was granted immunity. His luck changed during a trip to London, England in 1998. After a request by Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon, Britain chose to place Pinochet under house arrest in London. For 16 months, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland and France all clamored to have the former dictator extradited to stand trial for human rights abuses. But on March 2, 2000 – citing medical evidence that the 84-year-old’s failing health would not allow him to stand trial – Britain’s Home Secretary Jack Straw announced that Pinochet was being released. Later that day, the aging senator flew home on a Chilean Air Force jet. Unfortunately for Pinochet, his health recovered sufficiently that on January 4, 2005, Chile’s Supreme Court ruled him able to stand trial for human rights crimes. Pinochet died on December 10, 2006, just days after he was put under house arrest with more than 300 criminal charges pending against him. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Holocaust-denier Ernst Zundel deported from Canada to prison in Germany. When Ernst Zundel turned 19 in 1958, he moved to Canada to avoid Germany’s military conscription. He married in 1960 and had two sons. While professionally a graphic artist and printer, he published racist and anti-Semitic views under the pseudonym Christof Friendrich. He became involved in politics and at the federal level actually became a candidate for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada in 1967 (Pierre Trudeau was chosen). By 1977, he’d started Samisdat Publishers, creating pamphlets such as “The Hitler We Loved and Why” and “Did Six Million Really Die?” Zundel attempted to get a better foothold as a Canadian and applied for citizenship. However, in 1993 the government denied his application and after many appeals, Zundel lost that fight in 2000. During this time, the Canadian Human Rights Commission received a complaint that Zundel’s website was inciting hatred against Jews. Between 1996 and the decision in 2002, and after more appeals and motions than most thought possible, Zundel was ordered to cease and desist with his illegal website commentary. In 2001, Zundel moved to the United States saying he’d never “set foot in Canada again.” However, when the United States deported Zundel back to Canada the following year for violating his stay there, the Canadian government declared him a threat to national security and sought to deport him to Germany, where he was wanted for hate crimes. Many considered this approach a backhanded way for the government to rid itself of Zundel. However, the Supreme Court refused his appeal and on March 1, 2005, Zundel was deported to Germany. On February 15, 2007, the German government found Zundel guilty of inciting racial hatred and sentenced him to the maximum of five years. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

European protests prompt resignation of right-wing Austrian leader Joerg Haider from coalition government. Austria’s history is full of far-right political movements, notably the willingness of many Austrians to join Hitler’s Germany prior to World War II. Even after the war, however, the far-right commanded popular support. The country elected former United Nations Secretary General Kurt Waldheim as president in 1986 despite his well-known involvement as First Lieutenant in the German Army during the war. In October 1999, the right-wing Freedom Party won 27 per cent of the popular vote in national elections and a few months later became part of Austria’s coalition government. Joerg Haider, the leader of the Freedom Party, had a history of statements somewhat complimentary toward Austrian and German Nazis, and most Europeans regarded the party as extreme. So Europe’s swift reaction to the Freedom Party’s ascendancy was to condemn Austria in the European Union, downgrade diplomatic ties and freeze bilateral political contacts with Vienna. Israel also cut off diplomatic relations, and the United States withdrew its ambassador for consultations. These international pressures, combined with turmoil at home, influenced Haider to step down as leader of the Freedom Party on February 28, 2000. He was replaced by Susanne Riess-Passer, vice-chancellor of the coalition government. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

American Natives Occupy Wounded Knee, South Dakota for 71 days. In 1968, a number of native Americans in Minneapolis, Minnesota created the American Indian Movement (AIM), whose focus was to improve the lives of urban Indians and native Americans’ relations with the federal government generally. AIM members brought attention to their grievances by occupying offices, sponsoring a high-profile road excursion called Trail of Broken Treaties and confronting authorities. At the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, some native leaders were opposed to their tribal president, Richard Wilson, whom they accused of mishandling tribal funds and misusing his authority. These leaders asked AIM for assistance when they unsuccessfully attempted to impeach Wilson in February 1973. About 200 AIM leaders and supporters on their way to Porcupine, South Dakota (on the reservation) stopped at the village of Wounded Knee on February 27, 1973, where they took over several buildings, including churches and the trading post. Wounded Knee was significant in being thought to be the last “official” massacre of Indians by U.S. forces in 1890. (Reports say 146 native Americans were killed at the time.) The federal government acted quickly, sending U.S. marshals and FBI agents to blockade the community and put an end to the occupation. For 71 days, the occupation was marked by high level negotiations, promises to address grievances, and gun fire. Two occupiers, Frank Clearwater and Lawrence Lamont, were killed and Marshall Lloyd Grimm was paralyzed. By early May the occupiers were mostly out of food and medical supplies and they were concerned that the government would intensify their actions. An end to the occupation came on May 8, 1973, with government promises to look into grievances for native Americans. There is no indication anyone followed up on these promises. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Canada evacuates Japanese Canadians from the West Coast. The moment Japanese pilots bombed Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941, the Canadian government stepped up actions against Canadians of Japanese descent. At first Japanese Canadians were ordered to register with the government, but on August 12, 1941 they were required to carry photo registration cards complete with thumbprint. The paranoia and prejudice continued to escalate with Privy Council Order 1486 giving the government the right to remove all people of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast. A mere two days later, on February 26, 1942, the Canadian minister of justice ordered the removal of all people of “the Japanese race” from the “protected area” of the Pacific coastline. They were to be transported to areas at least 160 kilometres inland. Officials imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew while confiscating all property and valuables from Japanese Canadians. Property was sold and never returned, ostensibly to provide funds for the internment camps in which they were forced to live. Altogether, the activation of the War Measures Act displaced 21,000 Japanese Canadians. Less well known is that even after the Allies had won, the government sent thousands of these Canadians “home” to Japan – a country in which many had never lived. Eventually, the outrage of churches and labour groups put an end to the process. However, it would take until 1988 before the Canadian government would apologize for its actions. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Canada’s first woman war artist, Molly Lamb Bobak, is born. Molly Bobak was born Molly Lamb on February 25, 1922 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The daughter of a geologist and an art critic and amateur photographer, Bobak futhered her natural artistic abilities at the Vancouver School of Art between 1938 and 1941. In late 1942, she enlisted as a draughtsman in the Canadian Women Army Corps (CWAC), where her work in using art to record the CWAC’s activities soon won her a promotion to lieutenant in 1945-6. That also made her the first Canadian woman with the title of war artist. After the war, she married Bruno Bobak and settled in Fredericton, New Brunswick, where she worked as a resident artist at the University of N.B. Years later, she was awarded honorary degrees from both UNB and Mount Allison University, and given Canadian grants to work on and display her paintings. In contrast to the military start to her career, Bobak won worldwide recognition for her watercolor paintings of flowers and everyday objects. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ujjal Dosanjh is Canada’s first Indo Canadian to be named premier. Ujjal Dosanjh was born in India in 1947, then moved to England before settling in Canada in 1968. In British Columbia, he earned a BA from Simon Fraser University and a law degree from the University of British Columbia before setting up his own law practice in Vancouver. He got involved with human rights work through the Civil Liberties Association, multicultural support organizations and the Farm Workers' Union. Although a moderate in the Indo Canadian community, Dosanjh learned about political extremism and brutality the hard way when he was attacked and severely beaten one day by members of his community who did not share his views. He entered British Columbia politics in 1991 as an NDP MLA, and eventually worked his way through a number of cabinet portfolios, including the honoured role of attorney general between 1995 and 2000. When his premier, Glen Clark, was involved in a scandal involving favouritism toward a neighbour, Dosanjh was not able to protect him. Premier Clark stepped down and Dosanjh won the leadership of his party. Dosanjh was sworn in as British Columbia’s premier – the first Indo Canadian to hold that title – on February 24, 2000. However, due to his predecessor’s scandal and other political blunders, the following year’s election wiped out all but two of the NDP MLAs, and Dosanjh was not one of them. He returned to practice law until Prime Minister Paul Martin asked him to change parties and run for the federal Liberals. Dosanjh agreed and won a seat in the election of June 2004. The next month, he was appointed federal minister of health in Martin’s short-lived government. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Agnes Macphail becomes first woman sworn in to the Ontario legislature. Agnes Macphail was born in Proton Township, Ontario on March 24, 1890. As a teacher in rural Ontario schools, she joined the United Farm Women of Ontario, attended meetings of the United Farmers Ontario, wrote articles for the Farmers’ Sun and discovered a bent for politics. Her activism was timely in that women had just been granted the federal vote (1918) and the ability to run for federal office (1919). This undoubtedly helped inspire Macphail to aim for the House of Commons, where in 1921 at age 31, she became the first elected female parliamentarian. Despite being ridiculed by male colleagues, Macphail held onto her seat for an impressive 19 years. A strong advocate of human rights, Macphail championed peace and disarmament, old-age pensions and farmers’ co-operatives. Her tireless efforts brought about Canada’s first meaningful prison reform, including McPhail’s involvement in the Elizabeth Fry Society of Canada, which continues today with 25 chapters to help women in prison. After her 1940 defeat in federal politics, she ran provincially in 1943. Thus on February 23, 1944, she became one of the first two women (Rae Luckock was the other but was sworn in alphabetically after Macphail) elected to the Ontario provincial Parliament through the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Party. Although defeated in 1945, she returned to serve again between 1948 and 1951. Macphail died in Toronto on February 13, 1954. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

but title. When Indonesia won independence from the Dutch, Achmed Sukarno became the country’s first president in 1945. Twenty years later, when Indonesian communists tried to overthrow the president and his government, the Army’s chief of staff, General Mohamed Suharto, suppressed the coup. From then on, Suharto took ever more control of government operations until on February 22, 1967, President Sukarno relinquished all executive powers to Suharto, saving only his title. Once “elected” president in 1968, Suharto, and his version of a democratic government, stayed in power until March 1998. During Suharto’s three decades of power, anyone who was a communist (along with anyone suspected of being a communist) was either killed, tortured or detained. Suharto also suppressed freedom of the press, politics and speech. In 1975 he invaded East Timor, annihilating roughly one-third of the population there before the country regained its independence in 2000. Suharto was also intolerant of anything “Chinese,” which he associated with communist, and he enjoyed U.S. support in his campaign to suppress communist sympathies. During his presidency, Suharto’s family embezzled billions of dollars and controlled vast amounts of land and buildings, all through corrupt means. Two years after he’d left office, opponents placed Suharto under house arrest, only to have the courts rule that he was medically unfit to stand trial. Only his son “Tommy” ended up with a prison sentence: 15 years for ordering the killing a judge who had found Tommy guilty of a land scam two years earlier. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

American black leader Malcolm X assassinated. Malcolm Little was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska, one of eight children. After years of family tragedy and a troubled youth, Malcolm found himself in prison, where he proceeded to educate himself. His reading influenced him to begin following the Nation of Islam’s (NOI) leader Elijah Muhammad. By the time Malcolm left prison in 1952, he was a devoted Muslim and member of the NOI who’d discarded what he called his “slave” name for the name Malcolm X. He became a spokesman for the NOI, whose message of empowerment for black Americans increased the organization’s membership from 500 to 30,000. (The surge caught the eye of the FBI.) Malcolm X became disillusioned with Muhammad and the NOI when he learned that the leader he revered was having sex with six different women, behaviour that went against the organization’s teachings. He left the NOI to create his own organization and embark on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. Malcolm X returned from that journey with a message of harmony for all races, not just African Americans. However, leaving the NOI left him with many enemies and on February 14, 1965, attackers firebombed his house. Although his pregnant wife and their four daughters escaped unharmed, a week later, tragedy struck again. On February 21, 1965, while speaking to a crowd of supporters in Manhattan’s Audubon Ballroom, Malcolm X was shot dead by three members of the NOI. He was 39 years old. A few months after his death, his wife Betty gave birth to twin daughters. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Canada’s first Jewish legislator, Ezekiel Hart, is denied his seat. Imagine gaining a seat in which you are never allowed to sit. Ezekiel Hart, Canada’s first Jewish legislator, encountered precisely that situation. Born on May 15, 1770 in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Hart studied in the United States before returning to Canada and launching numerous successful business ventures with his father and brothers. When he turned his hand to politics, he was swiftly elected to a seat in the legislative assembly of Lower Canada. There, he was to represent Trois-Rivières in a by-election in 1807. But at the beginning of his first session on January 29, 1808, Hart, as per Jewish custom, took his oath on the Old Testament with his head covered. His political opponents claimed this invalidated Hart, and passed a legislative assembly resolution on February 20, 1808 to deny the rookie Jewish legislator his seat. When Hart was re-elected on May 16, 1808 and took his oath according to Christian custom, the governor still denied him his seat in the legislature. This time, his opponents explained that England had advised them that Jews were ineligible to sit in the assembly. Hart chose not to run again, but lived to see the government pass an act 35 years later, in 1832, that gave Jewish Quebecers full rights to sit in the Assembly of Lower Canada. He died September 16, 1843. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

First university for rural women opened by “domestic science” advocate Adelaide Hoodless. When one of her four sons died at 18 months from drinking impure milk, a young Ontario mother named Adelaide Hunter became an advocate for pasteurizing milk. For Hunter, who was born near St. George in 1857 and married John Hoodless in 1881, this grew into a campaign to educate women about child-rearing and household management. Hoodless’ passion for “domestic science” led her to other significant pursuits. As Hamilton’s first president of the YWCA, she was instrumental in the creation of YWCA chapters all across Canada. A tireless public speaker, Hoodless was inspired one night in 1897, while speaking to farmers’ wives in Stoney Creek, Ontario, to create a rural university for women. On February 19, 1897, she spoke at the founding meeting of the Women’s Institute. Ten years later, more than 500 Women’s Institutes operated across Canada. Today more than 18,000 members are found in Canada’s 10 provinces in which they address issues ranging from “agricultural awareness” to “violence against women”. Her work also led to the creation of home economics courses in universities throughout Canada. Hoodless died of a heart attack in Toronto one day before her 53rd birthday on February 26, 1910. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Joseph McCarthy’s search for “Army communists” begins his downfall. Wisconsin Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy was infamous for seeking out and destroying the lives of supposed “communist sympathizers.” While the House of Representatives’ Un-American Activities committee had inflicted damage to the reputations of many people shortly after World War II, McCarthy took it to new heights. He was quick to accuse anyone who’d supported Roosevelt’s New Deal, especially Democrats, of being communists. But when his Permanent Investigations sub-committee levelled accusations against the U.S. Army, his support began to crumble. On February 18, 1954, the day McCarthy’s committee was to investigate communism in the Army, two generals refused to obey their summons to appear. They stayed away on order of Robert T. Stevens, secretary of the Army. Undaunted, McCarthy proceeded to accuse the Army of rampant communism, but this time, when asked to back up his claims, he had very little to reveal. This “stunt” bolstered the president and fellow senators who were growing weary of McCarthy and his campaign. This turning point was strengthened when the military revealed that McCarthy had asked favoured treatment for a former aide drafted into the Army. In December 1954, the Senate finally censured McCarthy, an option exercised only three other times in the Senate’s history. McCarthy never recovered from that political storm, and died in 1957 at the age of 48 from an alcohol-related illness. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Kuwaiti women demand the right to vote. Formal attempts to grant Kuwaiti women the vote began in 1971, following a conference on women’s issues. That bill to the legislative assembly failed as did other bills introduced in 1981, 1986, 1992 and 1996. A coalition of 22 non-governmental organizations made up the Women’s Issues Network, a group that organized various campaigns to put pressure on the government. After years of failed attempts, coalition members gathered by the hundreds on Sunday, February 17, 2002 to protest outside two voter registration centres. Although they were turned away, it marked Kuwaiti women’s first attempt at taking grievances to the streets in protest. The women had the Kuwaiti constitution on their side; it gives various guarantees of equality for all persons of Kuwait. Unfortunately, it seems to be contradicted by Article 1 of Law No. 35/1962 of the Election Law, which specifically denies women the vote and the right to run for public office. Every attempt to challenge the law was dismissed by the courts and tribunals for many years. Then came a move that stunned almost everyone in the country. On May 16, 2005, while the all-male Parliament was considering giving Kuwaiti women the right to run in municipal elections, the government cabinet ministers proposed amending the election laws to allow women to vote and run in local and parliamentary elections – and it passed. However, with one month’s notice, Kuwait’s emir, Sheik Sabah al-Ahmad as-Sabah, dissolved Parliament and called the election for June 29, 2006, a full year early. This caught women off guard. With no political experience or backing, the election results saw tens of thousands of women voting for the first time, yet electing no women to Parliament. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Fidel Castro sworn in as Cuba’s prime minister, becomes country's youngest leader. In 1951, Cubans were denied democratic elections when right-wing dictator General Fulgencio Batista seized power. Three years later, on July 26, 1953, Fidel Castro – who had sought office in the 1951 election – led an attack on the Cuban government. Unfortunately for Castro, more than half his men were either captured or killed, and he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for conspiring to overthrow the government. When General Batista granted a general amnesty two years later, Castro and his brother Raúl went to Mexico to organize the revolutionary 26th of July movement. They were joined by Argentina’s Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Latin America’s most famous Marxist. Despite setbacks over the years, Castro and his group won the support of many impoverished Cubans. On January 1, 1959, General Batista fled Cuba for the Dominican Republic. Castro became the military’s commander-in-chief then due to other political changes, was sworn in as Cuba's prime minister on February 16, 1959, at the age of 32. American opposition to Castro grew as the Cuban government nationalized U.S. assets and began long-awaited agrarian reform. When the United States made several attempts to overthrow the Cuban government, the Soviet Union stepped in to support the country with supplies and trade. Castro went on to become president of Cuba, and his dictatorship lasted decades. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Cairine Wilson is sworn in as Canada’s first woman senator. In October 1929, Canada paved the way for women to enter real politics. It came about because Canada’s “Famous Five” women (Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney and Irene Parlby) won the “Persons Case” before the British Privy Council of the House of Lords. This allowed women to be considered “persons” for appointment to the bench and Senate, as per Canada’s constitution. Less than five months later, Prime Minister William Lyon McKenzie King appointed the country’s first woman senator. Cairine Wilson was sworn in as a Liberal senator for Ontario on February 15, 1930. Wilson was born Cairine Reay Mackay in February 1885, the daughter of a Liberal senator from Quebec. She married Norman Wilson, a Liberal MP, and raised eight children. By the time she had entered the Red Chamber, she'd been involved with the Victorian Order of Nurses, the Young Women's Christian Association and the Salvation Army. As senator, she showed considerable interest in Canada’s role in international humanitarian matters. In 1949, she became Canada's first woman delegate to the United Nations General Assembly. A year later, her involvement with refugee children earned her the Knight of the Legion of Honour. Wilson died on March 3, 1962 in Ottawa. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Iranian Muslim leader Ayatollah Khomeini issues death threat against British author Salman Rushdie. British author Salman Rushdie published his book Satanic Verses in September 1988, to critical acclaim and sales of more than 100,000 within a few months. It didn’t take long, however, for Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, to take revenge on the Bombay-born author of the controversial satirical novel, which Khomeini felt cast the Muslim faith in a less than flattering light. On February 14, 1989, Khomeini condemned Rushdie to death. During the Tehran Radio broadcast, the holy man declared a day of mourning and said, "I inform the proud Muslim people of the world that the author of the Satanic Verses book – which is against Islam, the Prophet and the Koran – and all those involved in its publication who are aware of its content, are sentenced to death.” This “fatwa” (an Islamic religious decree) sent Rushdie into hiding as Muslims around the world protested in the streets. He spent nine years in numerous secret locations in Britain before Iranian President Mohammed Khatami declared in 1998 that the state would no longer support the fatwa. Even so, one Iranian foundation put a $2.8 million bounty on Rushdie’s head. In June 2007 Queen Elizabeth II announced that Rushdie, the author of 13 books dealing with issues of faith, religion and culture, would be knighted. This announcement was met with condemnation and outrage by various Muslim religious and political leaders throughout the world. Not recognizing the importance of freedom of speech and the ability to speak and write about religious differences, some leaders suggested the knighthood would lead to suicide bombings. Sir Rushdie resides at an unknown address in London, where he continues to publish books and occasionally make public appearances. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dissident Nobel writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn expelled from USSR. Alexander Solzhenitsyn was born in Kislovodsk, Russia on December 11, 1918. There, he pursued a university education in physics and mathematics, even though his real passion was writing. When Soviet authorities discovered his writing criticizing Joseph Stalin, he was imprisoned, first for eight years, then for another two. He used his prison time to write, and much to the dismay of the Soviet leadership, managed to publish his works – sometimes within the USSR, but mostly in the West. His writing included The First Circle, The Cancer Ward and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. In 1970, when he won the Nobel prize in literature, he was widely condemned by his country’s leadership. On February 13, 1975, Soviet authorities expelled him from Russia, sent him to West Germany and stripped him of his Russian citizenship. A day later, he was charged with treason. He quickly moved to Norway, then Switzerland until 1976, after which he moved to Vermont in the United States. Solzhenitsyn was just as critical of the West’s capitalist system as he was of the Soviet state. When the USSR fell, Russia dropped its treason charges against Solzhenitsyn in 1991. He returned to his homeland and was eventually honoured. In 1997, Russia recognized his work by establishing the Solzhenitsyn prize for literature. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Anglican Church of Canada appoints first female bishop: Reverend Victoria Matthews. The Anglican church has allowed women priests since November 30, 1976. However, 1993 was a breakthrough year when Rev. Victoria Matthews became the first woman to be elected to the post of an Anglican bishop in Canada. The following year, on February 12, 1994, Matthews was consecrated as bishop at a service at St. Paul’s church in Toronto. Matthews was a distinguished choice. She’d graduated from Trinity College at the University of Toronto in 1976. She’d also been awarded the North American theological fellowship at Yale University Divinity School in the United States, where she had graduated in 1979. In 1980 she had been ordained as an Anglican priest. Beyond serving her parishioners, she was actively involved with the Anglican Youth Movement and with groups creating dialogue between Christians and Jews. In 1992, Matthews became a member of the National Executive Council, subsequently known as the Council of General Synod. In 1997, Matthews made another step forward for women in her church when she was elected bishop of Edmonton, becoming the only female diocesan bishop in Canada. Two other women became suffagen assistant bishops: Ann Tottenham (retired in 2005) and Sue Moxley (still working in PEI and Nova Scotia). As for Matthews, in June 2007 she was nominated archbishop of the Anglican Church of Canada, to succeed the retiring Archbishop Andrew Hutchison. However, in a tight race that went to five ballots, Fred Hiltz, bishop from Nova Scotia and PEI, ended up getting the top job. There is only one woman in the history of the Anglican church to head up a national body: Katharine Jefferts Schori, who became the presiding bishop of the Episcopal church in the United States in June 2006. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

British Conservative Party chooses Margaret Thatcher as leader. The British Conservative Party was not known for being the most progressive. However, on February 11, 1975 the Tories made what was considered great strides for the equality of the sexes by choosing their first woman leader, Margaret Thatcher. In Britain, party leaders are chosen by a vote of the members of Parliament and in 1975 the Conservatives were her Majesty’s Official Opposition party. Thatcher, who was known for showing an interest in the lives of fellow MPs, won handily over her four male opponents in the party. Thatcher began her process by telling former Prime Minister and party leader at the time, Ted Heath, that she would be challenging him for the job. She had served in Heath’s cabinet as Secretary of State for Science and Education when Heath was Prime Minister between 1970 and 1974. The rest, of course, is history: In 1979, Thatcher did indeed become Britain’s first woman prime minister. But if anyone was expecting a more “sensitive” PM in a woman, they didn’t get it in Thatcher. She soon became known as the Iron Lady, and ruled Britain for more than 10 years before being forced to step down. After a decade, her party MPs had had enough of Thatcher’s unbending style, and she lost a leadership vote in November 1990, even though her party remained in power. While Thatcher had many critics, she was credited with making economic reforms that allowed certain members of the public to prosper financially. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

U.S. Court of Appeals overturns Army’s ban on homosexuals. The United States Army had a policy of banning gay men from its ranks. The Army took its lead from the British Articles of War of 1775 and felt no need to update it. Many Americans felt the ban was a throwback to the days of paranoia and misinformation about gay men’s abilities. When women were allowed into the combat ranks of the military, many assumed they were lesbians. It was not until February 10, 1988 that a federal appeals court in San Francisco struck down the military’s ban, saying it was unconstitutional. The argument that banning gays preserved morale and discipline did not persuade the court to deny gay men and lesbians the same rights as other Americans. In subsequent years, some courts ruled in favour of gay and lesbian military personnel, while others upheld the government’s stance. Years later, when Bill Clinton became president, he tried to allow gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military. Knowing his decision would be overturned in Congress, however, he agreed to the compromise policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell” in which theoretically, if a gay or lesbian soldier did not reveal their true sexual orientation, then they would be allowed to serve. In practice, the military continued to seek out the sexual orientation of gay men and lesbians and throw them out of service. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Archie Bunker’s All in the Family debuts television’s first gay-themed episode. With the exception of television comedian Ernie Kovacs poking fun at an effeminate character he played in the 1950s, it wasn’t until the 1970s that a gay character played on television. It should come as no surprise that the loveable bigot, Archie Bunker from All in the Family, was the one chosen to encounter that character. First aired on February 9, 1971, with the title “Judging Books by Covers,” the program produced by Norman Lear went like this: Archie’s son-in-law, Michael (“Meathead”), brings home his friend Roger who Archie thinks is gay. It turns out he isn’t, but Archie gets a rude awakening when he discovers that his long-time friend and former football star Steve was in fact gay. Bunker had a hard time coming to grips with the notion that his beer-drinking buddy was homosexual as this didn’t fit his stereotype of gay men. For Bunker, this created a dilemma of staying loyal to his friend or abandoning him because of pre-conceived notions. The episode was rather bold of Lear and his crew, especially as All in the Family had been on the air for only a month. Archie’s gay friend, as it turned out, was a one-time event. It would be six years before a recurring gay character showed up on television. That’s when Billy Crystal played gay character Jodie Dallas on the show Soap. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.