January
16
Martin
Luther King Day
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a United
States federal holiday marking the birthday
of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is
observed on the third Monday of January
each year, which is around the time of King's
birthday, January 15. The floating holiday
is similar to holidays set under the Uniform
Monday Holiday Act, though the act predated
the establishment of Martin Luther King,
Jr. Day by fifteen years.
King
was the chief spokesman for nonviolent activism
in the civil rights movement, which successfully
protested racial discrimination in federal
and state law. The campaign for a federal
holiday in King's honor began soon after
his assassination in 1968. Ronald Reagan
signed the holiday into law in 1983, and
it was first observed on January 20, 1986.
At first, some states resisted observing
the holiday as such, giving it alternative
names or combining it with other holidays.
It was officially observed in all 50 states
for the first time in 2000.
History
1219 - Floods in Northern
Netherlands after storm, 1,000s killed
1493 - Columbus returns to Spain on his
1st trip
1761 - The British capture Pondicherry,
India from the French.
1900 - The United States Senate accepts
the Anglo-German treaty of 1899 in which
the United Kingdom renounces its claims
to the Samoan islands.
1909 - British explorer Ernest Shackleton
finds magnetic south pole
1909 - David, Mawson & Mackay reach
south magnetic pole
1920 – The League of Nations holds its first
council meeting in Paris.
1920 - Georgia declares independence
1965 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern
Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1967 - 1st black government installed in
Bahamas
1969 – Soviet spacecraft Soyuz 4 and Soyuz
5 perform the first-ever docking of manned
spacecraft in orbit, the first-ever transfer
of crew from one space vehicle to another,
and the only time such a transfer was accomplished
with a space walk.
1973 - USSR's Lunakhod 2 begins radio-controlled
exploration of Moon
1989 - USSR announces plan for 2-yr manned
mission to Mars
2006 - Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is sworn in
as Liberia's new president. She becomes
Africa's first female elected head of state.
Events
Flag Day or Magen David
Day (Israel)
Teacher's Day (Thailand)
For details, contact Datacentre
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