“History is instructive. What it suggests to people is that even if they do little things, if they walk on the picket line, if they join a vigil, if they write a letter to their local newspaper… Anything they do, however small, becomes part of a much larger sort of flow of energy. And when enough people do enough things, however small they are, then change takes place.”
Howard Zinn, American historian
1. Franz Kafka published his landmark novel The Trial
On this day in history in 1925 Franz Kafka published his landmark novel The Trial
The text, which was initially published as Der Process, is a nightmarish account of a man being arrested and prosecuted by a faceless authority for an unknown crime.
2. The worst nuclear disaster in history occured in Chernobyl
On this day in history in 1986 The worst nuclear disaster in history occured in Chernobyl. Large parts of Europe were contaminated when reactor 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant exploded. Although the number of deaths attributable to the disaster is difficult to determine, experts anticipate tens of thousands of deaths across Europe in the coming decades due to cancer caused by the radioactive fallout.
3. The deadliest tornado in history killed about 1300 people
On this day in history 1989 The deadliest tornado in history kills about 1300 people
The Daulatpur–Saturia Tornado devastated everything in its 50-mile long path across central Bangladesh.
4. Germany made Holocaust denial illegal
On this day in history in history 1994 Germany makes Holocaust denial illegal. The far-right party NPD had sought legitimation by Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court for expressing the view that the Nazis’ genocide of six million Jews never occurred. The court ruled against them.
5. Syria ended its military occupation of Lebanon after 29 years
On this day in history in 2005 Syria ended its military occupation of Lebanon after 29 years.
Syria buckled to domestic and international pressure following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on February 14 of the same year.
