Memories

[Sipyloidea]

Well, all in a first: Yes, I do use this to solve a school project But that's not the point

This thread shall serve the purpose, that you exchange about meaningful, emotional, harrowing or world-changing happenings and those of historic value (from the span of your own lives). So you start thinking about the history, that you witnessed yourselves while your own lives and exchange about it.

My project actually only is about 1989 till 2008, but if you're older you can of course also talk about earlier happenings. I already have lots of stuff in mind, but I'd like to get some more/other's impressions.

Just one more thing: Please talk about things that are really interesting or meaningful. No one wants a talk about the reunion of the Spice Girls or such

 

[Fette]

The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989[dubious – discuss], widely known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, in China referred to as the June Fourth Incident to avoid confusion with the two other Tiananmen Square protests, were a series of demonstrations led by labor activists, students, and intellectuals in the People's Republic of China (PRC) between April 15 and June 4, 1989. While the protests lacked a unified cause or leadership, participants were generally against the authoritarianism and economic policies of the ruling Chinese Communist Party and voiced calls for democratic reform within the structure of the government. The demonstrations centered on Tiananmen Square in Beijing, but large-scale protests also occurred in cities throughout China, including Shanghai, which stayed peaceful throughout the protests. In Beijing, the resulting military crackdown on the protesters by the PRC government left many civilians dead or injured. The reported tolls ranged from 200–300 (PRC government figures), to 300–800 (The New York Times), and to 2,000–3,000 (Chinese student associations and Chinese Red Cross).

Following the violence, the government conducted widespread arrests to suppress protesters and their supporters, cracked down on other protests around China, banned the foreign press from the country and strictly controlled coverage of the events in the PRC press. Members of the Party who had publicly sympathized with the protesters were purged, with several high-ranking members placed under house arrest, such as General Secretary Zhao Ziyang. The violent suppression of the Tiananmen Square protest caused widespread international condemnation of the PRC government.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiananmen_Square_protests_of_1989

 

[Fette]

1990
German Reunification
After the wall fell, the push towards reuniting the two Germany's was set, October 3, 1990.

1991
Iraq is attacked by UN forces
January 16, 1991 signaled the start of an air campaign against Iraq. February 27, after 100 hours of ground fighting, Kuwait was liberated, and a ceasefire was declared. 200,000 Iraqis were dead, including hundreds of civilians, 148 UN allies were killed.

Yugoslavia falls apart
June 1991, Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic blocked Croatian leader Stipe Mesic from assuming the presidency, Croatia and Slovenia seceded. The Yugoslav army moved into both republics. In July they left Slovenia, but began "ethnic cleansing" in Croatia until January 1992 when a UN supervised ceasefire took place. 25,000 were dead. Macedonia declared independence in September 1991, though Greece requested they find a different name since they also had an area named Macedonia.


The Soviet Union Ends
Yeltsin, president of the Russian republic, lead a revolution against Gorbachev in order to preserve the crumbling Soviet Union power structure. Yeltsin however didn't lose much, after the failed revolt, the 15 separate republics were granted their independence and Yeltsin remained the president of the newly independent republic.

1994
South African Black Get to Vote, AprilMandela got 60 percent of the vote, far more than FW de Klerk who began dismantling aparthaid 5 years earlier. The flag was also changed to help erase some of their past.

1995
The Oklahoma City Bombing
April 19, 1995: 168 people, including 8 Federal Marshals, were killed in the bombing of a federal building in Oaklahoma City. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were charged and convicted in this case. For their roles in the bombing Terry Nichols received a life sentence and Timothy McVey was sentenced to death.


1996
1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing
Two people were killed and nearly 200 injured when a bomb exploded in a crowded pavillion at the Atlanta 2000 Summer Olympics. Police would later arrest Eric Rudolph for the criminal act in late May of 2003

1997
Hong Kong's Independence
England handed Hong Kong to China

Heaven's Gate Cult mass suicide
A mass suicide in which 39 members of a "Heaven's Gate Cult" in California killed themselves thinking they would be sent up to a spaceship behind the passing Hale Bopp comet. Strange and sad story.

1998
America bombs Iraq: AGAIN!
Following a weapons inspector agreement by the UN, on December 17, in the middle of Clinton's impeachment trial, President Clinton orders American and British airstrikes on Iraq.

1999
Columbine Tragedy
April 20, 1999, two students go on a shooting rampage in Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. They kill 12 students, 1 teacher and themselves.


Earthquake in Turkey Kills 13,000
In August, one of the most powerful and deadly earthquakes of the century strikes Turkey.

I hope it helps...

 

[Sipyloidea]

1990
German Reunification
After the wall fell, the push towards reuniting the two Germany's was set, October 3, 1990.

1991
Iraq is attacked by UN forces
January 16, 1991 signaled the start of an air campaign against Iraq. February 27, after 100 hours of ground fighting, Kuwait was liberated, and a ceasefire was declared. 200,000 Iraqis were dead, including hundreds of civilians, 148 UN allies were killed.

Yugoslavia falls apart
June 1991, Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic blocked Croatian leader Stipe Mesic from assuming the presidency, Croatia and Slovenia seceded. The Yugoslav army moved into both republics. In July they left Slovenia, but began "ethnic cleansing" in Croatia until January 1992 when a UN supervised ceasefire took place. 25,000 were dead. Macedonia declared independence in September 1991, though Greece requested they find a different name since they also had an area named Macedonia.


The Soviet Union Ends
Yeltsin, president of the Russian republic, lead a revolution against Gorbachev in order to preserve the crumbling Soviet Union power structure. Yeltsin however didn't lose much, after the failed revolt, the 15 separate republics were granted their independence and Yeltsin remained the president of the newly independent republic.

1994
South African Black Get to Vote, AprilMandela got 60 percent of the vote, far more than FW de Klerk who began dismantling aparthaid 5 years earlier. The flag was also changed to help erase some of their past.

1995
The Oklahoma City Bombing
April 19, 1995: 168 people, including 8 Federal Marshals, were killed in the bombing of a federal building in Oaklahoma City. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols were charged and convicted in this case. For their roles in the bombing Terry Nichols received a life sentence and Timothy McVey was sentenced to death.


1996
1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing
Two people were killed and nearly 200 injured when a bomb exploded in a crowded pavillion at the Atlanta 2000 Summer Olympics. Police would later arrest Eric Rudolph for the criminal act in late May of 2003

1997
Hong Kong's Independence
England handed Hong Kong to China

Heaven's Gate Cult mass suicide
A mass suicide in which 39 members of a "Heaven's Gate Cult" in California killed themselves thinking they would be sent up to a spaceship behind the passing Hale Bopp comet. Strange and sad story.

1998
America bombs Iraq: AGAIN!
Following a weapons inspector agreement by the UN, on December 17, in the middle of Clinton's impeachment trial, President Clinton orders American and British airstrikes on Iraq.

1999
Columbine Tragedy
April 20, 1999, two students go on a shooting rampage in Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. They kill 12 students, 1 teacher and themselves.


Earthquake in Turkey Kills 13,000
In August, one of the most powerful and deadly earthquakes of the century strikes Turkey.

I hope it helps...

Wow! Thank you

 

[gnoff]

Feb 26, 1986
Swedish prime minister Olof Palme was shot down on the street in Stockholm.
I heard it on the radio the morning after and thought it was a bad joke.

Sep 28, 1994
The ferry Estonia sinks going from Tallin towards Stockholm.
137 of 989 people survives.

Sep 11, 2001
The two plane crashes in the World Trade Centre, as well as the Pentagon and the one that went down in the woods.
We were playing darts at work when we heard that a plane had crashed into one tower and said something like "how the hell can someone be that clumpsy?".
A few minutes later we heard about the second one and realized something bad happened.

Dec 26, 2004
The tsunami in asia that killed hundreds of thousands of people wiped out familys of vacating Swedes, including one among my relatives.

 

[Fette]

2002
January 1 - Euro notes and coins issued in France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Finland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Austria, Ireland and in the Netherlands.

 

[Fette]

2001
April 1 - In the Netherlands, the Act on the Opening up of Marriage goes into effect. The Act allows same-sex couples to marry legally for the first time in the world since the reign of Nero.

June 1 - Crown Prince Dipendra of Nepal kills his father, the king, his mother and other members of the royal family with an assault rifle and then shoots himself in the Nepalese royal massacre. He dies June 4. King Gyanendra accedes to the throne.

July 13 - Beijing wins the bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympics. Unfortunately they did!

October 7 - The United States invades Afghanistan, with participation from other nations participating in Operation Enduring Freedom.

 

[Fette]

2002

Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother dies in her sleep at the Royal lodge, aged 101

French presidential election, 2002: The first round results in a runoff between Jacques Chirac and the leader of the main French far-right party, Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Luckily the French did wake up for the second round!

In the Netherlands, politician Pim Fortuyn is killed by Volkert van der Graaf.


The International Criminal Court is established to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. Crimes committed on or after this date may be prosecuted by the court.
A very good thing!


Switzerland, known for its neutrality, finally joins the United Nations.


The oil tanker Prestige sinks off the Galician coast, causing a huge oil spill.

A total solar eclipse occurs.

 

[Fette]

2003
- A massive earthquake devastates southeastern Iran. Over 40,000 people are reported killed in the city of Bam.

 

[Fette]

en surely we in Belgium will never forget

JULIE LEJEUNE - MELISSA RUSSO
Missing since June 24, 1995
found MURDERED on August 17th, 1996

AN MARCHAL - EEFJE LAMBRECKS
MISSING since August 23, 1995
found MURDERED on September 3rd, 1996

and the all juridical case that follows the Dutroux trial in 2004

and
LOUBNA BEN AISSA
MISSING since August 5th,1992
found MURDERED on March 5th, 1997

and


Elizabeth Brichet (12) - from Namur. From it each trace lost itself on 20 December 1989. Their disappearing had often been brought with the case Dutroux in connection but it was Michel Fourniret and His wife Monique Olivier who are now at last facing trial!

All these little lives, ended far to early!

 

[Fette]

a small positive note hihi
Belgium football (even if I'm far from being a football fan)
MEXICO 86

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yup9mr8T8No

Quark don't fall off your chair

 

[Fette]

Feb 26, 1986
Sep 11, 2001
The two plane crashes in the World Trade Centre, as well as the Pentagon and the one that went down in the woods.
We were playing darts at work when we heard that a plane had crashed into one tower and said something like "how the hell can someone be that clumpsy?".
A few minutes later we heard about the second one and realized something bad happened.

I can still hear me say to my colleague "it can't be true! It must be a sick joke on the radio"
and than when we were sure it wasn't a sick joke:
" How can something like that be possible"

 

[Quark]

Fresh memory, a flight crash today at Zaventem/Brussels National Airport. A freight plane from the US with a stop in Brussels, on its way to Bahrein, crashed while taking off.
Only 4 minor injured people, no one on the ground. THAT may be called a miracle.

 

[LooseCannon]

For me it was last Sat. watching on CNN the LIVE video feed from a local Oklahoma TV station of a tornado touching down & destroying a pig farm.It made me feel very small.

 

[Smoo_lord]

moooooooo