In 1991 Iraq fires two scud missiles into separate Israeli cities. They are hoping to draw Israel into the Gulf War Conflict and thus enticing other anti-Israeli Arab countries to join forces with Iraq against Israel and the other allied nations. Israel decided to leave retaliation to the allied forces, scuppering Iraq’s plans.
In 1919 the post World War I peace conference was held in Paris which initially only included the representatives from the main Allied powers of Great Britain, United States of America, France and Italy (the Russian empire ceased to exist in 1917 due to a revolution). This meeting officially marked the end of World War I although fighting ended at 11am on the 11th of November (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month) 1918. This and subsequent meetings, which would later include representatives from Germany led to the ‘Treaty of Versailles’ and the formation of the League of Nations.
In 1912 British explorer Robert Falcon Scott finally made his way to the South Pole. On arrival he discovered that the Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen, had beaten him to his goal by just one month. Distraught Scott had to turn around and make the arduous journey home.
In 1778 English explorer Captain James Cook was the first European to discover the Hawaiian Islands. He traded with the native Hawaiians who were said to be fascinated with the use of Iron. Just under a year later cook returned to the islands docking at Kealakekua Bay, a site sacred to the Hawaiians. Cook and his crew landed during a Hawaiian festival and the locals saw their landing as sacred and treated them as gods. For the next month Cook and his crew enjoyed being treated like gods and took advantage of the local’s religious beliefs. When one of the crew died the Hawaiians became angry with the visitors that posed as gods and Cook left with his crew on the 4th of February 1779. But stormy seas made escape impossible so cook was forced to return to the Island. They were met by angry locals throwing rocks and mobbed the Cook and his crew, few escaped and Captain Cook was killed.
In 1486 Tudor king Henry the VII of England married Elizabeth of York, uniting the two houses, which led to the end of the War of the Roses.
The War of the Roses came out of instability caused by the Hundred Years War and the spouts of mental illness that Henry the VI suffered. This led to civil war as two great houses, the house of York and the House of Lancaster, fought for the throne which Richard III claimed on the 26th of June 1483 for the House of York. He reigned for a little over two years until Henry Tudor and his Lancastrian forces defeated and killed him in the Battle of Bosworth Field. Henry Tudor became King Henry VII of England and was crowned on the 30th of October 1485. He later married Elizabeth of York on the 18th of January 1486, uniting the two houses which led to the end of the War of the Roses.
