October 12 – USSR Launches Voskhod I And More

History is something that illuminates the culture and its origin. It also forecasts the awareness and how and when everything evolved and fell into place. It not only helps us trace the origins of the past but also helps us understand it better which leads to an understanding of the present more desirably. We, at Brag Social, try to keep you updated with the happening of past and present through our today column. Let us now read the historical milestones of October 12.

1492 –  Christopher Columbus and his crew land in the Bahamas.

Christopher Columbus was an explorer who was born in Genoa, Italy in 1451. Initially, he worked as a seaman and then a sailing entrepreneur. Fascinated with the possibility of pioneering a western sea route to Cathay (China), India, and the fabled gold and spice islands of Asia, he went on globetrotting discovering his curiosity. Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain, with three small ships on 3rd October 1492. His expedition sighted land on 12th October in the islands of Bahamas. The “admiral of the ocean sea,” returned to Spain with gold, spices, and “Indian” captives in March 1493 and received the highest honors by the Spanish court

 1811 – First ever Oktoberfest held in Germany

On 12th October 1810, Crown Prince Ludwig (later known as King Ludwig I), married Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. To celebrate the royal wedding, citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates. The royal wedding celebrated as a festival for the whole of Bavaria, gave rise to the tradition of the Oktoberfest. Initially, horse races were considered to be a major feature in the festival but today they are no longer held. The festival is taken up by a fun-fair that includes a wide range of carousels, fun rides, beer tents and so on. 

1911 – The 109th birth anniversary of Vijay Merchant

Known as India’s ‘Bradman’, Vijay Merchant’s birth anniversary is celebrated on 12th October. Vijay Merchant was born on 12th October 1911, in Mumbai and was one the greatest batsman, remembered even today. Finishing an average of 71.64 in 150 matches with 45 hundred and 52 fifties, Merchant is widely regarded as the realized first-class batsman of all time. His performance in India’s 1936 tour of England, earned him Wisden Cricketer of the Year award, scoring charts with 1745 runs at an average of 51.32. His playing days cut short his playing days, but he remains a classic even today.

1949 – Eugenie Anderson becomes the first woman U.S. ambassador.

On 12th October 1949. Eugenie Anderson was appointed to lead the embassy at Copenhagen, Denmark by President Harry S. Truman and officially became the first female US ambassador. Her appointment was strongly illustrated even before her appointment by her contributions to the American political scene. Her commitment to liberal democracy portrayed her advocacy of America’s leadership role in the world. Becoming the first woman to serve behind the ‘iron curtain’, she was appointed as the minister to Bulgaria by President John F. Kennedy in 1962.

1964 – USSR launches Voskhod I, first spacecraft with a multi-person crew 

On October 12, 1964, Voskhod I was launched by USSR and was the first spacecraft with a multi-person crew and the first mission in which the crew did not wear spacesuits. The pilots of the Vostok series had to parachute from their spacecraft and the mission became the first space mission to yield significant biomedical data. The Voskhod flight featured modified Reentry procedures and many other technical improvements. Following the triumph of the Vostok launchings that had put the first human in space, Vostok carried three cosmonauts—commander Vladimir Komarov, engineer Konstantin Feoktistov, and doctor Boris Yegorov—into Earth orbit.

1971 – The House of Representatives passes the Equal Rights Amendment 354-23.

The Equal Rights Amendment 354-23 was a constitutional amendment prohibiting discrimination based on sex and was passed by the House of Representatives on October 12 1971. The key point was to raise voice against the issue of including provisions in the amendment that would continue the legality of drafting men and not women, into the armed forces and provisions asserting the validity of many existing laws that treat men and women differently. The Equal Rights Amendment was enforced and nullified the provisions that treated men and women differently, from the amendment by a vote of 265 to 87.

Source – https://www.britannica.com/