What Happened on November 5?

  • Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity. (2006) Hussein was tried in Iraq by the Iraqi High Tribunal along with Awad Hamed al-Bandar and Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti. All were sentenced to death. Hussein was hanged to death on December 30, after his appeal was denied. The other two were hanged on January 15, 2007.

  • Susan B. Anthony attempted to vote in a US Presidential election. (1872) At the time, women were not allowed to vote in the US. Anthony, one of the leading founders of the women's suffrage movement in the US, made a stand by casting an illegal vote. She was arrested and fined $100 US Dollars (USD). She refused to pay the fine for the rest of her life. Her hard work, along with many others, finally paid off in 1920, but Anthony didn't live to see it. She died of heart disease in 1906.

  • The first US patent for an automobile was awarded. (1895) Rochester, New York resident George B. Selden was awarded the first patent for a gas-powered car, though he hadn't ever built one. His design was actually a copy of one he had seen at an exposition in 1872. In the end, his patent only ended up applying to cars of that exact design, allowing other automobile manufacturers to create new automobiles without infringing on Selden's patent.

  • A writer's strike brought Hollywood to a standstill. (2007) More than 12,000 entertainment industry writers, including those from film, TV and radio, walked out, protesting low wages. The 14-week walk-out worked — their contracts were successfully renegotiated, but not until after the entertainment industry suffered losses of more than $1 billion USD, with some estimates topping $2 billion USD.

  • The "Gunpowder Plot" was foiled, and the English Houses of Parliament were not blown up. (1605) The plot, led by Robert Catesby, was an attempt to assassinate King James I. The explosion was to occur at the opening of Parliament on this day, but an anonymous letter had tipped off the authorities. Co-conspirator Guy Fawkes, who was charged with handling the explosives, was captured in the building with 36 barrels of gunpowder. Eight of the 12 conspirators who survived a confrontation with police and did not flee the country were convicted and sentenced to death.

  • Adolf Hitler announced his plan to obtain "living space" for German citizens in a secret meeting. (1937) "Living space," or Lebensraum in German, was a major political ideology Hitler used to propagandize the expansionist plans he had to develop the "Greater Germany" — one of his main agendas that led to World War II.

  • US President Franklin D. Roosevelt became the only US President in history to be elected to a third Presidential term. (1940) The 32nd President of the United States served from 1933 to 1945.

  • China's first lunar satellite successfully orbited the Moon. (2007) The satellite, Chang'e 1, was launched on October 24, and entered into orbit on this day. It orbited the Moon for more than one year as part of the first stage of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program.

  • The biggest mass shooting ever to occur at a US military facility took place. (2009) Nidal Malik Hasan, a US Army Major, was the sole suspect in the shooting massacre at the Ford Hood military base in Texas. Thirteen people were killed and 30 others were injured in the incident. Hasan was charged with 32 counts of attempted murder and 13 counts of premeditated murder.

  • Italy annexed Cyrenaica and Tripoli after declaring war on the Ottoman Empire. (1911) Italy took control of the two countries during the Italo-Turkish War. It retained control of both regions and made Cyrenaica an Italian colony until World War II. In 1943, Britain took control of Tripoli until 1951, when the country declared its independence. Cyrenaica was liberated from Italian rule by the Allies during the war and became part of the Kingdom of Libya in 1951.

Discussion Comments

anon1003241

Hanging does not cause death by slow strangulation, but by breaking the person's neck, so it is virtually instantaneous and relatively humane.

Hazali

While I don't remember the writer's strike affecting films and television shows that much, I do remember one incident in particular that really stood out. In 2007, on the channel known as Cartoon Network, there was a live action show called Out of Jimmy's Head. From what I remember, there were only two seasons with 10 episodes each.

The reason for this was because it fell victim to the writer's strike. While the shows had already finished production by the time the writer's strike had hit, the show also wasn't renewed for anymore season. All in all, the 2007 writer's strike seems very controversial, and it seems to have affected more of the film industry than I had originally thought.

RoyalSpyder
I am definitely intrigued by Susan B Anthony's story, and even more so, the fact that she was willing to break the law by voting. However, I can't help but wonder why women weren't allowed to vote in the first place.

While it's pretty obvious that during those times, women had far less rights than men, what was it about women that made them fall into the lower and restricted ranks of society? I'm definitely curious to know.

Even though this is just an assumption. Perhaps it's possible that since women are supposedly more "dainty" than men, they were expected to do the "lower class" jobs, which included things such as cooking and cleaning. Men on the other hand, were supposed to go out in the tough ranks, one example being how they joined the army.

However, regardless of the reason, I am glad that Susan B. Anthony stood up for what she believed in. In fact, for all that we know, maybe other women took a stand and tried to follow her example. Whether it worked or not, it was definitely a step in the right direction.

Krunchyman

Maybe it's just me, but does anyone else find being hung a very cruel way to die? While it's very obvious that many punishments in Iraq are a lot more different than those in the United States, it still seems like an unfair policy.

However, on the other hand, though it's true that I highly disagree with this, I do believe that it really shows how laws for certain crimes are not only different for many people, but even more so, they're also difference for those who live in different countries.

I don't know about anyone else, but it really makes me wonder what would have happened if Saddam somehow happened to be in the United States at the time. After all, whether the authorities wanted to take him to Iraq or not, on the other hand, since he'd be on U.S. soil, they'd have to try hm according to those laws, and nothing else.

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