I am delighted to participate in some portraits made by Chrystel Mukeba for the exhibition STYLE CONGO, Heritage & Heresy at Civa in Brussels.

Also these images will be part of an installation at Yser station at Brussels in collaboration with Kanal Pompidou.

The works in the exhibition challenge and destabilize the canonical histories and colonial roots of this legacy. By examining the marks of colonization in the city of Brussels and in the Congolese urban landscape, they present a decolonial resignification of private and public spaces, and seek to rewrite the margins of history at the center.

FROM 17/03 to 3/09

ADDRESS CIVA

Hermitagestraat 55 1050 Brussels

Curators Sammy Baloji, Silvia Franceschini, Nikolaus Hirsch, Estelle Lecaille

With the participation of Judith Barry, Rossella Biscotti, Peggy Buth, Ayoh Kré Duchâtelet, Jean Katambayi, Johan Lagae & Paoletta Holst, Chrystel Mukeba, Daniela Ortiz, Ruth Sacks, Traumnovelle

With a selection of works by Victor Horta, Ernest Acker, Victor Bourgeois, Joseph Caluwaers, Jean-Jules Eggericx, Paul Hankar, Georges Hobé, Henry Lacoste, René Pechère, Fernand Petit, René Schoentjes, Gustave Serrurier-Bovy

1. Brussels to restore Place Luxembourg’s central green space

Place du Luxembourg in Ixelles will have its grass and central green space restored after significant damage from the farmer protests, Ixelles Heritage Councillor Yves Rouet announced on Tuesday. Read more.

2. 'Champion of gross wages': Where do people earn the highest salary in Belgium?

The median wage has risen significantly in all Belgian regions in the past five years, but nowhere has it increased more than in Brussels. Read more.

3. Ending stigma: European Parliament group experiments with menstrual leave

The political group 'The Left in the European Parliament' has, for the past six months, allowed staff to take three days per month off as part of a menstrual leave policy. Because of the successful results, it is calling on others to follow suit. Read more.

4. EU resumes funding to UN refugee agency for the Palestinian population

The European Commission decided last Friday to allocate funding to support the Palestinian population through the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) following the deadly aid convoy incident last week. Read more.

5. 'Limit nuisance, emissions and delays': Agreement reached to optimise flight routes

More than ten years after the idea was first proposed, an agreement was reached on the European level to revise the 'Single European Sky' agreement to optimise flight routes and reduce both delays and CO2 emissions. Read more.

6. Brussels Metro lines 2 and 6 interrupted this weekend

Traffic on Brussels Metro lines 2 and 6 will be interrupted between the stations of Yser and Elisabeth during the weekend of 9 and 10 March, as public transport company STIB is carrying out infrastructure works near Ribaucourt. Read more.

7. Hidden Belgium: The world’s most complicated clock

The little town of Lier contains three extraordinary clocks constructed in the 1930s by the local watchmaker and amateur astronomer Lodewijk Zimmer. Read more.

Events 7.27 (after 1900)

1900 – Kaiser Wilhelm II makes a speech comparing Germans to Huns; for years afterwards, "Hun" would be a disparaging name for Germans. 1917 – World War I: The Allies reach the Yser Canal at the Battle of Passchendaele. 1919 – The Chicago Race Riot erupts after a racial incident occurred on a South Side beach, leading to 38 fatalities and 537 injuries over a five-day period. 1921 – Researchers at the University of Toronto, led by biochemist Frederick Banting, prove that the hormone insulin regulates blood sugar. 1929 – The Geneva Convention of 1929, dealing with treatment of prisoners-of-war, is signed by 53 nations. 1940 – The animated short A Wild Hare is released, introducing the character of Bugs Bunny. 1942 – World War II: Allied forces successfully halt the final Axis advance into Egypt. 1947 – In Vatican City, Rome, canonization of Catherine Labouré, the saint whose apparitions of the Virgin Mary originated the worldwide diffusion of the Miraculous Medal. 1949 – Initial flight of the de Havilland Comet, the first jet-powered airliner. 1953 – Cessation of hostilities is achieved in the Korean War when the United States, China, and North Korea sign an armistice agreement. Syngman Rhee, President of South Korea, refuses to sign but pledges to observe the armistice. 1955 – The Austrian State Treaty restores Austrian sovereignty. 1955 – El Al Flight 402 is shot down by two fighter jets after straying into Bulgarian air space. All 58 people on board are killed. 1959 – The Continental League is announced as baseball's "third major league" in the United States. 1963 – The Puijo observation tower is opened to the general public at Puijo Hill in Kuopio, Finland. 1964 – Vietnam War: Five thousand more American military advisers are sent to South Vietnam bringing the total number of United States forces in Vietnam to 21,000. 1974 – Watergate scandal: The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee votes 27 to 11 to recommend the first article of impeachment (for obstruction of justice) against President Richard Nixon. 1975 – Mayor of Jaffna and former MP Alfred Duraiappah is shot dead. 1981 – While landing at Chihuahua International Airport, Aeromexico Flight 230 overshoots the runway. Thirty-two of the 66 passengers and crew on board the DC-9 are killed. 1983 – Black July: Eighteen Tamil political prisoners at the Welikada high security prison in Colombo are massacred by Sinhalese prisoners, the second such massacre in two days. 1989 – While attempting to land at Tripoli International Airport in Libya, Korean Air Flight 803 crashes just short of the runway. Seventy-five of the 199 passengers and crew and four people on the ground are killed, in the second accident involving a DC-10 in less than two weeks, the first being United Airlines Flight 232. 1990 – The Supreme Soviet of the Belarusian Soviet Republic declares independence of Belarus from the Soviet Union. Until 1996 the day is celebrated as the Independence Day of Belarus; after a referendum held that year the celebration of independence is moved to June 3. 1990 – The Jamaat al Muslimeen attempt a coup d'état in Trinidad and Tobago. 1995 – The Korean War Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C. 1996 – In Atlanta, United States, a pipe bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Summer Olympics. 1997 – About 50 people are killed in the Si Zerrouk massacre in Algeria. 2002 – Ukraine airshow disaster: A Sukhoi Su-27 fighter crashes during an air show at Lviv, Ukraine killing 77 and injuring more than 500 others, making it the deadliest air show disaster in history. 2005 – After an incident during STS-114, NASA grounds the Space Shuttle, pending an investigation of the continuing problem with the shedding of foam insulation from the external fuel tank. 2015 – At least seven people are killed and many injured after gunmen attack an Indian police station in Punjab.

Source : LeSoir.be

Ramskapelle Belgium, December 2018.

Full photo gallery online here.

Ramskapelle Belgium

The Belgian Army, commanded by King Albert I, was in a desperate situation by October of 1914. 

German forces, defeated at the Marne in September, had fallen all the way back to the River Aisne before digging in and defending themselves against the French and British. Looking to turn each other’s flank battles began to occur in Western Flanders and moved north. Neither the German or Allied armies could find a weakness and eventually they ran out of land in which to advance. The English Channel became the northernmost point of the Western Front. 

From my Prologue Part 7:

Driven out of Antwerp by German forces, Belgian King Albert I and his army, along with French forces, made a stand along the Yser River in western Belgium. On October 25 the German offensive was so fierce that Belgians made a decision to open the floodgates in Nieuwpoort and let in sea water from the channel. Ten square miles of Belgian farmland was flooded by salt water and the Germans were held back. The Belgian Army would remain behind the safety of this artificial lake for the next four years.

Ramskapelle Belgium is 3 kilometers south and east of Nieuwpoort and evidence of Belgian Army positions can still be found nearby today. In the village itself are the remains of a Belgian reinforced concrete blockhouse built inside the Ramskapelle rail station. Heavy shelling during the war destroyed much of the station building, but the blockhouse still stands today. The raised bed of the railway created a barrier to prevent flooding from the sea from advancing farther to the southwest and the Belgians built numerous fortifications along this line.

Another 3 kilometers to the southeast of Ramskapelle along the former railway, now converted into a bicycle path, the remains of Belgian bunkers can be found. These bunkers are in various states of deterioration with the exception of one that was restored in 2008. The bunkers were built and manned by the Belgian Army from 1914 to 1918. Standing inside the restored bunker you can face towards the north and imagine looking out over the artificial lake made of sea water that was holding back the army of the German Empire.

The Slag aan Deijzer monument in Ramskapelle commemorates the Battle of the Yser in October 1914.

August 28 2019

Have you seen the rainbow yesterday? 😁 🌈 📷 by @s_lectic #welovebrussels (at Yser metro station)

Molecular Triangles (at Yser metro station)

#brusselsunderground #metro #stibmivb #hermanskiphotography #sonyrx100m5 (bij Yser metro station)

The Charleroi criminal court handed down a 40-month prison sentence on Friday morning, suspended for five years, against a father for sexually violating his daughter, who was a minor at the time of the offences.

However, the suspect was acquitted on the benefit of the doubt for a rape charge for which he was also facing trial. The man had previously been sentenced in absentia to seven years' imprisonment for the same offences, but lodged an objection to the judgment.

In 2017, the president of a local club frequented by the accused and his daughter had denounced the sexual assaults suffered by the child. The young girl claimed to have been raped on several occasions by her father between the ages of 14 and 16. Sentenced in absentia to seven years' imprisonment for these rapes and attacks on sexual integrity, the father lodged an objection to the judgment and denied all the charges.

In particular, the man had told the police and the examining magistrate that he had been "sleeping in the same bed as his daughter for two years." He also admitted to crimes that took place in 2014.

The prosecution requested a reduced sentence and a suspended sentence, given the defendant's lack of previous criminal record. The defence pleaded for acquittal.

Events 7.27

1054 – Siward, Earl of Northumbria, invades Scotland and defeats Macbeth, King of Scotland somewhere north of the Firth of Forth. 1189 – Friedrich Barbarossa arrives at Niš, the capital of Serbian King Stefan Nemanja, during the Third Crusade. 1202 – Georgian–Seljuk wars: At the Battle of Basian the Kingdom of Georgia defeats the Sultanate of Rum. 1214 – Battle of Bouvines: Philip II of France decisively defeats Imperial, English and Flemish armies, effectively ending John of England's Angevin Empire. 1299 – According to Edward Gibbon, Osman I invades the territory of Nicomedia for the first time, usually considered to be the founding day of the Ottoman state. 1302 – Battle of Bapheus: Decisive Ottoman victory over the Byzantines opening up Bithynia for Turkish conquest. 1549 – The Jesuit priest Francis Xavier's ship reaches Japan. 1663 – The English Parliament passes the second Navigation Act requiring that all goods bound for the American colonies have to be sent in English ships from English ports. After the Acts of Union 1707, Scotland would be included in the Act. 1689 – Glorious Revolution: The Battle of Killiecrankie is a victory for the Jacobites. 1694 – A Royal charter is granted to the Bank of England. 1714 – The Great Northern War: The first significant victory of the Russian Navy in the naval battle of Gangut against the Swedish Navy near the Hanko Peninsula. 1775 – Founding of the U.S. Army Medical Department: The Second Continental Congress passes legislation establishing "an hospital for an army consisting of 20,000 men." 1778 – American Revolution: First Battle of Ushant: British and French fleets fight to a standoff. 1789 – The first U.S. federal government agency, the Department of Foreign Affairs, is established (it will be later renamed Department of State). 1794 – French Revolution: Maximilien Robespierre is arrested after encouraging the execution of more than 17,000 "enemies of the Revolution". 1816 – Seminole Wars: The Battle of Negro Fort ends when a hot shot cannonball fired by US Navy Gunboat No. 154 explodes the fort's Powder Magazine, killing approximately 275. It is considered the deadliest single cannon shot in US history. 1857 – Indian Rebellion: Sixty-eight men hold out for eight days against a force of 2,500 to 3,000 mutinying sepoys and 8,000 irregular forces. 1865 – Welsh settlers arrive at Chubut in Argentina. 1866 – The first permanent transatlantic telegraph cable is successfully completed, stretching from Valentia Island, Ireland, to Heart's Content, Newfoundland. 1880 – Second Anglo-Afghan War: Battle of Maiwand: Afghan forces led by Mohammad Ayub Khan defeat the British Army in battle near Maiwand, Afghanistan. 1890 – Vincent van Gogh shoots himself and dies two days later. 1900 – Kaiser Wilhelm II makes a speech comparing Germans to Huns; for years afterwards, "Hun" would be a disparaging name for Germans. 1917 – World War I: The Allies reach the Yser Canal at the Battle of Passchendaele. 1919 – The Chicago Race Riot erupts after a racial incident occurred on a South Side beach, leading to 38 fatalities and 537 injuries over a five-day period. 1921 – Researchers at the University of Toronto, led by biochemist Frederick Banting, prove that the hormone insulin regulates blood sugar. 1922 – The Parliament of Finland passed a law about illegitimate children, which appointed Finnish municipalities to monitor the interests of unmarried mothers and their children. 1929 – The Geneva Convention of 1929, dealing with treatment of prisoners-of-war, is signed by 53 nations. 1940 – The animated short A Wild Hare is released, introducing the character of Bugs Bunny. 1942 – World War II: Allied forces successfully halt the final Axis advance into Egypt. 1947 – In Vatican City, Rome, canonization of Catherine Labouré, the saint whose apparitions of the Virgin Mary originated the worldwide diffusion of the Miraculous Medal. 1949 – Initial flight of the de Havilland Comet, the first jet-powered airliner. 1953 – Cessation of hostilities is achieved in the Korean War when the United States, China, and North Korea sign an armistice agreement. Syngman Rhee, President of South Korea, refuses to sign but pledges to observe the armistice. 1955 – The Austrian State Treaty restores Austrian sovereignty. 1955 – El Al Flight 402 is shot down by two fighter jets after straying into Bulgarian air space. All 58 people onboard are killed. 1959 – The Continental League is announced as baseball's "3rd major league" in the United States. 1964 – Vietnam War: Five thousand more American military advisers are sent to South Vietnam bringing the total number of United States forces in Vietnam to 21,000. 1974 – Watergate scandal: The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee votes 27 to 11 to recommend the first article of impeachment (for obstruction of justice) against President Richard Nixon. 1975 – Mayor of Jaffna and former MP Alfred Duraiappah is shot dead. 1981 – While landing at Chihuahua International Airport, Aeromexico Flight 230 overshoots the runway. Thirty-two of the 66 passengers and crew on board the DC-9 are killed. 1983 – Black July: Eighteen Tamil political prisoners at the Welikada high security prison in Colombo are massacred by Sinhalese prisoners, the second such massacre in two days. 1989 – While attempting to land at Tripoli International Airport in Libya, Korean Air Flight 803 crashes just short of the runway. Seventy-five of the 199 passengers and crew and four people on the ground are killed, in the second accident involving a DC-10 in less than two weeks, the first being United Airlines Flight 232. 1990 – The Supreme Soviet of the Belarusian Soviet Republic declares independence of Belarus from the Soviet Union. Until 1996 the day is celebrated as the Independence Day of Belarus; after a referendum held that year the celebration of independence is moved to June 3. 1990 – The Jamaat al Muslimeen attempt a coup d'état in Trinidad and Tobago. 1995 – The Korean War Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C. 1996 – In Atlanta, United States, a pipe bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Summer Olympics. 1997 – About 50 people are killed in the Si Zerrouk massacre in Algeria. 2002 – Ukraine airshow disaster: A Sukhoi Su-27 fighter crashes during an air show at Lviv, Ukraine killing 77 and injuring more than 500 others, making it the deadliest air show disaster in history. 2005 – After an incident during STS-114, NASA grounds the Space Shuttle, pending an investigation of the continuing problem with the shedding of foam insulation from the external fuel tank. 2015 – At least seven people are killed and many injured after gunmen attack an Indian police station in Punjab. 2016 – At a news conference, U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump expresses the hope that Russians can recover thirty thousand emails that were deleted from Hillary Clinton's personal server.

Events 7.27

1054 – Siward, Earl of Northumbria, invades Scotland and defeats Macbeth, King of Scotland somewhere north of the Firth of Forth. 1189 – Friedrich Barbarossa arrives at Niš, the capital of Serbian King Stefan Nemanja, during the Third Crusade. 1202 – Georgian–Seljuk wars: At the Battle of Basian the Kingdom of Georgia defeats the Sultanate of Rum. 1214 – Battle of Bouvines: Philip II of France decisively defeats Imperial, English and Flemish armies, effectively ending John of England's Angevin Empire. 1299 – According to Edward Gibbon, Osman I invades the territory of Nicomedia for the first time, usually considered to be the founding day of the Ottoman state. 1302 – Battle of Bapheus: Decisive Ottoman victory over the Byzantines opening up Bithynia for Turkish conquest. 1549 – The Jesuit priest Francis Xavier's ship reaches Japan. 1663 – The English Parliament passes the second Navigation Act requiring that all goods bound for the American colonies have to be sent in English ships from English ports. After the Acts of Union 1707, Scotland would be included in the Act. 1689 – Glorious Revolution: The Battle of Killiecrankie is a victory for the Jacobites. 1694 – A Royal charter is granted to the Bank of England. 1775 – Founding of the U.S. Army Medical Department: The Second Continental Congress passes legislation establishing "an hospital for an army consisting of 20,000 men." 1778 – American Revolution: First Battle of Ushant: British and French fleets fight to a standoff. 1789 – The first U.S. federal government agency, the Department of Foreign Affairs, is established (it will be later renamed Department of State). 1794 – French Revolution: Maximilien Robespierre is arrested after encouraging the execution of more than 17,000 "enemies of the Revolution". 1816 – Seminole Wars: The Battle of Negro Fort ends when a hot shot cannonball fired by US Navy Gunboat No. 154 explodes the fort's Powder Magazine, killing approximately 275. It is considered the deadliest single cannon shot in US history. 1857 – Indian Rebellion: Sixty-eight men hold out for eight days against a force of 2,500 to 3,000 mutinying sepoys and 8,000 irregular forces. 1865 – Welsh settlers arrive at Chubut in Argentina. 1866 – The first permanent transatlantic telegraph cable is successfully completed, stretching from Valentia Island, Ireland, to Heart's Content, Newfoundland. 1880 – Second Anglo-Afghan War: Battle of Maiwand: Afghan forces led by Mohammad Ayub Khan defeat the British Army in battle near Maiwand, Afghanistan. 1890 – Vincent van Gogh shoots himself and dies two days later. 1900 – Kaiser Wilhelm II makes a speech comparing Germans to Huns; for years afterwards, "Hun" would be a disparaging name for Germans. 1917 – World War I: The Allies reach the Yser Canal at the Battle of Passchendaele. 1919 – The Chicago Race Riot erupts after a racial incident occurred on a South Side beach, leading to 38 fatalities and 537 injuries over a five-day period. 1921 – Researchers at the University of Toronto, led by biochemist Frederick Banting, prove that the hormone insulin regulates blood sugar. 1929 – The Geneva Convention of 1929, dealing with treatment of prisoners-of-war, is signed by 53 nations. 1940 – The animated short A Wild Hare is released, introducing the character of Bugs Bunny. 1942 – World War II: Allied forces successfully halt the final Axis advance into Egypt. 1949 – Initial flight of the de Havilland Comet, the first jet-powered airliner. 1953 – Cessation of hostilities is achieved in the Korean War when the United States, China, and North Korea sign an armistice agreement. Syngman Rhee, President of South Korea, refuses to sign but pledges to observe the armistice. 1955 – The Austrian State Treaty restores Austrian sovereignty. 1955 – El Al Flight 402 is shot down by two fighter jets after straying into Bulgarian air space. All 58 people onboard are killed. 1959 – The Continental League is announced as baseball's "3rd major league" in the United States. 1964 – Vietnam War: Five thousand more American military advisers are sent to South Vietnam bringing the total number of United States forces in Vietnam to 21,000. 1974 – Watergate scandal: The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee votes 27 to 11 to recommend the first article of impeachment (for obstruction of justice) against President Richard Nixon. 1975 – Mayor of Jaffna and former MP Alfred Duraiappah is shot dead. 1981 – While landing at Chihuahua International Airport, Aeromexico Flight 230 overshoots the runway. Thirty-two of the 66 passengers and crew on board the DC-9 are killed. 1983 – Black July: Eighteen Tamil political prisoners at the Welikada high security prison in Colombo are massacred by Sinhalese prisoners, the second such massacre in two days. 1989 – While attempting to land at Tripoli International Airport in Libya, Korean Air Flight 803 crashes just short of the runway. Seventy-five of the 199 passengers and crew and four people on the ground are killed, in the second accident involving a DC-10 in less than two weeks, the first being United Airlines Flight 232. 1990 – The Supreme Soviet of the Belarusian Soviet Republic declares independence of Belarus from the Soviet Union. Until 1996 the day is celebrated as the Independence Day of Belarus; after a referendum held that year the celebration of independence is moved to June 3. 1990 – The Jamaat al Muslimeen attempt a coup d'état in Trinidad and Tobago. 1995 – The Korean War Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.. 1996 – In Atlanta, United States, a pipe bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Summer Olympics. 1997 – About 50 people are killed in the Si Zerrouk massacre in Algeria. 2002 – Ukraine airshow disaster: A Sukhoi Su-27 fighter crashes during an air show at Lviv, Ukraine killing 77 and injuring more than 500 others, making it the deadliest air show disaster in history. 2005 – After an incident during STS-114, NASA grounds the Space Shuttle, pending an investigation of the continuing problem with the shedding of foam insulation from the external fuel tank. 2015 – At least seven people are killed and many injured after gunmen attack an Indian police station in Punjab. 2016 – At a news conference, U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump expresses the hope that Russians can recover thirty thousand emails that were deleted from Hillary Clinton's personal server.

Events 7.26

1054 – Siward, Earl of Northumbria, invades Scotland and defeats Macbeth, King of Scotland somewhere north of the Firth of Forth. 1189 – Friedrich Barbarossa arrives at Niš, the capital of Serbian King Stefan Nemanja, during the Third Crusade. 1202 – Georgian–Seljuk wars: At the Battle of Basian the Kingdom of Georgia defeats the Sultanate of Rum. 1214 – Battle of Bouvines: Philip II of France decisively defeats Imperial, English and Flemish armies, effectively ending John of England's Angevin Empire. 1299 – According to Edward Gibbon, Osman I invades the territory of Nicomedia for the first time, usually considered to be the founding day of the Ottoman state. 1302 – Battle of Bapheus: Decisive Ottoman victory over the Byzantines opening up Bithynia for Turkish conquest. 1549 – The Jesuit priest Francis Xavier's ship reaches Japan. 1663 – The English Parliament passes the second Navigation Act requiring that all goods bound for the American colonies have to be sent in English ships from English ports. After the Acts of Union 1707, Scotland would be included in the Act. 1689 – Glorious Revolution: The Battle of Killiecrankie is a victory for the Jacobites. 1694 – A Royal charter is granted to the Bank of England. 1775 – Founding of the U.S. Army Medical Department: The Second Continental Congress passes legislation establishing "an hospital for an army consisting of 20,000 men." 1778 – American Revolution: First Battle of Ushant: British and French fleets fight to a standoff. 1789 – The first U.S. federal government agency, the Department of Foreign Affairs, is established (it will be later renamed Department of State). 1794 – French Revolution: Maximilien Robespierre is arrested after encouraging the execution of more than 17,000 "enemies of the Revolution". 1816 – Battle of Negro Fort: The battle ends when a hot shot cannonball fired by US Navy Gunboat No. 154 explodes the Fort's Powder Magazine, killing approximately 275. It is considered the deadliest single cannon shot in US history. 1857 – Siege of Arrah begins: Sixty-eight men hold out for eight days against a force of 2,500 to 3,000 mutinying sepoys and 8,000 irregular forces. 1865 – Welsh settlers arrive at Chubut in Argentina. 1866 – The first permanent transatlantic telegraph cable is successfully completed, stretching from Valentia Island, Ireland, to Heart's Content, Newfoundland. 1880 – Second Anglo-Afghan War: Battle of Maiwand: Afghan forces led by Mohammad Ayub Khan defeat the British Army in battle near Maiwand, Afghanistan. 1890 – Vincent van Gogh shoots himself and dies two days later. 1900 – Kaiser Wilhelm II makes a speech comparing Germans to Huns; for years afterwards, "Hun" would be a disparaging name for Germans. 1917 – World War I: The Allies reach the Yser Canal at the Battle of Passchendaele. 1919 – The Chicago Race Riot erupts after a racial incident occurred on a South Side beach, leading to 38 fatalities and 537 injuries over a five-day period. 1921 – Researchers at the University of Toronto, led by biochemist Frederick Banting, prove that the hormone insulin regulates blood sugar. 1929 – The Geneva Convention of 1929, dealing with treatment of prisoners-of-war, is signed by 53 nations. 1940 – The animated short A Wild Hare is released, introducing the character of Bugs Bunny. 1942 – World War II: Allied forces successfully halt the final Axis advance into Egypt. 1949 – Initial flight of the de Havilland Comet, the first jet-powered airliner. 1953 – Cessation of hostilities is achieved in the Korean War when the United States, China, and North Korea sign an armistice agreement. Syngman Rhee, President of South Korea, refuses to sign but pledges to observe the armistice. 1955 – The Austrian State Treaty restores Austrian sovereignty. 1955 – El Al Flight 402 is shot down by two fighter jets after straying into Bulgarian air space. All 58 people onboard are killed. 1959 – The Continental League is announced as baseball's "3rd major league" in the United States. 1964 – Vietnam War: Five thousand more American military advisers are sent to South Vietnam bringing the total number of United States forces in Vietnam to 21,000. 1974 – Watergate scandal: The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee votes 27 to 11 to recommend the first article of impeachment (for obstruction of justice) against President Richard Nixon. 1975 – Mayor of Jaffna and former MP Alfred Duraiappah is shot dead. 1976 – Former Japanese prime minister Kakuei Tanaka is arrested on suspicion of violating foreign exchange and foreign trade laws in connection with the Lockheed bribery scandals. 1981 – While landing at Chihuahua International Airport, Aeromexico Flight 230 overshoots the runway. Thirty-two of the 66 passengers and crew on board the DC-9 are killed. 1983 – Black July: Eighteen Tamil political prisoners at the Welikada high security prison in Colombo are massacred by Sinhalese prisoners, the second such massacre in two days. 1987 – RMS Titanic Inc. begins the first expedited salvage of wreckage of the RMS Titanic. 1989 – While attempting to land at Tripoli International Airport in Libya, Korean Air Flight 803 crashes just short of the runway. Seventy-five of the 199 passengers and crew and four people on the ground are killed, in the second accident involving a DC-10 in less than two weeks, the first being United Airlines Flight 232. 1990 – The Supreme Soviet of the Belarusian Soviet Republic declares independence of Belarus from the Soviet Union. Until 1996 the day is celebrated as the Independence Day of Belarus; after a referendum held that year the celebration of independence is moved to June 3. 1990 – The Jamaat al Muslimeen attempt a coup d'état in Trinidad and Tobago. 1995 – The Korean War Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.. 1996 – In Atlanta, United States, a pipe bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Summer Olympics. 1997 – About 50 people are killed in the Si Zerrouk massacre in Algeria. 2002 – Ukraine airshow disaster: A Sukhoi Su-27 fighter crashes during an air show at Lviv, Ukraine killing 77 and injuring more than 500 others, making it the deadliest air show disaster in history. 2005 – After an incident during STS-114, NASA grounds the Space Shuttle, pending an investigation of the continuing problem with the shedding of foam insulation from the external fuel tank. 2015 – At least seven people are killed and many injured after gunmen attack an Indian police station in Punjab. 2016 – At a news conference in Florida, U.S. Presidential Candidate Donald Trump publicly appealed to Russia to find and release private emails from Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton; a Special Counsel investigation (2017–2019) later alleged that Russian operatives began hacking into servers at the Democratic National Committee on that same day, leading to the July 13, 2018 indictment of 12 Russian intelligence officers.

Events 7.27

1054 – Siward, Earl of Northumbria invades Scotland and defeats Macbeth, King of Scotland somewhere north of the Firth of Forth. 1189 – Friedrich Barbarossa arrives at Niš, the capital of Serbian King Stefan Nemanja, during the Third Crusade. 1202 – Georgian–Seljuk wars: At the Battle of Basian the Kingdom of Georgia defeats the Sultanate of Rum. 1214 – Battle of Bouvines: Philip II of France decisively defeats Imperial, English and Flemish armies, effectively ending John of England's Angevin Empire. 1299 – According to Edward Gibbon, Osman I invades the territory of Nicomedia for the first time, usually considered to be the founding day of the Ottoman state. 1302 – Battle of Bapheus: Decisive Ottoman victory over the Byzantines opening up Bithynia for Turkish conquest. 1549 – The Jesuit priest Francis Xavier's ship reaches Japan. 1663 – The English Parliament passes the second Navigation Act requiring that all goods bound for the American colonies have to be sent in English ships from English ports. 1689 – Glorious Revolution: The Battle of Killiecrankie ends. 1694 – A Royal charter is granted to the Bank of England. 1720 – The Battle of Grengam marks the second important victory of the Russian Navy. 1775 – Founding of the U.S. Army Medical Department: The Second Continental Congress passes legislation establishing "an hospital for an army consisting of 20,000 men." 1778 – American Revolution: First Battle of Ushant: British and French fleets fight to a standoff. 1789 – The first U.S. federal government agency, the Department of Foreign Affairs, is established (it will be later renamed Department of State). 1794 – French Revolution: Maximilien Robespierre is arrested after encouraging the execution of more than 17,000 "enemies of the Revolution". 1816 – Battle of Negro Fort: The battle ends when a hot shot cannonball fired by US Navy Gunboat No. 154 explodes the Fort's Powder Magazine, killing apx. 275. It is considered the deadliest single cannon shot in US history. 1857 – Siege of Arrah begins: 68 men hold out for 8 days against a force of 2,500 to 3,000 mutinying sepoys and 8,000 irregular forces. 1865 – Welsh settlers arrive at Chubut in Argentina. 1866 – The first permanent transatlantic telegraph cable is successfully completed, stretching from Valentia Island, Ireland, to Heart's Content, Newfoundland. 1880 – Second Anglo-Afghan War: Battle of Maiwand: Afghan forces led by Mohammad Ayub Khan defeat the British Army in battle near Maiwand, Afghanistan. 1890 – Vincent van Gogh shoots himself and dies two days later. 1900 – Kaiser Wilhelm II makes a speech comparing Germans to Huns; for years afterwards, "Hun" would be a disparaging name for Germans. 1917 – The Allies reach the Yser Canal at the Battle of Passchendaele. 1919 – The Chicago Race Riot erupts after a racial incident occurred on a South Side beach, leading to 38 fatalities and 537 injuries over a five-day period. 1921 – Researchers at the University of Toronto, led by biochemist Frederick Banting, prove that the hormone insulin regulates blood sugar. 1929 – The Geneva Convention of 1929, dealing with treatment of prisoners-of-war, is signed by 53 nations. 1940 – The animated short A Wild Hare is released, introducing the character of Bugs Bunny. 1941 – Japanese troops stationed in Tonkin occupy the southern portion of French Indochina. 1942 – World War II: Allied forces successfully halt the final Axis advance into Egypt. 1949 – Initial flight of the de Havilland Comet, the first jet-powered airliner. 1953 – Fighting in the Korean War ends when the United States, China, and North Korea sign an armistice agreement. Syngman Rhee, President of South Korea, refuses to sign but pledges to observe the armistice. 1955 – The Allied occupation of Austria stemming from World War II ends. 1964 – Vietnam War: Five thousand more American military advisers are sent to South Vietnam bringing the total number of United States forces in Vietnam to 21,000. 1974 – Watergate scandal: The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee votes 27 to 11 to recommend the first article of impeachment (for obstruction of justice) against President Richard Nixon. 1975 – Mayor of Jaffna and former MP Alfred Duraiappah is shot dead. 1976 – Former Japanese prime minister Kakuei Tanaka is arrested on suspicion of violating foreign exchange and foreign trade laws in connection with the Lockheed bribery scandals. 1983 – Black July: Eighteen Tamil political prisoners at the Welikada high security prison in Colombo are massacred by Sinhalese prisoners, the second such massacre in two days. 1987 – RMS Titanic Inc. begins the first expedited salvage of wreckage of the RMS Titanic. 1990 – The Supreme Soviet of the Belarusian Soviet Republic declares independence of Belarus from the Soviet Union. Until 1996 the day is celebrated as the Independence Day of Belarus; after a referendum held that year the celebration of independence is moved to June 3. 1990 – The Jamaat al Muslimeen attempt a coup d'état in Trinidad and Tobago. 1995 – The Korean War Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C.. 1996 – In Atlanta, United States, a pipe bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Summer Olympics. 1997 – About 50 people are killed in the Si Zerrouk massacre in Algeria. 2002 – Ukraine airshow disaster: A Sukhoi Su-27 fighter crashes during an air show at Lviv, Ukraine killing 77 and injuring more than 500 others, making it the deadliest air show disaster in history. 2005 – After an incident during STS-114, NASA grounds the Space Shuttle, pending an investigation of the continuing problem with the shedding of foam insulation from the external fuel tank. 2015 – At least seven people are killed and many injured after gunmen attack an Indian police station in Punjab.