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On this day – September 9th, 1776
On September 9th, 1776 the Second Continental Congress declared the nation’s name to be the “United States of America.” This replaced the previous term the “United Colonies.”
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The Rangoon Bombing
How did a secret plan to overthrow a government and incite revolution backfire? This is exactly what happened in 1983 during the Rangoon bombing, when North Korea attempted to assassinate Chun Doo-hwan, the 5th president of South Korea. In 1983, South Korea was a struggling nation. The country was not only recovering from the heartbreak of a civilian airplane being…
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On this day – April 4th, 1949
On April 4th, 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty was signed, establishing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO was formed primarily as a military alliance against the Soviet Union. Belgium, Denmark, Canada, France, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Luxembourg, and Great Britain all decided to sign the treaty to form NATO after United States President Harry Truman expressed a need…
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On this day – March 23rd, 1933
On March 23rd, 1933, the Enabling Act was passed by the German parliament. This act enabled Adolf Hitler to pass laws without the involvement of Reichstag, the German Parliament. This law allowed Hitler to assume complete dictatorial control over Germany and allowed the National Socialist party to start taking steps to their revolution.
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Aebleflaesk and Bannock Bread
To come up with a Danish-Canadian fusion dish, I first started doing some research on traditional Danish dishes. After researching, I found many Danish dishes that involved pork and bread in some form. One dish that specifically stood out to me was Aebleflaesk, or Danish apple pork. Aebleflaesk is a dish that includes apples, onions, and pork belly and is…
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The War of the Stray Dog
Can you imagine a world in which a dog caused the outbreak of a war? This may seem unlikely, but it did happen in the 1925 War of the Stray Dog between Bulgaria and Greece. Before we get to how a dog started a war, let’s go back to Bulgaria and Greece’s complex, intertwined history of conflict. After both countries…
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China Invades Vietnam
On February 17th, 1979, China invaded Vietnam in response to Vietnam’s growing ties with China’s rival, the Soviet Union, as well as the invasion of Cambodia. Although the conflict only lasted for nine days, it is estimated that there were tens of thousands of casualties, and tensions between the countries remained high.
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On this day – February 3rd, 1989
On February 3rd, 1989, after more than 30 years as dictator of Paraguay, Alfredo Stroessner was overthrown in a coup d’etat led by General Andres Rodriguez. He was driven into exile in Brazil where he lived until the end of his days.
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On this day – January 23rd, 1997
On January 23rd, 1997, Madeleine Albright was sworn in as the first female Secretary of State. Madeleine Albright gained governmental power after Bill Clinton’s election as president when she was appointed as US ambassador to the United Nations. She had many great impacts as Secretary of State, some of which include expanding the reach of NATO to former Soviet bloc…
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The Longest Running Friendly Feud
Imagine starting a 50 year international conflict over a virtually unusable body of rock. While this seems extremely silly and unlikely, it is exactly what happened between Denmark and Canada in what is now known as the Whisky War. I am here to explain how this conflict started, and how it finally ended in June of 2022. It all…