Histortweet Week in Review - W/E October 31, 2009

[SFX: CHURCHBELL] Greetings, History Lovers! Welcome to This Tweet in History, the Week In Review, podcasting to you on tape delay from our North American Studios.

Here are your top stories for the week ending October 31, 2009:

[SFX: SOUND827]World: DATELINE India, October 31, 1984 – Gandhi assassinated by her bodyguards; bloody rioting follows: http://bit.ly/ZcFzp

The Back-Story: [SFX:Point Blank; Insensiblement; Hommage a Haydn] Indira Gandhi worked, as her father, Jawaharal Nehru, had, towards doing away with castes and unifying the populace. However, when she authorized Operation Bluestar, to remove insurgents who had taken up positions in the Golden Temple, she alienated the religious Sikh population, both because she desecrated the temple and because it was done with no regard for the thousands of civilian worshippers in the temple, almost 500 of whom died. Although she became the sworn enemy of the Sikhs, Gandhi refused to have her Sikh bodyguards reassigned, in a demonstration of her trust for the two who had served her for many years. This trust was misplaced; the two shot her in the garden of her official residence. In the aftermath, there was violent anti-Sikh rioting in the streets, resulting in massive loss of life and in the destruction of families from which the Sikh community still reels. [SFX: White Riot]

[SFX: SOUND827]Sports: DATELINE Zaire, October 30, 1974 – Ali, on the ropes for 7 rounds, is all up in George Foreman’s Grill in the 8th; wins Rumble in the Jungle: http://bit.ly/4h9aou
The Back-Story: [SFX: Bungle in the Jungle] George Foreman was on top of the world of boxing. He had easily dispatched of his competition, including Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, who had defeated his elder challenger, Muhammad Ali. In the build-up to the fight, Ali engaged in psychological warfare, taunting the champion and gaining popular support in the nation of Zaire, where the bout was to be held. On the day of the fight, the challenger surprised everyone, including his corner man, Angelo Dundee, by clinging to the ropes, allowing Foreman to tire himself out for seven rounds; finally taking the fight to himin the 8th and swiftlyu knocking the champion out. [SFX:Mama said knock you out]

[SFX: SOUND827]: Entertainment: DATELINE New Jersey, October 30, 1938 – The Martians have landed? In New Jersey? Well[s], Well[es]. . . http://bit.ly/VcB7X
The Back-Story: [SFX:Rosalita; Radio Loves You; Who Listens to the Radio?; Radio Ga Ga] It was just a radio program. Really. On the eve of Halloween, Orson Welles presented an adaptation of HG Wells’ “War of the World,” staging it as though it were a series of news bulletin interrupting a program of dance music. Althoughthere were explicit disclaimers that it was just a radio drama, many who heard the broadcast though that the drama was, in fact, actually taking place; some armed themselves, and some hid in the cellars. [SFX:Fooled again (I don’t Like It); We don’t get fooled again;The end of the world as we know it]

[SFX: SOUND827] This week’s birthdays:[SFX: In the Club]

October 25: Composer Georges Bizet
October 26: Gospel Artist Mahalia Jackson
October 27: American President Theodore Rosevelt
October 28: Discoverer of the Polio Vaccine Jonas Salk
October 29: Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
October 30: Author Fyodor Dostoevsky
And October 31: Painter Jan Vermeer

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