Histortweet Week in Review - W/E February 6, 2010

[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 February 6, 2010:

[SFX: SOUND827]World: DATELINE Lisbon, February 1, 1908 - Say! They want a revolution - so they kill Portugal's king and his heir; wound younger duke/successor: http://bit.ly/aIhRut
The Back-Story: [SFX:You say you want a revolution; You give Love a bad name] King Carlos of Portugal wasn’t so much a tyrant as a weak king thrust into power at a difficult time. The country went bankrupt twice during Carlos’ reign, and, in order to quell public disturbances and criticism in the press, Carlos appointed Joao Franco as prime minister. Franco established authoritarian rule, overseeing the dissolution of the Portugues parliament. On February 1, Portugal’s Journal Officiel published a new, Draconian, public-security law which provided, among other things, for the immediate deportation of political criminals to Africa. It was against this backdrop that the Roayl Family returned to Lisbon, riding in an open carriage through the city from the ferry to their palace. On the way, a former army sharpshooter, Alfredo Costa, a republican revolutionary. fired five shots from a rifle that he had been hiding in his overcoat, seeking to destroy the monarchy and force revolution. He succeeded killing the king and his son, Luis Filipe, and injuring Duke Manuel, Carlos’ youngest son and eventual successor. [SFX: The King is Dead; You give Love a bad name]

[SFX: SOUND827]Sports: DATELINE Virginia, February 6, 1993 - AIDS fells gentleman of the court, Ashe: http://bit.ly/9LDWDD
The Back-Story: [SFX: Ashes to Ashes; The Ball Is in your Court; ] “If I’m remembered only as a tennis player,” Arthur Ashe once said, “I would consider myself a failure.” Ashe’s accomplishments on the tennis court were impressive, and that they were achieved by a Black man in an era of segregation makes them somewhat more remarkable. His achievements off the court were just as notable. Ashe formed several foundations, in the fields of athletics, racial equality, anti-poverty, and AIDS research. In 1988, when Ashe underwent brain surgery, it was discovered that Ashe had acquired the AIDS virus, presumably from a blood transfusion he had received in 1983, before testing for HIV was required of donated blood. Continuing in public service to the end, Ashe was arrested, as planned, at a demonstration protesting treatment of Haitiian refugees shortly before succumbin to pneumonia. [SFX: If I can help somebody; Brotherhood of Man]

[SFX: SOUND827]: In other news: DATELINE Oxford, February 1, 1884 - OED's first fascicle drops: http://bit.ly/96cRBL
The Back-Story: [SFX:Words; I Love my Dictionary Song; Book of Love;] The intellectuals of London’s Philological Society, dissatisfied with current english dictionary, formed an Unregistered Words Committee in 1857, to search for words that weren’t listed or defined in current dictionaries, concluding from the results that there was a need for a truly comprehensive dictionary. They enlisted volunteers to read books, extracting passages that illustrated how words were actually used. The book was to be called, “A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles.” The project grew huge in scope, and, in the 1870s, the Society began to wonder how it could publish a work so large. Eventually, they were able to work out an agreement with the Oxford University Press, and, almost 30 years after the idea for the dictionary was conceived, the first fascicle, covering the words A-Ant in its 352 pages, was publishced. It eventually sold a disappointing 4,000 copies, at $3.25 each. [SFX: Behind the Lines]

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

January 31: Singer Mario Lanza
February 1: Princess Stephanie of Monaco
February 2: Author James Joyce
February 3: Painter Norman Rockwell
February 4: Civil Rights Pioneer Rosa Parks
February 5: US statesman Adlai Stevensont
And February 6: Anthropologist Mary Leakey

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