Events
1612 – Time of Troubles in
Russia: Moscow, Kitai-gorod, is captured
by Russian troops under command of Dmitry Pozharsky
The nation
rose together under the leadership of Kuzma Minin, a Nizhny
Novgorod merchant, and Prince Pozharsky. After the battle for Moscow
on November 1, the invaders retreated to the Kremlin, and on November 3–6
the nearby Polish army was forced to retreat. The garrison in the Kremlin surrendered
to the triumphant Pozharsky. Annually on November 4, Russia officially
celebrates the anniversary of this event as a Day of National Unity.
1894 – Nicholas II becomes
the new Tsar of Russia after his father, Alexander
III, dies.
Nicholas
II (18 May 1868 – 17 July 1918) was the
last Emperor of Russia, Grand Duke of Finland, and
titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II,
Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint
Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church. He has
often been referred to as Saint Nicholas the Martyr.
Nicholas II is generally considered to have been incompetent at the colossal task of ruling the enormous Russian Empire. He faced widespread criticism after the victory of the Revolution. Pavel Bykov, who in Russia wrote the first full account about the downfall of the Tsar, denounced Nicholas as a "tyrant, who paid with his life for the age-old repression and arbitrary rule of his ancestors over the Russian people, over the impoverished and blood-soaked country". Soviet-era historians noted that Nicholas II was not fit to be a statesman. It has been argued that he had a weak will and was manipulated by adventurist forces. With the punitive expeditions and courts-martial during the 1905 Revolution, the monarch became known as "Nicholas the Bloody". Nicholas' reign was seen as a time of suffering for Russians. Despite the original opposition, On 14 August 2000 the Russian Orthodox Church inside Russia ultimately recognized the family as "passion bearers," or people who met their deaths with Christian humility. Since that time the Emperor has been referred to as known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer.
ReplyDeleteMoreover, On November 1, 1899, the Varyag cruiser, a legend of the Russian navy, took to the seas.
ReplyDeleteThe cruiser was built in a dockyard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on a Russian government contract. To mark the end of the construction, the Russian community in Philadelphia built a church and conducted a special service to bless the new ship, attended by the local US authorities, the Russian ambassador and all of the residents.
The ship was an advanced model of an armor-decked two-mast cruiser, weighing 6500 tons. However, it did have its shortcomings – it was only capable of accelerating up to 19 knots instead of the stated 23 knots. Exceeding this speed limit caused the engine and the boilers to break down.
On February 9, 1904, right before the start of the Russo-Japanese War, the Varyag, under the command of Vsevolod Rudnev, was stationed in the neutral Korean port of Chemulpo Bay.
The Chemulpo battle immediately made the headlines of the foreign newspapers. Inspired by the media frenzy around it, a German poet, Rudolph Grents, wrote a poem hailing the Varyag’s feat, which, translated into the Russian language, became a beloved heroic marine song. Japanese propaganda also called Russian sailors the perfect example of soldiers following the samurai warrior code.
As for the Varyag, it was later salvaged by the Japanese and repaired. It then served with the Imperial Japanese Navy as the light cruiser “Soya”, until it was bought out by Russia in 1916. After the Russian Revolution the cruiser sailed to Great Britain where it was eventually confiscated and sold for scrap. In 1925 the ship sank in the Irish Sea while being towed to Germany.
Also, this day is Men Make Dinner Day which is aimed at the men who never cook. The day has its own website which features reasons for participation, rules for today and even some simple recipes to get you started.
ReplyDeleteRules include a no interference policy for the women of the household, no feeding the resulting meal to the dog, and no barbecuing.