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Birthday
Ho Chi Minh was born on May 19, 1890 as Nguyen Sinh Cung in Kim Lien, Vietnam. He lived with his parents, Nguyen Sinh Sac and Hoàng Thị Loan, as well as his two brothers and sister. He later became a revolutionary leader and a famous Vietnamese Communist. Source: (Asian Independence Leaders 104) -
America the Beautiful
In 1895, "America the Beautiful", a poem by Katharine Lee Bates, was publish in The Congregationalist. Bates revised the poem many times throughout her life. When she died in 1929, "America the Beautiful" was almost made the national anthem. Although it lost to the Star-Spangled Banner, it is still celebrated and enjoyed by many Americans. Source: (www.biography.com) -
Theory of Relativity
After years of experiments and tests, Albert Einstein formulated the Theory of Relativity in 1905. In the theory, he identified "that the laws of physics are the same for all non-accelerating observers, and that the speed of light in a vacuum was independent of the motion of all observers"(Redd). Physics now had a new structure with different ideas of time and space. Source: (www.space.com) -
Official Secrets Acts
In 1911, Great Britain instituted the Official Secrets Acts. This gave conservation in Britain against unauthorized information being administered. These also preserved the right against espionage. The acts were amended many times, but still secures private information. Source: (researchbriefings.parliament) -
Director of the Opera
In 1913, Bruno Walter left his home in Vienna, Austria and took the job of musical director of the Munich Opera. He brought a new sound to the opera house. Walter brought the works of many favored composers, such as Franz Schreker and Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Source: (www.bach-cantatas.com) -
Petition for Freedom
A petition for independence was sent to Woodrow Wilson by Ho Chi Minh. It was sent in response to Wilson's "14 Points", a speech given in January 1918. Ho presented his petition to Robert Lansing out of the possibility that the U.S. would direct France to release Vietnam from colonization. It was sent, along with petitions from other European and Japanese colonies, during the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. Source: (The Vietnam War 19-20) -
French Communist Party
In 1920, Ho was one of the founding members of the French Communist Party. This was a political party in France that opposed colonial rule. Inspired by Vladimir Lenin, Ho took on the job of leading spokesman for the party's colonial issues. He provided many pieces for L'Humanité, the political party's newspaper. The political pamphlet called French Colonialism on trial was also written by him. Source: (Freedman 14-15) -
Vietnamese Activism
In 1925, Ho moved to China and began to work with Mikhail Borodin. While in China, in formed the Thanh Nien Cach Menh Dong Chi Hoi, an assembly of people banished from Vietnam living in China that were devoted to Vietnamese independence. As the group increased size it began to develop connections with other Vietnamese revolutionary groups. This network of activists worked together to try and gain Vietnamese independence from France. Source: (www.columbia.edu) -
Indochinese Communist Party
Dedicated to overflowing French colonialism, in 1930 Ho formed the Indochinese Communist Party in Hong Kong, China. A year later, he and 50,000 other members of the party were arrested. 2,000 of them were killed for being Vietnamese communists. However, Ho Chi Minh was released after being in prison for a year and a half. Source: (Freedman 15) -
Harold C. Urey
In 1931, Harold C. Urey developed a theory that led to the authentication of heavy hydrogen. During the same year he discovered how to separate hydrogen isotopes with the Electrolytic Method. Throughout his life, Urey was a praised scientist. For all of his scientific efforts he was awarded the Noble Peace Prize in Chemistry in 1934. Source: (www.nobelprize.org) -
Red Haired Alibi
Shirley Temple's first film, Red Haired Alibi, was released on October 15, 1932. She was only four years old when this movie was released. After this movie, Shirley Temple became a famous singer, dancer, and actor. She became tremendously popular among many Americans and appeared in over 40 movies. Source: (www.biography.com) -
Viet Minh
By 1941 Vietnam had been a colony of France for 54 years. In an attempt to gain independence, Ho Chi Minh formed the Viet Minh, an organization for people dealing with different political alignment, in China. The majority of the group was Communist, but was open to all political parties. This group would take control after the surrender of Japan from World War II. Source: (www.britannica.com) -
Japanese Surrender
On September 2, 1945, the Japanese surrender World War II. Hours later, Ho Chi Minh sated Vietnam's independence from France. His announcement summarized the U.S. Declaration of Independence and was cheered for my a crowd in Hanoi’s Ba Dinh Square. However, Vietnam would not become a united, communist country for another thirty years. Source: (http://www.history.com) -
Fighting Breaks Out
An agreement with the French was signed by Ho Chi Minh in 1946. This document stated that Vietnam was to be recognized as an Independent state as long as it became a member of the French Union and would allow a small French military presence. The agreement initiated problems between French colonists and Vietnamese nationalists. A full-scale war soon arouse from the fighting. Source: (www.columbia.edu) -
Vietnam Splits
Ho Chi Minh, the communist leader of Vietnam, attended the Geneva Conference, who's focus was to resolve the fighting between France and Vietnam. In July of 1954, the Geneva Agreements were signed and the French were forced to take their troops out of northern Vietnam. This split the country at the 17th parallel and forbid foreign troops from entering the country. The agreement would last for two years, until a new president was elected to reunite the country. Source: (http://www.history.com) -
Death Date
On September 3, 1969, Ho Chi Minh passed away in Hanoi, Vietnam due to a heart attack. Ho had been the essence of communism in Vietnam since its birth.He left behind a legacy of ideas and was most known for leading the movement for Vietnamese independence. Source: (Wakin 105)
