This Day in History

Mon, 5 Dec 2022

Sergei Eisenstein's Debuts in US (1926)

Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin, based on the real-life 1905 uprising aboard the Russian battleship Potemkin, is a seminal film in cinematic history. Eisenstein deliberately wrote the silent film as a revolutionary propaganda piece and used it to test his theories of "montage," a form of movie collage consisting of a series of short shots edited into a sequence intended to effect emotional or intellectual responses. What is the film's most famous montage sequence? Discuss

Sun, 4 Dec 2022

China Adopts its Current Constitution (1982)

Adopted under the watchful eye of Deng Xiaoping, China's de facto leader from 1977 until his death in 1997, the 1982 Constitution of the People's Republic of China reflects his determination to lay a lasting foundation for domestic stability and modernization within the confines of socialism. It provides a legal framework for the liberalizing economic policies of the 1980s and encourages foreign participation in China's economy. How many times has it been amended since its adoption?

Sat, 3 Dec 2022

Worst Industrial Disaster in History (1984)

The accidental release of methyl isocyanate gas from the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India, immediately killed at least 3,000 people and ultimately caused 15,000 to 20,000 deaths. Another 500,000 survivors have since suffered ailments related to the disaster. The company paid $470 million in compensation to the victims, and several former employees were convicted of death by negligence in relation to the incident. Yet, it maintains that it is not to blame for the gas release. Why?