On January 28

On this day in ...

... 1909 (100 years ago today), at Havana (left), U.S. officials who'd been governing Cuba withdrew upon the noon-hour inauguration of a new President of the "restored Cuban Republic." Evacuation by April 1 was planned for all the U.S. troops that'd been on the island since the Spanish-American War, the New York Times reported -- "save for a permanent force at the American naval station at Guantanamo." As loyal readers know, we IntLawGrrls have posted frequently on current affairs at that naval base. (credit for 1909 map)

... 1947, Jeanne Shaheen (right), who was sworn in this month as U.S. Senator for New Hampshire, and who'd served as that state's Governor from 1997 to 2003, was born in Saint Charles, Missouri. A Democrat, she's is the 1st woman ever to have held both of these offices.

On August 12

On this day in ...

... 1833 (175 years ago today), Chicago was founded. About 350 people lived in the town, which spanned a 3/8-square-mile area that still is at the heart of the city's Loop. Its name is a Native American word, but its meaning is uncertain -- some say it meant "wild onion" or "skunk"; others, "strong" or "great." Today Chicago (flag above right) -- the 3d largest U.S. city, with a population of 2.8 million living in a 237-square-mile area -- is vying with other cities in the world to host the 2016 Olympic Games.

... 1898 (110 years ago today), at 4:23 p.m., representatives of Spain and the United States signed an armistice ending the Spanish-American War. As part of the agreement, Spain gave up its claim to Cuba, agreed to U.S. occupation of the Philippines, and ceded Puerto Rico and other colonial holdings to the United States. (map credit)

On June 10

On this day in ...
... 1898 (110 years ago today), U.S. Marines landed at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to begin a month-long land battle between U.S. and Spanish forces. Precipitated by the sinking of the U.S. Maine in February of the same year, the Spanish-American War would bring an end to Spain's colonial rule in the Americas. As we have often posted, the United States maintains a naval base at Guantánamo, as well as a center for post-9/11 detention of noncitizens suspected of terrorism. (credit for June 12, 1898, photo by Edward H. Hart of Gitmo flag-raising)
... 1838 (170 years ago today), at Myall Creek, Australia, more than 2 dozen Aboriginal people, most of them women, children, and old men, were killed by "a gang of stockmen led by a squatter." The latter was never arrested, but 12 men were put on trial. Initially all but 1 were acquitted; then New South Wales' governor ordered a retrial of 7. They were convicted and executed, "despite protests from landowners and pastoralists." It was Australia's 1st trial of of whites for murders of Aboriginal persons. Among those who've worked for reconciliation in memory of the massacre are the 3 women depicted at right: Sue Blacklock (left), great-granddaughter of a survivor, Helen Lo Schiavo (middle), great-granddaughter of a civil servant who alerted police to the killings, and Beaulah Adams (right), great-niece of 1 of the men hanged. (2005 photo by Lisa Wiltse courtesy of the Sydney Morning Herald)

On May 20, ...

... 1803, in what then was Lower Canada and now is Québec, Chief Justice William Osgoode ruled that "slavery was not compatible with British law," thus limiting slave trafficking in the province.
...1902 (105 years ago today), the Republic of Cuba was established, bringing an end to U.S. occupation that had persisted since the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898.
... 1989, in the face of pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing's Tiananmen Square (right), Chinese leaders declared martial law. Protests would continue throughout the month.