Purple Heart / Martyrs' Day / Transistor Radio

-1461

Cao Qin, the Chinese military general of the Ming Dynasty, stages a coup against the Tianshun Emperor.

-1714

During the Great Northern War, the Russian Navy won its first major victory over the Swedish Empire at the Battle of Gangut.

-1782

George Washington, commander of the Continental Army, created two Honorary Badges of Distinction and a Badge of Military Merit (now the Purple Heart). Ordinary soldiers get military awards for the first time.

-1933

On Assyrian Martyrs' Day, Iraqi forces massacred over 3,000 Assyrians in Simele, north of Baghdad.

-1942

The 1st Marine Division lands on Guadalcanal and begins Operation Watchtower, the first U.S. offensive of the war.

-1953

During the Cold War, President Eisenhower signed the Refugee Relief Act (RRA), which provided visas for refugees and escapees from communist countries.

-1955

The first transistor radios were sold in Japan by Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering (precursor of Sony).

-1964

The US Congress overwhelmingly passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving President Lyndon B. Johnson nearly unlimited powers to oppose "communist aggression" in Southeast Asia.

-1990

Operation Desert Shield begins when US troops are deployed to Saudi Arabia.