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7:00 PM ET/PT
Ancient Discoveries
Machines Of the Gods (CC)  

7:00 PM ET/PT
Ancient Discoveries
Machines Of the Gods (CC)  

8:00 PM ET/PT
Cities of the Underworld
Freemason's Underground (CC)  

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Cities of the Underworld
Freemason's Underground (CC)  

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Pawn Stars
Episode:11 (CC)  

9:00 PM ET/PT
Pawn Stars
Episode:11 (CC)  


today in history

HISTOR!CA
  • February 9, 1690

    French and First Nations allies made a retaliatory raid on Schenectady, NY, killing some 60 settlers.

  • February 9, 1830

    Furrier George Renfrew, owner of what became known as Holt Renfrew & Co., was born at Québec City.

A Short History of Cuba

27 Oct 1492 - Christopher Columbus lands in Cuba. He describes the scenery as "the loveliest land ever beheld by human eyes."

1522 - After the decimation of the indigenous population, colonial landowners bring in African slaves to work the fields. The first of the slave ships arrives, with many more to follow.

6 Jun 1762 - British capture Havana. Cuba is opened up for world trade. They exchange the colony for Florida less than one year later. The slave trade continues in earnest.

1853 - José Martí is born. Life-long supporter of a sovereign Cuba, Martí was one of Castro's heroes.

10 Oct 1868 - The Ten Years War starts. Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, a lawyer and plantation owner, starts an uprising with other latifundistas (white landowners born in Cuba) that leads to a war for independence.


1879
- "The Little War" begins. The truce from the Ten Years War has barely lasted a year. American investors start to heavily buy into the Cuban economy, left in ruins from over a decade of war with Spain.

1886 - Slavery is abolished.

1895 - War for Independence. José Martí, anti-colonialist, returns from exile in the United States to organize the rebellion. Within three months, he is killed at the battle of Dos Ríos. He became a martyr to the cause of independence, becoming known as the "Apostle." Guerilla leader Antonio Maceo is also killed.

15 Feb 1898 - Havana Harbour: U.S.S. Maine is destroyed. The United States enters the war.

10 Dec 1898 - Treaty of Paris is signed. Spain loses their colonies in Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines to the United States. Cuba gains independence from Spain. Independence Day will now be celebrated every December 10. The United States maintains military control over the island.

1901 - Platt Agreement is signed. Cuba cannot ally with other nations, nor make treaties. The United States alone are allowed military bases on the island, and may intervene militarily whenever they deem necessary. The agreement remains in tact until 1934.

20 May 1902 - Cuba is freed from the constraints of the U.S. administration. President elect Tomás Estrada Palma is sworn in. The Platt Agreement stands

1925 - Gerardo Machado becomes president. His regime is one of the most corrupt and exploitative in the island's political history.

13 Aug 1926 - Fidel Castro is born.

14 Jun 1928 - Ernesto "Che" Guevara is born in Argentina.

1933 - Machado Gerard's government is overthrown.

1940 - Fulgencio Batista is elected president with almost 60% of the vote. He remains president for only four years.

Oct 1945 - Fidel Castro enters law school at the University of Havana.

10 Mar 1952 - Carlos Prío's government is overthrown by Fulgencio Batista's military coup. Batista becomes dictator. This government is openly supported by the United States.

1 Jan 1959 - The Cuban Revolution. Fidel Castro overthrows Batista after months of guerilla warfare. He sets up a provisional government. Batista flees the country.

17 Apr 1961 - The Bay of Pigs. Cuban exiles attempt to invade the island and overthrow Castro's regime. The U.S. government backs the botched mission. The Cuban army easily defeats the rebels, many of whom are killed during the insurrection.

October 1962 - Cuban Missile Crisis. The Cold War escalates when Khrushchev strategically places ballistic missiles in Cuba. Kennedy denounces the actions by the Soviets. He instills a naval blockade and warns the Russians that if they launch a missile from Cuba, the United States will retaliate with full force against the Soviets. The crisis is averted when Russian ships carrying missiles to Cuba turn back on October 24 and Khrushchev agrees to dismantle the sites.

9 Oct 1967 - Che Guevara is executed by government troops in Bolivia.

1976 - Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau visits Cuba.

1990 - Cuba endures a massive recession due to the collapse of the U.S.S.R.

1 Jan 1999 - Castro celebrates forty years in power.