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Birth
Joseph Stalin is born on this date. He was the first and only child of his parents that survived childhood. He was born in a small town in Georgia, a neighboring city to Russia called Gori. He was born under the name of Iosif (Joseph) Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili. As a young child, his father was a shoemaker who had an addiction to alcohol. His father beat him regularly. Many people claim that the brutality of his father is the reason he was so pitiless later in life (Hi 194). -
Stalin enrolls in Gori Church School
Stalin begins basic studies at the Gori Church School. Even though he speaks Georgian at home, he is permitted to speak only Russian at school due to the rules of Tsar Alexander III. Stalin attended the Gori Church school for 6 years (Hi 194). -
Birth of a a Menace.
This is the date on which Adolf Hitler was born. Adolf Hitler grew up to be possibly the worst dictator that has ever lived. Hitler directed the genocide of many groups; Jewish, Gipsies, as well as people with mental incapabilities. Hitler lead Nazi Germany as it went through World War II, but was too much of a sissy to live, so he shot himself. Like a sissy (Biography.com). -
Stalin begins studies at Tiflis Theological Seminary in Georgia.
Stalin receives a scholarship to Tiflis Theological Seminary in Georgia. Insted of paying attention to his schoolwork, he becaume involved in revolutionary activities. He learns about the ideas of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels and is expelled from the school when his revolutionary ideas are discovered (Hi 195). -
Boxer Rebellion
Beginning in 1898, groups of peasants in northern China banded together into a secret society known as the "Righteous and Harmonious Fists", called the "Boxers" by outsiders. People in the society practiced boxing which they thought made them bulletproof (About.com).At first, the Boxers wanted to destroy the Ch'ing dynasty and wanted to rid China of all foreign influence . However the Boxers turned solely to getting rid of foreign influence (About.com). -
Stalin joins the Bolksheviks
While in Siberia, Stalin learns that Vladimir Lenin has formed the Bolsheviks, a political group that believes in the ideas of Karl Marx. Stalin already admires Lenin and joins his group. The Bolsheviks will go on to become the Communist Party (Hi 195). -
The Wright Brothers fly the "Wright Flyer"
"The Flyer" was first flown by the Wright brothers on this day. "The Flyer" was the first ever successful airplane of its kind, described as "...the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to achieve controlled, sustained flight with a pilot aboard. Many of the componants of the plane were made by hand (Write-House.com). -
Ford Model T begins construction and distribution.
The Ford Model T, generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, began construction and distribution on this date. The Ford Model T opened travel to the common American because of the low cost of the car. The cost of the car was so low because Ford used an efficient fabrication, using the assembly line production instead of hand crafting (History.com). -
Outbreak of the Russian Revolution
The Tsar's government falls, replaced with a Provisional Government. Bolsheviks, including Stalin, hasten to St. Petersburg. Lenin takes control of the USSR (Liversidge 84). -
Stalin is named the General Secretary of the Communist Party.
As Russia becomes the Soviet Union, Stalin becomes General Secretary of the Communist Party and is responsible for placing others in specific jobs. He understands that controlling people and what they do is key to gaining power and eventually has many key people in his debt for the jobs they have (Blassingame 111). -
Discovery of King Tuts Tomb
On this day, the tomb of King Tutankhamun, most often reffered to as "King Tut" was found in the Valley of Kings by Howard Carter. After 4 years of searching with little to no progress, he almost lost his grant to search. However, he pleaded for one more season. In that season he discovered the relatively undisturbed tomb, making the achivement of a lifetime (about.com) -
First Television is created by John Logie Baird
There are many different achievements leading up to Bairds creation of the television. He defined the function of his television to be the live transmission of moving images with continuos tonal vibration. His television showed images at 5 frames per second (www.thehistoryoftelevision.com). -
The first of Stalin's Five-Year Plans begins.
In a brutal and ill-fated attempt to bring the Soviet economy in to the industrial age, Stalin seizes farms and factories that were crucial to the nation's agriculture. Hundreds of thousands of people die for protesting or simply due to starvation as Stalin continues to ship food out of the country to try and cover up the failure of his plan (econc.bu.edu). -
German forces defeated at Stalingrad
German forces were defeated in the Battle of Stalingrad in February which proved to be the turning point of the war. Stalin met the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, and the American President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, in various conferences. This war was a major war between the Soviets and the Germans (Hi 197). -
Stalin rejects aid from the Marshall Plan.
When the Marshall Plan is enacted to provide aid to Europe after being devastated in World War II, Stalin rejects it. He does not like the plan because it will also help Germany and he thinks the U.S. is becoming too dominant. His attempts to block food from arriving in West Berlin fail when the U.S. airlifts supplies into the city (Liversidge 198). -
Death
This date is the official date of Stalin’s death. Many people claim that he was murdered, however it is generally accepted that he died a natural death. After he died he was placed in the Lenin Mausoleum. 8 years after his death, his body was removed from the Mausoleum and buried near the Kremlin wall (Hi 197).
