On This Day: November 26th - Tutankhamun's Tomb was Entered By Howard Carter

On this date in history in the year 1922, an English archaeologist named Howard Carter successfully penetrated the tomb of the 18th century Egyptian Pharoah Tutankhamun. Howard Carter was born on May 9th, 1874 and formed an interest in studying Egyptian history and archaeology. Later in his life, Carter befriended George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, a wealthy English aristocrat interested in excavations as well. He was the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, a small town in Whales. His curiosity led him to finance Carter in his search for Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Kings. Having trouble finding anything worth noting, Lord Carnarvon became impatient with Howard Carter’s work. Believing that Carter may still find something, he continued to finance him. After searching for several years, Carter finally found the entrance to Tutankhamun’s tomb in November of 1922. In February of 1923, Carter found the entryway into Tutankhamun’s burial chamber where his mummified body laid. This event is historically important because little was known about Tutankhamun prior to the excavation of his tomb. The contents of his tomb gave the world new insight into what the ancient King was like. The excavation of his tomb is considered one of the most important historical finds in the 20th century. Howard Carter died on March 2nd, 1939 and George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert died on April 5th, 1923. Speculations about King Tutankhamun’s death have been controversial because of the young age in which he died. Some believe he was murdered while other historians believed he died in another way.

On This Day: November 23rd - The Battle Of Chattanooga

On this day in 1863, of the American Civil War Battle of Chattanooga started. This battle lasted for three days and dramatically changed the direction of the war. The Union managed to push the Confederate soldiers out of Chattanooga and into the state of Georgia. In September of that year, Union forces were defeated in Chickamauga. After this defeat, Union forces took over the railhead center located in Chattanooga. Confederate soldiers trapped them by surrounding area, leaving little room for them to get away. The Confederate troops later attacked Chattanooga and created a blockade against the Union forces. At this point, the odds were against the Union troops who were headed by General William S. Rosecrans. He who would soon be replaced by Major General George Thomas. The troops received help from Union General Joseph hooker who brought with him 20,000 soldiers. As tensions were rising between the Union and the Confederacy, Union General Sherman arrived in Chattanooga with 17,000 more Union forces to help combat the enemy. On November 23rd, the Union troops charged Orchard Knob and took control of the area which was being controlled by Confederate soldiers prior to the time. For the next two days, Union forces would battle Confederate forces in Chattanooga. At the end of the battle, Union troops successfully drove the Confederate soldiers out of Chattanooga. The Battle of Chattanooga victory helped Union General Ulysses S. Grant remove several thousand Confederate soldiers out of Union territory. It also boosted the morale of Union forces and gave them confidence for future battles.

On This Day: November 18th - Terry Waite Is Released From Shiite Muslim Kidnappers

On this date in history in the year 1991, Terry Waite was released from captivity after being held for several years by Shiite Muslim radicals. He was released after the United Nations negotiated with the kidnappers attempting to resolve the 10 year Lebanon hostage crisis. Terry Waite was captured by the Shiite Muslims after he helped free several missionaries being detained in Iran, hostages being held in Libya and Americans in Lebanon. Terry Waite was held for four years before he was released by the Shiite Muslims. After being freed he told many of the terrible things he underwent while being held captive. He was beat while wearing a blindfold and also tricked into thinking he was being executed. After being released, one of the Shiite kidnappers admitted to him that he was sorry for kidnapping him. And An American teacher named Thomas M. Sutherland was also released by the kidnappers. Close to a hundred hostages were held during this time. Several of them were killed or died while being held in captivity. It is believed that the reason many hostages were kidnapped was that they could be used as a form of insurance against potential incoming forces by the United States, Syria and other nations against the group Hezbollah who was thought responsible for the deaths of 230 Americans in Beirut. Only a few hostages were rescued from captivity. Terry Waite and Thomas M. Sutherland were two of the hostages lucky enough to escape.

On This Day: November 1st - The Sistine Chapel Can Be Viewed By The Public

On this day in 1512, the Sistine Chapel opened to the public. The ceiling of the chapel was painted by Italian artist Michelangelo. The frescoes upon the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel took many years from Michelangelo to finish. By the time he completed the frescoes, he ruined his back and posture from laying down looking up at the ceiling as he was painting. Historians claim that Michelangelo did not want to be involved in the project but later became it passionately obsessed with it. Of the frescoes compiled on the ceiling, there are nine sections that represent Biblical history. The section's represent a linear timeline that the leads to the Last Judgment of the Bible. Several other painters also contributed to the paintings that decorate the Sistine Chapel including the famous painter Raphael.Michelangelo was born on March 6th 1476 in a small town named Caprese near Tuscany, Italy. The famous painter died in the year 1564 at 88 years old. He is considered one of the best painters in and Renaissance history. His artwork included sculptures, paintings and architecture . He apprenticed under the artist Lorenzo de' Medici who ruled the Florentine republic. The Sistine Chapel ceiling frescoes are one of his greatest accomplishments and most famous works of art . Other famous works by him include the sculpture of David in 1504 and the Pieta in 1498. On this day in 1512, the public was allowed to view the ceiling for the first time in history. Many people would understand a great effort Michelangelo put into his work of art.

On This Day: November 2nd - Howard Hughes Flies The Largest Aircraft Ever Built

On this day in 1947, Howard Hughes manages to fly the biggest airplane ever built in the history of aviation. Howard Hughes manufactured a large airplane out of wood. This is how the airplane got the nickname "Spruce Goose" with Howard Hughes hated. The large aircraft was built because Howard Hughes was commissioned to build her in aircraft and that could carry U boats during World War II. Howard Hughes was forced to build into the large airplane out of wood because of a shortage of steel. And airplane cost about $23 million and the construction of the plane had and even finished by the time the war came to an end. The United States Congress was angered at Hughes for spending so much money on this large aircraft and wanted Howard Hughes to prove that it could actually fly. and during a series of press conferences held against Howard Hughes by a congressmen Howard Hughes threatened to leave the country if the plane did not fly. On November 2nd, 1947 Howard Hughes brought the plane to Long Beach Harbor in California. There he managed to fly the airplane for several minutes before landing it. During his lifetime, Howard Hughes made many great achievements in the field of aviation. Flying the Spruce goose was one of his greatest accomplishments. As he aged, the eccentric billionaire went into read clues because of obsessive compulsive disorder. Today the Spruce goose sits in a museum in McMinnville, Oregon.

On This Day: November 22nd - John Fitzgerald Kennedy Was Assassinated

On this day in the year 1963, John F. Kennedy was assassinated by a gunshot in Dallas TX. The the 35th president of the United States of America was shot in the head while sitting in the back of a convertible that was driving through the city. His wife Jacqueline Kennedy was sitting next to him when he with shot. The assassin was identified as Lee Harvey Oswald and he shot the president while stationed inside a building. Lee Harvey Oswald was an ex-Marine and strongly disagreed with John F. Kennedy's people want as a radical right wing conservative. John F. Kennedy was 46 years old when he was assassinated on this day. Soon after his vice-president Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as the next president of United States. As Lee Harvey Oswald was being transferred to another prison demand and named Jack Ruby shot and killed him. Many conspiracies formed after the Kennedy assassination but the official Warren Commission report of 1964 found that no conspiracy was evident. Theories about a conspiracy behind the assassination were still prevalent even after this report. John F. Kennedy was born on May 29th, 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts. He attended the London School of Economics, Princeton University, Harvard College and Stanford Graduate School of Business. He was a Roman Catholic and served in the military from 1941 to 1945. As president of the United States he dealt with many issues including civil rights, communism, immigration, Cuba and Vietnam.

On This Day: November 19th - Abraham Lincoln Gives The Gettysburg Address

On this day in 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered the famous Gettysburg Address at a cemetery in the city of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The address occurred during the American Civil War which was fought between the Confederacy and the Union of America. Abraham Lincoln gave the famous speech in order to reinforce why the Union had to keep fighting against the against the Confederacy. Abraham Lincoln gave the speech in the city of Gettysburg because a few months earlier, one of the largest and one of the deadliest Civil War battles had occurred there. The battle at Gettysburg lasted for three days and over 45,000 soldiers were killed or injured during the deadly battle. The Union beat woe Confederacy in the Gettysburg battle and severely weakened General Robert E. Lee's power. Pennsylvania's governor appointed an attorney named David Wills to buy several acres of pasture in order to create a cemetery for Union soldiers that had died during the Battle of Gettysburg . Abraham Lincoln was asked to say a few words at the ceremony the for the cemetery and his Gettysburg Address would become a famous speech in American history . Abraham Lincoln's speech that day was short and powerful at the same time. Many people did not know how to take the speech after Abraham Lincoln gave it on this day. Many people felt the speech was too short and others just didn't like Abraham Lincoln. However, many historians argue that the Gettysburg Address did help the Union ultimately win the Civil War. The speech would be historically important after the Civil War came to an end.

On this day: November 17th - The Age of Queen Elizabeth Begins

Elizabeth, the half-sister of Queen Mary I takes over as the monarch of the England and Ireland after she dies. They were both the daughters of Henry VIII . The two half sisters had a history of conflict because Mary was a staunch Catholic and Elizabeth was a Protestant. Queen Mary enacted much legislation that reflected her Catholic beliefs. At one point in time Queen Mary placed Elizabeth in prison for being Protestant. Once Elizabeth became queen she spent much of her time reversing Catholic legislation that was put in place by Queen Mary. Many of her reforms were inspired by Calvinism and Protestantism. The Pope did not recognize her as the queen because of her strong Protestantism. Spain also was troubled by her religious views. This created a strong rivalry between England and Spain. Queen Elizabeth sent many men on voyages to discover new land. During her time as Queen, she made in the land into a major world power force. Many historians credit to Queen Elizabeth as being a hot tempered and indecisive leader had many times during her rulership . During the later times of her leadership , many people began to dislike her . She did manage to sustained England and Ireland better than other countries surrounding them. She served 44 years as the queen of all Ireland and England before she passed away. She died in the year 1603 and was later buried in Westminster Abbey. She left behind her a great legacy and a strong monarch that she helped to form.