Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Learn Our History Today: January 24

On January 24, 1980, reacting to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan during 1979, the Carter administration announced that it would sell military equipment, excluding weapons, to communist China.  The decision was part of the U.S. effort to secure a stronger relationship with China, which could be used as leverage to thwart possible Soviet aggression.  On the same day, Congress approved most-favored-nation trading status for China, and an agreement was signed for the construction of a Chinese station that would receive American satellite transmissions.
These decisions were all indicative of how seriously the United States perceived the Soviet attack on Afghanistan.  In addition to the above, and in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the U.S. and a number of other countries boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympic games in Moscow.

And on this day in 1965, Sir Winston Churchill died in London at the age of 90.  Churchill led Great Britain through World War II and was an important ally to the United States.  He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the 20th century and served as Britain’s prime minister twice (in 1940-1945 and again in 1951-1955).  Churchill received the Nobel Prize in Literature for his six-volume historical study of World War II and for his political speeches, and he was the first person ever to be made an Honorary Citizen of the United States.  Sir Jacob Epstein crafted a bronze bust of Churchill, which was loaned to George W. Bush after the September 11 attacks and put on display in the White House.  The bust has since been removed.

No comments:

Post a Comment