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This day in his & herstory from The Daily Bleed & thewaymouth...
A Dream Deferred
by Langston Hughes
What happens to the dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
& then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust & sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
1956, Hungary - Welcome to the Machine: The first Russian tanks
enter Budapest. The rolling omnipotent stompers came in response to the Hungarian Revolution, a spontaneous and doomed, nationwide revolt against the Stalinist government of the People's Republic of Hungary.
Soviet tanks were stationed outside the Parliament building and Soviet soldiers guarded key bridges and crossroads. Armed revolutionaries quickly set up barricades to defend Budapest, and were reported to have already captured some Soviet tanks by mid-morning. That day, Imre Nagy replaced András Hegedűs as Prime Minister. On the radio, Nagy called for an end to violence and promised to initiate political reforms which had been shelved three years earlier. The population continued to arm itself as sporadic violence erupted. Armed protesters seized the radio building. At the offices of the Communist newspaper Szabad Nép, unarmed demonstrators were fired upon by ÁVH guards who were then driven out as armed demonstrators arrived. At this point, the revolutionaries' wrath focused on the ÁVH; Soviet military units were not yet fully engaged, and there were many reports of some Soviet troops showing open sympathy for the demonstrators.
1970, USA - A Dick who didn't get dick: National Commission on Obscenity & Pornography reports that
porn is not a contributing factor to 'crime & social deviation'.
Beloved & Respected Comrade Used Car Salesman Dick M Nixon
lambastes the report & closes the commission.
HAPPY CELEBRATION OF STALKING STOCKINGS
1939, USA - "I Wanna Riot Of My Own" Dept.: Nylon stockings first
go on sale. Department stores couldn't keep up w/the demand from women
in line, so they got out of line and then came the "NYLON RIOTS."
Nylon stockings debut on the 24th (or the 25th?),
at Wilmington, Delaware. Then, "On May 15, 1940, the first nylons were
sold in stores across the United States. Crowds waited to purchase
nylon stockings. All of the original four million stockings made out of
nylon (the new miracle fiber) were sold in the first four days".
Thousands of people showed up for the stockings, which quickly sold
out, & so began the first of the so-called "Nylon Riots."
Throughout 1945, stores were besieged by mobs of women who had learned
of the sales by word of mouth. Du Pont, not fully recovered from its
wartime conversion, could not keep up with the demand. People waiting
in line were disorderly & police had to disperse crowds. When
stores sold out of the precious hosiery, fights broke out.
In
Pittsburgh, the mayor arranged for a stocking sale in response to a
petition by 400 women. On the day of the sale, 40,000 people lined up
to fight for 13,000 pairs. Similar scenes took place all across the
country. Finally, by March of 1946, Du Pont was producing 30 million
pairs a month, enough for everyone, & the "Nylon Riots" ended.
During World War II, women fought for their right to get a leg up.
12:11 PM
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