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First Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- First Post
History Today: When Biden became first president in 60 years to drop out of re-election bid
After a disastrous debate and questions being raised about his age, Joe Biden announced that he would not be seeking re-election in the 2024 presidential election on July 21 last year. He later announced that then-Vice President Kamala Harris would be the Democratic candidate replacing him read more Former President Joe Biden announced that he would not be running for a second term. File image/AP Former US President Joe Biden made history when he announced that he would not be running for a second term on July 21, 2024. The announcement was a result of his disastrous performance at the presidential debate with Republican candidate Donald Trump. If you are a history geek who loves to learn about important events from the past, Firstpost Explainers' ongoing series, History Today, will be your one-stop destination to explore key events. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On this day in 1861, the first Battle of Bull Run was fought. This was the first major land battle of the American Civil War. Here are some of the events that took place on this day across the world. Biden ended his reelection bid On July 21, 2024, then- President Joe Biden officially announced the end of his bid for re-election in the 2024 United States presidential election. This pivotal decision came after growing concerns within his own Democratic Party regarding his age and a widely criticised performance in a presidential debate against Republican frontrunner Donald Trump in June 2024. At 81 years old, Biden faced mounting pressure from fellow Democrats, many of whom publicly urged him to step aside to ensure the party had the strongest possible candidate for the November election. His withdrawal, coming less than four months before Election Day, marked a historic moment in modern US political history. This was the first time an incumbent president had ended a re-election campaign before Election Day since Lyndon B Johnson in 1968. US President and Republican candidate Donald Trump speaking during the presidential debate in 2024 along with former President and Democrat candidate Joe Biden. File image/Reuters Immediately following his announcement, President Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor for the Democratic nomination. Harris quickly launched her own presidential campaign that same day and rapidly garnered enough delegate support to replace Biden as the presumptive Democratic nominee. Biden's decision, while jarring to some, was framed as being in the 'best interest of my party and the country' to allow him to focus solely on his duties as president for the remainder of his term. This event fundamentally reshaped the 2024 presidential race, setting the stage for a new dynamic in the general election. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The First Battle of Bull Run was fought The first major land battle of the American Civil War, the First Battle of Bull Run, was fought near Manassas, Virginia, on this day in 1861. It holds significant historical importance as the first major land battle of the American Civil War. Nearly 18,000 Union and 18,000 Confederate troops, largely unseasoned volunteers, clashed near Bull Run Creek in Virginia. Both Union and Confederate forces were largely composed of inexperienced volunteers, many of whom had signed up for only 90 days of service. This reflected the widespread belief that the war would be short. The Union forces, commanded by Brigadier General Irvin McDowell, marched from Washington DC. His aim - striking a decisive blow against the Confederate army led by Brigadier General PGT Beauregard, hoping to open the way to the Confederate capital in Richmond and quickly end the conflict. A painting of the first 'Battle of Bull Run', fought during the American Civil War. Wikimedia Commons The morning of July 21 began with Union crossings of Bull Run and assaults on Matthews Hill. Though Union forces initially pushed back Confederates, they encountered stiff resistance atop nearby Henry House Hill. There, Confederate Brigadier General Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson made his legendary stand, inspiring his troops and earning his enduring nickname. By late afternoon, a coordinated Confederate counterattack led by Beauregard, Jackson, Early and cavalry under JEB Stuart overwhelmed the fatigued Union troops. Panic ensued, turning a retreat into a chaotic rout. Muddy roads and fleeing spectators hindered orderly withdrawal toward Washington. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The result was a Confederate victory that shattered illusions of a short war. It exposed weaknesses in training, leadership and coordination on both sides. In its aftermath, McDowell was replaced by General George B McClellan and northern resolve hardened for a protracted conflict. The battlefield near Manassas would witness further carnage in the Second Battle of Bull Run two years later. This Day, This Year On this day in 2011, the US space shuttle program came to an end after 135 missions. The final book in the Harry Potter series was released. The world's lowest recorded temperature, i.e. 128.6 degrees F (-89.2 degrees C), was measured at Vostok Station, Antarctica.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How the Union took to the skies in the Civil War
The year: 1861. The problem: Pro-slavery states had broken away from the Union, rising up in armed revolt as the treasonous Confederate States of America, and so far were able to fight the Union Army. One solution: Balloons. Yes, balloons. And bizarrely, it was tried and kind of worked. Back in the American Civil War, the American military founded its first aerial force, the Union Army Balloon Corps. Thank Union desperation and several entrepreneurs American aeronauts with a good pitch. They came to the U.S. military with their own balloons, offering them as reconnaissance tools to help crush the breakaway states. Scientist and aeronaut Thaddeus S.C. Lowe, thanks to his personal connections, was able to pitch President Abraham Lincoln on the idea. He had actually had some very recent experience: while on a test flight of his balloon in April 1861, he accidentally landed in South Carolina and was captured by Confederates on suspicion of being a spy. He wasn't, but when he came to Lincoln weeks later, he had realized what aerial units could do. Lowe wasn't alone. Existing scientists and aeronauts like John Wise and John LaMountain rushed to show the Army how their private balloons could be useful for the cause. This was not that crazy of an idea. Balloons were a well-understood and relatively widespread invention by the 1860s. Their military usage was limited; the French military had briefly tried them as observation units, but Napoleon Bonaparte ultimately deflated the idea. This was the same time that the American military was importing camels to the United States for use in the American southwest. The Army was experimenting with new ways to master its domains. Eventually Lowe was tasked with testing it out, floating above the First Battle of Bull Run. Even though it was a Confederate victory, Lowe's ability to send updates and signals to commanders was proven. The Union Army Balloon Corps was formed. As the Federal Aviation Agency noted, the corps was technically part of a civilian outfit, the Bureau of Topographical Engineers. Over the next two years, the balloonists would see action at several major battles, including the Peninsula campaign and the siege of Vicksburg. Lowe and the Union Army's fleet of balloons were not floating weapons platforms. No one strapped a cannon to the basket of a balloon or had a line of infantry form up on its side. These were not, unfortunately, balloon technicals. Instead, they were initially privately owned balloons. It was only after the formal establishment of the Balloon Corps that the Army began building ones specifically for military recon. One of them was the Intrepid, a 32,000-foot capacity balloon built to go to higher altitudes and longer distances. Among other things, the balloon featured its name bannered across it, while the other side showed an eagle and a large image of Gen. George McClellan. Other balloons in the corps included the Union, the Eagle and Excelsior. The Union Army Balloon Corps did prove useful. Several balloons positioned along the Potomac helped commanders see Confederate advances and defend Washington, D.C., and they were later used to see farther ahead in campaigns to recapture Southern territory. Their ability to spot enemy positions also helped with artillery targeting. Aeronauts used signal flags to help signal Union commanders. The corps was also innovative in another way. The balloons were not used for long-distance flights; to transport them Lowe and his troops took a U.S. Navy barge, the USS George Washington Parke Custis, and turned it into a mobile launch platform. They invented the first aircraft carrier. The Confederacy did, in the name of keeping up with the Union, try its own hand at ballooning. It made a handful of balloons, but given how strapped it was for supplies — a problem that escalated once the Union began pressing the war effort — the balloons were poorly made and many were lost in the course of the war. The two sides never had a balloon versus balloon situation and there was never an aerial dogfight between the two balloon corps. However, they did try blasting them out of the sky during the Peninsula campaign. Confederate troops proved unable to, their rifles failing to shoot down the balloons. Unfortunately for Lowe and other balloon enthusiasts, the floating corps was short-lived. Several competing aeronauts made for poor organization and not every military commander considered their balloons useful even after they were fielded. By 1863, Lowe had strained relations with the military, and on top of that his pay was cut. He eventually resigned, leaving command to two brothers, James and Ezra Allen. Aside from being aeronauts, they actually had some military experience. Despite that, the problems facing the corps continued and the Union Army Balloon Corps would be disbanded in August 1863, well before the end of the Civil War. However, the tactic was revolutionary for the U.S. military. The Army Signal Corps would eventually form a balloon unit, which would see limited service during the Spanish-American War. The military's experiments with balloons continued, and the aircraft saw use in World War I as well. In the interwar period, advanced balloons with specialized baskets found extensive use in scientific experiments, as the military tried to reach the stratosphere in a kind of proto-Space Race. The Army's Master Combat Badges will be coming to soldiers this month Air Force shoots down Houthi drones launched at Navy carrier strike group Medal of Honor recipient depicted in movie 'Glory' erased from Pentagon website 'Saving Private Ryan' didn't make the Army's list of most accurate movie portrayals Army reveals designs for Mountaineering and Mariner Badges
