11-10-1962
Pope John XXIII opens Vatican II
Pope John XXIII convenes the first ecumenical council in 92 years. Pope John reached the papacy from simple, peasant beginnings and his tolerance and disregard for protocol earned him a reputation for being the sympathetic pope. In summoning an ecumenical council, a general meeting of the bishops of the church, he hoped to bring spiritual rebirth to Catholicism and greater unity with other branches of Christianity.
When Vatican Council II opened in the autumn of 1962, he invited Eastern Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant observers to attend the proceedings. Pope John XXIII died the following year, but the council continued under his successor, Paul VI, until 1965
Also on this Day
1967
Prime Minster Harold Wilson Successfully Sues Band
Moving In The Wrong Direction
Now this is amazing. During the Wild West time of the 1960s, the world of music was still trying to find its way. Bands were royally ripped off by management, publishing deals were particularly shady and all sorts of bizarre gimmicks and stunts were used to sell records. Which brings us to The Move. This Brummie based outfit featured Roy Woo... Read more >
2008
Blind driver breaks land-speed record
On this day in 2008, a man from Belgium named Luc Costermans sets a new world speed record for blind drivers: 192 mph. Costermans set the record in a borrowed Lamborghini Gallardo on a long, straight stretch of airstrip near Marseilles, France. He was accompanied by a carload of sophisticated navigational equipment as well as a human co-pilot, who gave directions from the Lamborghini’s passen... Read more >
1899
Boer War begins in South Africa
The South African Boer War begins between the British Empire and the Boers of the Transvaal and Orange Free State. The Boers, also known as Afrikaners, were the descendants of the original Dutch settlers of southern Africa. Britain took possession of the Dutch Cape colony in 1806 during the Napoleonic wars, sparking resistance from the independence-minded Boers, who resented the Anglicization o... Read more >