TODAY IN HISTORY | June 16th

Welcome to another edition of Today In History, where we explore the history, conspiracies, and the mysteries that have shaped our world.

Let’s dive into some history!🌎

TODAY’S TOPICS

  • 1779 - Great Siege of Gibraltar

  • 1944 - George Stinney Wrongly Executed

    Extras

    Female Werewolf🐺
    Alexander’s Eye Color👁️
    Commodus’s Death🛁
    Mary Antoinette Final Words🗣️

1779 Great Siege of Gibraltar

In June 1779, the Great Siege of Gibraltar began — one of the longest sieges in European history. During the American Revolutionary War, Spain and France teamed up to try and wrest control of Gibraltar from the British. The rocky peninsula, located at the southern tip of Spain, had been under British control since 1704, and it was a strategic gateway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Spain wanted it back, and they were willing to wait it out.

Rock of Gibraltar

The siege officially started on June 24, 1779, when Spanish and French forces blockaded Gibraltar by land and sea. Over the next three and a half years, the British garrison inside — led by General George Augustus Eliott — held out against near-constant bombardment, food shortages, and disease. Despite being massively outnumbered, the defenders kept control through grit, clever engineering, and sheer determination.

Rock of Gibraltar Today

One of the most dramatic moments came in 1782, when the attackers launched a massive assault using specially built “floating batteries” — ships designed to withstand cannon fire while blasting the fort. But the British used red-hot shot to set them on fire, destroying the fleet in a spectacular failure. That loss broke the momentum of the siege, and in 1783, the Spanish and French gave up. The Treaty of Paris, which ended the American Revolution, also confirmed British control of Gibraltar.

Cannon at Gibraltar

The Great Siege of Gibraltar wasn’t just about territory — it was a battle over global power. While most eyes were on the American colonies, this siege reminded Europe that Britain still had the muscle to defend its empire. Gibraltar remains a British territory to this day, and its defense in 1779 became a legendary stand in military history.

🤖 Ai Depiction of Event

On To The Next Story!!!

1944 George Stinney Executed

On June 16, 1944, George Stinney Jr., a 14-year-old African American boy, was executed by electric chair in South Carolina — the youngest person in modern U.S. history to face the death penalty. He had been accused of killing two young white girls, Betty June Binnicker and Mary Emma Thames, in the small town of Alcolu just three months earlier. The entire case — from arrest to execution — moved with shocking speed and deep racial injustice.

George Stinney Jr.

George was arrested after reportedly speaking to the girls earlier in the day. He was interrogated alone, without a lawyer, his parents, or any official oversight. Police claimed he confessed, but no written confession was ever produced. The trial lasted barely a day, and the all-white jury deliberated for just 10 minutes before finding him guilty. There was no physical evidence, no defense witnesses, and no appeals filed.

George Stinney entering execution chamber

Stinney was so small that he had to sit on a Bible to fit in the electric chair. His execution sparked outrage among civil rights activists in later years, but at the time, it was barely reported beyond local headlines. For decades, his case was a haunting example of how quickly and cruelly the justice system could fail, especially in the segregated South.

In 2014, 70 years later, a South Carolina judge vacated Stinney’s conviction, ruling that he had been denied a fair trial. The court didn’t just reverse the verdict — it called the original case a "great injustice." George Stinney Jr.'s story now stands as a powerful reminder of the cost of racial bias and rushed justice, and the importance of protecting the rights of the most vulnerable — no matter the time, place, or circumstance.

🤖 Ai Depiction of Event

Which of These Stories Is Your Favorite?

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Female Werewolf🐺
In 17th-century Scotland, during a time of widespread witch hunts and superstition, a woman named Isobel Gowdie was accused not only of witchcraft, but also of transforming into a werewolf. She gave detailed confessions—likely under duress—claiming she could change into a wolf using a magical chant. Though records are murky, she was believed to have been drowned or executed shortly after. While werewolf trials were more common in parts of continental Europe, Gowdie’s case stands out in Scottish history as a rare and chilling example of how myth, fear, and persecution collided — with deadly consequences. 🐺⚰️🌊

Alexanders Eye Color👁️
According to some ancient sources and later accounts, Alexander the Great may have had heterochromia — one brown eye and one blue. While no contemporary descriptions confirm this definitively, later historians and writers noted his striking appearance, including mismatched eyes that added to his almost mythical aura. Whether fact or embellishment, the idea fits the larger-than-life image Alexander cultivated as a divine, unstoppable conqueror. After all, a man who claimed descent from Zeus and conquered most of the known world might as well have had legendary eyes to match. 👁️⚔️🐍

Commodus’s Bathhouse Death🛁
Emperor Commodus, the notorious Roman ruler known for fighting as a gladiator, met his end not on the battlefield but in a bathhouse — strangled to death in 192 CE by his own wrestling coach, Narcissus. After years of erratic rule, delusions of godhood, and alienating the Senate, a conspiracy formed that included his mistress, palace officials, and top generals. They first tried to poison him, but when that failed, Narcissus was sent in to finish the job. The emperor who fancied himself Hercules reborn was taken down not by an army, but by a man he trusted with his training. 🛁🗡️

Mary Antoinette’s Final Words🗣️
Marie Antoinette’s final words before her execution by guillotine on October 16, 1793, were reportedly, “Pardon me, sir, I did not do it on purpose,” after she accidentally stepped on the executioner’s foot. Even in her final moments, the former Queen of France — once the symbol of royal excess — displayed a flash of etiquette and dignity. Her quiet apology amidst a jeering crowd and imminent death has become one of the most hauntingly human details of the French Revolution, reminding us that history’s most infamous figures still had moments of grace. 👑⚰️🔪

Pop Quiz 📝

What civilization created the first known democracy? 🗳️

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