Let�s celebrate freedom!

Picture: Shutterstock
Written by: 360.org
Monday, 11 February 2019

1945 - Today it�s Liberation Day. At least it is in the Netherlands. May 5th marks the end of the occupation by Nazi Germany during World War II. The Netherlands had been occupied by the Germans for five years from 1940 till 1945. Nowadays Dutch people still celebrate the day of the German capitulation.

A bridge too far
The Netherlands was largely liberated by the First Canadian Army. The nation would have been liberated sooner, if it weren�t for the bridge by Arnhem, the so called �Bridge too far�. The military �Operation Market Garden�, meant to free the Netherlands, Belgium and France went severely wrong. Nevertheless, on May 5th 1945, the Canadian General Charles Foulkes and the German commander-in-Chief Johannes Blaskowitz reached an agreement on the capitulation of German forces in Hotel de Wereld in the Dutch town of Wageningen. One day later all documents were signed.

National holiday
The years following the war, freedom was celebrated every five years. In 1990 May 5th was declared a national holiday. Nowadays people in the Netherlands celebrate liberation every year. There are lots of music festivals throughout the country and parades of veterans at some cities. The celebrations follow a day of remembrance. May 4th is the day the Dutch remember all victims of war.

360 trivial fact
Actress Audrey Hepburn lived in the Netherlands during the war. She had a Dutch mother. Audrey played a part during the war. She danced in a bar, to raise money for the resistance.

Don�t be afraid of riding an elevator

Are you experiencing a fear to ride an elevator? You�re not alone; Millions of people have trouble stepping inside an elevator. These fears usually concern claustrophobia or a fear of an engine malfunction causing the elevator to crash. This last imaginary disaster is something Elisha Otis dealt with in 1854. Read More >>

Does this name ring a bell?

Do you know the first words spoken over a telephone? Graham Bell, the man who�s known as the inventor of the telephone, said to his assistant: �Mr. Watson � Come here � I want to see you. He probably chose these words because he spilled battery acid on his trousers. Today in 1922 Graham Bell died. Read More >>

I want my MTV

It�s hardly thinkable, but there was a time MTV : Music Television didn�t exist. In the 1970�s there were lots of music programs on television, but there was no television station that focused on music only. MTV played its first video, �Video Killed the Radio Star�, today in 1981. Initially MTV mainly showed hosts called veejays, who introduced and back-announced video clips. Read More >>

We celebrate the birthday of Harry Potter and his creator

Today we celebrate the birthday of Joanne Rowling, better known as J.K. Rowling. Rowling shares her birthday with the fictional character Harry Potter. Rowling published the first �Harry Potter� book in 1997. The book started with an idea on a train, the idea was quickly scrawled down on some napkins. Read More >>

Happy birthday Herr Schwarzenegger

Arnold Schwarzenegger is probably the best-known bodybuilder in the world. Today he celebrates his birthday, being born in 1947, July 30. Of course, we know him even better as an actor, performing in movies like Conan the Barbarian and The Terminator. Because of his very active lifestyle he has lots of nicknames. You may know him as Arnie, Austrian Oak, Conan the Republican, Styrian Oak, The Governator, The Running Man, Conan the Governor or The Machine. Read More >>

1958: NASA, exploring space

1741: Antonio Vivaldi, one last bow

1980: The last Shah

1943: Congratulations to sir Michael Philip Jagger

1999: The most infamous rider: Lance Armstrong

1911: Finding the �Sacred City� Machu Picchu

2011: Rest in peace, Amy Winehouse

2011: Norway�s darkest hour

1969: Neil Armstrong�s walk on the moon

1976: Life on Mars, Viking 1

1814: Colt�s Revolver, the great equalizer?

1950: Happy birthday Richard Branson