Seeds of Fire: A People’s Chronology

Recalling events that happened on this day in history.
Memories of struggle, resistance and persistence.

Compiled by Ulli Diemer

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June 8, 1809
Death of Thomas Paine (1737-1809), author, pamphleteer, radical, inventor, intellectual, revolutionary, author of Common Sense, The Rights of Man, The Age of Reason, and other works.

Quote: Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.
Quote: The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.

June 8, 1849
Publication of Nineteen Eighty-four, George Orwell’s dystopian novel. Orwell depicts a future society marked by omnipresent surveillance and state control of all aspects of life in the name of security. Official lying and constant propaganda are used to keep the population in line. History is constantly rewritten to suit the political needs of the moment; inconvenient facts disappear down the "memory hole". The novel introduces phrases and concepts that go on to become part of everyday language, such as Big Brother, doublethink, thoughtcrime, and Newspeak.
June 8, 1967
USS Liberty, a Navy surveillance vessel operating in international waters, is attacked by Israeli fighter jets and torpedo boats. The attack kills 34 American crew members and wounds 170. The U.S. government downplays the attack in order to protect Israel.



January  February  March  April  May  June  July  August  September  October  November  December
1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30  31  
For more information about people and events in Seeds of Fire, explore these pages: