1982 – Great Britain Corporal Punishment
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that beating school children against their parents’ wishes is a violation of the Human Rights Convention. Britain was the last country in Western Europe to ban corporal punishment in state schools in 1986.
2004 – The Passion of the Christ
This was the opening day of The Passion of the Christ, a film directed by Mel Gibson. It was highly acclaimed by those who wanted to view the exact nature of what happened to Jesus on the cross. However, it was Rated R, and was not recommended for children. There was some criticism made of the film, suggesting that it was intended to indicate that the Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus. Also, some people thought it was a bit too graphic. Nevertheless, the first run of The Passion of the Christ was substantially more effective and successful than the edited, less-violent run. This film had impacted many lives in many ways, at a time when religiosity was considered to be very important in peoples’ lives. This increased awareness and hunger for knowledge of God and/or a force greater than man was brought for many reasons during this time. One of the most shocking perhaps was the event of September 11, 2001, the World Trade Center Tragedy, during which thousands of people were killed.
1949 – U.S.A. Robert Mitchum
Robert Mitchum is released from a Los Angeles prison farm at the end of his two-month sentence for marijuana possession
1964 Muhammad Ali becomes world heavyweight champion
Ali, who still used his original name Cassius Clay at the time, is considered one of the greatest heavyweight boxers in history.
