Today in History: Kristallnacht

It was a day like today.

On November 9, 1818 was born the Russian writer Ivan Turgenev, the author of Fathers and Sons.

This date is the death anniversary of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain who passed away in 1940. It was he who looked into Adolf Hitler’s eyes during a meeting before the Second World War and declares that he could see “peace in our time.” Another figure of the time, President Charles de Gaulle of France died on November 9, 1970.

Today marks that date in 1848 on Robert Blum, a hero of the German Revolution, was executed in Austria. A member of the German National Assembly, his diplomatic immunity was disregarded by Viennese authorities and he was illegally arrested during a stay at the “Stadt London” Hotel. Before his summary execution, he wrote to his wife “Farewell for the time men call eternity, but which not be so. Bring up our – now only your – children to be honest men, so tht they will never disgrace their father’s name. All that I feel and would say at this moment escapes me in tears; only once more, then, farewell.”

November 9 has come to be called the Schicksalstag (fateful day) by German media, especially since 1989 and the fall of the Iron Curtain. Here are five major events in German history that are connected to November 9:

* 1848: After being arrested in the Vienna revolts, liberal leader Robert Blum is executed. The execution is often seen as a symbolic event for the ultimate failure of the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states.
* 1918: Monarchy in Germany ends when Emperor Wilhelm II is dethroned in the November Revolution. Philipp Scheidemann proclaims the Weimar Republic from a window of the Reichstag. Two hours later Karl Liebknecht proclaims a "Free Socialist Republic" from a balcony of the Berliner Stadtschloss.
* 1923: The Beer Hall Putsch (November 8–9) marks the emergence of the Nazi Party as an important player on Germany's political landscape.
* 1938: In the Kristallnacht, synagogues and Jewish property are burned and destroyed on a large scale. More than 1,300 Jews are killed.
* 1989: The fall of the Berlin Wall ends German separation and starts a series of events that ultimately lead to the German reunification.
The establishment of the SS in 1925 is sometimes mentioned as having taken place on November 9 as well.

On November 9, the Christian church honors Saint Theodore, a 4th century martyr of whom almost nothing is known except the facts of his martyrdom. He is one of the various Roman soldiers who paid a capital price for fidelity. As a young recruit, he was ordered to worship idols while his legion was stationed at Amasea near Pontus on the Black Sea. Having refused, he was called before the governor to recant. Theodore (whose name means God’s gift) refused, saying “Jesus Christ is my one God. There is no limb I would not sacrifice if God demanded it.” He was then subjected to a series of terrible tortures before being thrown into an oven. A woman named Eusebia saved his ashes and ever since Theodore has been known as a wonder-worker. His shrine is found at Euchaita in Pontus and a church is dedicated to him in Rome. His relics are found in Venice and Chartres, while his legend is told in mosaics at the Basilica of St. Mark in Venice.

On this date, the dedicated of the Basilica of St. John Lateran is commemorated. It is cathedral of the Diocese of Rome and it is where the pope presides as bishop of Rome. The first basilica was built on the site during the 4th century during the reign of Emperor Constantine who donated land for the project. While it suffered fire, earth tremors, and war over the centuries, it remained the church where popes were consecrated until the so-called Babylonian Captivity when the pope resided at Avignon, France. In the 14th century, when the pope returned to Rome, the basilica was found in ruins. It was Innocent X who commissioned the present structure in 1646, which is one of Rome’s most significant churches. Beneath the high altar rests what is thought to be the very table on which St. Peter himself celebrated Mass.