This Day in History - July 23rd

1952: Military seizes power in Egypt

In Egypt, the Society of Free Officers seizes control of the government in a military coup d'etat. King Faruk, whose rule had been criticised for its corruption and failures in the first Arab-Israeli war, was forced to abdicate and give up power to General Muhammad Naguib, leader of the coup. The revolutionaries redistributed land, tried politicians for corruption and abolished the monarchy in 1953. Colonel Gamal Abdal Nasser soon challenged Naguib’s rule because he believed reforms were moving too slowly. In 1954, Nasser took over as acting head of state and in 1956 was elected, unopposed, to the Egyptian presidency. He died in office in 1970 from a heart attack.

Also On This Day

2005

Arab terrorists explode a series of bombs overnight killing at least 88 people in the Egyptian resort of Sharm al-Sheikh.

2001

Megawati Soekarnoputri becomes the first female President of Indonesia.

1995

1,200 British troops are sent to relieve the besieged Bosnian capital, Sarajevo.

1988

Burmese dictator, Ne Win, resigns as leader of the country.

1986

Queen Elizabeth II’s son, Prince Andrew, marries Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey in London.

1984

In Britain a Government report confirms that there are higher-than-normal levels of leukaemia in the area surrounding the Sellafield nuclear plant in Cumbria. However, the report states that there is not enough evidence to link the plant to this phenomenon.

1982

The International Whaling Commission votes for a total ban on commercial whaling from 1985.

1974

Military rule in Greece collapses as former Prime Minister Constantine Karamanlis is invited back to take control of the country.

1972

The U.S. launches Landsat 1, its first Earth-resources satellite.

1967

One of the worst riots in U.S. history breaks out on 12th Street in the heart of Detroit’s predominantly African-American inner city. Four days later the riot ends with 43 people killed.

1962

The United States and the Soviet Union sign an agreement guaranteeing a free and neutral Laos.

1952

The treaty creating the European Coal and Steel Community formally comes into force.

1951

In France the former leader of the Vichy regime during the Second World War, Marshal Philippe Petain, dies in prison.

1914

Austria-Hungary delivers an ultimatum to the Serbian government demanding to know who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Having received no reply, Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia beginning the First World War.

1903

In America, the first two-cylinder Ford Model A motor car was delivered to its owner, Dr. Ernst Pfenning of Chicago.