2015 Event Israeli forces peaceably board and redirect the Swedish Marianne, a ship that was part of Freedom Flotilla III, which sought to enter the Gaza port in violation of Israel's naval blockade; the ship will be taken to the port of Ashdod and inspected 2015 Event New U.S. rules loosening trade restrictions with Cuba go into effect today, including permission to sell instruments, tools, equipment and supplies to private businesses; U.S. banks will also be given greater freedom to transact with Cuban banks 2014 Event Hong Kong pro-democracy protest sites are being cleared on a court order; demonstrations have been held since September in an effort to attain greater political freedom for Hong Kong 2014 Event President Barack Obama proposes a plan to cut carbon emissions from power plants up to 25% over 15 years in order to address climate change; the legislation would give states the freedom to determine how to implement the emission reductions 2013 Event Italian government ministers belonging to Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom party resign 2013 Event In Camp Nou, located in Barcelona, Catalonia, over 90,000 people attend the 'Concert per la llibertat' (Concert for freedom) for the independence of Catalonia 2012 Event In the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C., Occupy DC activists are prohibited from camping in Freedom Plaza and McPherson Square 2011 Event In Tibet, several acts of self-immolation prompt exiled Tibetans in India to urge the Chinese government to end its repressive policies restricting the Tibetan's religious freedom 2011 Event The U.S. Department of Justice admits and defends it has probed WikiLeaks-related Twitter accounts, dismissing privacy and freedom of speech concerns 2011 Event Dubbed the 'Day of Martyrs' in honor of those killed in their fight for freedom, Egyptians continue protesting for the 13th day in Tahir Square 2010 Event The European Parliament awards Cuban dissident Guillermo Farinas the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought 2009 Death Norman Borlaug, humanitarian, agronomist, discoveries saved one billion lives worldwide, winner, 1970 Nobel Peace Prize, recognizing contributions to world peace for methods to increase food supply, awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, dies 2000 Death Ginetta Sagan, freedom fighter, a founder of Amnesty International, dies at 75 1996 Event Freedom Shoemakers on Maryport's Solway Estate closes 1991 Death Paul Maxwell, actor (City of Fear, Freedom to Die), dies at 70 1990 Event Eugenia Charles' Dom'n Freedom Party wins election in Dominica 1989 Event Journalist petition Chinese government for freedom of press 1989 Event Thousands of Chinese crowd into Beijing's Tiananmen Square cheering students demanding greater political freedom 1988 Event Journalists demand greater press freedom in Yugoslavia 1988 Event South African government bans anti-apartheid film "Cry Freedom" 1988 Death Paolo Stoppa, actor (Garibaldi, Visit, Freedom Fighters), dies 1985 Event "Freedom" by Wham! peaks at #3 1984 Event Betsy King wins LPGA Freedom/Orlando Golf Classic 1980 Event Cuban government closes Mariel Harbor ending "freedom flotilla" 1977 Event Medal of Freedom awarded posthumously to Martin Luther King, Jr. 1977 Death Fanie Lou Hamer, freedom fighter, dies 1974 Event Freedom of Information Act passed by Congress over President Ford's veto 1974 Death Ludovicus J Rogier, Dutch historian (Reborn in Freedom), dies at 79 1966 Event Lyndon Baines Johnson signs Freedom of Information Act 1966 Birthday Freedom Williams, rock vocalist, C&C Music Factory-Everbody Dance Now 1964 Event Walt Disney awarded Medal of Freedom at White House 1964 Birthday Tracy Chapman, U.S. singer and songwriter, Freedom Now, I Got a Fast Car 1963 Event 225,000 students boycot Chicago schools in Freedom Day protest 1961 Event Freedom Riders attacked by white mob at bus station in Miss 1961 Event Freedom Ride Coordinating Committee establishes in Atlanta 1961 Event 27 Freedom Riders arrested in Jackson, Mississippi 1961 Event White mob attacks "Freedom Riders" in Montgomery, Alabama 1961 Event Bus with 1st group of Freedom Riders bombed and burned in Alabama 1961 Event Alan Shepard becomes 1st American in space (aboard Freedom 7) 1961 Event 13 Freedom riders began bus trip through South 1961 Event CORE begins freedom rides from Washington, D.C. 1955 Event Freedom Charter signed in South Africa 1953 Birthday Richard Stallman, born in New York City, New York, computer programmer, software freedom activist, set up the Free Software Foundation 1951 Event 600,000 march for peace and freedom in Germany 1950 Birthday Jorg Haider, Austrian polical leader, Austrian Freedom Pary 1948 Event Freedom Train arrives in San Francisco 1948 Event Dutch Liberal Party forms-People's party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) 1947 Birthday Penelope Wilton, actress, Cry Freedom, Norman Conquests 1945 Event President Truman signs executive order establishing Medal of Freedom 1944 Event Paris liberated from Nazi occupation, Freedom Tuesday 1943 Event 1st performance of Marc Blitzstein's "Freedom Morning" 1943 Event Sign on Munich facade: "Out with Hitler! Long live freedom!" done by "White Rose" student group, caught on 2/18, beheaded on 2/22 1942 Birthday Pallo Jordan, South African ANC member/heads, Radio Freedom 1938 Death Raden Sutomo, Indonesian freedom fighter, dies at 49 1933 Event German President Von Hindenburg limits freedom of the press 1923 Birthday Charlton Heston, born in Illinois, American actor in film, theater, television, awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom 1921 Event Liberal Freedom League forms in The Hague 1917 Event Lenin defended "temporary" removal of freedom of the press 1917 Event New soviet government suspends freedom of press (temporary) 1914 Birthday Norman Borlaug, born in Cresco, Iowa, humanitarian, agronomist, discoveries saved one billion lives worldwide, winner, 1970 Nobel Peace Prize, recognizing contributions to world peace for methods to increase food supply, awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom 1911 Birthday Wilfred Burchett, Australia, communist/writer, Catapult to Freedom 1909 Birthday Elisabeth Welch, singer, Song of Freedom, Over the Moon 1902 Birthday Sidney Hook, anticommunist philosopher, Paradoxes of Freedom 1902 Birthday Carlo Levi, Italy, painter/novelist, Of Fear and Freedom 1894 Death Lajos Kossuth, Hungarian freedom fighter/president (1849), dies at 91 1892 Birthday David Dubinsky, labor leader, Freedom Award, 1969 Medal of Freedom 1888 Birthday Raden Sutomo, Indonesian freedom fighter 1883 Birthday Hubert Harrison, born in St. Croix, Virgin Island, writer/freedom fighter 1865 Event 13th amendment approved (National Freedom Day) 1858 Event William Wells Brown published 1st Black drama, "Leap to Freedom" 1848 Event Sicily accepts new Constitution (choose parliament/freedom of press) 1839 Event Palace of Gulhane Turkey, freedom of religion proclaimed 1830 Death Simon Bolivar, South American freedom fighter/"dictator", dies 1829 Event English Emancipation Act grants freedom of religion to Catholics 1827 Event 1st U.S. black newspaper, "Freedom's Journal" (New York City), begins publishing 1827 Event Freedom's Journal, 1st Black newspaper, publishes 1827 Event Freedom Journal, 1st Black paper, begins publishing 1820 Event Guayaquil, Ecuador declares its freedom from Ecuador 1820 Event Greece freedom revolt against anti Ottoman attack 1817 Death Manuel C Piar, Curacaos/Venezulian freedom writer, dies 1817 Death Tadeusz AB Kosciusko, Polish Lieutenant-General/freedom fighter, dies 1816 Death Francisco AG de Miranda, Venezuela freedom fighter, dies at 66 1811 Death Miguel Hidalgo y Castilla, Mexican priest/freedom fighter, executed 1810 Birthday Clark Mills, U.S., sculptor, Freedom, Armed Liberty 1807 Birthday Giuseppe Garibaldi, freedom fighter, Risorgimento, unified Italy 1807 Death Pasquale Paoli, Corsican freedom fighter, dies at 80 1795 Event Freedom of worship established in France under constitution 1775 Event Lord Dunmore, promises freedom to male slaves who join British army 1773 Event Massachusetts slaves petition legislature for freedom 1770 Event Boston Massacre, British troops kill 5 in crowd. Crispus Attackus becomes 1st black to die for American freedom 1750 Birthday Francisco A G de Miranda, Venezuelan freedom fighter 1740 Event King Frederik II of Prussia ends torture and guarantees religion and freedom of the press 1735 Event Jury acquits John Zenger (New York Weekly Journal) charged with seditious libel by royal governor of New York (victory for Freedom of press) 1726 Birthday Pasquale Paoli, Corsican freedom fighter 1689 Event English Parliament guarantees freedom of religion for Protestants 1681 Event Hungarian parliament promises protestants freedom of religion 1669 Event French King Louis XIV limits freedom of religion 1660 Event English king Charles II ends Decl of Breda (freedom of religion) 1649 Event Maryland Toleration Act passed, allowing all freedom of worship 1629 Event Dutch West Indies Co grants religious freedom in West Indies 1609 Event Emperor Rudolf II grants Silezische protestants freedom of religion 1609 Event Emperor Rudolf II grants Bohemian protestants freedom of religion 1609 Event Majesteitsbrief: Emperor Rudolf II grants Bohemia freedom of religion 1571 Event Emperor Maximilian II grants Austrian adel freedom of religion 1570 Event Peace of Saint-Germain-and-Laye, more freedom for huguenots 1564 Event Willem van Orange demands freedom of conscience/religion 1555 Event Freedom of Religion in Augsburg
