Tag Archives: 1887

1 October 1887

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Balochistan is conquered by the British Empire.

Balochistan is a region located in South Asia, encompassing parts of southwestern Pakistan, southeastern Iran, and a smaller portion in southwestern Afghanistan. It is one of the most sparsely populated regions in the world and is known for its arid and rugged terrain, including deserts, mountains, and a coastline along the Arabian Sea.

Geographic Extent: Balochistan is the largest province in Pakistan in terms of land area, covering approximately 44% of the country’s total landmass. It is also divided into two parts: Balochistan in Pakistan and Sistan and Baluchestan in Iran. The Afghan portion is often referred to as “Nimruz, Helmand, and Kandahar” in Afghanistan.

Ethnicity: The region is home to various ethnic groups, with the Baloch people being the largest ethnic community. The Baloch are primarily Sunni Muslims and have their own distinct language, Balochi. Other ethnic groups in the region include Pashtuns, Brahuis, and Sindhis.

Political Issues: Balochistan has been the center of political and ethnic strife for many decades. There have been long-standing grievances among the Baloch people, including claims of economic marginalization and human rights abuses. Some Baloch nationalist groups have been involved in armed conflicts with both the Pakistani and Iranian governments, seeking greater autonomy or independence.

Economy: The economy of Balochistan is predominantly based on agriculture and natural resources. The region is rich in mineral resources, including natural gas, coal, and minerals such as chromite and copper. The Gwadar Port, located on the Arabian Sea coast in Pakistan’s Balochistan, is a strategic deep-sea port that has gained international significance due to its potential as a key trade route.

Security Concerns: Balochistan has faced security challenges due to insurgent movements and military operations. Pakistan has deployed security forces to address these challenges, leading to concerns about human rights violations and unrest in the region.

Gwadar Port: Gwadar Port is one of the most significant developments in Balochistan. It is operated by China Overseas Port Holding Company (COPHC) and is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The port aims to connect China’s western regions to the Arabian Sea, providing China with a shorter and more secure route for its trade.

Cultural Heritage: Balochistan has a rich cultural heritage with a history dating back centuries. The region has been influenced by various empires and dynasties, including the Persian, Mughal, and British empires. Balochi music, dance, and handicrafts are notable aspects of its cultural heritage.

13 November 1887

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The ‘Bloody Sunday’ clashes take part in central London.

1887BloodySunday

There are several events which are remembered with the name ‘Bloody Sunday,’ perhaps most famously Sunday the 30th of January 1972 when members of the British Army opened fire on protesters in Derry, Ireland, killing 13. London has its own Bloody Sunday however, which took place on Sunday the 13th of November 1887, in Trafalgar Square. It was the culmination of months of increasing tension between police and Londoners over the right to demonstrate in Trafalgar Square.

Demonstrations by the unemployed had been taking place in the square daily since the summer. Many unemployed men and women also slept in the square, washing in the fountains. Under pressure from the press to deal with a situation seen as embarrassing to the great metropolis, the police started to disperse meetings in the square from the 17th of October, often resorting to violence. The tension continued, now with frequent clashes between police and protesters, and Irish Home Rulers also began to use the square to protest.

Sir Charles Warren, Commissioner of Police, banned all meetings in Trafalgar Square on the 8th of November. This challenge to the freedom of speech and the right to protest ouraged radicals across London, and a meeting scheduled for the following Sunday suddenly became much more significant. Called initially to demand the release of the Irish MP William O’Brien from prison, the demonstration was a clear and deliberate defiance of the ban, and the police could not allow it to go ahead without suffering severe humiliation.

9 May 1887

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Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show starts in London.

A well-known scout for the army and a buffalo hunter for the railroads (which earned him his nickname), Cody had gained national prominence 15 years earlier thanks to a fanciful novel written by Edward Zane Carroll Judson. Writing under the pen name Ned Buntline, Judson made Cody the hero of his highly sensationalized dime novel The Scouts of the Plains; or, Red Deviltry As It Is.” In 1872, Judson also convinced Cody to travel to Chicago to star in a stage version of the book. Cody broke with Judson after a year, but he enjoyed the life of a performer and stayed on the stage for 11 seasons.

In 1883, Cody staged an outdoor extravaganza called the “Wild West, Rocky Mountain, and Prairie Exhibition” for a Fourth of July celebration in North Platte, Nebraska. When the show was a success, Cody realized he could evoke the mythic West more effectively if he abandoned cramped theater stages for large outdoor exhibitions. The result was “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West,” a circus-like pageant celebrating life in the West. During the next four years, Cody performed his show all around the nation to appreciative crowds often numbering 20,000 people.

Audiences loved Cody’s reenactments of frontier events: an attack on a Deadwood stage, a Pony Express relay race, and most exciting of all, the spectacle of Custer’s Last Stand at the Little Big Horn. Even more popular were the displays of western outdoor skills like rope tricks, bulldogging, and amazing feats of marksmanship. Cody made a star of Annie Oakley, an attractive young Ohio woman who earned her nickname “Little Sure Shot” by shooting a cigar out of an assistant’s mouth.

Many American’s were convinced that Cody’s spectacle was an authentic depiction of the Wild West. Cody encouraged the impression by bringing audiences “genuine characters”-real Native American performers Cody had recruited from several tribes. Even the famous Sitting Bull toured with the show for one season. Enthralled by the site of “genuine” Indians, few audience members questioned whether these men wearing immense feathered headdresses and riding artfully painted horses accurately represented tribal life on the Great Plains.

Having effectively defined the popular image of the West for many Americans, Cody took his show across the Atlantic to show Europeans. He staged his first international performance at the Earls Court show ground in London on this day in 1887 to a wildly appreciative audience. Queen Victoria herself attended two command showings. After London, Cody and his performers amazed audiences throughout Europe and then became a truly international success. One bronco rider, who stayed with the show until 1907, traveled around the world more than three times and recalled giving a performance in Outer Mongolia.

Though his Wild West show waned in popularity in the 20th century-in part because of competition from thousands of local rodeos that borrowed his idea-Cody remained on the road with the show for 30 years. When the show finally collapsed from financial pressures in 1913, Cody continued to perform in other similar shows until two months before his death in 1917. More than 18,000 attended the great showman’s funeral, and the romantic power of his vision still draws thousands of visitors a year to his gravesite on Lookout Mountain above Denver.