What happened on this day in history: The Mirabal sisters are assassinated in the Dominican Republic, Junko Furuta is kidnapped, and more.
1487: Elizabeth Of York Is Crowned Queen Of England
Elizabeth of York, consort of King Henry VII and mother of King Henry VIII, is officially crowned Queen of England. The grand celebration included a parade of barges down the River Thames, one “decorated as a huge red dragon spouting real flames.” She had become the queen consort upon her marriage to Henry in January 1486, but the coronation was postponed due to her immediate pregnancy and then again because of a period of unrest in England. Ultimately, Elizabeth remained Queen until her death in 1503.
1835: Andrew Carnegie Is Born
Wikimedia CommonsAll told, Andrew Carnegie gave away about 90 percent of his fortune to various charitable causes. His famous 1889 article “The Gospel of Wealth” is widely credited with informing the wave of philanthropy among America’s super-wealthy in the ensuing years.
Andrew Carnegie, the industrialist who expanded the steel industry and became one of the richest Americans in history, is born in Scotland. Carnegie immigrated to the United States at the age of 12, and he started investing in railroads and other transportation companies in his early 20s. He then worked as a salesman for a time before building the Carnegie Steel Company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After selling the company, Carnegie dedicated his life to philanthropy. In 1919, Carnegie died in Massachusetts at the age of 83.
1960: The Mirabal Sisters Are Assassinated
Patria, Minerva, and María Teresa Mirabal are killed by the henchmen of Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo for leading an opposition movement against his regime. Trujillo had already had the sisters, who called themselves “Las Mariposas,” or “the butterflies,” imprisoned, and Patria’s house had been burned to the ground. But they continued to fight against his oppressive rule upon their release, and on November 25, 1960, the women were stopped while driving along a mountain road in the Dominican Republic, strangled, clubbed, and pushed over the side of the mountain in their car to make the deaths look accidental.
1970: Yukio Mishimia Dies By Seppuku
JIJI PRESS/AFP via Getty ImagesYukio Mishima, famed Japanese author, shortly before he committed ritual suicide after a failed coup attempt.
Japanese author Yukio Mishima dies by ritual suicide after attempting to lead a failed coup against the government. In his final years, Mishima had tried to put together a private militia to protect the Emperor of Japan and preserve traditional Japanese values after the country became more “Western” following World War II.
On November 25, 1970, Mishima addressed soldiers at a military base with the intention of starting a coup, but instead the soldiers heckled him. Following his failed speech, the author disemboweled himself with his own sword.
1988: Junko Furuta Is Kidnapped
Wikimedia CommonsJunko Furuta in an undated photo, taken prior to her kidnapping.
Japanese high school student Junko Furuta is kidnapped by 18-year-old Hiroshi Miyano while riding her bike home after work. Miyano took Furuta to a nearby warehouse and called three of his friends to come gang rape her. The group continued raping Furuta for the next 40 days, inviting other men and teenage boys to participate. They tortured her for weeks before lighting her on fire and beating her to death.
