Hi there, and welcome to Today in History. I’m your host, Sen.

Are you ready for today’s historical events? Remember, you’ll hear them twice. On this first listen, focus more on the sounds and rhythm of what is being said.

Let’s begin. So, what happened on this day in history?

On July 17, 1487, Ismail I was born. Though he is most well-known as being the Shah of Iran from 1501 to 1524, Ismail I was also a poet. He wrote under the pen name Khaṭā'ī , Persian for “the wrongful”, and published many writings in both Azerbaijani and Persian.

On July 17, 1935, multitalented Black American actress and activist Diahann Carroll was born in the Bronx, in New York. She was the first African American woman to win a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Her award-winning appearance as the main character of her own show, Julia, was a milestone for Black appearances in the media. She was the first Black woman to star in a main character role on American television, and not just in a stereotypical role as a domestic worker.

On the same day in 1936, the Spanish Civil War began. Right wing Spanish army officers started a rebellion. They wanted to bring down the country’s left wing republic. Fighting between the right wing Nationalists and left wing Republicans continued until 1939. It ended with around half a million people dead.

Now for a second listen. You can focus on the words and phrases themselves this time. Remember, some of the difficult words will be explained afterwards. Or you can even find them in the episode notes.

On July 17, 1487, Ismail I was born. Though he is most well-known as being the Shah of Iran from 1501 to 1524, Ismail I was also a poet. He wrote under the pen name Khaṭā'ī , Persian for “the wrongful”, and published many writings in both Azerbaijani and Persian.

On July 17, 1935, multitalented Black American actress and activist Diahann Carroll was born in the Bronx, in New York. She was the first African American woman to win a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Her award-winning appearance as the main character of her own show, Julia, was a milestone for Black appearances in the media. She was the first Black woman to star in a main character role on American television, and not just in a stereotypical role as a domestic worker.

On the same day in 1936, the Spanish Civil War began. Right wing Spanish army officers started a rebellion. They wanted to bring down the country’s left wing republic. Fighting between the right wing Nationalists and left wing Republicans continued until 1939. It ended with around half a million people dead.

Which words stood out for you? ‘Shah’ is the title given to a king or important leader in Iran. But what about ‘pen name’? That’s a fake name sometimes used by authors to hide their identity. And the word ‘wing’? In this sense, it’s describing the political position of different groups – either ‘right’ or ‘left wing’. What is a ‘milestone’? It’s an event that marks an important step in the progress of something, like Diahann Carroll being the first Black woman to appear outside of a ‘stereotypical’ role. A ‘stereotype’ is a fixed, and usually wrong or hurtful idea that people have about what a person, or group of people is like. There are a lot of difficult words today, so why not rewind and have another listen?

That’s it for now. But, I’ll be back tomorrow with more historical facts. So join me then for another episode of Today in History.

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Episode notes:
 
Shah: the title given to a king in Iran 
pen name: a fake name used by authors to hide their identity (right/left) wing: the political position of a person or group milestone: an important event 
stereotype: a fixed, usually wrong or hurtful idea that people have about another person, or group of people