Hi, Sen here. Welcome to another episode of Today in History.

As always, I have three historical events for you from this day in the past. And, you’ll hear them twice.

For this first listen, just imagine you’re listening to a piece of music. Focus on the rhythm and sounds. You might even pick up the general meaning of what is said anyway.

So, what happened today in history?

On July 9, 1816, Argentina became independent from Spain. After years of warfare, a congress in north-west Argentina officially announced the country’s independence. However, the fighting continued for another two years.

On the same day in 1927, the French West-African poet David Mandessi Diop was born. He is most famous for his part in the Négritude literary movement of the 1930s, 40s and 50s. The movement, started by French-speaking writers with African roots, was openly against colonialism, and encouraged a new Black mindset through literature.

On July 9, 1986, the Homosexual Law Reform Bill was passed in New Zealand. After the law was passed, sex between men was no longer a crime. For the first time in the country, men could be in relationships with each other without the danger of legal trouble.

Now for the second listen. You can focus more on the meaning of individual words and phrases this time.

On July 9, 1816, Argentina became independent from Spain. After years of warfare, a congress in north-west Argentina officially announced the country’s independence. However, the fighting continued for another two years.

On the same day in 1927, the French West-African poet David Mandessi Diop was born. He is most famous for his part in the Négritude literary movement of the 1930s, 40s and 50s. The movement, started by French-speaking writers with African roots, was openly against colonialism, and encouraged a new Black mindset through literature.

On July 9, 1986, the Homosexual Law Reform Bill was passed in New Zealand. After the law was passed, sex between men was no longer a crime. For the first time in the country, men could be in relationships with each other without the danger of legal trouble.

Which words stood out for you? What about ‘warfare’? Well, there’s a clue in the word. It just refers to any activities involved in fighting a war. And ‘congress’? This is a bit more difficult, but is also very useful when talking about politics. A ‘congress’ is a meeting of people who make important decisions about the running of a region or country. And finally, we have ‘mindset’, which is just a person’s opinions, or way of thinking. Remember, you can always rewind and listen for these words as many times as you want.

That’s it for today. But, I’ll be back tomorrow with another episode of Today in History.

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Episode notes:

warfare: activities involved in fighting a war
congress: a meeting of people who make important decisions about the running of a region or country
mindset: a person’s way of thinking or their opinions