A date of considerable turmoil
1812
The Fall of Fort Detroit
Sir, The force at my disposal authorizes me to require of you the immediate surrender of Fort Detroit. It is far from my inclination to join in a war of extermination, but you must be aware that the numerous body of Indians, who have attached themselves to my troops, will be beyond my control the moment the contest commences.
So said British General Sir Isaac Brock to the American commander, Governor William Hull. Hull, equally politely, refused to surrender:
Sir, I have received your letter of this date. I have no other reply to make, than to inform you that I am prepared to meet any force which may be at your disposal, and any consequences, which may result from any exertion of it you may think proper to make.
In the end, however, Hull yielded without firing a shot.
1819
The Peterloo Massacre
An open-air Manchester gathering to demand political and economic reform in England is attacked by cavalry of the local authorities. 15 were killed and hundreds wounded; it became a symbol of the difficulties in the struggle for fuller democracy.
1929
Palestine Massacres
Arab resentment over increasing Jewish immigration sparked tension on the Temple Mount where Muslims and Jews worship. These eventually escalated into rioting and then into full-scale atrocities in which 133 Jews were killed along with 110 Arabs.