1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,239 Speaker 1: Hey, history enthusiasts, you get not one, but two events 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:08,240 Speaker 1: in history today on with the show. Hi again, Welcome 3 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:11,760 Speaker 1: to this day in History class where history waits for 4 00:00:11,920 --> 00:00:25,759 Speaker 1: no One. The day was April nineteen sixty three. The 5 00:00:25,800 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: Bristol Omnibus Company, based in Bristol, England, had been denying 6 00:00:30,520 --> 00:00:34,000 Speaker 1: Black and Asian people jobs as bus crew, so on 7 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:37,479 Speaker 1: this day, West Indians in the city began boycotting the 8 00:00:37,520 --> 00:00:42,240 Speaker 1: company and refusing to ride buses. After the British Nationality 9 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:45,239 Speaker 1: Act was passed in nineteen forty eight, the number of 10 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 1: people who immigrated from the Caribbean to the UK increased significantly. 11 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:53,159 Speaker 1: Some of those people had served in the British military 12 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:56,320 Speaker 1: during World War Two, and some helped with post war 13 00:00:56,400 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 1: rebuilding efforts. By nineteen sixty there were around three thousand 14 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 1: West Indian people in Bristol, a small percentage of the 15 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 1: city's population, but unemployment rates were high within the West 16 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:14,000 Speaker 1: Indian community. People who immigrated from the West Indies and 17 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:19,119 Speaker 1: from Asia faced housing and employment discrimination. Gangs of white 18 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:22,199 Speaker 1: men known as teddy boys physically attacked people of color. 19 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 1: Some boarding houses posted signs that read no Irish, no Blacks, 20 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:32,280 Speaker 1: no dogs. By nineteen sixty three, there were around seven 21 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:36,760 Speaker 1: thousand West Indian people in Bristol. Increasing along with the 22 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: West Indian population was racial tension, but at this point 23 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 1: there were no laws protecting people from racial discrimination in 24 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 1: the workplace. In other English cities like London and Manchester, 25 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:52,800 Speaker 1: black people worked on buses as jibers and conductors, but 26 00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:57,200 Speaker 1: in Bristol, the British government owned Bristol Omnibus Company only 27 00:01:57,280 --> 00:02:01,280 Speaker 1: hired black folks as maintenance workers, even though there was 28 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:04,560 Speaker 1: a shortage of drivers. Black people were turned away when 29 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 1: they sought jobs as bus crew. The Passenger group of 30 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:11,359 Speaker 1: the Transport in General Workers Union had even passed a 31 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:15,360 Speaker 1: resolution in nineteen fifty five that said black workers should 32 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:18,480 Speaker 1: not be employed on the buses as drivers or conductors. 33 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: Asian and Black people were applying for bus crew jobs, 34 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:26,160 Speaker 1: but they were never getting the job, so the Bristol 35 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:29,280 Speaker 1: Evening Posts and the Western Daily Press ran stories on 36 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:33,639 Speaker 1: the discrimination, saying that the Bristol Omnibus Company was purposefully 37 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:37,360 Speaker 1: refusing to give non white workers driving and conducting jobs. 38 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 1: Wages were low and hours were long in bus crew positions, 39 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 1: and the people who did work them relied on overtime 40 00:02:45,080 --> 00:02:47,680 Speaker 1: to make up for their poor pay, but there were 41 00:02:47,720 --> 00:02:51,239 Speaker 1: still a lot of turnover for bus crew. The company's 42 00:02:51,280 --> 00:02:55,240 Speaker 1: general manager, Ian Patty, said that the color bar was 43 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:58,760 Speaker 1: only in place for economic reasons, and the union said 44 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 1: that it was the company's the decision as to whether 45 00:03:01,400 --> 00:03:04,639 Speaker 1: it wanted to enforce the color bar. By the late 46 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:09,079 Speaker 1: nineteen fifties, the West Indian Association was already looking into 47 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:13,840 Speaker 1: the issue of workplace race discrimination. In nineteen sixty two, 48 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 1: Jamaican's Henry Owens, Roy Hackett, Oddley Evans and Prince Brown 49 00:03:19,520 --> 00:03:23,280 Speaker 1: split from the Association and formed the West Indian Development Council. 50 00:03:24,680 --> 00:03:29,520 Speaker 1: Paul Stevenson became the council's spokesperson. Stevenson was a university 51 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:32,840 Speaker 1: educated Royal Air Force veteran who moved to Bristol in 52 00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty two and was the city's first black social worker. 53 00:03:37,920 --> 00:03:41,440 Speaker 1: As a test case, Stevenson arranged a bus company interview 54 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 1: for warehouseman and Boy's Brigade officer Guy Bailey, who was black. 55 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 1: When the company found out he was black, Bailey's interview 56 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 1: was canceled. Drawing inspiration from the American Civil rights movement, 57 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 1: the council decided to stage a bus boycott. They announced 58 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:01,440 Speaker 1: the boycott at a press confer rents on April twenty nine, 59 00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:05,440 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty three. The next day, many West Indians and 60 00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 1: Bristol refused to ride busses. The protests were non violent. 61 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:15,000 Speaker 1: Protesters began piketing bus depots and places along bus routes, 62 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:18,159 Speaker 1: and they set up blockades that kept buses from going 63 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:22,440 Speaker 1: into the city center. Many West Indians and Bristol supported 64 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:26,320 Speaker 1: the boycott, but did not participate because they feared losing 65 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:29,400 Speaker 1: their jobs or being attacked, or because they needed to 66 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:34,960 Speaker 1: use public transportation. Pati, responding to the boycott, claimed that 67 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:38,040 Speaker 1: if more people of color worked as bus crew, fewer 68 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:41,039 Speaker 1: white people would be employed in those positions. If he 69 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:44,120 Speaker 1: said that in London, where people of color are employed, 70 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:47,080 Speaker 1: white men would not want to work under a format 71 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:50,719 Speaker 1: of color and quote colored men have become arrogant and 72 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:55,000 Speaker 1: rude after they have been employed for some months. The 73 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 1: protests garnered support from the press, students at Bristol University, 74 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:03,720 Speaker 1: and many notable people, including Bristol Southeast Member of Parliament 75 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:08,559 Speaker 1: Tony Benn, Labor Opposition leader Harry Wilson, local Labor Party 76 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:12,160 Speaker 1: alderman Henry Hennessy, as well as former cricketer and High 77 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:17,640 Speaker 1: Commissioner for Trinidad and Tobago Leary Constantine. The local branch 78 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:20,880 Speaker 1: of the Transport and General Workers Union refused to meet 79 00:05:20,880 --> 00:05:24,559 Speaker 1: with the delegation from the West Indian Development Council, leading 80 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:28,560 Speaker 1: to weeks of back and forth between boycott supporters and opposers. 81 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:33,279 Speaker 1: On May six, Stevenson organized in March to St Mary 82 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:37,000 Speaker 1: Radcliffe Church, but the demonstration did not attract a lot 83 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:40,920 Speaker 1: of people, and over the next several months, the Transport 84 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:45,800 Speaker 1: Holding Company, which was Omnibus's parent company, held negotiations with 85 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:50,760 Speaker 1: the union. Finally, on August, a meeting of five hundred 86 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:54,680 Speaker 1: bus workers decided to end the color bar, four months 87 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:59,920 Speaker 1: after the boycott began. On August Pete said there will 88 00:06:00,040 --> 00:06:04,360 Speaker 1: now be complete integration without regard to race, color or creed. 89 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:08,280 Speaker 1: The only criterion will be the person's suitability for the job. 90 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:13,320 Speaker 1: In mid September, rock Beer Singh, an Indian born sick, 91 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:17,160 Speaker 1: became the first non white bus conductor employed in Bristol. 92 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:21,400 Speaker 1: To Jamaican and two Pakistani men were employed as bus 93 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 1: crew soon after that. In nine and nineteen sixty eight, 94 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:30,760 Speaker 1: Parliament passed the Race Relations Acts, which made racial discrimination 95 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:35,920 Speaker 1: in public places, housing and employment illegal. Some people believe 96 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:40,520 Speaker 1: that the Bristol bus boycott influenced the acts. I'm Eves, 97 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:43,039 Speaker 1: Jeff Coo, and hopefully you know a little more about 98 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:47,560 Speaker 1: history today than you did yesterday. And here's another note. 99 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:51,560 Speaker 1: Anti immigrant sentiments were popular in the nineteen sixties in 100 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:54,040 Speaker 1: the UK, and if you want to hear a little 101 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:56,920 Speaker 1: bit more about that and the Nationality Act, you can 102 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:00,760 Speaker 1: listen to our April twentieth episode on Conservative mp enoch 103 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:06,159 Speaker 1: Pals nineteen sixty eight Rivers of Blood Speech. If you're 104 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:09,920 Speaker 1: so inclined, you can follow us at t d i 105 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 1: HC podcast on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Thanks again for 106 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:29,200 Speaker 1: listening and we'll see you tomorrow. Hi everyone, I'm Eves 107 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:32,240 Speaker 1: and welcome to This Day and History Class, a podcast 108 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:35,960 Speaker 1: that is in a long term relationship with history. I 109 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:38,880 Speaker 1: am very grateful that I have this podcast to help 110 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:42,440 Speaker 1: me remember what day it is, because in the times 111 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:47,320 Speaker 1: of quarantine, what data is can get very confusing. So 112 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:50,920 Speaker 1: that is one fortunate side effect of hosting this show. 113 00:07:51,480 --> 00:07:54,120 Speaker 1: Having said that, I hope that this is helping you 114 00:07:54,160 --> 00:07:56,800 Speaker 1: in this way as well or in any other way. 115 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:08,239 Speaker 1: So on with the show. The day was April thirtieth. 116 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:13,000 Speaker 1: Nineteen sixty one, the Soviet Union commissioned the K nineteen, 117 00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:18,880 Speaker 1: a ballistic missile equipped nuclear submarine. The Cold War and 118 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:21,760 Speaker 1: the arms race between the US and Soviet Union were 119 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:25,239 Speaker 1: at a height. The United States launched the first nuclear 120 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: powered submarine in the world, the USS Nautilus, in nineteen 121 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:32,960 Speaker 1: fifty four. It first ran under nuclear power in nineteen 122 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:38,600 Speaker 1: fifty five. Unlike diesel electric submarines, Nautilus could stay submerged 123 00:08:38,720 --> 00:08:42,720 Speaker 1: for long periods because its atomic engine needed no air. 124 00:08:43,559 --> 00:08:47,000 Speaker 1: In nineteen fifty eight, Nautilus became the first submarine to 125 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:50,240 Speaker 1: cross the North Pole under the Arctic polar ice pack. 126 00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:54,199 Speaker 1: By the beginning of nineteen sixty one, there were several 127 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:58,600 Speaker 1: nuclear powered submarines in service. The Soviet Union was competing 128 00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:01,360 Speaker 1: to keep up with the US in new clear submarine development. 129 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:05,760 Speaker 1: K nineteen was the first of two Project six fifty 130 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:09,520 Speaker 1: eight class submarines built by the Soviet Union in nineteen 131 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:15,239 Speaker 1: fifty nine. NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, classified 132 00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:18,200 Speaker 1: it as the Hotel class. The class was built in 133 00:09:18,280 --> 00:09:22,640 Speaker 1: response to the United States Skate class nuclear submarines. The 134 00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:27,440 Speaker 1: Hotel class nuclear submarines were equipped with our thirteen ballistic missiles. 135 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:32,000 Speaker 1: Construction began on the K nineteen in ninety eight. Its 136 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:35,480 Speaker 1: production and testing were rushed. In fact, the production of 137 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:39,640 Speaker 1: Project sixty eight was plagued by accidents. Two workers died 138 00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:42,920 Speaker 1: in a fire, and six workers died from fumes from 139 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:46,880 Speaker 1: gluing rubber lining to a water cistern, and another worker 140 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:50,640 Speaker 1: died when he fell between two compartments inside the submarine. 141 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:54,720 Speaker 1: K nineteen was launched in April of nineteen fifty nine. 142 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:58,320 Speaker 1: When the ceremonial bottle of champagne was chosen to break 143 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:02,040 Speaker 1: against the submarine during launch, the bottle did not break, 144 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:05,680 Speaker 1: but instead bounced off the whole and in early nineteen 145 00:10:05,720 --> 00:10:10,440 Speaker 1: sixty the submarines nuclear reactor was improperly operated and one 146 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:14,280 Speaker 1: of the control rods was bent. K nineteen was completed 147 00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:17,520 Speaker 1: in November of nineteen sixty after going through sea trials, 148 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:21,400 Speaker 1: but it was evident that the submarine's construction was shoddy. 149 00:10:21,400 --> 00:10:23,640 Speaker 1: It lost the rubber coating on its hole and had 150 00:10:23,679 --> 00:10:27,640 Speaker 1: to be repaired. Flooding of the reactor compartment was also recorded. 151 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:32,280 Speaker 1: Despite these and other malfunctions, the submarine was commissioned on 152 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:36,600 Speaker 1: April thirtieth nineteen sixty one. A couple of months later, 153 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:40,079 Speaker 1: K nineteen went on its first mission, but on July 154 00:10:40,200 --> 00:10:43,440 Speaker 1: four it malfunctioned again. When the submarine was in the 155 00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:46,440 Speaker 1: North Atlantic near the south tip of Greenland, a leak 156 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:49,480 Speaker 1: in the reactor caused the coolant pumps to fail. This 157 00:10:49,600 --> 00:10:52,720 Speaker 1: led to a dangerous rise in temperature in the reactor core. 158 00:10:53,679 --> 00:10:57,319 Speaker 1: Because the long range radio system was damaged, the submarine 159 00:10:57,360 --> 00:11:02,320 Speaker 1: could not contact Moscow for assistance, so Captain Nikolai vladimirovitch 160 00:11:02,559 --> 00:11:07,080 Speaker 1: Zatyev ordered engineers to create a makeshift coolant system using 161 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:11,240 Speaker 1: an air vent valve in water piping. A nuclear crisis 162 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:15,320 Speaker 1: was averted, but the crew was exposed to radiation. Eight 163 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:18,079 Speaker 1: crew members who fixed the league died within a month, 164 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:22,760 Speaker 1: and since the subs ventilation system was contaminated, fourteen other 165 00:11:22,840 --> 00:11:26,760 Speaker 1: crew members died over the next two years. K nineteen 166 00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:29,520 Speaker 1: faced more accidents the rest of its time and operation. 167 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:33,200 Speaker 1: It collided with an American submarine in nineteen sixty nine, 168 00:11:33,679 --> 00:11:36,760 Speaker 1: and in nineteen seventy two a fire broke out on board, 169 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:42,560 Speaker 1: killing around thirty people. K nineteen was finally decommissioned in 170 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:46,559 Speaker 1: nineteen nine because of his reputation for being involved in 171 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:52,520 Speaker 1: deadly incidents. K nineteen was nicknamed Hiroshima. I'm Eve Chef 172 00:11:52,520 --> 00:11:55,440 Speaker 1: Code and hopefully you know a little more about history 173 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:59,120 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. And if you have any 174 00:11:59,200 --> 00:12:01,480 Speaker 1: nice comments you want to leave us, or if you 175 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:04,200 Speaker 1: have any suggestions for episodes, you can send them to 176 00:12:04,280 --> 00:12:07,360 Speaker 1: us on social media. We're at t d I h 177 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:10,960 Speaker 1: C Podcast. You can also email us at this day 178 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:14,320 Speaker 1: at I heeart media dot com. Thanks again for listening 179 00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:21,120 Speaker 1: to the show and we'll see you tomorrow. For more 180 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:23,680 Speaker 1: podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app, 181 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:26,400 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.