1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,920 Speaker 1: Hey, y'all, We're rerunning two episodes today in Troy, the 2 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:07,040 Speaker 1: show Welcome Back to This Day in History class, where 3 00:00:07,080 --> 00:00:19,439 Speaker 1: we reveal a new piece of history every day. The 4 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 1: day was April eleventh, nineteen seventy nine. Ugandan dictator dy 5 00:00:24,920 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: A Mean was forced to flee Libya when Tanzanian troops 6 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:33,960 Speaker 1: and uganda National Liberation Front forces captured Kampala, the capital, 7 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 1: and overthrew a means regime. A means rule was brutal, 8 00:00:39,600 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: and his deposition was a culmination of eight years of genocide, 9 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 1: economic deterioration, human rights violations, and suppression of his opposition. 10 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:53,760 Speaker 1: Uganda had been a protectorate of the British Empire since 11 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 1: eighteen ninety four, and in a Means early adult years, 12 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 1: he served in the British Colonial Army. He was a 13 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:05,760 Speaker 1: skilled but cruel soldier. From nineteen fifty two to nineteen 14 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:09,039 Speaker 1: fifty six, he served with the British during the suppression 15 00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:13,320 Speaker 1: of the Mau Mau Uprising and Kenya. Even though he 16 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 1: was known for his brutality. During this time, he was 17 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:20,520 Speaker 1: promoted from sergeant to lance corporal, to sergeant major to 18 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:25,040 Speaker 1: platoon commander. In nineteen fifty nine, he reached the rank 19 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:28,560 Speaker 1: of Affinity, the highest rank a black African could get 20 00:01:28,600 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 1: in the British King's African Rifles Regiment at the time. 21 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:36,039 Speaker 1: By nineteen sixty one, he had reached the rank of lieutenant. 22 00:01:36,840 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: Amen was also known for his sports ability. He was 23 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:44,039 Speaker 1: a swimmer, rugby player and boxer. In nineteen fifty one, 24 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 1: he became the light heavyweight boxing champion of Uganda, a 25 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 1: title he held until nineteen sixty. Uganda gained its independence 26 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: from Britain in nineteen sixty two, and Milton Obote became 27 00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: the Prime Minister of the country. By the mid nineteen sixties, 28 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:06,279 Speaker 1: Abote and Amine had become close. Amen was promoted to major, 29 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:11,400 Speaker 1: then colonel. He helped the Prime Minister established military training camps, 30 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:15,720 Speaker 1: and the pair were implicated in working together to smuggled coffee, 31 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:20,760 Speaker 1: ivory and gold from Congo to trade for arms. In 32 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty six, Amen was appointed Chief of the Army 33 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 1: and Air Force, but by the late nineteen sixties their 34 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:31,680 Speaker 1: relationship had taken a turn for the worse. There were 35 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 1: a couple of assassination attempts on Abote's life, and Abote 36 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 1: began to distrust a mean Nevertheless, Amen was promoted to 37 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 1: Chief of General's Staff in eighteen seventy, but in January 38 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy one, while Obote was in Singapore, a Mean 39 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 1: stage a military coup. Obote went into exile, and a 40 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:56,880 Speaker 1: Mean set to work on promoting the military by putting 41 00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:00,840 Speaker 1: military tribunals above the system of civil law and appointing 42 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:06,080 Speaker 1: soldiers to top government positions. Amen became president and Chief 43 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:09,120 Speaker 1: of the Armed Forces that year, field marshal in nineteen 44 00:03:09,160 --> 00:03:13,760 Speaker 1: seventy five, and then President for life. At first, Amime 45 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:18,880 Speaker 1: seemed charming and charismatic, and Ugandan's welcomed his rule. He 46 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 1: was seen as a nationalist, and he freed political prisoners 47 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:26,880 Speaker 1: and abolished Obote's secret police, but he also employed killer 48 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:30,799 Speaker 1: squads to murder ABOUTE supporters, mainly targeting people from the 49 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 1: Atoly and Longo ethnic groups, but his reign of terror 50 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:40,520 Speaker 1: soon extended to people from all walks of life, including journalists, students, 51 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:46,240 Speaker 1: military personnel, diplomats, and tribal leaders. Internal security forces known 52 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 1: as the State Research Bureau and Public Safety Unit acted 53 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:55,640 Speaker 1: as informants and terrorized locals, killing and abducting thousands of people. 54 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:01,160 Speaker 1: In nineteen seventy two, he attacked Israel in Britain since 55 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 1: they had refused to sell him weapons. Amine proceeded to 56 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:08,760 Speaker 1: force tens of thousands of Israelis and Asians who held 57 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:13,680 Speaker 1: British passports out of Uganda. Because he expelled such a 58 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: significant portion of the workforce, manufacturing and commerce took huge 59 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:24,200 Speaker 1: hits in the economy collapsed, inflation skyrocketed, but Amine reveled 60 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:28,279 Speaker 1: in his power, sending telegrams to world leaders praising or 61 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:31,960 Speaker 1: insulting them. The world began to take notice of Amine 62 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 1: and his ruthlessness, and Amine took advantage of the spotlight. 63 00:04:36,839 --> 00:04:40,320 Speaker 1: He became known as the Butcher of Uganda. He supported 64 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:43,600 Speaker 1: the hijacking of a flight from Tel Aviv to Paris 65 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 1: by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. He 66 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:51,440 Speaker 1: ordered mass executions and had people's bodies dumped in the 67 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:56,119 Speaker 1: Nile River. He discredited criticism of his regime and made 68 00:04:56,279 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 1: shocking remarks like saying Hitler was right to kill millions 69 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:05,320 Speaker 1: of Jewish people. It's estimated that his regime was responsible 70 00:05:05,760 --> 00:05:10,760 Speaker 1: for somewhere around three hundred thousand deaths. But over time, 71 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:15,320 Speaker 1: as the regime's atrocities piled up, people recognize a means 72 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:20,520 Speaker 1: beside and denounced his violence. Amens allies and troops began 73 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:24,599 Speaker 1: to turn on him. In October nineteen seventy eight, Amen 74 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:28,279 Speaker 1: ordered an invasion of Tanzania. He sent troops into the 75 00:05:28,279 --> 00:05:33,160 Speaker 1: country to annex the Kagia Salient territory in northwest Tanzania, 76 00:05:33,600 --> 00:05:37,000 Speaker 1: but with the help of Ugandan exiles, Tanzanian troops drove 77 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:40,760 Speaker 1: a means army out and invaded Uganda, capturing the capital 78 00:05:40,839 --> 00:05:45,919 Speaker 1: of Kampala. On April eleventh, nineteen seventy nine, Amen, a 79 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:49,840 Speaker 1: Muslim convert, fled Uganda with his four wives, some of 80 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:53,760 Speaker 1: his mistresses, and many of his children. He was offered 81 00:05:53,839 --> 00:05:57,440 Speaker 1: sanctuary in Libya, but he soon left the country after 82 00:05:57,480 --> 00:06:00,400 Speaker 1: a dispute between his bodyguards and Libyan at the parties. 83 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:04,599 Speaker 1: He moved to Iraq, then to Saudi Arabia, where he 84 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:09,600 Speaker 1: was given asylum in the name of Islamic charity. Amin 85 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:12,640 Speaker 1: died in Saudi Arabia in August of two thousand three. 86 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:16,200 Speaker 1: I'm eaves, Jeff Coote, and hopefully you know a little 87 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:20,919 Speaker 1: more about history today than you did yesterday. If you 88 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:24,679 Speaker 1: feel like correcting my pronunciation or my accent on anything 89 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:27,080 Speaker 1: that I've said in the show. Feel free to leave 90 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:31,400 Speaker 1: a very kind comment on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook at 91 00:06:31,520 --> 00:06:36,720 Speaker 1: t d i h C podcast. Thanks for joining me 92 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:39,520 Speaker 1: on this trip through time. See you here in the 93 00:06:39,600 --> 00:06:52,440 Speaker 1: exact same spot tomorrow. Hello again, I'm Eves and you're 94 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:55,320 Speaker 1: listening to This Day in History Class, a show that 95 00:06:55,400 --> 00:07:05,160 Speaker 1: drops a little bit of history knowledge every day. The 96 00:07:05,240 --> 00:07:09,720 Speaker 1: day was April eleven, eighteen ninety nine chemist Percy Lavon 97 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:14,280 Speaker 1: Julian was born. Julian is remembered for synthesizing drugs and 98 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 1: chemicals used to treat people with glaucoma and arthritis. His 99 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:22,520 Speaker 1: work also led to the mass production of testosterone and progesterone, 100 00:07:22,640 --> 00:07:25,559 Speaker 1: as well as the development of a firefighting foam called 101 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:30,400 Speaker 1: aerial phone. Julian was born in Montgomery, Alabama. He was 102 00:07:30,440 --> 00:07:33,760 Speaker 1: the oldest of six children. His father was a railway 103 00:07:33,760 --> 00:07:37,560 Speaker 1: clerk and his mother was a teacher. Julian's father was 104 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:41,040 Speaker 1: strict and had high expectations of his children, all of 105 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:45,360 Speaker 1: whom went on to earn university degrees. Julian went to 106 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:48,040 Speaker 1: the State Normal School, graduating at the top of his 107 00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:52,120 Speaker 1: class in nineteen sixteen. He then enrolled at DePaul University 108 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:57,080 Speaker 1: in Greencastle, Indiana. In nineteen twenty, he graduated as valedictorian 109 00:07:57,240 --> 00:08:01,080 Speaker 1: with a degree in chemistry. Julian wanted to go to 110 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:04,640 Speaker 1: graduate school, but his advisers suggested that he get a 111 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:07,520 Speaker 1: job teaching at a black school in the South, where 112 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:10,960 Speaker 1: he would not need a doctorate. His father also wanted 113 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:14,160 Speaker 1: him to become a physician, since he feared that Julian 114 00:08:14,200 --> 00:08:17,559 Speaker 1: would have difficulties finding work in the chemistry field because 115 00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:20,880 Speaker 1: of his race. But Julian wanted to stay in his field, 116 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:24,400 Speaker 1: so he took a job teaching chemistry at Fisk University, 117 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:28,840 Speaker 1: a black college in Nashville, Tennessee. After teaching there for 118 00:08:28,920 --> 00:08:32,080 Speaker 1: two years, he was awarded a fellowship in chemistry to 119 00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:35,600 Speaker 1: study at Harvard University. He got his master's degree in 120 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:40,840 Speaker 1: organic chemistry from Harvard in n Though he had good grades, 121 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:43,840 Speaker 1: Harvard did not offer him the opportunity to serve as 122 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:48,000 Speaker 1: a teaching assistant since southern white students might not accept 123 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:50,760 Speaker 1: him as a teacher, so he stayed at Harvard for 124 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:54,400 Speaker 1: the next several years, taking on various research fellowships and 125 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:58,600 Speaker 1: small jobs to make money. In Nix, he took a 126 00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:01,920 Speaker 1: teaching position at West Virginia State College, but by the 127 00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:04,520 Speaker 1: next year, he had moved on to hit the chemistry 128 00:09:04,559 --> 00:09:09,280 Speaker 1: department at Howard University in Washington, d C. While at Howard, 129 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:13,080 Speaker 1: Julian found a renewed interest in producing synthetic materials that 130 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:16,640 Speaker 1: could help patients dealing with illnesses. He got a grant 131 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:19,559 Speaker 1: from the General Education Board to study with the chemist 132 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:24,200 Speaker 1: Ernst Spait at the University of Vienna in Austria. Julian, 133 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:27,720 Speaker 1: like Spait, was interested in the ways that nature turned 134 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:32,600 Speaker 1: simple organic compounds into complex substances. He worked when finding 135 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:36,440 Speaker 1: a synthetic material that could replace soybeans, which were then 136 00:09:36,520 --> 00:09:40,960 Speaker 1: being used to manufacture drugs like Faizi stigmine. Faisa stigmine 137 00:09:41,160 --> 00:09:45,400 Speaker 1: was used to treat glaucoma. Julian got his doctorate from 138 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:49,079 Speaker 1: the University of Vienna in nineteen thirty one. At that 139 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:52,800 Speaker 1: point he returned to Howard University, then went to DePaul 140 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:56,439 Speaker 1: University as a research fellow and teacher of organic chemistry. 141 00:09:57,400 --> 00:10:00,559 Speaker 1: In ve he married his wife in a Zail, and 142 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:04,440 Speaker 1: they later had two children together. That same year, Julian 143 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 1: and Dr Joseph Peekle, an associate of his from Vienna, 144 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:11,720 Speaker 1: succeeded in developing a synthetic chemical similar to natural physis 145 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:16,439 Speaker 1: digmine depaus. Dean recommended that Julian be appointed as head 146 00:10:16,520 --> 00:10:20,120 Speaker 1: of the chemistry department, but the faculty did not approve this, 147 00:10:20,559 --> 00:10:25,480 Speaker 1: calling his appointment inadvisable. Despite this, the Glitten Company, a 148 00:10:25,559 --> 00:10:29,160 Speaker 1: manufacturer of paint, varnish and chemicals, offered him a position 149 00:10:29,320 --> 00:10:32,480 Speaker 1: as Director of Research and chief chemist. He took it 150 00:10:32,679 --> 00:10:36,480 Speaker 1: and worked there until nineteen fifty three. At Glitten, his 151 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:39,679 Speaker 1: work with soybean proteins contributed to the creation of a 152 00:10:39,800 --> 00:10:43,640 Speaker 1: firefighting solution called aerial phone. His work with soybeans also 153 00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:47,959 Speaker 1: led to the synthesis of the sex hormones progesterone and testosterone, 154 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:50,719 Speaker 1: which led to an increase in the world's supply of 155 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:55,320 Speaker 1: them and reduced the costs of hormone treatments. While at Glitten, 156 00:10:55,520 --> 00:10:59,960 Speaker 1: Julian also synthesized cortisone from soybean steriles or solid alcohol. 157 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:06,360 Speaker 1: Cortisone helps treat rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. Natural 158 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:09,880 Speaker 1: cortisone was extremely expensive to produce, as it required the 159 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:14,840 Speaker 1: extraction of animal bile, but Julian synthesized cortizone made treatment 160 00:11:14,960 --> 00:11:19,079 Speaker 1: more accessible to patients. After leaving Glennon. He started his 161 00:11:19,160 --> 00:11:23,319 Speaker 1: own company, Julian Laboratories, in Chicago and Mexico City. He 162 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:27,800 Speaker 1: soon began making drugs synthesized from wild Mexican yams. Over 163 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:31,400 Speaker 1: the years, Julian got more than one and thirty chemical patents. 164 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:34,640 Speaker 1: In the last years of his life, he also dedicated 165 00:11:34,679 --> 00:11:36,680 Speaker 1: a lot of his time to the civil rights movement. 166 00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:39,720 Speaker 1: He continued to work in the lab until his death 167 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:44,880 Speaker 1: in nineteen I'm Eves Jeffcote and hopefully you know a 168 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:48,520 Speaker 1: little more about history today than you did yesterday. And 169 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:51,560 Speaker 1: if you haven't gotten your fill of history after today's episode, 170 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:55,040 Speaker 1: you can find us on social media at t d 171 00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:58,280 Speaker 1: i h C Podcast and if you have any questions 172 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:00,880 Speaker 1: or comments you can send us in no via email 173 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:05,839 Speaker 1: at this day at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks again for 174 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:13,400 Speaker 1: listening to the show and we'll see you tomorrow. For 175 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:16,200 Speaker 1: more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 176 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:18,839 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.