1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:03,040 Speaker 1: Hey everyone. Technically you're getting two days in history today 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:05,920 Speaker 1: because we're running two episodes from the History Vault. I 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:10,479 Speaker 1: hope you enjoy Welcome back to this Day in History class, 4 00:00:10,800 --> 00:00:20,640 Speaker 1: where we reveal a new piece of history every day. 5 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:27,840 Speaker 1: The day was made. Nineteen fifty six, the first ever 6 00:00:28,080 --> 00:00:33,720 Speaker 1: Eurovision song contest took place in Lugano, Switzerland. The contest 7 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:37,120 Speaker 1: was a talent competition, but it was also a bid 8 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 1: to bring together the countries in the European Broadcasting Union 9 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:45,839 Speaker 1: in alliance of public service media through technology. In the 10 00:00:45,880 --> 00:00:48,640 Speaker 1: wake of World War Two, Europe had a lot of 11 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:52,920 Speaker 1: rebuilding to do. In February of nineteen fifty the European 12 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 1: Broadcasting Union or EBU was created, but it was difficult 13 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:03,880 Speaker 1: to organize international TV program exchanges. TV network used different 14 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:08,560 Speaker 1: picture standards and there were legal and financial concerns, but 15 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:13,440 Speaker 1: plans for an international newscast and television program exchange we're brewing. 16 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 1: In nineteen fifty two, the first official program exchange both 17 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:23,360 Speaker 1: ways between London and Paris was made successfully. English journalist 18 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:27,280 Speaker 1: George camp Be coined the term Eurovision in the nineteen 19 00:01:27,319 --> 00:01:31,840 Speaker 1: fifty one article Can't Be Said The following Your vision 20 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:35,119 Speaker 1: is a system of cooperation for the exchange of television 21 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:40,480 Speaker 1: programs between the countries of Western Europe, including Britain, and 22 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:44,440 Speaker 1: in nineteen fifty four, e b DU members organized a 23 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:48,840 Speaker 1: summer of European television exchanges known as the Real Experiment, 24 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 1: where links were established between eight countries via terrestrial transmitters. 25 00:01:54,160 --> 00:01:59,560 Speaker 1: The television network Eurovision was born. After the television exchange 26 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:02,800 Speaker 1: proves successful, it was decided that there should be an 27 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:07,520 Speaker 1: annual event to promote television, so in January of nineteen 28 00:02:07,560 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 1: fifty five, the EBU Program Committee, meeting in Monte Carlo, 29 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:15,440 Speaker 1: approved a European Song Contest and a Eurovision Cup for 30 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 1: amateur variety artists called the Top Town program. The latter 31 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:23,799 Speaker 1: idea did not gain any traction, but the song contest 32 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:28,639 Speaker 1: had support. On October nineteenth, nineteen fifty five, and e 33 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 1: BU General Assembly, meeting in the Corsini Palace in Rome, 34 00:02:32,960 --> 00:02:36,320 Speaker 1: approved the creation of a Grand Prix of European song. 35 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 1: The contest, inspired by the Italian Saremo Music Festival, would 36 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:44,800 Speaker 1: be held in Lugano in spring of nineteen fifty six. 37 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:48,960 Speaker 1: The director of the e b U Administrative Office created 38 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:52,960 Speaker 1: the rules for the contest and the planning subgroup introduced amendments. 39 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 1: The performance could not be any longer than three and 40 00:02:56,639 --> 00:02:59,720 Speaker 1: a half minutes and the backing orchestra would be made 41 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:03,640 Speaker 1: up of twenty four musicians. Rehearsals for the contest began 42 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:09,080 Speaker 1: on May nineteen fifty six at the Teatro Corsal. Flowers 43 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:11,919 Speaker 1: were placed throughout the theater to add a little more 44 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:15,359 Speaker 1: interest to the visuals of the broadcast. In the beginning, 45 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:19,160 Speaker 1: the contest was known as the Eurovision Grand Prix. The 46 00:03:19,280 --> 00:03:22,959 Speaker 1: first year Vision Grand Prix was broadcast live on May 47 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty six to ten countries. The contestants were singers 48 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 1: from seven different countries. The Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, France, 49 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:39,760 Speaker 1: Luxembourg and Italy. Austria, Denmark and the United Kingdom were 50 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:44,000 Speaker 1: participants initially, but they were disqualified from entering the contests 51 00:03:44,040 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 1: when they registered after the deadline. Each of the contestants 52 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 1: performed two songs. A jury made of two delegates from 53 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 1: each competing country awarded each song between one and ten points. 54 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: Swiss singer Lease Assia won the first year Vision Song 55 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 1: Contest with a song called Refrain. She did not get 56 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 1: a physical award, as medals weren't introduced in the contest 57 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:12,360 Speaker 1: until later. During her encore, les Assa forgot some of 58 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:16,479 Speaker 1: the words to her song and improvised. The next year, 59 00:04:16,640 --> 00:04:20,159 Speaker 1: the Eurovision Grand Prix was hosted in West Germany and 60 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:24,520 Speaker 1: the rules were changed to one song per participant. Over 61 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:28,279 Speaker 1: the next several decades, the contest was staged in different countries, 62 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:32,640 Speaker 1: the voting system changed, and more rules changed for contestants. 63 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:37,040 Speaker 1: Notable winners of the Eurovision Song contests include Abba and 64 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:43,040 Speaker 1: Selene Dion, winner of the inaugural Eurovision Song contest. Les 65 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:47,800 Speaker 1: Assia died at age ninety four. I'm Eve Steffcote and 66 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:50,720 Speaker 1: hopefully you know a little more about history today than 67 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:55,120 Speaker 1: you did yesterday. Keep up with us on Twitter, Instagram 68 00:04:55,120 --> 00:05:00,280 Speaker 1: and Facebook at T d i h C Podcast. We'll 69 00:05:00,320 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 1: see you here in the same place tomorrow. Hey y'all, 70 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:16,840 Speaker 1: I'm Eves and welcome to This Day in History Class, 71 00:05:16,839 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 1: a podcast for people who could never know enough about history. 72 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:32,159 Speaker 1: The day was nineteen forty Mexican artist David Alfadoos and 73 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:36,560 Speaker 1: Stalinist agent Iosef Grigulovich, along with the crew of Hitman, 74 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 1: attempted to assassinate Leon Trotsky Trotsky was a Soviet revolutionary 75 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:45,120 Speaker 1: in Marxist theorist who was a leading figure in the 76 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:50,200 Speaker 1: Bolshevik movement under Vladimir Lenin. After Lenin died in and 77 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:53,200 Speaker 1: Joseph Stalin rose to power and the Communist Party in 78 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:57,159 Speaker 1: Soviet Union, Trotsky emerged as one of Stalin's main critics 79 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:01,200 Speaker 1: and opponents. Trotsky was against the increasing lea bureaucratic Soviet 80 00:06:01,240 --> 00:06:04,279 Speaker 1: state and called for more democracy in the Communist Party. 81 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:07,560 Speaker 1: He thought that the Stalinist policy of socialism in one 82 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:13,680 Speaker 1: country would hinder efforts for world revolution. In Trotsky was 83 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:17,080 Speaker 1: removed from his post in the War Commissariat. The next year, 84 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:20,760 Speaker 1: he was dropped from the Politbureau, and in ninete he 85 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:25,159 Speaker 1: and his supporters were expelled from the Communist Party. In 86 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:28,840 Speaker 1: January of night, Trotsky was exiled to almah Ata and 87 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:32,359 Speaker 1: Soviet Central Asia. He lived there for a year before he, 88 00:06:32,600 --> 00:06:35,479 Speaker 1: his wife, and their son were expelled from the Soviet 89 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 1: Union and sent to Turkey, but he continued to write 90 00:06:38,760 --> 00:06:42,000 Speaker 1: and criticize Stalin, as well as people who had opposed 91 00:06:42,040 --> 00:06:46,039 Speaker 1: Stalin but had settled for the regime. Trotsky settled on 92 00:06:46,040 --> 00:06:49,560 Speaker 1: the Turkish island of Prinkipo, where he stayed for four years. 93 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:53,280 Speaker 1: He completed his autobiography and his three volume history of 94 00:06:53,320 --> 00:06:57,640 Speaker 1: the Russian Revolution. Some of his supporters volunteered to serve 95 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:01,200 Speaker 1: as his bodyguards, but in nineteen thirty three, Trotsky and 96 00:07:01,240 --> 00:07:05,120 Speaker 1: his family were offered asylum in France. Soon enough, he 97 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:08,120 Speaker 1: was no longer welcome in France either, and he moved 98 00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:12,680 Speaker 1: to Norway, then Mexico, where he had been granted asylum. 99 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:15,760 Speaker 1: The Trotsky's settled in the koyok Kan area of Mexico 100 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 1: City at the Blue House, the home of painters Diego 101 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:22,680 Speaker 1: Rivera and Frieda Carlo, and he continued to write, completing 102 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:26,880 Speaker 1: the Revolution Betrayed in nineteen thirty six. But in a 103 00:07:26,960 --> 00:07:29,880 Speaker 1: series of trials in the late nineteen thirties, many so 104 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:34,000 Speaker 1: called old Bolsheviks were found guilty of treason and imprisoned 105 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:38,120 Speaker 1: or executed. Many of the defendants confessed to having plotted 106 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:42,320 Speaker 1: with Trotsky to kill Stalin and other Soviet leaders. Trotsky 107 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:45,160 Speaker 1: was found guilty of treason and absentia and sentenced to 108 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:52,720 Speaker 1: death on nine forty Stalinist agent Iosef Grulovich, Mexican painter 109 00:07:52,840 --> 00:07:57,200 Speaker 1: David Alfadoos, and others armed with machine guns attempted to 110 00:07:57,280 --> 00:08:01,000 Speaker 1: kill Trotsky. The assassins hit his house with more than 111 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 1: two hundred bullets, but Trotsky and his wife survived. But 112 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:10,240 Speaker 1: another assassination plot was already in the works. A trotsky 113 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:14,000 Speaker 1: I named Sylvia Agilof met a man named Jacques Mornar 114 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:17,680 Speaker 1: who was supposedly the son of a Belgian diplomat, but 115 00:08:17,760 --> 00:08:20,840 Speaker 1: his real name was Ramon Mercader and he was a 116 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 1: Spanish communist whose mother was a Stalinist. She tasked her 117 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:29,000 Speaker 1: son with killing Trotsky. When Sylvia moved to Mexico City 118 00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:34,479 Speaker 1: to work for the Trotsky's Ramon went with her. On August, 119 00:08:34,760 --> 00:08:38,000 Speaker 1: Ramone visited Trotsky and murdered him with an ice axe. 120 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: Trotsky died the next day in the hospital. Murcadaire was 121 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:47,000 Speaker 1: tried and convicted of the murder and spent twenty years 122 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:51,760 Speaker 1: in prison. I'm eave jeffcot and hopefully you know a 123 00:08:51,760 --> 00:08:55,240 Speaker 1: little more about history today than you did yesterday. And 124 00:08:55,280 --> 00:08:57,800 Speaker 1: if you have any comments are suggestions, you can send 125 00:08:57,840 --> 00:09:00,280 Speaker 1: them to us at this day at I heard media 126 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:02,960 Speaker 1: dot com. You can also hit us up on social media. 127 00:09:03,280 --> 00:09:06,960 Speaker 1: We're at t D I HC Podcast on Facebook, Twitter, 128 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:09,920 Speaker 1: and Instagram. Thanks so much for listening to the show, 129 00:09:09,960 --> 00:09:21,560 Speaker 1: and we'll see you tomorrow. For more podcasts from my 130 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:24,280 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 131 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:26,080 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.