August 16

2003 - Former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin died.

Good riddance to dead tyrants!!!

During his seven year reign of terror, Idi Amin Dada Oumee managed to earn a place among the mega-murderers of the 20th Century...He was nowhere near the Kings of Democide (Stalin, Hitler, Mao), but should be listed shortly below them, alongside such notables as Pol Pot and Nicolae Ceausescu.

1513 - The Battle of the Spurs: Henry VIII of England and Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian defeated the French at Guinegatte, France.

Just another in the seemingly never-ending list of European battles, but I’ve chosen to make note of it for one reason: The battle is called the 'Battle of the Spurs' because of the way the French fled the battlefield.

1777 - The Battle of Bennington:  American Revolutionary War.

Every battle in the war was important, but defeating British forces early in the war was a necessity in order to maintain American resolve to the cause.  This battle was extremely important for this reason, and was also a turning point in the French decision to support the Colonists.

Quote from the battle: "There are your enemies, the Red Coats and the Tories. They are ours or this night Molly Stark sleeps a widow." – American General John Stark.

1780 - The Battle of Camden: American troops were badly defeated by the British in South Carolina:  American Revolutionary War.

The British 'Southern Strategy' was proving quite effective, and in this battle the Americans were crushed by Cornwallis.

There were more losses to come, but each British victory carried a cost in troops and supplies - and angered Americans who hadn't taken sides in the war.

1861 - President Lincoln issued a proclamation declaring the Southern states to be in a "state of insurrection against the United States":  U.S. Civil War.

This declaration was a little tardy. Lincoln should have made it after Fort Sumter, in April...Either way, the American Civil War was in full swing, and four horrific years followed.

1995 - The U.S. government more than doubled its estimate of rapes or attempted rapes in the United States each year, to 310,000, a finding praised by leaders of women's groups.

That’s a lot of rapes. Who knows the methodology they used, or what they consider rape...Here's hoping the study didn’t use the National Organization of Women definition that: “All sex is rape.”