September 20 (A Triple)

480 B.C. – The Battle of Salamis.

One of the most famous naval battles in history, which more or less ended the Persian Wars between the Greeks and Persia.

The Athenians, who dominated the Delian League, won the battle, and after the battles of Marathon and Salamis felt it was their turn to be the Greek hegemon...Unfortunately for the Athenians, the Spartans had other plans and within 40-years the Peloponnesian War began.

I know most don't know it, but the Athenians had a very small window of dominance in Greece...Most of Classical Greek history is dominated by the Spartans. If you didn't know this it's not your fault the Liberal education establishment doesn't teach history as it actually happened. It will be your fault if you refuse to return to these posts on a daily basis, however.

451 - The Battle of Chalons-sur-Marne: A Roman victory over Attila the Hun.

This battle is also known as the Battle of the Catalaunian Fields, or simply the Battle of Chalons...In modern-day France.

Chalons was the one time the Romans (with the help of the Visigoths) got the best of the 'Scourge of God'...But it was the last win of any note for the once proud Romans - not just against Attila.

The non-stop succession of invasions and battles were catching up with Rome, and this victory did little more than force Attila into Italy...Lucky for Rome, Attila had no way of successfully taking on the great city's walls.  So, instead he ravaged the rest of the Italy.

622 - Mohammad's Hegira.

The 'Prophet' completed his migration from Mecca to Yathrib, a city he renamed to Madinat Al-Nabi ("city of the Prophet") or Al Madinah Al Munawara ("the enlightened city" or "the radiant city")...Most know this city by its short form, Medina, which simply means "city."

1519 - Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan set out from Spain on a voyage to find a western passage to the Spice Islands in Indonesia. He was killed en route, but one of his ships eventually circumnavigated the world.

The captain made it about half way around the globe, dying in the Philippines, and only about 1/10th of his fleet completed the journey.

'Going to the Moon' is dangerous work, and expeditions such as this in the 16th Century were nothing short of shooting for the stars.

1806 - Explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark passed the French village of La Charette on their return trip, the first white settlement they saw in more than two years.

Speaking of astronauts of their time. The Lewis and Clark Expedition was America’s first great exploration...And it should have failed, but Jefferson picked the perfect captain in Lewis, who picked the perfect co-captain in Clark.

I highly recommend you read: Undaunted Courage. Of all Stephen Ambrose’s brilliant books, this is the one I recommend most, even though his specialty is WWII.

1862 - Prussian minister Otto von Bismarck stated Germany needed "Blood and Iron."

Over the next 80+ years the Germans did just as Bismark said: Producing much 'iron' and even more 'blood'...Europe should have known better than to allow the awakening of the Goth in the Germans, and paid dearly for not stomping on them when they had a chance.

1870 - Italian troops took control of the Papal States, leading to the unification of Italy.

The secular power of the Pope had been fading for years, and truth be told this was a good thing for the Catholic Church...It allowed the Church to look inward, and focus on its true path, instead of being a power-hungry, political whore.

1962 - Black student James Meredith was blocked from enrolling at the University of Mississippi by Governor Ross R. Barnett.

Multiple choice question: Was Governor 'Racist' Ross Barnett a Republican or a Democrat?? Of course he was a Democrat.

1963 - In a speech to the U.N. General Assembly, President Kennedy proposed a joint U.S.-Soviet expedition to the moon.

Thankfully the Ruskies declined the offer.

1973 - In the so-called 'Battle of the Sexes,' tennis star Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in straight sets.

What a joke...Riggs was old and decrepit.  But reality wasn't the goal - propaganda was.

1984 - A suicide car bomber attacked the U.S. embassy annex in northern Beirut, killing twelve.

I thought Democrats have been saying the Islamists didn’t start hating the U.S. until George Bush took office? Hmmm!

1990 - Demanding equal time, Iraq asked U.S. TV networks to broadcast a message by President Saddam Hussein in response to President Bush's videotaped address to the Iraqi people.

Saddam knew what a bunch of jokers he was dealing with...Bunch of duplicitous SOB’s.

1996 - President Bill Clinton announced the signing of a bill outlawing homosexual marriages, but said it should not be used as an excuse for discrimination, violence or intimidation against gays and lesbians. (The actual signing came a little after midnight.)

Clinton signed the 'Defense of Marriage Act' (DOMA), making it the law of the land...And he was right in his comment.

But the GLBTTBNPR? crowd continued to fight the fight, and shopped the issue from one Liberal judge to the next, until they got their way with the SCOTUS.

Time will tell how this social experiment turns out.

1998 - After 2,632 consecutive games, Cal Ripken of the Baltimore Orioles sat out a game against the New York Yankees, ending a 16-year run.

Cal is one of my favorite players, but he should have stopped at 2,130 and tied Gehrig...'The Streak' was great because it was Gehrig’s, and Ripken would have stood taller had he stood next to the Iron Horse than he does being on top of him.