September 22 (A Special Double)

1951 - Jackie was born.

In my mind, this is one of the great people of all time, though her deeds and accomplishments are known by few...She is a strong, caring, wonderful woman, and one of my personal heroes.

I'm proud to call her MOM!!

1980 – The Iran-Iraq War began when Iraqi troops seized part of Iran in a border dispute.

This war is also called the First Persian Gulf War, and the Iranians call it the Imposed War...It was a brutal eight-year war, with 1-2 million casualties and no clear-cut victor.

The Persians (Iran) and Mesopotamians (Iraq) have been enemies since the dawn of civilization, have been involved in a 1,300-year religious chasm (Sunni vs. Shiite), and after WWII became Cold War pawns.

I hope you remember Saddam was our ‘ally’ during this time. Sometimes situations dictate that nations have strange-bedfellows, and this was one, with Iraq being the lesser of the two evils...Sort of like having Stalin as an ally against Hitler.

1692 - Two men and seven women were executed for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts.

These were the last witches hung in the 'Salem Witch hunts'...One of the victims wasn’t actually hanged. Giles Corey, was pressed to death for standing mute while the others were hung.

1792 – The French Republic was proclaimed.

It didn't last long, and it’s principles were a complete bastardization of the American Revolution and republic.

Needless to say, the French are on their 'Fifth Republic' - in less than 250 years.

1862 - President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, proposing to free all slaves of rebel states as of Jan. 1, 1863.

This is one of the most famous declarations in U.S. history, and I encourage you to read the Emancipation Proclamation...This is the first of two parts of the proclamation, with the second part being made on January 1, 1863 (it's more famous date).

That said, the Proclamation was more of a political tool, than a declaration of fact.

1. The Confederacy controlled the South, where Lincoln’s order carried no weight, and the Union troops were getting whipped around pretty regularly in the region.

2. Lincoln couldn’t and didn’t free a single slave. The 13th Amendment freed the slaves, and the 14th gave them equal protection (in theory).

The importance of the Emancipation Proclamation is it broadened the scope of the Civil War. Lincoln went to war to ‘save the Union,' but like all wars, the situation on the ground set the stage for new war aims and goals.

1911 - Cy Young won his 511th and final game.

Intelligent baseball fans know this is the one baseball record which will never be broken.

Do the math: 25 wins for 20 years = 500 wins...Even the best modern-day pitchers have a hard time winning 20 games per year, and no one’s going to do it for 20+ years.

The next closest to Young is Walter Johnson with 417 wins - no one else has won 400, and it's likely no one will...In the modern-era, Greg Maddox has the most with 355 wins.

Equally unlikely to be broken is Young's record for losses:  316...In history there have been others within reach of this mark, but it's highly unlikely a modern pitcher would be allowed to have a career long enough to get there.

1943 - Kate Smith's 13-hour radio appeal sold $39 million in war bonds.

Back in the good ol’ days when celebrities loved the U.S.A.

1950 - Omar N. Bradley was promoted to the rank of 5-star general.

'Brad' was the last 'General of the Army.'

Here’s hoping we never have another one, because in order to require such a supremely ranked general it will mean we are in another world war...But I’m quite certain this is nothing but wishful thinking.

1961 - President Kennedy signed the 'Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Offenses Control Act.'

What a joke...Per normal, the government simply created a new bureaucracy requiring a lot of money, which did very little.

Look outside your home and try to tell me I’m wrong...I'm pretty sure you'll see plenty of young punks running around. Even in the most affluent neighborhoods.