September 25

1396 - The last great Christian crusade, led jointly by John the Fearless of Nevers and King Sigismund of Hungary, ended in disaster at the hands of Sultan Bajazet I’s Ottoman army at Nicopolis.

The Crusades died a whimpering death, but did perform the vital function of keeping the Muslim Horde tied up in the Middle East and North Africa.

From the 8th-11th Centuries the Muslims swept through much of South and Southwest Asia, and were on the march towards Europe...The Crusaders failed in their goal to reclaim the Holy Land, but succeeded in a much more important (and unintentional) way by saving Central and Western Europe from Islam's ravages.

1066 - The Battle of Stamford Bridge: England's Saxon King Harold defeated an invading Norwegian force.

Harold marched his troops out to defeat the Norwegians...And defeat them he did.

Little did he know, however, there was another invader coming from the south - An invasion led by William, Duke of Normandy...Soon to be known as William the Conqueror.

1513 - Spanish explorer Vasco Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama, becoming the first known European to see the Pacific Ocean.

The westward path to the Orient was discovered, and the link between the Atlantic and the Pacific became an obsession for many for the next 400-years.

FYI: It was the same isthmus Balboa crossed which ultimately served as the mechanism for uniting the two great oceans, with the construction of the Panama Canal.

1555 - The Peace of Augsburg: Lutheranism was recognized in Germany.

This was a peace treaty signed by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and the princes of the Shmalkaldic League (the Lutheran Princes).

The treaty was a bitter pill for Charles and the Catholic Church, and a final realization he couldn't keep the forces of Lutheranism at bay...The result was the official recognition of the Lutheran religion in the Empire.

"Cuius regio, eius religio": "He who rules, his religion," or "in the Princes land, the Princes religion."

In other words: The various lands of the Empire would be Catholic or Lutheran as determined by the religion of that land's ruler.

1789 - The first United States Congress adopted 12 amendments to the Constitution and sent them to the states for ratification. Ten of the amendments became the Bill of Rights.

The fact there would be amendments to the new Constitution was known before the great document even had time to dry...It would have never been ratified without this knowledge.

We all know of the first 10 amendments (the Bill of Rights), but I admit I have no idea what the proposed 11th and 12th were???

1818 - The first blood transfusion using human blood (instead of animal blood) was performed in London at Guy's Hospital.

This was a huge advance in medical technology...It's hard to believe any transfusions from animal blood were successful.

1890 - Mormon president Wilford Woodruff issued a manifesto formally renouncing the practice of polygamy.

Make no mistake, the Mormons didn't want to make this concession...They had little choice.

At the time Utah was a semi-autonomous territory within the U.S., but was being faced with a couple of choices, neither of which were palatable to the Mormon populace.

1. End polygamy, and retain a little power as a territory and later a state in the Union.

2. Continue on its path and be annihilated by federal troops.

There was no third option, and the one they chose allowed them to maintain a semblance of autonomy.

1938 - President Franklin Roosevelt urged negotiations between Hitler and Czech President Benes over the Sudetenland.

This turned out well...And the Czechs had no say in the eventual 'negotiations.'

1954 - François Duvalier ('Papa Doc') was elected President of Haiti.

By no means was Papa Doc even close to the 20th Century's Mega-Deka Murderers, but he was a very established democidal nut...Killing around 30,000 on the tiny island of Haiti.

That said, it is quite possible Duvalier was the most bizarre character of the 20th Century (a huge honor considering his peers), and a self-proclaimed Voodoo practitioner...If you like reading about insaniacs, I recommend you check out Papa and Baby Doc.

1974 - Scientists warned the continued use of aerosol sprays would cause ozone depletion, leading to increased risk of skin cancer and global weather changes.

This was during a time when many scientists were warning of 'Global Cooling'...Check it out: Newsweek, April 28, 1975.

Bunch of Gloom-n-Dooming idiots.

Guess what? I guarantee the Earth will go through periods of cooling and warming...And will do so with or without man's help.

1993 - Three U.S. soldiers in Somalia were killed when their helicopter was downed by a rocket-propelled grenade.

I'm sure our Commander-in-Chief had great intentions, but what was our military doing in Somalia without a legitimate plan?

Also, why is it Democrat presidents can use the military to do whatever bogus operations they want, but George Bush deposed of one of the world's most dangerous dictators and Liberals went nuts?

Hmmmmm??