January 27

1945 - Soviet forces liberated Auschwitz and its concentration camps, where the Nazis murdered 1.5 million men, women and children, including more than one million Jews:  WWII.

I must repeat, there is no such thing as a 'Soviet liberation'.  They may not have systematically eliminated the Jews, but they surely weren’t there to 'liberate' them.

That said, even the brutal Ruskies were appalled by the situation at Auschwitz.

1939 - Franklin Roosevelt approved the sale of U.S. war planes to France:  WWII.

Talk about a waste of time and money...For both the French and Americans.

I'm sure the Germans appreciated it, though.

1944 - The Soviets broke through the Siege of Leningrad:  WWII.

Sieges are always brutal, but this was one of the longest sustained sieges in history (almost 900 days)...The Soviets suffered almost a million deaths - most were civilians.

Little wonder when the Red Army took the offensive to the Germans they acted the way they did - which was almost as barbaric as the Germans.

1951 - An era of atomic testing in the Nevada desert began when an Air Force plane dropped a one-kiloton bomb on Frenchman Flats.

Drop the 'Flats' and you’ll see me do cartwheels.

1981 - President Reagan greeted the 52 former American hostages released by Iran, telling them during a visit to the White House: "Welcome home."

Carter was a disgrace for many reasons (and continues to add to his resume), but his lack of legitimate efforts to save the hostages is at the top of the list.