February 4

1789 - Electors unanimously chose George Washington to be the first President of the United States.

A more perfect choice has never been made...Washington wasn’t just the 'right man at the right time,' he was probably the only man who could have pulled off the miracle of uniting the states under a federal government.

“The United States of America has been fortunate in many ways, especially in the magnificent endowment of nature. But not the least of its blessings was the man who first led it to victory (Washington), then made the new nation that emerged law-abiding, stable and prosperous, as well as free. This double achievement is without parallel in history.” – Paul Johnson

Washington truly was the 'Irreplaceable Man' in American history - meaning no one else could have pulled off the miracle he did...And part of what makes him so special is he left office after two terms, trusting that he was 'replacable,' and the young nation he helped found could go on without making himself 'president-for-life' or 'king,' which he could have been - and many wanted.

960 - The Song Dynasty in China was founded by Emperor Taizu.

This dynasty ruled China for over 300 years.  It was a time of great achievement:  The world's first banknotes were created, China created it's first permanent navy, and the use of gunpowder was discovered...All during a time when the West was in a period of semi-barbarism in the Dark and Middle ages China continued to progress and was by far the greatest nation on earth.

1783 - Britain declared a formal cessation of hostilities with its former colonies, the United States of America.

In their minds this was a cease-fire, not an acceptance of American independence...It took the War of 1812 for the Brits to finally realize they were never going to recover their thirteen colonies.

1938 - Adolph Hitler assumed direct control of the German Army.

What a huge blessing for the Allied and Soviet armies...The German Army was an awesome fighting force in every way, but Hitler insisting on controlling it doomed it to failure.

1945 - The Yalta Conference began: Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin met at Yalta, in the Crimea, to discuss plans for the defeat of the Axis powers and to decide on the post-war future:  WWII.

FDR is often ripped for giving up Eastern Europe and Berlin to the Soviets in this meeting. Of course he was in poor health, and Uncle Joe got a Hell of a deal, but Roosevelt had no other choice.

Those who blame Roosevelt for the Russians 'conquering' Eastern Europe would be much better off questioning his reasoning for keeping America out of the war in 1939-41...Had FDR been a statesman instead of a politician he would have entered before Pearl Harbor, but this wasn't the route he took.

Also, the Battle of the Bulge (as well as Montgomery's Market Garden fiasco) held up the Allied assault on Germany to a point the Soviets were able to subdue Berlin, and Eastern Europe was already in Stalin’s hands...Were we going to fight the Russians? I think not. The deal at Yalta was tragic, but it was reality because of the events which occurred prior to Yalta.

1974 - Mao Tse-tung proclaimed a new 'Cultural Revolution' in China.

The Chairman was so creative in his titles for plans to repress and kill his population.

1997 - A civil jury in Santa Monica, California, found O.J. Simpson liable for the deaths of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman, awarding $8.5 million in compensatory damages to Goldman's parents. (Six days later, the jury added $25 million in punitive damages to go to Nicole Brown Simpson's estate and Goldman's father.)

I thought he was innocent???

It's hard to believe this POS got away with murder. It's equally hard to believe he met justice 11 years later due to an act of stupidity - trying to 'recover' some of his football paraphernalia.

1998 - President Bill Clinton vowed "one way or the other" he would deny Iraq any weapons of mass destruction and said he was encouraged by an international consensus that Baghdad obey U.N. mandates.

Bombs with (D) = Good, Bombs with (R) = Bad...But then again, we know the Democrats would never have done much more than make useless threats and launch a few cruise missiles.

Now that I think about it, what was Clinton talking about? I thought there was no risk of Iraqi WMD's and President Bush made the whole thing up?...This is what his party has tried to sell us since the 2004 presidential election.