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.

September 12

490 B.C. (Exact date is unknown, but it is assumed to be sometime between September 10-12) - The Battle of Marathon.  Athenian and Plataean hoplites commanded by General Miltiades drove back a Persian invasion force under General Datis.

Marathon is one of the most famous battles in history, and one which could have changed history had the Persians won...Instead the Athenians won, keeping the Greeks free from Persian rule, and reaping the glory of defeating the great empire.

The Athenians had approximately 10,000 troops, to the Persians 20,000+...Amazingly, the Athenians lost less than 200 troops, compared to over 6,000 for the Persians.

It must be noted, the Spartans missed out on the battle because they were too slow to understand the dire straits the Greeks were in. This lack of effort to show up in time for the battle was a terribly humiliating fact for the Spartans, and a rare case where the Athenians claimed hegemony in the Greek world...A fact which lead to the Pelopponesian War between Athens and Sparta - where the Spartans reclaimed their traditional role.

1814 - A British fleet under Sir Alexander Cochrane began the bombardment of Fort McHenry, the last American defense before Baltimore. As the sun rose the next day, Lawyer Francis Scott Key was amazed to see the American Flag still flying over the battered fort. This experience inspired Key to write the lyrics to 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' which he adapted to the tune of a well-known British drinking song:  War of 1812.

The Brits weren't necessarily trying to reclaim their former colonies, but they did want to let them know they were still under their thumb...The new nation wasn’t about to allow it to happen, though.

Because of this fact 'The Star-Spangled Banner' is a brilliant song, and one we can easily sing with passion and pride.

1918 - U.S. forces, led by General John J. Pershing, launched an attack on the German-occupied St. Mihiel salient north of Verdun, France:  WWI.

This was the first American battle in World War I, and they showed well..It wasn't long before the Axis surrendered, but had the Americans been in the war in 1914 it would have never lasted this long.

1919 - Adolf Hitler joined the German Worker’s Party.

Soon to become the National Socialist German Workers Party...Better known as the Nazi Party.

Oh, did you catch that 'socialist' thingy?

1938 - Adolf Hitler demanded self-determination for the Sudeten Germans in Czechoslovakia.

Hitler was looking for a fight and used this issue to get one...Instead the French and Brits simply handed him the Sudetenland.

Der Fuhrer was disappointed and disgusted to have this event end in peace, yet elated to see the pansies in the West show their true color: YELLOW!!

1943 - German paratroopers rescued Benito Mussolini from the hotel where he was being held by the Italian government:  WWII.

The Italians had to wait another year-and-a-half to hang Il Duce from a lamp-post.

1944 - U.S. Army troops entered Germany for the first time in World War II.

The route was on, and the only question left was who would get to Berlin first, the U.S. or the Soviets...Sadly it was the Ruskies.

1983 - The Soviet Union vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution deploring the shooting down of a Korean jetliner by a Soviet jet fighter on Sept. 1.

You didn’t read that wrong. The Soviets vetoed the plan to denounce themselves...Such is the ridiculousness of the United Nations.

September 2 (A Triple)

31 B.C. - The Battle of Actium: Octavian defeated Marc Antony.

Actium is one of the most important battles in history, because Octavian (later Augustus) finished off any resistance he had in the Roman world, and soon put an end to the Roman Republic - establishing the Roman Empire.

1945 - Japan signed an unconditional surrender aboard the U.S. battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay, formally ending World War II.

"We are gathered here, representatives of the major warring powers - to conclude a solemn agreement whereby peace may be restored. The issues involving divergent ideals and ideologies, have been determined on the battlefields of the world and hence are not for our discussion or debate. Nor is it for us here to meet, representing as we do a majority of the people of the earth, in a spirit of distrust, malice or hatred. But rather it is for us, both victors and vanquished, to rise to that higher dignity which alone befits the sacred purposes we are about to serve, committing all our people unreservedly to faithful compliance with the obligation they are here formally to assume.

It is my earnest hope and indeed the hope of all mankind that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past - a world founded upon faith and understanding - a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish - for freedom, tolerance and justice.

The terms and conditions upon which the surrender of the Japanese Imperial Forces is here to be given and accepted are contained in the Instrument of Surrender now before you.

As Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, I announce it my firm purpose, in the tradition of the countries I represent, to proceed in the discharge of my responsibilities with justice and tolerance, while taking all necessary dispositions to insure that the terms of surrender are fully, promptly and faithfully complied with.

Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always. These proceedings are closed." - Gen. Douglas MacArthur

1945 - Ho Chi Minh broke ties with France and declared Vietnam an independent republic.

WWII ended, and in a round-about-way, the first fight of the Cold War began...Such is the cruel reality of human history.

490 B.C. - Phidippides ran the first 'marathon,' seeking aid from Sparta against Persia.

Phidippides didn’t run a 'marathon.'  He was running to Sparta to ask for their help at the Battle of Marathon.

He ran in vain, however, because the Spartans left the Athenians to fend for themselves...And they did just fine, to the great shock and shame of the Spartans.

44 B.C. - Cicero delivered his 'First Philippic,' an attack on Mark Antony, in the Roman Senate.

Cicero was a brilliant orator and politician, but an even better survivor, because he recognized very early that Octavian would be the eventual successor to Caesar.

Make no mistake, however, Cicero was no ally of Octavian’s, and was soon taking shots at the Emperor as well.

1192 - The Treaty of Jaffa put an end to hostilities of the Third Crusade. Negotiated between Richard the Lion Heart and Saladin, Christian pilgrims were granted special rights of travel around Palestine and in Jerusalem.

Richard and Saladin may have 'ended hostilities' but the Crusades were anything but over.

1666 - The Great Fire of London began.

Much of the city went up in flames, including 13,000 houses...Amazingly, only around a dozen people died in the fire.

On a positive note, the fire played a large role in stopping the spread of the Black Plague in London.

1752 - Britain adopted the Gregorian calendar.

Most of Europe made this change 150-years earlier...Which is one of the many reasons historical dates are often convoluted and confusing.

1777 – The Battle of Cooch's Bridge, N.J.:  U.S. Revolutionary War.

This was a small, inconclusive battle, which would normally go unrecognized here...But it is important for one reason: It was the first battle where the new nation used the 'Stars and Stripes Flag' in battle.

1901 - U.S. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt offered the advice, "Speak softly and carry a big stick," in a speech at the Minnesota State Fair.

This was a great quote, and one we should always live up to...That said, it’s important to understand there is no use in “carrying” any size stick if you don’t swing it when necessary.

1929 - An opera, composed by Kurt Weill with a libretto by Berthold Brecht, was in its final minutes when Brecht's wife launched into a speech for communism from the stage.

Sounds just like the current set of thespian idiots we have...Some things never change.

1963 - Alabama Governor George C. Wallace prevented the integration of Tuskegee High School by encircling the building with state troopers.

”In Birmingham they love the governor…” - Lynard Skynard.

They probably still love Gov. Wallace, who was a Democrat by the way.

1995 - At a military cemetery on a hill high above Honolulu, President Bill Clinton marked the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, saying it taught Americans that "the blessings of freedom are never easy or free."

Clinton was 100% correct!! It’s too bad he and his Liberal pals don’t believe a word of what he said, though...But what else is new from the world's greatest shit salesman, who is constantly tossing out 'samples.'

August 27

1939 - The world's first jet-propelled aeroplane, the Heinkel He-178, made its first flight at Marienehe, Germany.

Commercial and military planes soon abandoned the old prop-style plane to take advantage of the speed and power of the jet...Thankfully Hitler was too much of a moron to listen to his science advisers, and refused to invest much in the production of these jets (until it was far too late), which might have allowed him to be able to use Germany's technical superiority to overcome the numerical plane disadvantage he had against the Allies.

413 B.C. - An Athenian army besieging Syracuse failed to retreat because of an eclipse, and was later trapped and destroyed.

The Athenians thought the world was coming to an end...Or at worst thought their gods were surrendering to those of their enemy.

This seems odd to us, but perfectly reasonable to the people of the time.

1859 - Colonel Edwin L. Drake drilled the first successful oil well in the United States near Titusville, Pennsylvania.

Who knows how much oil we have in the U.S. and it's territories? It’s very likely we are sitting on enough to make ourselves self-sufficient for this necessary resource...But we choose not drill in earnest here in the States, and would rather be at the mercy of the very scoundrels who wish to see us dead.

I’ll never understand the insanity of environMENTAList Liberals.

1928 - The Kellogg-Briand Pact was signed by 15 nations, outlawing war as a means to settle international disputes.

What a joke!!!

History has shown this 'pact' did nothing but weaken the very powers who were necessary to stand up to the bad-guys of the world...Which in a decade were the Nazis and Japanese - and Italy, sort of.

1939 - Adolf Hitler served notice to England and France that Germany wanted Danzig and the Polish Corridor.

The appeasers in France and England thought they bought 'peace in their time' with the handover of Czechoslovakia, but the Fuhrer wanted nothing to do with peace...He pushed and pushed until he had his war.

And make no mistake, Hitler picked this date as a way of mocking the Kellog-Briand Pact.

August 19 (A Double)

480 B.C. – The Battle of Thermopylae ended: Persian forces finally overran the heavily outnumbered Spartan defenders of the narrow pass at Thermopylae in Greece.

NOTE: This event was also posted on August 9...The date is often debated, and many note it in September. 

I am posting it again on purpose, because it is one of my favorite and greatest battles in world history - one with many far-reaching results.

1. The Persians suffered so many casualties, this was their best opportunity of crushing the Greeks before they mounted a nationwide defense...They fought many more battles, but this was the beginning of the end.

2. Sparta lost its great king (Leonidas) and suffered such a loss to its finest forces it wasn't strong enough to continue its traditional role as the leader (hegemon) of the Greek city-states following the war.

3. As a result of Persian losses at the battle, the Athenians were able to lead the Greek city-states to a win in the rest of the war...And as a result of Spartan losses, Athens was able to establish itself as the Greek hegemon, which eventually led to the Peloponnesian War.

A few details of the battle: The Spartans had around 300 troops and about 7,000 allied forces, which suffered over 4,000 casualties, including all but one Spartan. The Persians had 3,400,000 troops and suffered around 30,000 casualties...Alright, Herodotus probably exaggerated a little on the 3.4 million, but it is estimated the Persians had at least 170,000 troops.

14 - Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar died.

Augustus was an incredibly important figure in history...He was Julius Caesar’s hand-picked (adopted) successor, and the man who put the final end to the Roman Republic - establishing the Roman Empire after winning a civil war.

Also, his 40-year reign began an unprecedented time of peace, known as the Pax Romana (the Roman Peace)...A peace enforced by Rome.

Unfortunately for the Empire, there were few emperors of Augustus’ skill and Augustus didn’t establish a method for peaceful succession, which wreaked havoc on the Empire for the rest of its days.

1503 - Pope Alexander VI died accidentally of poison intended for a guest.

Such was papal politics in the Middle Ages...Which is why the Reformation had to come.

1936 - The Soviet Purges: Generals Kamenev and Zinovjev were tried for 'Trotskyism.'

The Purges were one of the many ways Stalin eliminated his enemies, and the 1930’s saw an awesome display of his power through the purging of the Communist Party and officer corp of the Soviet military...As well as millions of otherwise innocent Soviet citizens.

Sadly, but predictably, the Soviet Union paid dearly for these purges when Hitler invaded, because the Soviet military was in complete disarray due to lack of experienced leadership.

1942 - The German Sixth Army was ordered to capture Stalingrad:  WWII.

The city of Stalingrad wasn’t a necessary objective for the Germans, but Der Fuhrer wanted to eliminate the city of Joseph Stalin's name and desperately needed the Caucasian oil fields...No one ever accused Hitler of being a strategic genius, and he insisted on ordering his troops into what became the largest, most bloody battle in world history.

The result was awesome, brutal, and the turning-point in the war on this front.

1944 - President Franklin Roosevelt sent an envoy to China to reconcile problems between the Nationalists and Communists:  WWII.

Too little, too late...There was no reconciliation of the two factions, and truth be told both used WWII as a stockpiling, recruiting, and training ground for their war which followed The War.

1991 - Soviet hard-liners announced President Mikhail S. Gorbachev had been removed from power.

The Communists and Gorbachev - who was a commie - were at the end of their rope, and this event ended poorly for both...But a new Russian power-broker was emerging, and becoming the star of this event. This Russian was Boris Yeltsin (President of the Russian Federation), who took on the coup plotters by calling for a general strike.

1996 - Ralph Nader accepted the presidential nomination of the Green Party, denouncing tax breaks for corporations and calling for a "political alternative" to the two mainstream parties.

Third Party candidates, and their parties, are a joke. Those on the Right only help the Left by stealing votes from Republicans, and those on the Left only help the Right by stealing votes from Democrats...Anyone who tells you otherwise either doesn't know better or is out and out lying to you.