January 16

27 B.C. – The Roman 'Imperial Era' was inaugurate when the Senate proclaimed Octavian as 'Augustus.'

Julius Caesar is much more well known, but it's debatable that Augustus is the single most important person in Roman history.

Octavian became Augustus, Augustus became 'the first citizen' (Princeps), the Republic ended and the Empire began...More important, Augustus began a period of relative peace in the Roman world, known as the Pax Romana.

But don't think for a minute there was peace.  There was a relative peace, imposed by Rome - meaning they crushed anyone who tried to break the peace...Until they became weak through decadence and sloth, and allowed their neighbors to overrun them - which brought on a thousand year period of relative chaos in Europe.

1547 - Ivan the Terrible crowned himself Czar of Russia - the first Russian ruler to assume this title.

Ivan was terrible, but he was also a great Russian ruler...Sadly this combination has proven to be more the rule than the exception in Russian history.

1556 - Charles V, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, abdicated his crown as Holy Roman Emperor.

Charles was the Charlemagne of his era, and no European ruler had an empire with such power and grand holdings until Napoleon in the 1800s...Unfortunately for his successors, Charles' holdings proved impossible to keep together.

1919 - Prohibition became law in the U.S. with the passage of the Volstead Act, which enforced and defined the 18th Amendment. It was passed over President Wilson's veto with the necessary two-thirds majority of state ratifications.

This act became effective on this day the next year (1/16/1920)...In the end, however, this amendment was a failure. Prohibition was flaunted by mobsters, bootleggers and many average American citizens throughout the country, and was eventually repealed in 1933.

1925 - Leon Trotsky was dismissed as CEO of the Russian Revolution Military Council, and Stalin took over the post.

The ‘Man of Steel’ showed his strength by devouring Lenin’s favorite, and never looked back...Soon every Soviet citizen felt his strength, and Stalin proved to be a leader comparable to Russia's first czar - Ivan the Terrible.

1939 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked for an extension of the Social Security Act to include more women and children.

One of the many attempts bastardizing the Social Security system...It was a boondoggle from the day it was instituted, and has become a political lightning-rod, as well as an economic noose around the neck of every American's future.

1944 - The U.S. First and Third Armies linked up at Houffalize, Belgium, effectively ending the Battle of the Bulge:  WWII.

The Battle of the Bulge temporarily halted the Allied offensive, but from here the route resumed and didn’t end until VE-Day.

The 'Bulge' was a failure, and it was Hitler’s last betrayal of the German people, because its short success was enough to ensure the Ruskies took Berlin before the Western Allies could get to it...A reality which doomed East Germany to 50-years of Soviet controlled Hell.

1973 - 'National Nothing Day' was first celebrated; set aside each year for people to sit around for the entire day and just hang out. No celebrating, observing or honoring anything.

Too many Americans celebrate this day everyday...These same turds vote (D) every two years as well.

1991 - The White House announced the start of Operation Desert Storm to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. President G.H.W. Bush said in a nationally broadcast address "the battle has been joined" as fighter bombers pounded Iraqi targets. (Because of the time difference, it was early January 17 in the Persian Gulf when the attack began).

What an amazing display of planning, power and speed. As impressive as any in history.

Unfortunately, Bush didn’t remove Sadaam Hussein...The decision to leave him in power was a costly one for the U.S. and the Iraqi people.

2003 - The space shuttle Columbia blasted off on what was its final mission.

Space exploration and exploitation is definitely another frontier in America’s ‘Manifest Destiny,’ but 17 days after this shuttle's launch the world saw this fateful mission end in tragedy.

November 26 (A Triple)

43 B.C. - Octavian, Antony and Lepidus formed Rome's 'Second Triumvirate.'

The Lex Titia (a Roman law) established these three as ‘Triumvirs for the Organization of the People.”

Lepidus was a longtime friend of Julius Caesar’s, Antony was Rome’s greatest general (Caesar’s chief of staff), and Octavian was Caesar’s adopted son and designated successor...All three tried to sell this agreement as a 'partnership,' but the reality of the situation was a new civil war was on, and the Republic was soon to become the Empire - an empire led by the man presumed to be the weakest of the Triumvirs - Octavian, soon to be known as Augustus.

1095 - Pope Urban urged the faithful to wrest the Holy Land from the Muslims, heralding the start of the Crusades.

Forget popular propaganda, which states the West brutally invaded the Islamic world...From the time of Muhammad, Islam has been a religion of conquest.

Truth be told, the various warlords of the West weren't much better than their Muslim enemies, but they didn't intend to destroy Western Civilization...The Crusades never accomplished what their proclaimed intent was (capturing and holding the Holy Land), but they were successful in one important way: The Crusaders kept Islam from conquering most or even all of Europe.

1950 - China entered the Korean conflict, launching a counter-offensive by sending troops across the Yalu River.

It was mighty cold in Korea, but with this action the Korean War got much hotter.

The U.S. and South Korean forces were on the verge of finishing off the North Koreans, but this event changed the nature of the war...If caused Truman to flinch, led to the downfall of MacArthur, and sadly resulted in at least a partial victory for the North Koreans and the permanence of another Hell State.

That said, we should be proud of defending South Korea, because in doing so we saved who-knows-how-many millions of lives on the Korean Peninsula, and also slowed down the Communist advance in Asia.

885 - Danish Vikings attacked Paris and were paid by the Frankish king Charles the Fat not to destroy the city, as they had in 845 and 856.

Charlemagne must have been rolling over in his grave at seeing how far his empire had fallen.

Too bad the Vikings only came to pillage. They could have added some much needed lifeblood to the Frenchies had they conquered, stayed and changed the genetic composition of these maggots...Luckily, they at least took over the area which eventually became Normandy.

1789 - George Washington proclaimed this a National Thanksgiving Day in honor of the new Constitution. He made it clear the day should be one of prayer and giving thanks to God, to be celebrated by all the religious denominations.

So much for the myth of ‘separation of church and state’...This is the biggest of all the Liberal lies, and is widely believed, because it is the one most fiercely propagandized.

The Constitution guarantees the right to religious freedom, not freedom ‘from’ religion, and our Founders always made a point of thanking God for the blessing and glory of the nation He gave them.

1863 - The first modern Thanksgivings was held following the October 3 proclamation of President Lincoln to assign the last Thursday in November for this purpose.

Like Washington, Lincoln knew this country is blessed, and wanted to have a holiday to acknowledge it.

1865 - Alice in Wonderland was published.

Thanks to our Leftist friends, we are now living in it...Hopefully we'll be able to climb out of the 'rabbit-hole' someday - though it's impossible if we don't stop digging.

1938 - Poland renewed a non-aggression pact with the USSR to provide protection against a German invasion.

Treaties with Hitler and Stalin were as useless as toilet paper, and within a year the Soviets joined their Germans ‘allies,’ invading Poland from the east.

I hope you remember the Soviets were Germany's ally at the beginning of WWII...Which is why they deserved the ass kicking they received in 1941-42.

1939 - The Soviet Union blamed Finland for an artillery attack on its border:  WWII.

Nice excuse to invade Finland.

The Winter War began, and the Ruskies performed miserably...But it was a nice prep for the big show, coming soon in the form of Operation Barbarossa: the German invasion of the USSR.

1941 – A Japanese task force left for Pearl Harbor: Admiral Chuichi Nagumo led the Japanese First Air Fleet, an aircraft carrier strike force, toward Pearl Harbor, with the understanding that should "negotiations with the United States reach a successful conclusion, the task force will immediately put about and return to the homeland":  WWII.

We all know how this ended...It ended with the destruction of Japan and Germany, and the creation of the world’s greatest superpower.

As much as we wanted to stay out of WWII, the reality was the U.S. had to enter it. Not so much for our sake, but for the sake of civilization and humanity...We should have entered much earlier.

Keep this in mind in our current wars against the Islamists...Also keep in mind, being in the war isn't enough - we must crush them as we did the Japanese and Germans in order to bring them to heel.

1941 - Congress adopted a joint resolution, permanently setting the date of Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November.

Like Washington and Lincoln, Congress knew this country is blessed, and wanted to have a permanent holiday to acknowledge it.

1997 - In a small but symbolic step, the United States and North Korea held high-level discussions at the State Department for the first time.

It certainly was 'small,' and may have even been 'symbolic,' but like much of the Clinton years, it was useless and produced no fruit...Unless the goal was to supply Dr. Ill with nukes, of course.

1997 - Rep. Joe Knollenberg announced he intended to introduce a bill in the next session that would allow citizens to install toilets with the original size of 3.5 gallons per flush instead of the presently federally mandated 1.6 gallons per flush.

If I want a high powered shitter, I should be able to have one...Why do I need the shit-heads in D.C. to give their approval?

That would be funny if it weren't so damn true.

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 30

1932 - Hermann Goring was elected Chairman of the German Reichstag.

The Nazi strategy of conquering Germany through the ballot-box and constitutional means was truly brilliant.  Even if it wasn't necessarily pursued through peaceful means.

As a result of the Nazis capturing control of the Reichstag, Goring was in the process of dominating the legislative branch, and Hitler the executive. It wasn't long before the charade ended, and they assumed absolute power.

THE NAZIS WERE VOTED IN!!!!!  And took power through legal means.

An amazing fact, which must always be remembered, because under the proper conditions it could happen again...It could happen in the U.S., too.

30 B.C. (Debated date, often listed as August 31) – Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, committed suicide by letting a poisonous snake bite her breast.

Cleopatra was a master politician, and even though she was quite ugly, was able to use the power of seduction to keep Rome at bay for many years...Both Caesar and Mark Antony fell under her spell, but she made the mistake of not choosing the man who eventually won the Roman civil war:  Octavian - soon to be Augustus, Emperor of Rome.

FYI: I hope you know Cleopatra was a Greek/Macedonian, not Egyptian...She descended from the Ptolemaic Dynasty, the Macedonian rulers who succeeded Alexander the Great in Egypt.

She also wasn't Muslim...I shouldn't have to say it, but I'm afraid the insanity of the American education system requires me to.

1146 - European leaders outlawed the crossbow intending to end war for all time.

Ending war has long been a hope, and has been nothing more than a Utopian pipe-dream.

As long as human-beings exist on the planet there will be war...By nature we are animals. It just happens to be that we are animals with the capacity to fight and kill on a much grander scale than any other animal.

1363 - The Battle of Lake Poyang.

Mongol control over China was faltering, and in this great battle - one of the largest naval battles in history - the Mongols took a thorough beating...One of many on the way towards losing their enormous empire in the coming decades.

1941 - The Siege of Leningrad began when Nazi forces cut off the last rail link between Leningrad and the rest of the Soviet Union:  WWII.

This siege was part of the overall battle, and signaled the isolation of Leningrad from the rest of the Soviet Union.

The Germans decimated Leningrad, and the city should have died. Almost a million Soviets did...In fact, more Soviets died in this single battle than Americans died in World War I and II combined.

How the city held out for 2 ½ years is amazing, and a testament to a people with an unconquerable will…I highly recommend you read 'The 900 Days'.

1963 - The 'Hot Line' communication link between Washington and Moscow went into operation.

This is an early warning system in case of an accidental missile launch...Question is, if it ever had to be used would either side believe it was an accident? And how would they react?

1982 - PLO leader Yasir Arafat bid an emotional farewell to Beirut and left for Greece. Carrying a large olive branch, Arafat began his last day in Beirut with a farewell courtesy call on the headquarters of the People's Socialist Party.

Check out this ‘great man of peace’ walking around with an olive branch...Arafat was nothing more than a 'Hitler in a headdress,' and I hope his ’72 virgins’ are goats - male goats.

1995 - NATO forces pounded the Bosnian Serbs with artillery and air attacks in hopes of bludgeoning them into serious peace talks.

How come we never hear from Liberals about Clinton's indiscriminate bombing of 'innocent civilians' in Bosnia and Serbia?? Hmmmm???

Oh, I forgot: Bombs with (R) = Bad, Bombs with (D) = Good...As we've seen with Obama.

1997 - Americans (and others in the Western Hemisphere) learned of the deaths of Princess Diana, her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, and their driver, Henri Paul, in a car crash in a Paris traffic tunnel. Bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones survived. (Because of the time difference, it was the morning of August 31st in Paris when Diana was pronounced dead.)

This event was the second most overblown media event in my lifetime...After O.J., of course.

I feel sorry for these three deaths, but the media coverage was a complete joke.

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.

August 3 (A Double)

1492 - Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain with a convoy of three small ships, the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria, accompanied by fewer than 100 crewmen, beginning a search for a water passage to India and Cathay (China and northeast Asia).

Columbus set sail, but got nowhere near India or Cathay...He caught a much bigger fish - though he didn't know it.

On October 12, he landed at San Salvador Island in the Bahamas, not India, though he thought this was where he landed...I hope you know this is why we call the New World's indigenous people Indians.
 
1914 - Germany declared war on France, and Britain warned the Germans not to invade Belgium: WWI.

By the end of the day, Germany invaded Belgium and Luxembourg...It was the best way to get to France.

World War I was on, and all of the European big dogs were jumping in the fray.

30 B.C. - Mark Antony committed suicide in Alexandria, Egypt, where he was pursued by Octavian after the Battle of Actium.

Antony was lucky to go on his own terms, because Octavian wouldn’t have been very pleasant to deal with.

After Actium there was little doubt Octavian (later Augustus) would become the new ruler of Rome, but Antony’s death sealed the deal and set Rome on a new path - One of empire.

987 - The Count of Paris, Hugh Capet, became king of France, founding the Capetian Dynasty.

The Capetians ruled France from 987-1328, and during this time distanced itself from their Frank-Germanic ties, becoming the French nation we know today...For better or worse.

1942 - Paris police helped German occupation troops round up almost 13,000 Jewish men, women, and children, cramming them into an indoor cycling stadium, interning them in suburban Drancy, and then deporting them to death camps:  WWII.

I can’t be the only one surprised the French took part in the Nazi ‘fun’...After the way they rolled over for the Krauts, the French proved they’d do anything to avoid a fight.

1944 - Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp gassed 4,000 gypsies:  WWII.

The Jews were the primary target of the Nazis, but the, Slavs and Gypsies (Roma) were right behind them...As would have been every non-German people if the 1,000 Year Reich had lasted longer than 12-years.

1948 - Whittaker Chambers, a former Communist, publicly accused former State Department official Alger Hiss of having been part of a Communist underground, a charge Hiss denied.

A CHARGE WHICH WAS CORRECT!!!!

I hope you have read the Venona Papers.

It’s amazing how correct McCarthy (and JFK) were when it came to concerns of Communists in the U.S. Government.

1992 - The U.S. Senate voted to sharply restrict, and eventually end, U.S. testing of nuclear weapons.

What a bunch of fools...Oh well, I guess we’ll have to see how they work in 'real time' if we ever need to launch them on our enemies.

1993 - The U.S. Senate voted 96-3 to confirm Supreme Court nominee Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Ginsburg is one of the most Liberal justice in the history of the Supreme Court, but the Republicans were decent enough to respect tradition, and allow the President to nominate the person of his choice...Even though she is much more Liberal than any of GW Bush or Trump's choices are Conservative.

Not surprisingly, Democrats refuse to accept this tradition and sense of decency.

HOW LIBERAL IS R.B.G? She was the ACLU's General Counsel from 1973-1980, and on the ACLU National Board of Directors from 1974-1980...That’s as Liberal as they come.

Thankfully the Republicans refuse to confirm Obama's last SCOTUS nominee, and forced Justice Gorsuch down the Left's throats...Let's pray Trump gets more choices and picks similar ones to Gorsuch and Kavanaugh.

April 21

735 B.C. - According to Roman historian Varro, Romulus founded the city of Rome.

Of course this date is mythology, but who cares...The story is great, and the Republic/Empire centered on this city was the greatest in the history of the Western world.

The U.S. has done more good than any nation (by a large margin), and is a very close second to Rome in Western history, but must exist and be great for a few more hundred years before it can jump ahead of Rome in overall greatness and importance...This is hard to admit, but is true.

43 B.C. - The Battle of Mutina:  Mark Antony was defeated by Octavian's Republican forces.

From a tactical perspective, Antony didn't lose the battle because he was able to escape encirclement and fight another day...From a strategic perspective, Octavian won the battle because from this point forward he was the acknowledged leader of the Republic - even though the civil war was nowhere near over.

1526 - The Battle of Panipat.

Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur crushed the Lodi Empire, in North India, which established the beginning of the Mughal Empire...Also of note in this battle, it was one of the first on record which involved gunpowder firearms and field artillery.

I am embarrassed to admit my knowledge of the Mughals isn't nearly what it should be, but I do know enough to know they were from Central Asia, descending from Genghis Khan, were superior warriors and engineers, and took India to heights never seen before or after.

1649 - The Maryland Assembly passed the Maryland Toleration Act, guaranteeing freedom of worship for all Christians.

This was the first law of its kind (not just in America, but the entire world)...It wasn’t perfect, and didn’t guarantee absolute freedom of worship, but is important because it was the basis of the 1st Amendment to the Constitution - as it was intended, that is.  Not as it has been interpreted by modern Liberals.

Read the text: Maryland Toleration Act.

1836 - An army of Texans led by Sam Houston defeated the Mexicans at San Jacinto, assuring the independence of Texas. 900 Texans caught 1,200 Mexicans taking a siesta, and the entire confrontation took only 18-minutes.

There would be no more Alamo’s and the Republic of Texas was soon to be a reality…I hope you knew Texas had a period of independence prior to joining the U.S.

1898 - The U.S. declared war on Spain.

"The war of the United States with Spain was very brief. Its results were many, startling, and of world-wide meaning." - Henry Cabot Lodge

It is incredible how Undersecretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt played this event - setting the stage for the future American Empire...And yes, I know most Americans don't understand it is an empire.  Trust me the rest of the world knows it is.

1918 - Baron Manfred von Richthofen, German ace known as the 'Red Baron,' was killed in action during World War I. He is credited with shooting down 80 Allied planes.

Richthofen was an awesome pilot, who was considered the 'Ace of Aces' in WWI. A few interesting tid-bits:

1. When the Red Baron was shot down, his dead body was recovered by the Brits...They had such high respect for him they buried him with full military honors.

2. Richthofen’s wing man was Herman Goering, who eventually succeeded him as commander of the famous Jagdgeschwader 1 (Fighter Wing 1)...He later became the 'Fat Field Marshal,' as Reichsmarshal of the Third Reich.

1956 - Elvis Presley's first hit record 'Heartbreak Hotel' became #1 on the music charts.

Elvis was truly a meteoric figure in American pop-culture - as is proven by his continuing popularity over 60 years after his first hit...There have been few bigger icons, and in the music business only the Beatles and Michael Jackson have been even close to Elvis Presley in popularity.

1998 - Astronomers announced in Washington they discovered possible signs of a new family of planets orbiting a star 220 light-years away, the clearest evidence yet of worlds forming beyond our solar system.

We are not alone...And I have no problem fitting this finding into the 'Evolution from Creation' theory.