January 10

49 B.C. - Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon and invaded Italy, beginning a civil war after being ordered to disband his army three days earlier.

"Alea iacta est!" = “The die is cast.”

Caesar is one of the ten most important people in history, and this day began the path towards his crowning achievement...It was also the beginning of the end of the Roman Republic, which was soon to become the Roman Empire.

1776 - Propagandist Thomas Paine anonymously published 'Common Sense,' a scathing attack on King George III's reign over the American colonies and a call for complete independence.

"O! ye that love mankind! Ye that dare opposed not only the tyranny but the tyrant, stand forth! Every spot of the Old World is overrun with oppression. Freedom hath been hunted around the globe...O! receive the fugitive and prepare in time an asylum for mankind." - T. Paine

Within a year over 500,000 copies of 'Common Sense' were purchased in the Colonies, which proved to be as much a spark for the American Revolution as anything.

Paine was a great man, and a Patriot of the first order...I can’t even express how proud I’d be to be called a modern-day Thomas Paine, who was known as a 'poison pen' during his time.

I admit to stealing this for my 'Blogger name,' and you’ll soon see where the 'Pero' part comes from.

1847 - General Stephen Kearny and Commodore Robert Stockton retook Los Angeles in the last California battle of the Mexican War.

Mexico lost the war, but has never given up the battle of reclaiming its former territory...The Mexican Reconquista has long been underway, and the re-population of the Southwest U.S. is more of a Mexican success than anyone wants to acknowledge.

1901 - Oil was discovered in Texas - at Spindletop Hill, in Beaumont.

A huge state was soon to become an economic monster.

1920 - The League of Nations came into being when the Treaty of Versailles went into effect. The United States did NOT join the League.

The League was an abortion from its very first day, and the U.S. was smart enough to stay out ...We will see this intelligence reversed shortly.

1928 - The Soviet Union ordered the exile of Leon Trotsky.

It's amazing Trotsky wasn’t simply assassinated...Most of Uncle Joe’s rivals met a much quicker death.  Not that Joe didn't eventually kill him.

For those who don’t know, Trotsky was called 'Pero' by Lenin, for his writing ability (Pero = Pen, in Russian)...Although I am no admirer of Trotsky, I admit to stealing this for part of my 'Blog name.'

1944 - The G.I. Bill of Rights was passed by the U.S. Congress. The bill, formally known as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was intended to smooth demobilization for America's almost 16 million servicemen and women.

This is a small token of what this country owes its brave troops.

Unfortunately, some of our current troops joined the military with the intention of doing so ‘just to collect on the benefits’...The reality of the job was not in their minds, and now they are bitching about being called on as warriors.

Luckily, most of our troops are not like these, and joined the military to defend our great nation.

1946 - The League of Nations was officially superseded by the United Nations when the first meeting of the General Assembly began in London.

The U.S. stayed out of the League (rightly), but didn’t have the foresight to stay out of the U.N...Which has proven to be every bit as corrupt and useless as its evil mother.

1967 – PBS (the Public Broadcasting System) began as a 70-station network.

Why is the federal government funding a Liberal propaganda network?

I have no problem with Lefty networks, like CBS, CNN, MSNBC, etc., because they are at least privately funded...The fact PBS is paid for by the American taxpayer is completely absurd.

2003 - North Korea announced it was pulling out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

As if it was following the declaration anyway...Every country should pull out of it (including the U.S), and just do what they are doing.

The next global war will occur in due time anyway, and treaties with participants who refuse to follow them are useless.

January 7 (A Double)

1789 - The first nationwide U.S. presidential election was held. The electors unanimously picked George Washington as President and John Adams as Vice President.

Two better men couldn't have been chosen for the position of President and V.P...It's doubtful anyone will ever surpass Washington in importance in American history, and although Adams was no Washington he was more than up to the task of succeeding Washington eight years later.

Our nation would never have survived without these early leaders, and it's been said a million times: "America has always been blessed with the right man, in the right place, at the right time." - Orignial Author Unknown

Unfortunately, this axiom isn't a guarantee.

1971 - DDT was outlawed by a U.S. Court of Appeals.

It takes a lot for an event to share a day with Washington, but the long term suffering and death caused by this decision puts it right up there in importance.

DDT kills a lot of insects, birds and small animals...But not using it has led to the death of tens of millions of HUMANS.

I'm sure the people of Africa, South America and Asia would rather see animals and bugs die from DDT than their family members from Yellow Fever and other diseases.

I'm also sure it's coincidental (not racist, of course) that Liberals across the planet have chosen to protect the furry little creatures of the world instead of its most destitute people - often 'people of color'...Sure!

49 B.C. - The Roman Senate declared Julius Caesar a public enemy, unless he would disband his army.

Caesar scoffed at this pitiful order...The Republic was on its last legs, and Caesar soon cut them off.

1558 - The Duke de Guise captured Calais for France.

Calais was one of England's last Continental properties, and after hearing the news of the loss Queen Mary I reportedly said: "When I am dead and opened, you shall find 'Calais' lying in my heart."

I'd say getting off the Continent was a blessing for the English, because it forced them to look inward and turn away from the decadence of Europe.

1807 - Responding to Napoleon Bonaparte's attempted blockade of the British Isles, the British blockaded Continental Europe.

Neither the Brit nor French 'blockades' were very successful, and Europe continued to be bled out until Britain was able to put together a strong enough alliance to finally defeat the Emperor.

1934 - Six-thousand pastors in Berlin defied the Nazis insisting they would not be muzzled.

These pastors were brave - they were also out-gunned.

1935 - Fascist Italy and France agreed to protect Austria against Nazi German encroachment.

France has been Germany's whipping-boy since 1870. What made them think they could stop Hitler from taking his homeland?

Italy?  Hahahaha!  Actually, it's pretty sad to think Musso was going be of any help to anyone - other than to Hitler, that is.

1945 - British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery gave a press conference where he all but claimed complete credit for saving the Allied cause in the Battle of the Bulge:  WWII.

Montgomery is a favorite target of ridicule for American historians (myself included), but it is foolish to deny he was a good general...As Churchill rightly noted: "Before Monty the Germans never lost a battle, but after Monty they never won one."

The unstated coincidence is the U.S. entered the war soon after Monty took command in Africa.

For the Field Marshal to make any claim for the success at the Battle of the Bulge was a complete farce, though...If anything, his waste of time at 'Market Garden' made the Battle of the Bulge possible for the Germans, and slowed down the effort in the West so much the Ruskies were able to get to Berlin first.

1951 - Hostile demonstrations welcomed Dwight Eisenhower to Paris during talks on European defense strategy.
Hostile towards Ike?  The man who led the effort to save them from their German overlords?  Par for the course for the Frenchies.

Some have fallen for the Liberal propaganda that France has always been our friend (prior to G.W. Bush, that is)...Think again.

The French have never been our friends:

1. Sure they helped in the Revolutionary War, but they did so to spite Britain, not because they were supporters of liberty or the American colonists.

2. They sold us the Louisiana Territory, but had no choice. France was at war all over Europe and couldn't hold on to its American prize even if they wanted to...Plus, after their defeat in Haiti, Napoleon had to scrap his plans of invading the U.S. But that's not something taught in public school. Hell, it's not even taught in American universities.

3. The French gave us the Statue of Liberty; sort of...A group of French citizens gave it to 'the American people' in France's name, but the French government could have cared less.

4. In WWI, France treated our troops like dogs, and didn't want them there other than as fodder against the Hun.

5. In WWII, France rolled over like a cheap whore for the Germans, and hate the fact the U.S. and Brits saved it from becoming a nation of bars of soap and lampshades.

Etc., etc., etc...They were self-serving bastards then, just as they were in 1951 (not even six years after being liberated), just as they are today.

1953 - President Truman announced in his State of the Union Address, the United States had developed a hydrogen bomb.

This monster has been tested but never used in anger. I wonder who will be the lucky 'first' recipient? Will it be the U.S.?

Who really knows what our enemies have?  Or what our 'friends' will eventually sell to our enemies.

1999 - For only the second time in history, an impeached American president (Bill Clinton) went on trial before the Senate.

The House did its job properly, and so did the Senate...He should have been impeached by the House, and acquitted by the Senate.  I hope you follow this logic.

The threat of impeachment should be held over every public official, and wielded like a hammer...For too long our presidents, representatives, senators, judges, and bureaucrats have acted without fear of repercussion. The Constitution has specific means for protecting the 'people' from these officials and it is Congress' duty to use impeachment as needed to protect the people.

Unfortunately, many government officials have long since ended the promise of working for and protecting the people, and now simply work for and protect themselves and their friends.

November 30

30 BC - Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, committed suicide.

After Caesar's death, Cleopatra had to pick a Roman ally to keep her crown, but the queen hitched herself to the wrong star, choosing to take Marc Antony as her lover instead of Octavian. Not that he wanted her...She is lucky she killed herself, however, because it would have been worse had the future Emperor gotten hold of her.

Off topic, but on subject: I hope you know Cleopatra was a Greek/Macedonian, not an Egyptian - from the Ptolemaic Dynasty, which was founded by Ptolemy I Soter - one of Alexander the Great's generals.

1016 - Edmund II, Ironsides, King of the Saxons, died. 

Edmund's death meant the end of Anglo-Saxon rule in England, since Canute, King of Denmark, succeeded him adding England to his kingdom.

Canute ruled for almost 20-years, and England floundered around for another 30 until Norman prince William the Conqueror came in and ended successful invasions of the British Isles forever.

1216 - Pope Innocent III ordered Jews to wear a special badge.

Sounds like Der Fuhrer 700+ years later.

1485 - Henry VII was crowned King of England.

Henry was the victor of the English Civil War (War of the Roses), founder of the Tudor Dynasty, and father of the monarchic mess that was 16th Century England...He was also a financial genius, who put England on track towards empire.

1554 - Roman Catholicism was briefly restored to England as the official state religion, under the reign of Mary Tudor - daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon.

Better known as 'Bloody Mary,' the Queen was an absolute Catholic, and a proponent of close English ties with the Continent - particularly Spain. Neither endeared her to the English people...As a result, Mary burned at least 300 Protestant leaders at the stake, and generally made life miserable for her English subjects.

1804 - The impeachment trial of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase, accused of political bias, began.

Unfortunately, Chase was acquitted, because his guilt is undeniable.

The importance of this event is to remember Congress has the power to 'check' the Judiciary, and must do so if a justice is acting outside the scope of their position.

It's too bad the current group in Congress doesn't have the testicular fortitude to hold our current judges to the same standard...Hint: 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

1948 - The division of Berlin was complete and the Soviets installed a Communist government in the Soviet sector.

40+ years of suffering followed for the East Germans.

Had the U.S. entered WWII in 1939-40 we would have beaten the Ruskies to Germany...Instead FDR chose politics over statesmanship, and kept the U.S. out of the war until we were drawn in by the Japanese in 1941.

Much suffering (including our own) was the result.

1950 - President Truman declared the United States would use the atom bomb to get peace in Korea:  Korean War.

Big talk, but no boom! A big mistake...I'm not going to say he should have used an atomic bomb on the Chinese (not going to say he shouldn't have either), but he shouldn't have said he'd do it if he couldn't pull the trigger.

1995 - It was reported global warming over the last 100-years was measured to be one degree Fahrenheit.

One stinking degree. What a bunch of pseudo-scientific psychos...Either that or anarchists with a political ax to grind.

September 28

1066 - William, Duke of Normandy, landed at Pevensey, Sussex, and began the Norman conquest of England.

The English were about to get a rude awakening...That said, English history was about to change its path from one of being average to one of being great.

Amazingly, William’s was the last successful invasion of the British Isles. Also, in order to understand the history of Western Europe, you must understand the importance of the 'Norman Invasion.'

The Duchy of Normandy was the most powerful of all the semi-independent French lands in the 11th-12th Centuries. In 1066, William invaded and invested England, but didn’t give up his French holdings in Normandy...Which led to many future problems concerning French and English dynastic successions, because the French couldn’t accept an English monarch ruling any part of France. Nor could either country have the other making claims on its throne.

As a result, the battle over this territory was waged for centuries, and the enmity between the two lasted well into the 19th Century.

48 B.C. - After landing in Egypt, Pompey was murdered on the orders of Ptolemy.

The Egyptians knew they had to kill Pompey. Either that or be overrun and killed themselves by Julius Caesar.

FYI: I hope you know Egypt was ruled by Greeks/Macedonians (Ptolemaic Dynasty) at this time...Please understand the Ancient Egyptians disappeared a long time before this and the modern Arab Muslims were in the future.

1106 - The Battle of Tinchebrai: King Henry of England defeated his brother Robert, reuniting England and Normandy.

See 1066...This was a continuation of the Anglo-Franco-Norman problem created by William the Conqueror.

1781 - The Siege of Yorktown Heights began: American Revolutionary War.

9,000 American troops and a French fleet of 7,000 forces attacked the British in what was the final battle of the Revolutionary War...The War of Independence was almost over, but the battle of founding a new nation was only beginning.

1920 - In baseball's biggest scandal, a grand jury indicted eight players of the Chicago White Sox for throwing the 1919 World Series with the Cincinnati Reds.

"Say it ain't so, Joe! Say it ain't so."

1996 - Asteroid 1991 CS passed closer than five million miles from Earth.

Make no mistake, Earth's days are numbered...The number may be in the billions of years, or maybe in minutes, but there will definitely be an eventual end.

1997 - Swiss voters overwhelmingly endorsed their government's liberal drug policies, including the controversial state distribution of heroin to hardened addicts.

By this same logic, they should hand out guns and knifes to 'hardened' criminals...Bunch of degenerate Euros.

August 26

1346 - The Battle of Crecy:  Hundred Years War - England v. France.

Crecy was a turning point in military history and one of the most decisive victories ever for a force with far inferior numbers: The English had about 9,000 troops compared to the French 27,000, yet the English crushed the French.

The English had two weapons which changed warfare forever, ending the age of the armored knight and marking the beginning of the end of chivalry: The longbow and the cannon.

Longbows had been in use by many nations, but none used it as effectively in mass as the English did.

Small hand-cannons had been in use for awhile in Europe, and for centuries in China, but Crecy marks the first time in history where field cannons were used in battle...They were crude and quite small, but none-the-less a powerful weapon, and one which was coveted by every nation from this point on.

The use of the longbow in mass along with cannons made armor a pretty useless form of defense and also increased the volume of the killing field...The use of cannons also spelled the end of the effective defensive use of castles and other traditional walled defenses.

55 B.C. - Roman forces under Julius Caesar invaded Britain.

Caesar was well on his way toward conquering Gaul, and needed another challenge...He also needed another source of enhancing his revenue and reputation.

Never forget, Caesar was the least known and accomplished of the Triumvirs:  Pompey, Crassus and Caesar...He had to prove his worth to the Roman people, and had the military skill to do just that.

Also, it's important to know the Romans never conquered Britain...They subjugated parts of the south, but never held a firm rule.

580 - The Chinese invented toilet paper.

I'd say this is worth noting...Must have been a shitty world before this time.

1278 - The Battle of Marchfeld: Rudolf of Habsburg defeated Ottokar II.

This was one of the many battles between the Turks and the Austrians, and wouldn't normally be of note...What makes this battle important is it's considered the beginning of the slow incline in Habsburg political influence.

1914 - The Battle of Tannenberg ended (began August 17): WWI.  The German Eighth Army defeated the Russian Army.

Tannenberg was one of the first large battles in WWI...The Germans won handily.

Hindenburg and Ludendorff proved to be far superior to any Russian field commander, but it also didn't hurt that the Ruskies transmitted their battle plans over radio-waves, and didn't bother to encrypt them so the Germans wouldn't know their plan...Doh!

1957 - The Soviet Union announced it successfully tested an inter-continental ballistic missile.

Global Reach = Global Power!

1993 - Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman and 14 co-defendants entered innocent pleas in federal court a day after their indictment on charges of conspiring to wage terrorism against the United States.

I thought the Islamists didn’t hate the U.S. until 'W' took power? Hmmm. Must be a mistake here...NOT!

August 9 (A 5'er)

480 B.C. - The Battle of Thermopylae ended (began August 7 - though some calendar systems list it as September 8-10).

The Persians won the battle and should have won the war, which would have drastically altered the history of the West...But the Persians had no way of knowing what waited for them at 'The Hot Gates' - Leonidas and the prowess of Sparta, 300 Lacedaemonians strong.

The Persian Empire was history's first great empire, by far the strongest nation in the Middle/Near East and Europe at the time, and invaded Greece with the intention of conquest through the weight of an estimated million man fighting force...Defending the Thermopylae Pass against this invading force the Spartans fought with an estimated strength of 3000 men (300 Spartans and 2700 allies).

Needless to say, the Persians didn't have a million troops but they had far more than the Spartans, and there was no way the Spartans could overcome such odds in this battle, but they did enough to help Greece win the war...At the Battle of Thermopylae, the Spartans put up one of the greatest defensive holding battles in history, which gave the Greeks enough time - and will - to mount a nationwide defensive force and also eliminated the best Persian troops:  The Immortals.

This battle is one of the classics of all time, and I can't tell you how much I recommend you read 'Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae' and see the movie '300'.

48 B.C. - The Battle of Pharsalus: Julius Caesar defeated Pompey.

Caesar chased Pompey all over the Mediterranean world, and was on the verge of crushing his force...Pompey was lucky to escape to Egypt after this battle, but his days were numbered and it didn't take long for the Egyptians to murder him in order to win favor with Caesar.

378 - The Battle of Adrianople: Visigoth Calvary crushed a Roman Army.

The Roman Empire was in a steady state of decline, but at this battle the empire showed it was in it's death-throws.

The Visigoths annihilated the Roman force in the battle, which had the effect of forever opening the eastern portion of the Roman Empire to a tidal wave of Goths, Huns, Vandals, Franks, etc. - barbarian invaders.

1945 (11:02 am, local time) - The United States exploded a nuclear device over Nagasaki, killing an estimated 74,000 people:  WWII.

The 'Fat Man' hit Nagasaki, forcing the Japanese Empire to finally consider capitulating to the overwhelming force of the U.S...A force which they brought on themselves. Please keep this in mind.

Also keep in mind the horrendous damage and loss of life which would have happened had the U.S. invaded Japan instead of ending the war with the atom bombs: MacArthur and Nimitz would have bombed the hell out of Japan Proper from the sea and air, and then sent in the artillery and infantry to finish the war...A reality which would have caused millions of Japanese deaths, and also completely destroyed the infrastructure and historical landmarks of Japan as well.

Oh, and the Ruskies would have swooped in from the north, looking for a little payback for the loss of their navy in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05)...Never minimize the importance of this in the mind of the Japanese decision to surrender.

1974 - President Richard Nixon formally resigned as President of the United States. Gerald R. Ford became the nation's 38th president.

Nixon is a disgrace, and it's too bad because he was on the verge of being one of America's better presidents...But he let his fears and emotions get the best of him, and vowed to never be cheated again as he was in 1960 by John F. Kennedy and the mob.

What's really sad is Nixon didn't need to pull 'tricks', because there was no way he was going to lose the election in 1972.

Luckily, Ford was a good man who was able to keep the pieces together for the shaken nation...Even though he was the lamest of lame duck presidents in history.

1378 - The election of Urban VI as Pope was declared null when the College of Cardinals declared him a lawless, anti-Christian, devil.

Papal politics has always been brutal, but never as bad as during the Middle Ages...Urban wasn't the first scoundrel-pope, and also wasn't the last.

1790 - The 'Columbia' returned to Boston Harbor after a three-year voyage, becoming the first ship to carry the American Flag around the world.

The new nation was trumpeting its existence, but hadn't yet proved it could last over time...Luckily, the success of the Columbia has been matched by the brilliance and greatness of the future United States of America.

1842 - The Webster-Ashburton Treaty between the U.S. and Britain was signed, establishing the boundary between the U.S. and Canada from Maine to the Great Lakes.

Prior to this time, the U.S. and British contested the divide between Canada and the U.S...I often wonder if Canadians secretly wish the line could have been further north, or if it had become part of the U.S. itself?

March 27

30 - Jesus was condemned to be crucified by Pontius Pilate. The date, which is highly uncertain, is said to have been set down on a copper plate discovered in 1810, in the ancient city of Aquileia.

Is it the real date or not? This question has no importance, because the event and the effect of the event is what's important...Something to keep in mind for every event.

And this was an event of monumental importance - regardless of one's religious, or lack of religious, persuasion.

47 B.C. - Ptolemy XII, King of Egypt and brother of Cleopatra, drowned in the Nile, probably with an assist by Julius Caesar, who thereby made Cleopatra queen.

Cleopatra was one of the most influential and important woman in the ancient world.

She wasn’t overly beautiful, in fact she was pretty ugly by modern standards, but was a renown seducer of Rome’s most powerful leaders...Unfortunately for her and her country, she chose the wrong leader to seduce after Caesar’s death, and created a personal death-wish by attaching herself to the star of Marc Antony instead of Octavian - not that Octavian was interested.

1513 - Spaniard Juan Ponce de Leon discovered Florida.

The Spanish were far ahead of their European peers in the New World, and the discovery of Florida gave them a head start in the conquest of North America...Luckily they didn't get far into the area of the modern-day U.S., because the areas across the globe which were ruled by Spain have proven to be a mess.

A couple questions I've long pondered:  Did the Spanish ruin these areas, or were the Spanish just unlucky to have landed in ruined areas?  Or was it Catholicism which ruined the areas?

It's an impossible question to answer, but the answer is probably the combination of Spanish Catholicism - along with the fact the Spanish conquered areas with near-Stone Age cultures.

1794 - U.S. President George Washington and Congress authorized the formation of the U.S. Navy.

Six small frigates were the original mandate, but within 150-years this pathetic little band of ships evolved into the greatest naval power in the history of the world.

1802 - The Treaty of Amiens ended the Wars of the French Revolution.

This sounds like a big event, but all it is is a starting point for the Napoleonic Wars...Which were nothing less than a continuation of the Revolution.

1933 - Japan withdrew from the League of Nations.

Four years later they began WWII by invading China.

Japanese encroachment was terribly predictable. It was also logical in the Japanese mind...Japan is such a small nation, with few natural resources, that if it was to become a great nation it had to extend to and through its neighbors.

1940 - Heinrich Himmler ordered the building of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp:  WWII.

Another big day for the ‘Chicken Farmer.’

Has any other man in history ever risen from such a low social status to affect the lives of so many? Maybe his boss (Hitler), Stalin and Mao, but after that, there haven’t been many.

1941 - The U.S. Congress authorized $7 billion in Lend-Lease aid to Russia in fighting Germany, another $6 billion on October 28 and an additional $10 billion on December 15 for Lend-Lease and U.S. armed forces:  WWII.

Of course it was the right thing to do, just as it was the right thing to help Iraq in the 1980’s against Iran...Choosing ‘strange bedfellows’ is a constant balancing act for any decent nation.  The key is to always choose the correct bedfellows.

1958 - Nikita Khrushchev became Soviet Premier and First Secretary of the Communist Party.

Nikki had been the major power broker in the USSR since September 1953, but like every dictator he loved the acquisition of titles...Plus, claiming the premiership limited the opportunity of his political enemies, which were numerous.

1997 - Heaven's Gate Suicide:  39 members of the Heaven's Gate cult were found dead.

I have to admit I encourage this behavior for nuts of all kinds.

2001 - A federal judge ruled the University of Michigan’s affirmative action policy was invalid.

Of course 'Reverse Racism' is wrong...But this country has long gone away from the concept of right an wrong.

The problem is: Why should millions (like myself) be negatively affected because of the actions of those in the past? How is it my poor, pathetic, Scots-Irish ancestors did any wrongs which need to be righted in our current time?

March 21

47 B.C. - Julius Caesar defeated Ptolemy XII, Cleopatra's brother and rival, at Alexandria, Egypt.

I hope you aren't misinformed enough to think Cleopatra was an Egyptian...Many don’t know any better, and others like to falsely push this ridiculous idea. But please don't fall prey to historical ignorance. Even though it's likely not your fault, because the Liberal American education system probably led you there.

Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 B.C., and between the time of his death and Roman occupation Egypt was ruled by the Ptolemaic Dynasty, founded by Ptolemy (one of Alexander’s generals)...Therefore Cleopatra was a Macedonian/Greek, not an Egyptian by any means.

Oh, and the Egyptians of this time were over 600 years from becoming Muslim, as well.

630 - Heraclius recovered the 'True Cross' from the Persians.

The True Cross is the cross which Jesus was crucified on.

Heraclius was a Byzantine Emperor, and who knows if his claim of capturing the Cross is true or not...Either way it was a rallying cry against the Persians, as many other relics would be in the future against the Muslims.

1804 - The Code Napoleon (Code Civil des Françaises), drafted by Boulay de la Meurthe and others, went into force throughout France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and French colonies. The code combined Roman Law with some of the radical reforms brought by the French Revolution with respect to conditions affecting the individual, tenure of property, order of inheritance, mortgages, contracts, and the like.

In other words, it attempted to Americanize the French legal system - sort of...The American colonies had such systems long before this time.

1965 - More than 3,000 civil rights demonstrators led by Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. began their march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. More than 25,000 people joined in the march by the time the marchers reached Montgomery, Alabama.

This was one of the high points of the Civil Rights Era, and an event which continued Dr. King's 'march' towards becoming one of the most important Americans in history...It's too bad his brand of civil rights activism was exterminated with his death, because it was replaced by a much less productive version - one which focused on differences and hate more than similarities and love.

March 17

45 B.C. - The Battle of Munda: Julius Caesar defeated the Pompeians, led by two sons of Pompey the Great, who lost over 30,000 men.

This was the last great battle between Caesar and the forces of Pompey, and its victory set the stage for Caesar’s triumphant return to Rome, his accession as dictator, his assassination, and the end of the Roman Republic.

461 - According to tradition, St. Patrick (patron saint of Ireland) died in Saul.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

1040 - Harold I Harefoot, King of England, died, and was succeeded by Hardthacanute, King of Denmark.

As an island nation the Brits were destined to be a seafaring people, but it wasn’t until the Danes and Normans took the throne that the English began to establish their excellence at sea.

1649 - The English Parliament abolished the office of king.

This didn't last long...In 1660 England reestablished the monarchy, but made sure the position was set up with limitations.

1776 - Having seized Dorchester Heights, George Washington forced the British troops under William Howe to evacuate Boston:  U.S. Revolutionary War.

This victory was tactically minute, but huge strategically, because the Revolution could never have been successful without Boston or Philly.

1861 - A new united Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed by parliament with Victor Emmanuel II as king.

After 1400 years of getting their asses handed too them by the Spanish, French and Austrians/Germans, the Italians finally agreed to unite...Unfortunately, the Italians haven’t been able to repeat their past greatness and remain one of Europe's crappers.

1894 - The United States and China signed a treaty aimed at preventing Chinese laborers from entering the United States.

Neither side did much to enforce the treaty.  Much like our current immigration laws.

1945 - The Battle of Iwo Jima ended in victory for the United States:  WWII.

Iwo Jima is one of the greatest WWII battles in the Pacific Theatre. The Japanese almost fought to the last man (21,000 of 22,000 soldiers died in the battle), and the U.S. victory signaled the end of effective Japanese fighting...From here out, the U.S. thoroughly pounded Japan.

1966 - A U.S. midget submarine located a missing hydrogen-bomb which had fallen from an American bomber into the Mediterranean off Spain.

Read that again: A 'missing hydrogen-bomb' = A weapon at least 20-times more powerful than an atom-bomb laying around in the sea.

How do hydrogen-bombs go missing?  Has it happened again?

2003 - President George W. Bush delivered an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein: “leave Iraq within 48-hours or face an attack.”

He wasn’t kidding...Thank you for doing your job President Bush. It's unfortunate your predecessors didn’t have the balls to do it earlier, and also that we gave Saddam months to move his toys. Better late than never, though.

Unfortunately, we stuck around trying to make a Middle Eastern nation in our image...We should have left, and let them figure it out their own way - with the knowledge we'd return if they, their friends or their supporters ever messed with us again.

March 15

44 B.C. - The 'Ides of March': Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in the Roman Senate by a group of conspirators led by Cimber, Casca, Cassius, and Marcus Junius Brutus.

The Roman Republic had been in a steady process of collapse, and Caesar was on the verge of ending it.  The senators who assassinated Caesar thought killing him might save the once mighty republic - at least that was their claim...In reality, they simply wanted a bigger role in the nation's power structure.

Their hopes were crushed, however, because the great man's death simply led to another civil war, and the accession of Augustus.  Which ultimately ended the 'Republic' and created the 'Empire.'

493 - Odoacer the Barbarian, King of Italy, was killed by Theodoric the Ostrogoth (another barbarian).

Odoacer put an end to the succession of Roman emperors, but truth be told he had hopes of claiming the imperial title himself.

Unfortunately for Odoacer, the multitude of Germanic tribes were in no mood to be ruled by anyone and required many years before a semblance of order was re-established in Italy...Theordoric was the ruler who finally got things under control.

1781 - The Battle of Guilford Court House: American Revolution.

The Brits had been pursuing a different strategy of taking the war to the south, in an attempt to pick up colonies believed to be more loyal to the crown than those in the north...And the strategy worked for awhile.

At Guilford Court House, the Brits technically won the battle, but it was 'Pyrrhic':  "Another such victory would ruin the British Army." - Charles James Fox (British Whig Party Leader)

1869 - The Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first professional baseball team.

A great game was in its early years, and this first pro team set the stage for the foundation of the 'major leagues':  The American League and National League, which eventually combined to make Major League Baseball.

1912 - Pitcher Cy Young retired from baseball with 511 wins.

He also retired with 316 losses.

It's unlikely anyone will catch Young's record for wins or losses.  Actually, it's almost an impossibility, because it would require 25-years of 20 wins per year in an era when few pitchers win 20 in any year.  It would also take 20-years of 15 losses per year, which would be impossible because a pitcher who kept losing 15 games per year would never make it 20 years in the league.

The second winningest pitcher ever is Walter Johnson with 417, and the modern-era pitcher with the most is Greg Maddux with 355 - neither got close to Young...So, his marks are probably the safest records in all American sports.

For that matter, it's unlikely anyone will even get to Johnson's 400 wins.

1916 - President Woodrow Wilson sent 12,000 U.S. troops under General Pershing into Mexico to capture revolutionary leader Pancho Villa, who had staged several cross-border raids.

Can you imagine if the modern press was around back then? They would have blasted President Wilson for not doing enough to catch Pancho, who was never captured.

It takes an incredible amount of luck to catch one man on the run in a foreign land (his own land), where the populace will defend and hide him...As we found out with Bin Laden.

1917 – Nicholas II, last Czar of Russia, was forced to abdicate his throne (March 2, Old Style Calendar).

Nikki and his family were lucky three days earlier the Mensheviks abolished the death penalty...The Bolsheviks wouldn't have given him such a break.

Those unfamiliar with the Revolution should know it wasn’t until September 1917 that Lenin and the Bolsheviks began taking control of the Revolution. The Mensheviks were the ones who saved the Czar, but Lenin made sure the ‘Last Czar’ would shortly be dead.

1928 - Benito Mussolini altered the Italian electoral system:  He abolished the right to choose.

That would be funny if it wasn't.

1944 - The German-held Italian town of Monte Cassino was devastated by Allied bombs:  WWII.

War is Hell, and nothing should be off-limits when it comes to victoriously ending a war...Especially if an objective is vital and will save the lives of American troops.

I find it humorous, and completely disingenuous, to hear the same jackasses who cry about the destruction of this monastery complaining about the evils of religion...They don’t care about Monte Cassino, they just want to bitch about the use of force.

1988 - Paul Simon defeated Jesse Jackson in the Illinois Democratic primary.

Hahaha! Jesse couldn’t even beat a ‘pop-singer’ in his own home-state...Alright, he didn’t lose to ‘that’ Paul Simon, but what’s the difference?

1993 - Searchers found the body of the sixth and last missing victim of the World Trade Center bombing in New York.

We often say we will ‘never forget 9/11/01’, but most have long forgotten the first attempt on the WTC...Americans are a people of short memories, and our enemies are counting on our historical negligence.

Have you forgotten??  I'm sure the Jihadis haven't.