February 24

1868 - The U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Andrew Johnson following his attempted dismissal of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton.  Johnson was later acquitted by the Senate.

1. Many think Nixon was the first impeached president, but this is incorrect. He resigned before he was impeached.

2. Some think Clinton was the first to be impeached...Obviously Johnson beat him to it.

3. Most Americans don’t understand the impeachment process, and think impeachment equals termination from office...The House can impeach, but it takes the Senate to convict and terminate a President’s position.

The Liberal education-thought-police (American KVCh) has bastardized our school systems to the point that we have a bunch of Americans with no understanding of history or civics, and it has been done intentionally...Which is why you must read my blog posts every day.

*For those wondering what the KVCh was.  It was a re-education department in the Soviet Union:  Kulturno-vospitatelnaya chast (Cultural Education Department)...In other words, a propaganda and brain-washing organ.

American Liberals would love nothing more than to be able to establish such a tool...Not that T.V., the movies and our piss-poor education system haven't done a pretty good job of it.

1510 - Pope Julius II excommunicated Venice.

No there wasn't some guy named 'Venice,' the pope was so arrogant he excommunicated the entire republic of Venice...Such was the insanity of the Papacy at this time.  Which is part of the reason the Reformation soon followed.

1582 - Pope Gregory XIII issued a papal bull outlining his calendar reforms, which led to the Gregorian Calendar  the calendar in general use today.

There have been many calendar reforms throughout history, and each was made to correct mistakes in previous systems...Unfortunately, these reforms have also created chaos for historians trying to be precise in dating events. Which is why the important thing to remember about history is events and their results, not their exact dates.

1914 - Weeks v. United States: the U.S. Supreme Court gave birth to the 'exclusionary rule': "Evidence seized illegally by the police is excluded."

No doubt this was created to help legitimate victims, but has been twisted to include the exclusion of necessary and proper investigative police work...And Red-Diaper-Doper-Baby-Lawyers (MS) love it.

1920 - A group of Germans organized the National Socialist Party, forerunner of the Nazi party later led by Adolf Hitler.

Incredibly, within 13-years they had their Fuhrer...Within 20-years they ruled most of Europe.

1933 - The League of Nations told the Japanese to pull out of Manchuria.

Japan acted as anyone given an order by the modern-day League of Nations (the U.N.) does...They laughed as loud as they could and flipped them the bird.

Nothing has changed, and history continues to repeat itself...Can you imagine the Hell-hole the world would be without the U.S.? Who else could have saved the world in WWII (Europe and E. Asia), ended Soviet Communism, etc., etc?

THE FRENCH?!?!?! HAHAHAHA!!

1961 - President Kennedy accepted "sole responsibility" for the Bay of Pigs fiasco.

Of course the CIA screwed up the operation, but Kennedy was man enough to accept his role as Commander-in-Chief.

That said, it's disgusting communist Cuba sits offshore from Florida, and the 'Bay of Pigs' invasion should have been followed up with as many more invasions as it took to end Castro’s reign...This should go for every communist country in the Western Hemisphere.

1989 - A 150,000,000-year old fossil egg containing the oldest known dinosaur embryo was discovered in Utah.

I’m surprised a Mengelian hasn’t tried to mix this DNA with a human to make a Humano-Saurus Rex...Bunch of moral degenerates.

1994 - Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders labeled smoking an "adolescent addiction," and accused the tobacco industry of trying to convince teenagers that cigarettes will make them sexy and successful.

And then she went on a campaign to legalize marijuana...Such is the insanity of Liberalism.

1997 - U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright met in Beijing with Chinese officials, telling them to improve their country's record on human rights, or face condemnation by the United States and its allies.

I bet the Chinese were scared to death at the prospect of ‘Halfbright’ threatening 'condemnation.'

January 11

532 - The Nika Revolt: A general revolt against Byzantine emperor Justinian.

This event wasn't a revolution - it was a massive riot. One of the largest in history...It almost destroyed Justinian, which would have likely brought on a much quicker downfall of the Byzantine Empire - which was nothing less than a continuation of the Roman Empire in the East.

Luckily, Justinian's wife, Theodora, helped him 'keep his head' and gave him the inner strength to put down the riot...Not only did Justinian survive the riot, ending up the greatest Byzantine emperor, but he rebuilt Constantinople which helped strengthen the empire enough to last another 1000 years.

1879 - The Zulu War began:  South African colonials vs. Britain.

Shaka was dead, but he trained his people well...Unfortunately for the Zulus, the Brits were also trained, and had modern weapons.

1922 - Insulin was first used to treat diabetes. Leonard Thompson, from Canada, was the first patient.

Diabetes is a horrible disease, and it's hard to imagine what it would be like without the genius of such medicines.

1923 - France and Belgium occupied the Ruhr as a way to collect reparations from Germany.

I hope they collected plenty because the Ruhr was quickly reclaimed by Germany when Hitler took power, and the Germans soon returned to France and Belgium...Payback-for-payback is a bitch.

1929 - In the Soviet Union, the Bolsheviks officially reduced the workday to seven hours.

Hahahahaha!!! Those silly communists had such a way with words.

I bet if you asked any person who lived in the Soviet system how long their workday was they’d say much longer than seven hours a day...Maybe they meant seven before lunch and seven after lunch.

Oops.  I forgot, lunch was a myth, too.

1943 - The Soviet Red Army encircled Stalingrad:  WWII.

Hitler's army was enveloped, and his insistence on capturing Stalingrad was about to end in disaster...German Field Marshall von Paulus surrendered shortly after this, and the Soviet rout was on.

1944 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in his 'State of the Union,' proposed a National Service Act and a new set of rights, including: a right to a job, a right of decent income to farmers, a right to a decent home, a right to medical care, etc.

Sounds like FDR was proposing the U.S. become Utopia. Unfortunately, for Liberals, America is a place situated in 'REALITY,' and is based on 'LIBERTY,' not 'EQUALITY.'

We have the freedom (Liberty) to make our lot in life. We are not owed anything except opportunity, and Equality isn’t an attainable goal, or even a goal worth wanting, because the only way to make everyone Equal is to make everyone 'MISERABLE.'

Incredibly, President Obama attempted to revive FDR's silly program...Which led to the electoral disasters of 2010-2016 for Democrats - ultimately giving rise to the presidency of Donald Trump.

1989 - 140 nations agreed to ban chemical weapons.

How many have kept this agreement?  Did the U.S. keep it?

2000 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled state employees cannot go into federal court to sue over age bias.

This sounds like a simple ‘states rights’ issue, but some cried because they’d rather have their 'Uncle' (Sam) control everything...Most notably the federal courts, and their Liberal agenda.

2002 - The first al-Qaeda prisoners arrived at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

I'm so glad President Obama is using his last days in office freeing these poor prisoners...I'm sure we'll be much safer for such actions.

January 3

1868 - The Meiji Restoration.

The authority of Japan's emperor was re-established, ending the Shogun period of military rulers. The feudal clan system was also abolished, industrialization started, and Japan opened itself up to the West - thereby obtaining the benefits of Western technology.

The Shogunate was replaced, but their militarist system wasn’t...Instead it was expanded, and ceased to limit itself to the Japanese islands.  In a short period of time (1905 - Russia, 1937 - China, 1941 - U.S. and British Empire, etc.), the world would find out just how much Japan ceases limiting itself.

1521 - Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Catholic Church.

Excommunication is a terrible sentence for any Catholic - especially in the 1500’s...Luther was condemned to Hell, and more or less evicted from the 'community of man.'

Lucky for Luther, there were plenty who were as disgusted with the Church as he was, and even more important there were enough German princes who were jealous of the power of the Holy Roman Empire and the Church who were willing to provide protection for him...Without the help of these princes, Luther would have died very shortly after this date, and the Protestant Reformation would have likely died with him.

1565 - Ivan the Terrible threatened to abdicate the Russian throne.

'Terrible' he was, but he was also a great Russian leader...At least by the standards of the time. As such, he was begged to stay, which cost the Russian nobility greatly, but saved the Russian nation from its neighbors.

1777 - The Battle of Princeton: American Revolution.  The Continental Army, commanded by General George Washington, defeated the British at Princeton, New Jersey.

The Battle of Princeton had little tactical value, but was a strategic victory because it was a huge moral boost for the Colonial cause.  As a result, recruitment for the revolution increased.

1920 - The New York Yankees purchased Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox for $125,000.

Not only is this the worst trade in the history of American sports, but it is the beginning of the greatest dynasty (Yankees) and one of the worst curses (Red Sox) in American sports.

1925 – Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini dissolved the Italian Parliament and announced he was assuming dictatorial powers in Italy.

Italy was ripe for a strongman, and Mussolini was such a man.  Oh, and the 'trains ran on time'...Unfortunately for Italy, ‘Il Duce’ also proved to be a nut, and made a huge mistake joining with the even more nutty lunatics to the north - Nazi Germany.

1930 - The Second Conference on War Reparations began in the Hague.

The French decided they needed to bleed Germany a little more for their actions in WWI...Another in the long line of events leading to the Nazi’s and WWII.

1932:  Martial law was declared in Honduras to stop a revolt of workers fired by United Fruit.

Ever wonder where the term "banana republic" came from?

1938:  The March of Dimes was established to fight polio.

Less than 20 years later a polio vaccine was created...I have no doubt we could cure many of our current diseases just as successfully if the political and regulatory chains were taken off.  And if there wasn't such tremendous fear of lawsuits due to negative reactions to new medications.

1961 - The United States severed diplomatic relations with Cuba after Fidel Castro announced he was a Communist.

Eisenhower was a good man, a great general, and an above-average president…Unfortunately, his presidency will always be tainted with the establishment of a Communist country next door.

He was a lame duck president, but he and Kennedy should have worked out a way to eliminate this problem.

1973:  George Steinbrenner bought the New York Yankees for $12 million.

As of 2017, the Yankees estimated worth is over $3 billion...A pretty fair deal for the 'Boss.'

January 1

1356 - The Pope published the 'Golden Bull' ('Bulla Aurea').

This was a very important document, which more or less acted as a ‘semi-constitution’ for the Holy Roman Empire. It stated each emperor would be chosen by election, the right of voting being vested in electoral princes (electors).

The reality of the electoral process was much more messy than this great edict wished, however, setting the stage for 500-years of political intrigue and wars for control of Central Europe...Lands which were in a perpetual state of infighting until Napoleon broke them in the early 1800's, and the German Empire was created in 1870.

5777 B.C. - Origin of the Solar Cycle.

4713 B.C. - Origin of the Julian Period.

45 B.C. - The Julian Calendar was introduced.

1 - The Christian Era began.

Different calendars throughout history are a source of much confusion among historians - as should be expected considering there are at least 30 different calendar systems in use in our day...Imagine trying to figure out exact dating on any of these, let alone extinct calendar systems.

On this blog, I do my best to use the accepted dates in the Western world...Which is where the initials A.D. come from - 'anno Domini' = 'in the year of our Lord.'

404 - The last gladiator competition in Rome.

I can't lie, I would have watched and enjoyed these games.

1610 - Simon Marius, a German astronomer, discovered the moons of Jupiter.

Marius should have officially reported this finding; instead Galileo claimed the finding on July 1 of the same year.

1863 - The Emancipation Proclamation, declared the previous September by Abraham Lincoln, took effect. It declared freedom for slaves in all areas of the Confederacy still in rebellion against the Union.

The North had very little control of the South at this time, which means there was no effective way of putting this proclamation into force...That said, the proclamation was an excellent political tool for Lincoln, as well as an additional battle-cry for the North.

1902 - The first Rose Bowl game.  Michigan crushed Stanford, 49-0.

The 'grand-daddy of them all' started a fantastic tradition of college football bowl games.

1906 - The British Parliament curtailed immigration for the insane, impoverished, criminal and diseased.

You'd think this would be common sense.  You'd think the U.S. would have a similar policy...And then you'd remember immigration has become more a tool to control the native population than one to help it - from both American political parties.

1912 - The Chinese Republic was founded by Sun Yat-sen.

China has never had anything near a republic, and certainly nothing resembling a democracy.  That said, Chinese civilization has been as successful as any in the history of mankind and I am not here to say they do it wrong.

1920 - The League of Nations convened for the first time.

This worked just about as well as the U.N. has.

1920 - The 'Great Raid of the Red Scare': 'Radicals' were arrested in 33 U.S. cities.

They could round up many more 'Reds' if they'd just go to each city's modern-day DNC headquarters.

1934 - Germany passed the "Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring."

It wasn't long till they started considering anyone who wasn't German to be 'diseased.'

1946 - Japanese Emperor Hirohito rejected the notion the emperor is a living god and the notion the Japanese are superior to other races and destined to govern the world.

A thorough 'whoopin' will do this to most people bent on conquest and subjugation...It's usually the only thing which works - something all freedom-loving people must always keep in mind.
 
1949 - The U.N. brokered a cease-fire in Kashmir granting it the right to vote on whether to remain in India or join Pakistan.

No vote has taken place, and the cease-fire is in constant danger of dissolving...A reality made even more dangerous by the fact India and Pakistan are nuclear powers.

1959 - Fidel Castro led Cuban revolutionaries to victory over Fulgencio Batista.

It's a disgrace President Eisenhower let this happen right off the shores of the U.S...It's an even bigger disgrace no succeeding president has righted this wrong.  And even worse that President Obama embraced the Castros.

1986 - Soviet television aired a five-minute greeting from President Reagan, and Americans got the same from Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in the first such exchange between the superpowers.

The iron fist of the Soviet Union was loosening.  It wasn't long until it completely crumbled.

1993 - Czechoslovakia dissolved, and the Czech Republic and Slovakia were formed.

As Liberalism takes over American popular culture, the memory of Ronald Reagan may shrink, but the people of Eastern Europe will long remember him for bringing down the Soviet Union and her hold on her neighbors.  This 'Velvet Revolution' has been the most successful of the previous communist nations.

1994 - The North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect.

Free trade is always good for the U.S...As long as it is 'fair' trade.  And as long as the deal isn't just a means to smuggle more foreigners in.

1999 - President Fidel Castro, marking 40-years as Cuba's leader, portrayed his Socialist nation as a defender of humanity against rapacious capitalism.

You'd think with such magnanimity Americans would be fleeing to Cuba, instead of vice verse.

2002 - Euro banknotes and coins became the legal tender in 12 EU states.

The Euro will ultimately fail without a united Europe, which will never happen.  Sadly, this process of failing is in the process of occurring.

December 27

1927 - Joseph Stalin's faction won at the All-Union Congress in the Soviet Union.  Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Communist Party.

What a 'lucky' day for the people of the USSR...Lenin couldn’t have left a better psychopath to perfect his Hell State, and Trotsky was soon to be on the run for his life.

That said, as much of a butcher as Uncle Joe was, it's likely he was also the force which kept Germany from conquering the Ruskies - even though he completely botched the first year of the war.

1512 - The Laws of Burgos gave New World natives legal protection against abuse, and authorized "Negro slavery."

How generous. The Spanish knew they could never control the Indians through enslavement, but did a good job of enslaving them without slavery...They had no such problem with the blacks they shipped in, though.

1558 - English Queen Elizabeth issued a proclamation forbidding any other kind of worship other that used at the close of the reign of Henry VIII.

This form of worship was the English version of Protestantism - the Anglican Church...The Roman Catholic Church picked its allies (led by Spain) and made a historic mistake, because England and the Protestant world was soon much more powerful than Spain.

1941 - Japanese war planes bombed Manila in the Philippines, even though it had been declared an "open city":  WWII.

An 'open city?' What kind of BS is that?...MacArthur knew it was a long-shot, but felt it was worth trying.

1943 - President Franklin Roosevelt ordered the U.S. Army to take temporary possession of all railroads in order to prevent a strike by railway workers. The action was taken under the wartime Labor Disputes Act:  WWII.

It’s amazing to think of a union going on strike in the middle of a war, but this just shows they care more about themselves than the good of the country...FDR was absolutely correct in taking this action and should have locked up the union leaders as subversive SOB’s.

The railroads were returned to private management on January 18, 1944.

1944 - General George S. Patton's Third Army, spearheaded by the 4th Armored Division, relieved the surrounded city of Bastogne in Belgium:  WWII.

There’s no way the 'Battling Bastards of Bastogne' (101st Airborne Division) should have been able to survive the German onslaught, but they fought long enough for Patton to arrive - establishing themselves in the lore of American military tradition.

1996 - France said it would no longer participate in Operation Provide Comfort after the end of the year. The operation was a multi-national air reconnaissance effort to safeguard Kurdish civilians in northern Iraq.

Instead France decided to start participating in ‘Operation Accept Bribes’...Otherwise known as the ‘U.N. Oil-for-Food Program.'

1998 - A vaccine for AIDS, by VaxGen Inc., was reported to be in Phase III clinical trials. It was derived from g-120, a genetically engineered protein copied from a protein found in the HIV virus.

I have a vaccine for AIDS as well; it's much cheaper, and more effective: Don’t be promiscuous, don’t use IV drugs, and don’t have homosexual sex.

Nah! How dare I propose people control themselves for their own good.

2000 - President Bill Clinton appointed Roger Gregory as the first black American judge to the U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia.

Woopty Doo! President GHW Bush put a black man in the Supreme Court before this event...But that doesn’t count, because Justice Thomas is considered an ‘Uncle Tom’ in Liberalville, which is the only place they are keeping score, anyway.

2001 - President George W. Bush granted China permanent normal trade status with the United States.

It is ugly, but there is no way we can isolate China...And it's likely, furthering trade with China will draw it out of its communist shell anyway.

2001 - U.S. officials announced Taliban and al-Qaida prisoners would be held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The ACLU(seless) would rather they be given a ‘time out’ and put in the corner...Thankfully President Bush had the testicular fortitude to stand up to the 'Enemies Within' who seem more than happy to help our ‘Enemies Without’ destroy our nation.

Wait a minute!  I thought Obama was going to close Gitmo?  Nah!  He left it open, but released many of it's bad hombres.

2002 - A defiant North Korea ordered U.N. nuclear inspectors to leave the country and said it would restart a laboratory capable of producing plutonium for nuclear weapons. The U.N. nuclear watchdog said its inspectors were "staying put" for the time being .

Hans Blix to the rescue...Pull the U.N. morons out, and tell China to take care of North Korea. I’m sure there is something they’d like in exchange.

December 2 (Another Huge Day)

A day with many events which would be the greatest on most days...The greatest event on this day is the 'atomic breakthrough,' but the rest deserve to be highlighted in blue as well.
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1804 - Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned Emperor of France by Pope Pius VII.

What a megalomaniac...In 1802 he was named Consul for Life, but he needed an even grander title.

It is interesting Napoleon got the Pope involved, in what must have been an attempt to come off as a modern-day Charlemagne the Great.

1805 – The Battle of Austerlitz: Napoleon defeated a Russian and Austrian force.

This is considered by many to be Napoleon’s greatest battle, and one which clearly set him up as the unchallenged master of continental Europe...The Emperor set a trap for the Ruskies and Austrians, and they fell right in, losing over 25,000 troops, compared to less than 8,000 for the French.

1823 - The Monroe Doctrine: U.S. President James Monroe, replying to the 1816 pronouncements of the Holy Alliance, proclaimed the principles known as the Monroe Doctrine, opposing European expansion in the Western Hemisphere.

"...that the American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintained, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by European powers."

The declaration also stated the U.S. would recognize President Washington’s plea for the country to stay out of European squabbles...As a result, this is the defining document for American international diplomacy in the country’s first 100-years.

As far as the isolationist elements of the doctrine, Teddy Roosevelt put a crack in it, WWI smashed it, and WWII forever ended it.

1929 – The first skull of Peking Man was found 50 km outside of Peking at Tsjoe Koe Tien.

I may be in the minority, but I have no problem believing in the dual nature of Creation and Evolution...Peking Man was part of this process.

1941 - Germany began it's final attack on Moscow:  WWII.

The Krauts were within 20 miles of the Russian capital, and never got closer, because the greatest of all Ruskie soldiers (General Winter) finally showed up - crushing the Germans with temperatures as low as -40 degrees...The end result of not being able to finish off the Soviets during the Fall was the destruction of the German army and nation.

Like Napoleon, Hitler started his offensive too late in the year...Like Napoleon, Hitler was never able to recover from the enormous losses he sustained at the hands of the Russians and it's brutal Winter.

1941 - Japanese Admiral Yamamoto sent his fleet to Pearl Harbor:  WWII.

1941 - First Air Fleet at 43 N, 158 30' E, c. 3,200 miles NW of Pearl Harbor:  WWII.

1941 - Hawaii Recon aircraft ordered to search 400 miles, NW to S only:  WWII.

1941 - Roosevelt asked Japan to clarify its intents with regard to French Indochina:  WWII.

I don’t see how it is even debatable that FDR knew the Japanese were coming...If nothing else British communication documents state the Brits told FDR, and actions such as those above show he had more than a hunch they were coming.

What's especially interesting is the 'recon' order which sent the pilots ONLY to the areas where the Japanese weren't...Hmmmmm.

1942 - The 'Atomic Age' was born when scientists demonstrated the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction at a laboratory below the stands at the University of Chicago football stadium:  WWII.

This is huge. Right up there with any development in the history of mankind...Nuclear technology has been the most important development since this day, be it in the realm of the military or its many civilian applications, and many more possibilities will emerge over time - for good and bad.

1944 - General George S. Patton's troops entered the Saar Valley and broke through the Siegfried Line:  WWII.

Generals Marshall and Eisenhower had the right man in charge to make the 'breakthrough,' and Patton pushed the 3rd Army farther than anyone could have imagined...Who knows what he could have accomplished if his supply lines were as quick and efficient as his battle lines.

Could he have saved Berlin from its eventual Soviet occupation???? It's a sad question, which can never be answered with certainty...But here's betting U.S. forces could have reached Berlin first had they not been hamstrung by politicians.

1954 - The U.S. Senate voted to condemn Senator Joseph R. McCarthy for "conduct that tends to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrepute."

McCarthy made a huge mistake taking on the military, but many of his claims about the U.S. government and Hollywood being infiltrated by communists were true.

It took almost 40-years, but the fall of the USSR unearthed what is known as the Venona Papers, and much of McCarthy’s accusations have proven to be based on truth.

1956 - Fidel Castro and his followers landed in Cuba, and after an initial setback began a campaign of guerrilla war aiming to overthrow General Fulgencio Batista's government.

1961 - Cuban leader Fidel Castro declared himself a Marxist-Leninist who would lead Cuba to communism.

It's absolutely shameful the U.S. allowed a communist nation to evolve right in front of its eyes, across the pond in a neighboring county.

November 20

1497 - Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope, en route to discovering a water route to India.

At the time this was a much bigger find than Columbus discovering the New World. In fact India and China were Columbus’ real goal.

The trade route to India established Portugal as one of Europe’s great powers, but its star only lasted as long as the opinion that da Gama’s discovery was more important than Columbus’ - which wasn't for very long.

1521 - Arabs attributed a shortage of water in Jerusalem to Jews making wine.

I thought the Arabs started blaming the Jews for everything after the creation of Israel (400+ years later)...So much for that piece of popular fiction.

1815 - With the Second Peace of Paris, Napoleon was involuntarily exiled to St. Helena.

This time the Brits made sure there would be no escape...How Napoleon escaped the hangman I’ll never know.

1950 - U.S. troops pushed to the Yalu River, within five miles of Manchuria:  Korean War.

China was getting close, Truman was about to lose sphincter control, and General MacArthur was about to get fired.

We had victory in our hands, but backed off. Could we have completely destroyed the North Koreans and Chinese? Probably. Would going forward and pushing the Chinese have started WWIII? Probably not.  But, it would have resulted in an awful lot of American deaths.

I say Truman made the right decision to back off...Including not putting much thought into using our new Atomic Bombs, as well.

1959 - The United Nations issued its 'Declaration of the Rights of the Child.'

They’ve since 'unofficially' declared the 'Lack of Rights of the Unborn Child.'

1962 - President John F. Kennedy agreed to lift the American blockade of Cuba after the USSR agreed to remove bombers from Cuba, ending the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The good ol’ days for the Democrats, a time when they were pro-America and anti-Communist...Oh how things have changed.

1975 - An interim report by the U.S. Senate revealed the Central Intelligence Agency had plotted to kill foreign leaders, including Fidel Castro of Cuba and Patrice Lumumba of the Congo.

And this is a bad thing for what reason? Both are/were minor Stalins, and it would have been a gift to their countries (and humanity) to take them out.

1999 - A day after violent anti-American protests in Greece, President Clinton sought to heal old wounds by acknowledging the United States failed its "obligation to support democracy" when it backed the Greek's harsh military junta during the Cold War.

Hey Bill, of course our first option shouldn't be to support 'military juntas,' but our other option was Communists!!!! Which is why he was upset about our support.

October 28

312 - The Battle of the Milvian Bridge: Roman civil war.

1. Constantine the Great became the undisputed master of the Roman Empire by defeating Maxentius in this battle, ending the civil war.

2. This battle also marks the beginning of the Christian Era in Europe.

During this battle Constantine's army wore the Christian Cross after Constantine trusted a vision he had seen of the Cross, inscribed with the words "In this sign conquer"...As a result, Constantine converted to Christianity after emerging victorious in the battle, and became the first Roman emperor to embrace the Christian faith.

This act of faith (regardless of his reasoning) is every bit as important as Moses’ at the ‘burning bush’ (in real terms not religious ones), because it changed Rome, which changed the Western World, because Rome was the axis upon which the West revolved and evolved from.

1886 - The Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France, was dedicated in New York Harbor by President Cleveland.

'Gift from the people of France' my ass…This is one of the great myths in American history, but it is definitely a myth.

The Statue was a gift from a few financiers who graciously gave it to the U.S. in the name of the French people...The French have never been our friends, even though they have often been our 'ally.'

In the 18th-19th Centuries they were often on 'our side,' but only did so to spite the Brits...In the 20th Century they were on 'our side' in WWI and WWII because they needed our help to save them from the Germans.

1919 - The Prohibition Enforcement Act (also known as the Volstead Act) became law. This act enforced the 18th Amendment to the Constitution - the prohibition of alcohol manufacture, sale and consumption.

Someday we’ll face a similar attack on personal freedom when the health-nuts try to ban cigarettes or food...While at the same time they fight to allow people to smoke pot, and kill fetuses. I just don’t get the logic.

1922 - Italian Blackshirt Fascists began a march on Rome which ended two days later with the formation of a government led by Benito Mussolini.

The Italians have always reached out for a strongman, and this they found in the 'Paperboy.'  Unfortunately, they were led down the road to Hell, and it took the destruction of much of Italy to escape the tyranny they so dearly wanted.

But at least Il Duce got the ‘trains to run on time.’

1940 - President Franklin Roosevelt complained "Republicans...after opposing rearmament for years, are now protesting that the United States is too weak":  WWII.

It’s interesting to note at this time in history the Republicans were the Chickens and the Democrats the Hawks...And FDR's comment could perfectly be flipped today.

Which is why people shouldn’t get tied to political parties, but to political ideals...When it comes to national defense, FDR Democrats should be modern-day Republicans, as should JFK Democrats.

1940 - Italy invaded Greece:  WWII.

Per normal, the Italians bungled this invasion, and required German help to get out of the mess.

Hitler was very fond of Mussolini, but he had to regret getting in bed with such incompetence…The Brits (the only ones fighting at this time) were happy, though, because Germany diverted many forces to Greece which could have been used elsewhere.

Most important, Germany having to save the Italians in Greece delayed the invasion of Russia, which pushed the calendar closer to winter...A fact which ultimately cost them the war.

1959 - Turkey and the United States signed an agreement for the deployment of fifteen nuclear-tipped Jupiter missiles in Turkey.

Most Americans don’t realize it, but Turkey is a NATO ally...Most also don’t know it, but the decision to put these missiles in Turkey was the Soviet’s excuse for trying to put theirs in Cuba.

1962 - The Cuban Missile Crisis effectively ended when Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announced its missiles would be dismantled and returned to the U.S.S.R. President Kennedy immediately replied that the U.S. would lift its blockade of Cuba.

The world wondered who would blink first, and it was Nikki...The world was lucky, too, because I’m pretty sure Kennedy was (rightly) going to the wall on this matter.

1988 - In London, the High Court ruled former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was immune from prosecution in British courts. The House of Lords later overturned the decision, saying Pinochet's arrest could stand.

Pinochet was a brutal dictator, and should have been sent back to Chile for a good ol' fashioned hangin.’

October 22

1962 - President Kennedy ordered U.S. air and naval troops to blockade Cuba, after discovering Soviet missiles on the island. He also demanded Russia dismantle the rocket sites.

Kennedy recognized the seriousness of the situation and ceased 'speaking softly,' threatening to wield his 'big stick.'

Thank God we didn't have a peacenick in office. I hope you realize JFK was a Democrat, but in no way was he a modern-day Liberal...That said, had Kennedy not completely misread Soviet intentions and led them to believe he was a light-weight in the first place, this whole event may have been avoided.

Needless to say, the Cold War almost got extremely HOT, but it was an order which had to be made.

1836 - Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first constitutionally elected President of the Republic of Texas.

It wasn't long before Texas entered the U.S, but it's important to realize Texas was an independent nation for a brief period.

1979 - Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlevi, deposed Shah of Iran, was allowed in the United States for medical treatment. This action led to the Iran hostage crisis.

Another great decision by Jimmy Carter.  He should have helped the Shah or not, but cutting both ways was stupid.

At least he didn't allow the Persians to keep our hostages very long...Doh!

1995 - The largest gathering of world leaders in history marked the 50th anniversary of the United Nations.

The ‘Ultimate Jerkoff’ at the Worlds Largest Circle Jerk Organization.

1997 - President Bill Clinton presented a modest strategy to combat global warming by gradually reducing greenhouse gases over the next two decades.

Wait a minute! There was global warming back in Clinton’s days? This has to be a mistake, because I thought it was all Bush’s fault...Hmmm?!?!

October 16 (A Huge Day)

1813 - The Battle of Leipzig.

This battle is also known as the Battle of the Nations, and was the largest battle of the Napoleonic Wars...It was, also, another in a string of losses for the Emperor.

Napoleon was terribly outnumbered: 430,000 to 191,000, and faced a combined grouping of almost all his Continental enemies: Russia, Austrian Empire, Prussia, Sweden, and other German states.

The French forces fought well, but couldn't overcome the volume of its enemies, and Leipzig combined with the Russian and Peninsular Campaign, signaled the beginning of the end for the Napoleon.

1863 - General U.S. Grant was appointed commander of all operations in the Western Theater:  U.S. Civil War.

Lincoln suffered for years seeking a 'fighting general'- he finally found one in Grant...And he wasn't concerned with Grant's drinking or the way he threw his men into battle.

Lincoln knew the war could only be won if the fight was taken to the Confederacy. Grant was the perfect man to drive on the South, and this promotion was a major step towards ending the war.

1934 - Mao Zedong and 25,000 troops began the 6,000 mile Long March.

The history of the Long March is the decisive event of the Chinese Civil War between the Chinese Nationalists and the Communists.

130,000 'Reds' were surrounded by 400,000 Nationalists, but around 25,000 managed to break out, and start the Long March, which was a full-scale retreat - a forced, fighting retreat.

The Communists should have been annihilated but weren't...Instead they survived, picked up followers among the peasantry, and most important this is where Mao established himself as the ultimate leader of the Chinese Communists.

1962 - The Cuban Missile Crisis began when President Kennedy was informed reconnaissance photographs revealed the presence of Russian missile bases in Cuba.

Thankfully we had a Conservative president during this crisis...And make no mistake, this Democrat was a Conservative when it came to national defense!!!

There is no way a Liberal peacenick would have handled this problem in a similar way, and the fact that JFK took us to the brink of nuclear war was brilliant - brilliant because it had to be done...We can never succumb to fear, and must always be willing to swing our 'big stick' when our security is at risk.

Sadly, this is a problem we will likely have to face sooner or later with the North Koreans and Iranians...And then the Chinese.

1964 - China detonated its first atomic bomb.

Welcome to the club...Any nation who joins is an instant world power, and the event is a major one in history.

1859 - John Brown's Raid: John Brown raided the U.S. arsenal at Harper's Ferry, with the intention of obtaining arms to use to liberate slaves. Brown was captured two days later, and hanged on December 2.

Brown's intentions were honorable, but had no chance at succeeding...Also of note is the commanding officer who caught him: Soon to be Confederate general Robert E. Lee.

1901 - President Theodore Roosevelt incited controversy by inviting black leader Booker T. Washington to the White House.

Teddy was a man of bold actions...That said, he never did this again.

The reaction he received for inviting Washington was more than a little loud, and he learned very fast that the country wasn't quite ready to normalize relations between blacks and whites...A sad reality, but a reality, nonetheless.

1925 - The Locarno Pact was signed: European nations agreed to accept their national boundaries as they were at the time of this signing.

This treaty was wishful thinking, but the terms of the Versailles Treaty made it impossible.

The Allies wanted too much from the Germans, and the Germans weren't thoroughly beaten in WWI...The result was plenty of Utopian thinking, but the pact did little but help set the stage for WWII.

1953 - The Batista regime sentenced Fidel Castro to 15-years in prison for rebellion.

Rule #1 of National Defense: Execute all traitors...If you don't the decision will come back to haunt you later.

1978 - The College of Cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church chose Cardinal Karol Wojtyla to be the new pope; he took the name John Paul II (The first non-Italian pope since 1542).

John Paul II proved to be one of the greatest ‘freedom fighters’ of the 20th Century, belonging in the class of Winston Churchill, FDR, Ronald Reagan, Margarette Thatcher, and Alexander Solzhenitsyn.

2002 - The White House announced North Korea disclosed the existence of a secret nuclear weapons program.

This was the world's worst-kept secret...But it was a huge announcement.

Thank you very much Bill Clinton!! At least Kim Jong Il thanks you, Madeleine Albright and Jimmy Carter for the light-water reactors you gave them.

October 5

1813 - The Battle of the Thames: War of 1812.  Fought in Upper Canada, the British were soundly defeated, and their Indian ally, Tecumseh, was killed.

The battle is also known as the Battle of Moraviantown, and was a great victory for the American forces, because it reestablished U.S. control of the Northwest frontier...Also, the death of Tecumseh was a crushing defeat for the Brits because this chief was the glue which held the British-Indian alliance together.

1877 – The Nez Perce Wars ended when Chief Joseph surrendered to the U.S. Army.

"From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever." – Chief Joseph

1937 - President Franklin Roosevelt said: "The epidemic of world lawlessness is spreading," and he called for a "quarantine" of aggressor nations.

Roosevelt foresaw the disasters building in Europe and Asia, but didn't have the testicular fortitude to do anything about it...And his European counterparts were too wimpy as well.

So the world waited for the catastrophe to unfold.

1947 - In the first televised White House address, President Truman asked Americans to refrain from eating meat on Tuesdays and poultry on Thursdays to help stockpile grain for starving people in Europe.

Screw that!!! We saved their asses in WWII, and soon bailed them out with the Marshall Plan...Plus, I can't think of a better way to start an economic decline than to ask people to not spend their money.

1975 - Senator Frank Church charged the CIA with trying to kill Cuban President Fidel Castro during the administrations of three U.S. presidents.

I hope so...And am disgusted it hasn’t been attempted by every administration.

I’m sure this senator also bitched that Reagan was too tough on the Soviets...What a POS.

July 26

1956 - Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal.

This is the possible reality of every business in a foreign land...Also, it's nice to know the link between the Mediterranean and Red seas are controlled by a possible Islamist nation.

Some day this could be an incredibly costly event.

1945 - The USS Indianapolis, carrying the atomic bomb, arrived in the Marianas:  WWII.

In 11 days the world saw the power of this awesome weapon. A weapon which changed the world forever.

1945 - Winston Churchill resigned as British Prime Minister after his Conservatives were soundly defeated by the Labor Party. Clement Attlee became the new prime minister.

How the Brits turned on Churchill almost immediately after WWII in Europe was decided is beyond me...But, I shouldn’t be surprised.

The Brits didn’t want Churchill until they had to - due to the reality of the war...And they didn’t want him after the war was no longer in doubt.

1948 - President Truman signed Executive Order 9981, ending segregation in the U.S. Military.

This action belongs alongside those of Jackie Robinson, MLK, Rosa Parks, etc., in the history of the Civil Rights movement.

1953 - The Battle of Moncada Barracks: Fidel Castro began the Cuban rebellion with the '26th of July Movement,' against the Fulgenico Batista's regime.

The Cuban revolution began here, even though the battle was a failure...It took Castro six years to overthrow Batista, but like every successful revolutionary leader he was able to create a cult of personality which helped him achieve power. Fidel's began at the 'Barracks.'

2000 - A federal judge in New York approved a $1.25 billion settlement between Swiss banks and more than half-a-million plaintiffs who alleged the banks hoarded money deposited by Holocaust victims.

Lets do the math: $1,250,000,000/500,000 people = $2,500/person...This is a cruel joke.

July 9

1868 - The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, defining U.S. citizenship. It took effect on July 28, 1868.

The main point of this amendment is all people born in the United States are citizens, and therefore granted equal protection under the law regardless of race. This includes the protection of their right to vote.

It's unfortunate this wasn't included in the original Constitution, and also that it didn't include women, but the 13th and 14th Amendments were a giant leap forward, and prove the brilliance of the Founders who created a method for righting wrongs in the original document.

Unfortunately, the amendment left a lot of wiggle room when it comes to defining citizenship for those born in the country to those who entered it illegally...The people of the 19th Century never could have understood the levels of legal wrangling 20th and 21st Century liberals would take the amendment to, however.

Not that Liberals have stopped at citizenship when it comes to bastardizing the 14th Amendment.

1497 - Vasco Da Gama set sail to find a sea route to India.

At the time, Da Gama’s discovery was considered a much bigger find than Columbus’...This was a short lived perception, however.

1595 - Johannes Kepler discovered the perfect geometric solid "construction of the universe."

I can't impress on you the importance of Kepler, even though he's a distant afterthought compared to Newton and Einstein.

1934 - Reichsfuhrer-SS Heinrich Himmler took command of the German concentration camp system.

The Chicken Farmer got a major promotion...It's hard to believe anyone could have done such a demonic job, which made him Hitler's perfect henchman.

1960 - Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev threatened nuclear attack if the United States invaded Cuba attempting to oust the communist government of Cuba.

Thankfully he was bluffing, because Kennedy tested Nikki's threat in 1961 with the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

Obviously, Khrushchev didn't launch nukes, but he had to be cracking up at the poor showing of the Americans and their Cuban allies against Castro's pathetic force.

June 28 (A Triple)

1519 - King Charles I, of Spain was elected Holy Roman Emperor - where he became better known as Charles V.

Charles inherited Spain and its New World possessions, the Netherlands, parts of France and Italy, and was given control of the Germans states as emperor...His possessions matched any great leader in European history, but his reign proved to be as tumultuous as any as well.

The Reformation broke much of Charles' power in the Austro-Germanic lands, and constant wars with France, the Turks, and in his own lands made him one of the least powerful of the great sovereigns in history.

1914 - Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand and his wife, Sofia, were assassinated in Sarajevo by a Serb nationalist :  The event which triggered World War I.

1919 - The Treaty of Versailles:  Officially ended WWI.

The Great War began on this day (virtually), and ended on it as well...Too bad the factors which started it weren’t eliminated, and the victors who set the terms of the treaty weren’t foresighted enough to see the war hadn’t ended...Germany surrendered, but Germany was not defeated. This fact would haunt the world in less than 20-years.

As such, Versailles was a holding-point, not an end-point, and was nothing more than a stop-gap between WWI and WWII.

1945 - The Polish Provisional Government of National Unity was set up by the Soviets.

The poor Poles...They went from their Nazi overlord to an equally terrible Soviet master.

This is exactly why the Poles are currently one of America’s best allies. They know they are sandwiched between the German and Russian beasts and only American cover can guarantee their independence and safety...It is an alliance of existential need for the Poles, but one they also must be very leery about the U.S. upholding.

1978 - The U.S. Supreme Court ordered the University of California at Davis Medical School to admit Allan Bakke, a white man who argued he'd been a victim of reverse racial discrimination.

If Mr. Bakke has recourse against 'affirmative racism' then we all should...And if we all do, then the program itself must be wrong. This is so obvious it’s painful.

1989 - China's new Communist Party chief, Jiang Zemin, said the Beijing government would show no mercy to leaders of the pro-democracy movement, which he termed a "counter-revolutionary rebellion."

Duh! Dictators don’t go away willingly, and communism is nothing more than a dictatorship with a party name.

1991 - In Detroit, a white woman was attacked by a group of black women at a downtown fireworks display in an incident captured on amateur video.

This wasn't a hate-crime by the way, because it is less of a crime for blacks to assault whites...So much for the concept of being 'equal in the eye of the law.'

1993 - The U.S. Supreme Court kept alive a 'racial gerrymandering' case, saying congressional districts designed to benefit racial minorities may violate white voter's rights.

How is this any different than 'affirmative racism?' It isn’t...And of course it 'violates white voter’s rights' - It invalidates their votes.

2000 - Seven months after being cast adrift in the Florida Straits, Elian Gonzalez was returned to his native Cuba.

Elian’s mother gave her life to get her child out of Cuba - in exchange for a chance at freedom for herself and her child - but Bill Clinton and 'James' Reno decided to return him to Castroville...I will never understand the logic behind this one, but I learned to be surprised by nothing during the Clinton years.

2000 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Boy Scouts can bar homosexuals from serving as troop leaders.

I can't be the only one who finds it interesting that the same Liberals who rage about priests molesting boys (correctly) are also the same people who demand the Boy Scouts open their arms to gay scout leaders...Hmmm??

2004 - The United States transferred some power back to the Iraqis, two days earlier than planned.

What a train wreck.  The Iraqis don't want anything we have to offer...We should have whacked Saddam and his henchmen and left the Iraqis to rebuild their nation.

May 17 (A Double)

1756 - Britain declared war on France, beginning the Seven Years War - known as the French and Indian War in North America.

Victory in this war greatly expanded Britain’s empire, but also played a large role in the beginning of the American Revolution.

Much of the war was fought in the American colonies, and the Brits leaned very heavily on the colonial population (taxes, direct housing, feeding its troops, and pressing the population into service), which increased colonial discontent with the mother country...It is also where George Washington got his first real schooling in war - even though he performed miserably it was a good education.

1954 - Brown v. Topeka Board of Education: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled racially segregated public schools are inherently unequal.  Overturning the court's 1896 'Plessy v. Ferguson' ruling.

Of course segregation creates 'unequal' conditions...That said, it's interesting how the public has 'self segregated' schools (whites, blacks, Hispanic, etc) without any mandate from the government?

It is unfortunate, but it is normal...So maybe it's not unfortunate - it just is what it is.

1792 - The New York Stock Exchange was established when a group of 24 brokers and merchants met by a tree on what is now Wall Street and signed the Buttonwood Agreement.

From a meager beginning came the largest financial market in the history of the world...For better or worse.

1809 - Napoleon annexed the Papal States.

Just another in a long line of French interference in Papal politics.

1938 - The U.S. Congress passed the Vinson Naval Act - providing for a two-ocean navy.

This seems to be a common-sense decision, but prior to this time the U.S. thought it could avoid the rest of the worlds conflicts...We were terribly unprepared when entering WWII in 1941, but thankfully due to this act had enough foresight to have the logistics in place to fight a two ocean war.

1946 - President Truman seized control of the nation's railroads, delaying a threatened strike by engineers and trainmen.

One year after WWII ended and the unions couldn't wait to go on strike? Typical.

Truman may or may not have been correct in grabbing the railroads, but he wasn't afraid to make decisions.
 
1961 - Fidel Castro offered to exchange Bay of Pigs prisoners for 500 bulldozers.

Such is the value of human life in communist nations.

1994 - The U.N. Security Council approved a peacekeeping force and an arms embargo for violence-racked Rwanda.

How gracious of the U.N...After sitting on their thumbs and watching 800,000 people be executed in a 13-week period, they decided to 'help.'

”France, a close ally of the Hutu government in Rwanda, has been accused of sending them military support both before and during the genocide. Although France did send 2,500 soldiers to Rwanda before withdrawing, which estimated saving 15,000 to 17,000 lives, the U.N. forces were unable to save twice as many lives before withdrawing their troops as well.”

What a sad joke...The U.N., that is.

1996 - President Bill Clinton signed a measure requiring neighborhood notification when sex offenders move in. 'Megan's Law' is named for Megan Kanka, a seven-year-old New Jersey girl who was raped and slain in 1994.

This sounds nice, and is better than the previous system, but there is no way sex offenders should be released on the public...They are every bit as bad as murderers, because they kill their victim’s spirit, and should be executed.

2004 - In Massachusetts, same-sex couples exchanged marriage vows for the first time in the United States.

Time will tell how this affects our nation.  I can't imagine how it will be positive, but I could be wrong.

May 12

1943 - Axis forces in North Africa surrendered:  WWII.

Hitler’s 'soft underbelly' was collapsing...Taking Africa and Italy first was a brilliant strategy, and one Stalin cried about for years.

1. The German forces in North Africa and Italy would have likely overwhelmed - and enveloped from Africa, Italy and Germany proper - a continental invasion force at this point in the war. If this happened, instead of a forward fighting attack, the Allies would have had to fight German forces from all sides.

2. The 'underbelly' was a great training ground for American troops, because Rommel’s forces in Africa had been fighting the Brits for years and were wearing down. Also, the Nazi forces in Italy were probably Hitler’s worst units (even though they had great leadership), and the Italian troops were - well they were Italians (more French than the French).

3. Instead of taking on the main German forces, the Allies allowed the Ruskies to take the brunt of the fighting...And they deserved such a double-cross for allying with Hitler in 1939 (as well as dropping out of WWI without the Western allies).

So, Uncle Joe was right to feel the Soviets were screwed over, but Churchill and FDR were also right in thinking the USSR brought it on themselves, and the Western Allies needed more time before invading the Continent.

1949 - The Soviet Union announced an end to the Berlin Blockade. The Berlin airlift bringing supplies into West Berlin, Germany (blockaded by the USSR since June 1948) ended after 277,264 flights when the USSR allowed normal land communications to resume.

The first battle of the Cold War was over, and the good guys won...We weren't always so lucky.

Thankfully, old-school Democrats were in charge instead of today's Democrats. Had modern-day Democrats been in charge, much of Europe would currently be under the Soviet boot...And yes, there would still be a Soviet Union if the Democrats had their way.

2002 - Former president Jimmy Carter became the first U.S. president (in or out of office) to visit Fidel Castro's Cuba.

I’m sure they became great friends...No less should be expected from the worst U.S. president of the 20th Century.

May 1 (A Quadruple of Sports Events)

1951 - Mickey Mantle hit his first Major League home run.
 
'The Mick' was the greatest of the many 'mythological' athletes of my childhood...It's too bad his knees failed him - and he failed himself as an alcoholic - because it's almost impossible to imagine how good he could have been.

1983 - Nolan Ryan became the all time strike out king with his 3,508th strike out.
 
'The Ryan Express' was a legend in his own right, but part of what makes this record so special is he took it from 'The Big Train':  Walter Johnson.
 
Ryan went on to crush the record, with 5,714 career strikeouts.  To put this number in perspective, only three other pitchers have ever had 4,000 strikeouts - and none have over 5,000.

1991 - Ricky Henderson broke the Major League record for stolen bases with his 939th steal.
 
Another great baseball event!  To put Henderson's stolen base record into perspective, no other player has even 1,000 stolen bases...Rick 'The Quick' had over 1,400.
 
Ricky Henderson was one of the truly great players in history, even though he is often overlooked:  The all time leader in unintentional-walks, stolen bases and runs scored - records Ty Cobb held when he retired...In other words he was the perfect lead-off hitter.  If he wanted to he probably could have been a perfect hitter in any part of the lineup.

A truly amazing athlete.  With his speed, power and instincts, I bet he would have been a devastating running back in the NFL.
 
1991 - Nolan Ryan threw his seventh no hitter.
 
Sandy Koufax is the only other pitcher with four, and only three others have even three no-hitters...Oh by the way, Ryan threw this seventh no-hitter at the age of 44.  WOW!

1045 - Pope Benedict IX sold the papacy to John Gratianus - Gregory VI.

This was an extremely ugly event in the History of the Papacy, but not unlike many others during the Dark/Middle Ages.

1328 - The Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton:  Ended the Scottish wars of independence.

The Scots put up a mighty fight against the English, and with this treaty they were recognized as an independent state.

1654 - "Under penalty of death, no Irish man, woman, or child, was to let himself, herself, itself be found east of the River Shannon."...An Order from the English Parliament.

The Irish were generally treated like crap by the English, and given little respect as a people.

"The Irish were often referred to as 'Negroes turned inside out and Negroes as smoked Irish.'" - Art McDonald

1707 – The Act of Union: Scotland and England were joined together under the name of Great Britain.

After a thousand years of battle, the final unification was rather peacefully accomplished.

The two nations had been ruled by the same king for over a hundred years, but maintained separate Parliaments, and a semblance of independence from one another...This act ended the two parliaments, creating one for the entire country, and firmly established the permanency of the united rule of the two lands.

Maybe permanent isn't the best word to use.

1898 - Commodore George Dewey gave the command, "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley," as an American naval force destroyed a Spanish fleet in Manila Bay:  Spanish-American War.

This battle marks the birth of the modern American Navy...It also marks a final humiliation for the once proud Spanish Navy.

Amazingly, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt sent Dewey to the East with this very intention long before the Spanish-American War began...Many have called him a war monger, but 'prophet of America's overseas manifest destiny' would be more appropriate.

1945 - Nazi leader Joseph Goebbels committed suicide in his Berlin bunker:  WWII.

I wonder if Dan Rather and his 'Old Media' buddies cry on this day?...Oh well. Good riddance to dead propagandameisters.

1948 - North Korea proclaimed itself the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

It's almost humorous when commie countries put either of the words 'Democratic' or 'People's' in their names...The Koreans had the gall to put both.

1960 - The Soviet Union shot down an American U2 spy plane flown by Francis Gary Powers, who was captured.

The Soviet’s had been complaining about U.S. spying for years. With this event they had proof…Plus they showed the ability to shoot down one of our most advanced, high-flying planes.

A great day for the Ruskies; definitely not for the U.S.

1961 - Cuban leader Fidel Castro declared the country a socialist nation and abolished elections.

Sounds like a 'People’s Democratic' Republic to me.

1990 - Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and other Kremlin leaders were jeered by thousands of people during the annual May Day parade in Red Square.

The end of the Hell-State was coming sooner than anyone could imagine.

1995 - President Bill Clinton defended his choice for Surgeon General, Henry Foster, as a "pro-life, pro-choice doctor."

I don’t know how Bubba did it, but no one should ever get away with the amount of BS-speak he did.

2003 - President G.W. Bush made a speech aboard an aircraft carrier proclaiming “major combat operations in Iraq have ended.”

As it turns out, Bush would have been better off skipping this stunt and his statement.

April 30 (A Triple)

1789 - George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States.

Washington was much more than the ‘right man, in the right place, at the right time’...He was probably the ONLY man who could have orchestrated the uniting of the states into a federal republic.

So, not only was he the man who led the battle to escape British rule, but he was the man who forged the Union...As such, he is 'The Great Man' in American history.

1803 - The Louisiana Purchase:  The United States more than doubled its land area after obtaining all French territory west of the Mississippi River for $15 Million.

1. Talk about a steal. This $15 million has multiplied in worth many times over...In many more ways than just economically.

2. Napoleon accepted he couldn’t invade the U.S., and would likely not be able to hold his American lands for much longer anyway.

3. The Brits were pissed at what looked like an American alliance with the French. And during America's first century the French were much more trustworthy than the Brits when it came to American sovereignty...Even if it mostly was because the French couldn't get here with much of a force.

1945 - Adolf Hitler committed suicide along with his wife of one day, Eva Braun.

Very few human being (maybe two or three) have ever deserved to die more than Hitler, but it would have been nice to see 'The Madman' swinging from a lamp-post like his Italian friend: Mussolini.

311 - Galerius Valerius Maximianus issued an edict legally recognizing Christians in the Roman Empire.

Legal but loathed, which was the norm in the Empire until Constantine made Christianity the preferred religion.

711 - The Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula began with the invasion of Gibraltar by Tariq ibn-Ziyad.

This conquest was rapid, and the region of Spain and Portugal was part of the Islamic Empire for over 700 years.

It's important to remember this, because Muslims believe any land which is or has been Muslim must always be Muslim...There is little doubt in my mind they will attempt to return in due-time.

1492 - Spain announced the expulsion of all Jews in its kingdom.

1563 - Jews were expelled from France by order of Charles VI.

A double for my Jewish friends...And I bet many thought it was the Germans who first practiced anti-Semitism in Europe.

I guess the Spanish and French should be commended for not exterminating them, though...Such are the low standards of decency in Euroville.

1943 - The Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp for Jews was established:  WWII.

The final resting place of approximately 50,000 Jews.
 
1961 - Fidel Castro received the Lenin-Peace Prize.

This is classic...I’m sure Fidel was thrilled with such an honor, however.

1975 - South Vietnam unconditionally surrendered to North Vietnam.

A tragedy was on the verge of unfolding, with the U.S. leaving the South Vietnamese to the whim of the North...Which led to hundreds of thousands of executions.

At least in Korea we stuck around to protect the South and saved them from the horrors of Communism, but in Vietnam we turned tail and ran...A terrible mark on our history.

1994 - 100,000 men, women and children fleeing ethnic slaughter in Rwanda crossed into neighboring Tanzania.

No one cared to stop the slaughter...The U.N. sat on its thumbs, and who knows what our illustrious president was doing with his hands at the time.

1999 - President Bill Clinton declared May 1 to be 'National Law Day.'

What in the Hell does this mean??? Especially from a man who did so much to skirt the law.

April 24

1877 - Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire.

The Russian's had been sparring with the Ottomans since the time of Peter the Great, and by this time the Turks were a shell of their former greatness.

Russia put together a coalition of Christian nations in the Balkans against their longtime nemesis in the region, and when the war ended in 1878 and much of the region established at least a portion of freedom from Ottoman rule...The real winner, however, was Russia - who gained much territory in the Caucasus and firmly solidified itself as the hegemon of the Slav/Orthodox Christian world.

The Turks lost big, but were able to hold onto a semblance of their empire for another 40-years...It would be a brutal 40-years.

1184 B.C. (traditional date) - The Greeks entered Troy using the Trojan Horse.

Trickery has always been involved in military maneuvers, and the Greeks were masters...Partially because they were brighter than most of their opponents, but also because they were almost always out-manned by their opponents and had to use deception and technology to overcome numbers.

1558 - Mary Queen of Scots, aged 16, married the Dauphin of France, the future Francis II.

This was going to be a problem. Scotland was a Protestant nation, and Mary was Catholic. Marrying a Frenchman was bad enough, but the fact he was also a Catholic was too much for the Scots to bear...And then she had to deal with her English friends to the south.

Needless to say, Mary’s reign was rocky and ended messy, with her execution at the order of another strong woman - Queen Elizabeth I.

1877 - Federal troops moved out of New Orleans, ending the North's military occupation of the South following the Civil War.

The war ended in 1865, and the occupation ended in 1877...Keep this in mind:  Winning wars is often easier than winning the peace.  And sometimes keeping a war footing is necessary to enforce peace.  The Romans couldn't enforce the Pax Romana without their Legions, and the U.S. can't continue the Pax Americana without its various forces, either

1915 - Armenian Martyr's Day:  The Turkish massacre of Armenians began.

Like most of the minority population in the Ottoman Empire - which was actually the majority but had no power - the Armenians were brutalized by the Turks...That said, this event saw the murder of an estimated 600,000-1.5 million Armenians, and should be noted along with the other barbaric tragedies of the 20th Century.

1961 - President John Kennedy accepted "sole responsibility" for the Bay of Pigs.

He was ultimately responsible for it...And should have immediately begun making new plans for a full-scale invasion of Cuba.

There is no excuse for a having a communist nation 100 miles off of American shores. Every U.S. president since this time has failed on this issue, and every American should be disgusted with this fact.

1980 - The United States launched an abortive attempt to free the American hostages in Iran, a mission which resulted in the deaths of eight U.S. servicemen.

Jimmy Carter was (is) a joke, and he sent these eight troops to their death with no hope of success...It's fair to say this was Carter's 'Bay of Pigs,' and it failed as miserably as his hero's plan.

You either use the military or you don’t, and when you choose to do so you must do it completely with full force...The hostages should have been saved and the Ayatollah should have been assassinated.

But this is what you get when you vote for Liberals/Democrats as Commander-in-Chief.