March 11

1942 - As Japanese forces continued to advance in the Pacific during World War II, General Douglas MacArthur left the Philippines for Australia, vowing: "I shall return."

Other than Teddy Roosevelt, I have read more about 'The General' than any other American figure, and am still amazed he didn’t commit suicide or throw himself into the front lines after being ordered out of the Philippines by FDR. Of course, it was a good thing for the American war effort, but I am very surprised he left Corregidor alive...He was a chivalrous man, and it had to kill him to leave his troops to the fate of their Japanese captors.

As it turned out, returning to the Philippines was unnecessary, but it was important to MacArthur...As C-in-C, Roosevelt should have forced MacArthur to skip the Philippines, but politically there was no way Roosevelt could have kept him from fulfilling his vow.

537 - Goths laid siege to Rome.

Ho, Hum...Germanic (Goth, Vandal, etc.) raids on Rome had become a normal occurrence long before this date, and the West Roman Empire as a political entity was long gone by this time anyway.

1861 - The Confederate States of America adopted its constitution:  U.S. Civil War.

Thankfully our modern-day Liberal idiots weren't around at this time, because I don't think they would have stomached what it took to bring the South back into the Union...Sometimes war is the only answer.

1862 - President Lincoln confined George B. McClellan's command to the Army of the Potomac:  U.S. Civil War.

He should have fired him for refusal to use his forces to destroy the Confederates...McClellan would have made a great Quartermaster, and may have even been a 'brilliant' strategist, but he didn't have the guts to put his plans into effect in a timely manner, nor the killer instincts to be a battlefield commander.

1918 - The first cases of the Spanish flu were reported in the U.S.

WWI was coming to an end, but the world was hardly done dying...In the U.S., alone, over 600,000 died from this flu.  Tens of millions died worldwide.

1930 - William Howard Taft became the first President of the United States buried in the National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Those who haven’t been there must go...Two of the most solemn days of my life were spent at Arlington, and few things have touched me more.

1935 - Hermann Goering officially created the Luftwaffe: the German Air Force.

Congratulations to the Fat Field Marshal...We should all be glad he was in charge of this unit, because his mistakes in the Battle of Britain were the undoing of the Luftwaffe, and also led Hitler to the decision of invading Russia since he couldn't invest Britain.

Oh by the way, Goering also botched the air offensive in the Soviet Union, as well.

1941 - The U.S. Congress passed the Lend-Lease Bill, enabling Britain to borrow money to buy additional food and arms:  World War II.

How nice...The U.S. should have just entered the war, instead of waiting to be dragged in by the Japanese.

FDR's greatest flaw: He was a politician first, a statesman last...Luckily he was a great war leader once he committed to the fight.

1990 - The Lithuanian parliament voted to break away from the Soviet Union and restore the republic's independence.

This was a great year for ‘freedom,’ with the Soviets beginning to show signs of their downfall, which unknowingly began years before 1990.

THANK YOU PRESIDENT REAGAN!!

1993 - North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in a harsh rebuff of Western demands to open suspected nuclear weapons development sites for inspection.

As an incentive to play nice, Clinton gave them nuclear reactors...Uhhhhh?

1998 - The International Astronomical Union issued an alert, saying a mile-wide asteroid could zip very close to Earth on October 26th, 2028, possibly colliding with it. They said the asteroid, which had not been seen before, would pass as close as 30,000 miles to the Earth. Dr. Brian Marsden of the International Astronomical Union said: "Even if it were on a path to hit Earth, technology might be available by then capable of deflecting the asteroid." (But the next day, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said "there was no chance the asteroid will hit Earth.")

Lets pretend they knew for sure the asteroid WOULD hit Earth:

Do you think it would be a good idea to have everyone worry about it for the next 30-years? Of course not. They’d keep it quiet and try to find a way to destroy it.

So, is this what they realized the day after, or is it really not going to hit the Earth...The year 2028 may be very interesting.

February 23

1954 - The first mass inoculation of children against polio, with the Salk vaccine, began in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

DO VACCINES WORK??

Prior to 1954, the U.S. had an annual rate of polio infection between 13,000-20,000 cases per year. 1952 was the highest reported with over 58,000 cases of polio.

IN 2017 THERE WERE ONLY A HANDFUL OF CASES OF POLIO WORLDWIDE...OF COURSE VACCINES WORK!!

Go to the 'Polio History Timeline' for a brief view of the success of this vaccine...A success-story repeated by many other vaccines as well.

303 - Roman Emperor Diocletian ordered the general persecution of Christians.

Constantine couldn’t come quickly enough for the Christians...In an ironic twist, the Roman Church later performed similar persecutions in the various Inquisitions.

1778 - Baron von Steuben joined the Continental Army at Valley Forge:  American Revolutionary War.

Von Steuben was a European mercenary, and his arrival marks a huge improvement in the discipline and order of Colonial forces...The Colonials were never a very reliable group, but von Steuben was an excellent instructor, which gave Washington a semi-professional force to fight with.

1836 - The Battle of the Alamo: The fort was besieged by Mexican President Santa Anna, and the entire garrison was eventually killed.

This was a fantastic victory for Santa Anna, but was purely tactical, and the Texans had the last laugh.

1847 - The Battle of Buena Vista:  Mexican-American War. Forces led by Zachary Taylor defeated the Mexicans, led by Santa Anna.

This battle didn’t end the Mexican-American War, but it signaled the beginning of the end.

Santa Anna attacked Taylor with over 14,000 troops, compared to Taylor’s 5,000. The battle began poorly for the Americans, but ended in a route, propelling General Taylor to the presidency two years later.

1919 - Benito Mussolini created the Italian Fascist Party.

Wooo Hoo! The man who would recreate the Roman Empire!! What a joke...Without the help of Hitler, the 'Paperboy' would have been able to conquer little more than parts of semi-barbaric Africa.

1926 - U.S. President Calvin Coolidge opposed a large air force, believing it would be a menace to world peace.

I love President Coolidge, but this was a terribly, shortsighted comment...No nation can deny the march of technology, unless it is looking to commit national suicide, that is.

1942 - The first shelling of the U.S. mainland during World War II occurred when a Japanese submarine fired 25 shells on an oil refinery in Ellwood, California.

Most Americans don't realized the Japanese hit the mainland. They used these shells, balloon drops, and held portions of Alaska as well...All the more reason to call on the Atom Bombs in 1945.

Hell, if the Japanese had an atom bomb they surely would have used it on a raid such as this one...And they were trying to get one.

1945 - U.S. Marines on Iwo Jima captured Mount Suribachi, and raised the American flag. A larger flag was then brought in to replace the first - the second flag-raising was captured in the famous picture taken by Joe Rosenthal:  WWII.

You must get to D.C./Virgina to see the Iwo Jima Memorial...It is unbelievably powerful.

1991 - President GHW Bush announced the allied ground offensive against Iraqi forces had begun. (Because of the time difference, it was already the early morning of Feb. 24 in the Persian Gulf.)

The first Persian Gulf was was a brilliantly performed mission, but Bush made the mistake of limiting the objective of the mission after being pressured to quit the task prior to finishing off Saddam Hussein.

The job eventually fell to his son, who proved up to the task of not only taking on Saddam, but also taking on world opinion...Papa Bush was a good man, but he didn’t have the nerve and moral clarity of his son.

Unfortunately, W. fell into the trap of thinking he could bring Western Civilization to the Iraqis - in the form of democracy...This mistake cost him, America and the Iraqis terribly.

1997 - Scientists in Scotland announced they succeeded in cloning an adult mammal, producing a lamb named 'Dolly.'

Very nice...Just what the world needs, Dr. Frankenstein’s and Mengele’s playing God.

February 14 (A Double)

1803 - Marbury v. Madison: U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall ruled any act of Congress which conflicts with the Constitution is null and void. This decision established the Court as the ultimate interpreter of the U.S. Constitution.

This ruling was nothing short of an ‘invisible revolution’ within the great document...It is nowhere to be found in the Constitution, but has long been the absolute rule, for better or worse.

"[T]he germ of dissolution of our federal government is in the constitution of the federal judiciary: an irresponsible body, working like gravity by night and by day, gaining a little to-day and a little tomorrow, and advancing its noiseless step like a thief, over the field of jurisdiction until all shall be usurped from the States, and the government of all be consolidated into one. To this I am opposed." - Thomas Jefferson

Like I said, an invisible revolution.  One which has been going on from the beginning of the nation's founding...For better and worse.

1928 - Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming accidentally discovered the mold penicillin has an antibiotic effect.

This is one of the greatest discoveries of all time - medical or otherwise, and the results of this event have been awesome...It's impossible to calculate, but it can easily be assumed millions (billions??) of people have been saved by this discovery?

Try to imagine how many times you’ve taken penicillin, then multiply that by the billions of people on the planet over the past 90-years...That is awesome, and is why Fleming’s discovery belongs with the greatest of all time.

44 B.C. - Julius Caesar was honored with the title of ‘Dictator of Rome for Life.’

An impressive title, but one he only had for 29-days...The 'life' part got in the way of his grand plans.

1496 - Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honour St. Valentine.

"There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine's Day. Some experts state that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries. Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it 'From Your Valentine.' Other aspects of the story say that Saint Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him." - Original author unknown

1349 - 2,000 Jews were burned at the stake in Strasbourg, Germany.

I bet you thought the Nazi’s were the first Germans to toast Jews...Nah, it’s been a national pastime for centuries.

1918 - Warsaw demonstrators protested the transfer of Polish territory to the Ukraine.

I bet the Poles were really happy when Ukraine entered the Soviet Union...Then when the Nazi’s came in to 'liberate' them from the Ruskies; and vice verse.

1949 - The United States charged the U.S.S.R. with interning up to 14-million in labor camps.

14-million is probably a low estimate.

I recommend you read 'The Gulag Archipelago,' by Alexander Solzhenitsyn (the most important book of the 20th Century, but terribly difficult to read)...Or 'Gulag: A History,' by Anna Applebaum (the best English history of the Gulag, and much easier to read.)

1956 - The 20th Congress of the Soviet Communist Party opened, and Nikita Khruschev denounced the policies of Joseph Stalin.

This would have been much more impressive had he done it while Uncle Joe was alive...Nikki would’ve had his neck snapped had he done so, but it would have been brave.

1991 - Two San Francisco men became the first couple to register as 'domestic partners' under a new city ordinance.

Lovely.

February 8

1904 - The Battle of Port Arthur: In a surprise attack at Port Arthur, Korea, the Japanese disabled seven Russian warships, beginning the Russo-Japanese War.

This is one of the most decisive naval battles in history, with the Japanese completely destroying the Russian Far East Navy.

It is also the beginning of the great modern Japanese Navy, and set a precedent for Japanese surprise attacks...The Pearl Harbor attack was based primarily on this one, and was equally successful on a tactical level.

An interesting note on the Russo-Japanese War: It is considered the first war in history where more troops died in battle than due to disease.

421 - Flavius Constantine became co-emperor as Connstantius II.  He was emperor of the Western part of the empire, and Honorius was emperor of the East.

Emperor was a nice title, but being in charge of Rome was a brutal position by this point...Western Europe was besieged by barbarians of every sort, and in the process of being overrun by Germanic tribes.

The East, on the other hand, had another 1,000 years of existence...Not that it was nearly as grand an existence as it had been.

1587 - Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded in England after she was implicated in a plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.

Legend has it, her head fell down the scaffold, and her pet dog grabbed it by the hair and ran though the streets for hours...True or not, it’s a great story.

1807 -  The Battle of Eylau:  Napoleon defeated the Russians.

The French held the field, but the battle accomplished very little for them:  "What a massacre!  And all for nothing." - French Marshal Michel Ney

The Russians didn't win, but Napoleon didn't crush them, which was a strategic victory for the Allies.

1924 - The first execution by gas in the United States took place at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City - Gee Jon was put to death for murder.

Gas, beheading, lethal injection, by noose or by the bullet, I couldn't care less how murderers are executed. We shouldn’t worry about how, but about the lack of them on a regular basis.

If you murder, you should be executed. It's a pretty simple concept.

1940 - Nazis shot every tenth person in two Polish villages near Warsaw in reprisal for the deaths of two German soldiers:  WWII.

A slow day by Nazi standards.

1943 - FDR ordered a minimal 48-hour work week in war industry:  WWII.

Gasp!!! The horror!! Try to imagine a modern-day American president trying to make such a requirement...Even during a time of war the Liberal scum would throw a fit.

January 23 (A Triple)

1368 - Emperor Hongwu established the Ming Dynasty in China.

This event ended Mongol rule in China, re-establishing Chinese rule by Chinese. It also set China on a path towards what some historians have called "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history."

1556 - The deadliest earthquake on record killed 830,000 in Shensi, China.

830,000 dead in one earthquake!  That is truly awesome - in a horrible way...How horrible?  It is more deaths than the U.S. lost in WWI, WWII, the Korean War, Vietnam War, and the various Persian Gulf/Wars on Terror combined.

1922 - The first successful test on a human patient with diabetes occurred when insulin was administered to dangerously ill Leonard Thompson.

Thankfully this happened in the 1920’s instead of today, and an unknown amount of human-beings have been able to live normal and decent lives as a result.

If it happened today, the manufacturer would have to jump though hoops to get it to the patients in need:

1. Pass exceedingly difficult FDA requirements. Including the normal process of testing, lobbying and payoffs.

2. Who knows if patients would even be able to get the new drug, because the cost would be astronomical - covering the cost of discovery, production, liability, testing, profit, and the cost to American taxpayers subsidizing it for the rest of the world.

3. A few patients would surely have negative reactions to the medicine, and the legal battles would cause the drug to be pulled from the market, even though its benefits to millions far outweigh the negative affects to a few.

Sadly, this is the reality of new medications in the U.S...Even more sad, it's not much of a stretch to believe there are many life-saving medications currently sitting on shelves waiting for their chance to help people while bureaucrats decide if they can be put on the market and for manufacturers to decide if it is profitable enough to put on the market.

638 - The first day of the Islamic calendar.

Congratulations.

1516 - Ferdinand II of Aragon died and was succeeded as King of Spain by his grandson Charles V.

The Habsburg lines were united (Holy Roman Empire/Austria and Spain/New World), and the rest of Europe let out a collective moan.

It had been over 700-years since one European ruler held such a vast amount of territory (Charlemagne), and the other powers could not allow this...As a result Charles had very few, if any, years of peace during his reign.

1668 - The Triple Alliance was founded:  Britain, the Netherlands and Sweden.

This was a defensive alliance against France, and was absolutely necessary with the 'Sun King' looking outwards towards new lands to dominate.

1793 - The Second Partition of Poland:  Prussia and Russia divided Lithuania and Poland.

I can’t think of any nation as geographically unlucky as Poland, sandwiched between the Russian and German beasts.

1812 - A 7.8 earthquake struck New Madrid, Missouri.

The New Madrid Fault Line is a monster, and the center of the U.S. is captive to it's reawakening...A reawakening which, if history proves correct, will likely make this 7.8 look small.

1948 - The Soviets refused U.N. entry into North Korea to administer elections.

From the very beginning the U.N. was a corrupt ‘Paper Tiger’ with no teeth...This should have been the day the U.S. withdrew from the Circle-Jerk Group.

1989 - The U.S. Supreme Court invalidated a Richmond, Virginia program requiring 30% of the city’s public works funds be set aside for 'minority-owned' construction firms.

What kind of ‘Reverse Racism' plan was this? I don’t know for certain, but I’d be willing to bet 30% of the city’s construction firms aren't owned by minorities, yet they thought they should get 30% of the contracts?

I’d also be willing to bet this had more to do with lining the pockets of a few minority owned companies (fraud), than to being a civil rights program.

1991 - Iraqi forces in Kuwait deliberately created a huge oil spill in the Persian Gulf.

This was a small act compared to what they later did, but Liberals would still prefer Saddam over President Bush...Even the EnviroNuts who 'supposedly' care about such things as oil spills.

2002 - John Walker Lindh, a U.S.-born Taliban fighter, was returned to the United States to face criminal charges that he conspired to kill fellow Americans.

What kind of message is sent that this POS wasn’t executed as a traitor?

2002 - The U.N. sent famine relief to Zimbabwe.

I’m sure ‘The Beast’ (President Mugabe) made sure all of this 'relief' went to the starving Zimbabwean people...Sure.

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 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.

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.'

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 21

1898 - Pierre and Marie Curie discovered radium.

I don’t pretend to know much about this element, but I do know Marie was one of the most important women in history - and her genius helped change the world.

Go here for more information.

69 – Vespasian, Titus Flavius Sabinus Vespasianus, a gruff-spoken general of humble origins, entered Rome and was adopted as Emperor by the Roman Senate.

Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian Dynasty, and one of the more decent Roman Emperors. He is noted for his mildness (by the standards of the time), sense of justice, and the amount of money he spent on Rome’s public works:  Including the construction of a new forum, the Temple of Peace, public baths, and the Colosseum.

1494 - A new sickness broke out in Naples: Syphilis.

The Euros gave the American Indians smallpox, and the Indians gave the Euros syphilis...The Euro’s suffered, but the Indians perished.

Neither incidence of disease transfer was intentional, and it wasn't the first time biological warfare was waged on an virgin population, but it was brutally successful in aiding the European conquest of the New World.

1620 - 103 Pilgrims aboard the 'Mayflower' went ashore for the first time at present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts.

This ended a 63-day voyage establishing an English settlement on the North American continent...The world would never be the same.

1879 - Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili was born.

Happy birthday, you sick bastard...He's better known as Joseph Stalin.

1939 - Heinrich Himmler and Reinhard Heydrich named Adolf Eichmann leader of 'Referat IV B,' the group in charge of transport of Jews for the 'Final Solution.'

What a miserable trio of psychopaths...Any one of the three could make the claim for being 'Top Nut of the Reich,' but I’d put my money on Heydrich.

1945 - 'Old Blood and Guts' died: General George S. Patton, commander of the U.S. 3rd Army, died from injuries suffered not in battle but in a freak car accident.

What a terrible way for the old warrior to die...All of his previous deaths came in battle (with Hannibal, Caesar, etc), and this peacetime death will hopefully be made up for in his future battles.

He believed it, so I see no reason not to honor it.

Also, it is important to note his nickname is misleading, because there were very few WWII commanders who had a lower casualty rate among HIS OWN TROOPS...Patton did cause plenty of casualties for his enemies, however.

1971 - The U.N. Security Council elected former Nazi, Kurt Waldheim as Secretary General.

You read that right: 'FORMER NAZI as SECRETARY GENERAL' of the U.N.

What a complete joke.

1991 - Eleven of the twelve former Soviet republics proclaimed the birth of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the death of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

It’s somewhat ironic the great Hell State met its final day on Stalin’s birthday.

2000 - The final U.S. election results showed Al Gore with 50,996,116 votes and George W. Bush with 50,456,169. Gore led by over 500,000 votes but lost to Bush by one electoral college vote.

This popular vote nonsense is for the idiots in this country who have had their minds altered by the media, or were never properly educated in American civics and history in the first place.

The Founding Fathers set up the Electoral College for a reason, and that reason was to protect the nation from being run by the huge states...The system has always worked, and will in the future.  As long as the revolutionary Leftists are kept from absolute control of the government and the courts, that is.

2000 - Ted Turner offered to make up the $35 million difference between dues the U.S. owed the U.N. and the amount Congress was willing to pay.

The U.S. should exit from the U.N. and let Ted and any of his Socialist buddies fund 100% of the world's largest Circle Jerk Group.

October 26

1962 - Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev sent a note to President Kennedy offering to withdraw his missiles from Cuba if the U.S. closed its bases in Turkey. The offer was rejected and the Cuban Missile Crisis continued.

I love Kennedy’s defiance and unwillingness to deal with the Soviet Hell State. He refused to blink and forced Nikki to stand down. Exactly what should be done with every rogue state threatening the U.S...And if we need to swing the 'big stick' so be it. I'm quite certain JFK was ready and willing to swing it like a mother.

Modern-day Democrats would cringe at such a decision, but this is one of the many differences between John Kennedy and 21st Century Democrats...It'll be nice when 'Kennedy Democrats' and 'FDR Democrats' wake up to this reality. Sadly, I'm afraid both will die off before they do.

33 - The traditional date for the death of St. Stephen, first martyr of the Christian Church.

I thought John the Baptist was the 'first martyr? I guess he would be considered before the Church, though.

1774 - The first Continental Congress, which protested British measures and called for civil disobedience, concluded in Philadelphia.

The Colonists didn’t vote to split from Britain, but this congress set the stage for the Colonists building up the nerve to do so...Never forget, the Brits were the superpower of the world, and taking them on was a dangerous measure - thought by most to be impossible.

1881 - The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral took place in Tombstone, Arizona, as Wyatt Earp, his two brothers and Doc Holliday confronted Ike Clanton's gang. Three members of Clanton's gang were killed; Earp's brothers were wounded.

Stories like this one make for good folklore, but as far as having real historical value, I don't think so.

1906 - Workers in St. Petersburg set up the first Russian 'soviet,' or council.

Petersburg was the home of the 1905 Revolution, which was squashed by the Czarists. Even though it was a failure, it was a breeding ground for Russian communism, however...This 'soviet' was an outgrowth of the 1905 Revolution, and a strong point for the Communists in the 1917 Revolution.

Prior to 1905 almost all communist activity took place in nothing more than the minds of the movement's intellectuals - in safer lands in Western Europe...This revolution was spontaneous, had little to no involvement from the communist, and was an outpouring of anger against the Czar.

1920 - The Lord Mayor of Cork, Ireland, Terence McSwiney, died after a two-and-one-half-month hunger strike in a British prison cell, demanding independence for Ireland.

If the Irish truly want independence from the Brits they must either force the Brits to let them go or remain part of the United Kingdom...Yes, that means they must go Palestinian, or not.

If they can’t earn their freedom, they don’t deserve it...I know many will be shocked by this comment, but I believe in the 'right of conquest.' The Irish don't deserve their own land/nation anymore than the American Indians, Sumerians, Hittites, etc., did. If they want it, they must reconquer it.

1956 - The International Atomic Energy Agency was established.

What a waste of perfectly good American money...And make no mistake the U.N. runs on the back of the American taxpayer.

Every major country who wants to have nukes has them, or will have them...And there are plenty of minor countries who will eventually have them, because they recognize the geopolitical clout it gives them.

So, what exactly is the IAEA doing?? Not much. It's just another hand in the world’s largest Circle Jerk Group.

1988 - French pharmaceutical company, Roussel Uclaf, announced it would halt worldwide distribution of RU-486, a pill to induce abortions, because of "an outcry of opinion at home and abroad." The French government ordered the company to reverse itself two days later.

Re-read that. The pharma company was going to stop making the product, but France ordered them to continue!!! Imagine if the American government ordered a company to continue doing this?

I take that back, similar things are happening - through forced measures in ObamaCare.

1999 - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study which said the number of Americans considered obese soared from about one in eight in 1991 to nearly one in five in 1998.

They can get whatever percent they want depending on how they want to skew the data. They can change the data statistics and parameters to make 100% of America obese...Or they can play with the stats to make 100% of America underweight.

Statistics are interesting, but they can be toyed with to come to just about any conclusion the statistician desires...Which is exactly what they do - depending on what their goal for that particular set of statistics is.

That said, if you look around you will see plenty of overweight and out of shape Americans, but you won't see 1 out of every 5 to be obese.

October 24 (A Double)

1648 - The Treaty of Westphalia was signed, ending the Thirty Years War.

The 30 Years War was one of the greatest of the general wars in Europe, and did much to create the foundation for some of the other great wars to follow.

The treaty took a large chunk out of the Holy Roman and Habsburg empires - which largely overlapped...As a result the map of Europe was redrawn, and Westphalia is considered the major turning point in the modernization of the European state system - for better or worse.

It's possible we are witnessing a type of 30 Years War occurring in the Middle East...One which will be just as destructive and meaningful.

1882 - Dr. Robert Koch discovered the germ which causes tuberculosis.

The 'Consumption' (TB) is one of the greatest killers in the history of mankind, and during Koch's time was the world's greatest killer...Koch's find led to the discovery of treatment options for those suffering from TB.

Much of the civilized world has seen the virtual disappearance of tuberculosis, but it is ever-present in Russia, Africa, Asia, and South America...Unfortunately, this monster is beginning to show signs of escaping treatment and finding it's way back into prominence in the West, due to over-treatment (leading to germ mutation) and unchecked immigration - better known as unchecked, state-sponsored stupidity.

1147- Lisbon was captured from the Moors by Alfonso I, King of Portugal.

The Portuguese kicked out the Muslim Horde, and spent the next 300-years helping their Spanish cousins do likewise.

1795 - The Third Partition of Poland: Between Austria, Prussia and Russia.

The Poles have long suffered the sting of history, having settled their homeland in the region between the beasts of the German and Russian people. Unfortunately, this partition wasn't its last, nor anywhere near as horrific as its next - WWII between the Nazis and Soviets.

Those who wonder why the Poles have become one of America's most loyal allies need look no farther than the first sentence in my comment above.

1973 - The Yom Kippur War ended.

The Arabs states are lucky the U.S. persuaded Israel to stop their counter-offensive, because they were only 65 miles from Cairo and 26 from Damascus.

1987 - Thirty years after it was expelled for refusing to answer allegations of corruption, the Teamsters Union was welcomed back into the AFL-CIO by a vote of the labor federation's executive council.

Of course the Teamsters were and ARE 'corrupt', but how bad must they have been to be booted from the 'corrupt' AFL-CIO?

1993 - Two George Washington University researchers who cloned non-viable human embryos told a news conference that science was still far from duplicating human beings, but they urged ethicists to prepare for the future.

'Far' as in decades away...And yes, the 'ethical' problems with succeeding are astronomical.

But I'm sure the Frankensteinians will continue their quest to produce a human...While at the same time, their brothers in 'science' are looking for ways to kill as many humans as possible - born and unborn.

1998 - Officials from the United States, China and North and South Korea seeking a permanent peace for the divided Korean peninsula announced they removed the last obstacles to full-blown talks.

Uhhhhh, the 'last obstacle' is the Kim family and their cronies...Who have been anything but removed from the process.

July 8 (A Double)

371 B.C. - The Battle of Leuctra: Thebes defeated Sparta.

The Spartans ended the Peloponnesian War in 404 B.C. as the undisputed master of Greece, but winning the war was ruinous for Sparta.

1.  It sapped the once great strength of the Spartans, which lost much of its manpower in winning the war.

2.  After winning the war, Sparta did something it had never done before:  It attempted to be not just the Greek hegemon, but also to establish an empire.

3.  In its attempt to dominate the Greeks, Sparta created many enemies...Just as Athens had done - a reality which helped Athens lose the Peloponnesian War.

4. As a result of creating new enemies, Sparta lost Messenia - its source of manpower and helots (slaves)...Without these helots, the Spartans had to produce for themselves, and couldn't continue to be exclusively devoted to the military.

There were other reasons why Sparta fell, but ultimately, the Battle of Leuctra finished off Spartan hegemony in Greece, and more or less ended Spartan influence in Greece because they chose to live mostly in isolation from this point on.

452 - Pope Leo I convinced Atilla the Hun not to attack Rome.

The Pope stopped Attila!!!! One of the great turning-points in world history.

1. Attila could have crushed Leo and the dilapidated city.

2. There is little the Roman Emperor or his army's could have done to stop Attila...But the Pope did. No one knows what Leo said to Attila, but it must have been powerful for the 'Scourge of God' to turn tail on the order of the Pope.

This event set the stage for the strengthening of the Church, and the enormous power the Papacy achieved after the fall of the western portion of the Roman Empire.

1776 - Colonel John Nixon gave the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence to a crowd gathered at Independence Square in Philadelphia:  American Revolutionary War.

The colonel put his life in extreme danger with this act, but the people wanted to hear what he had to say...As they should, considering its one of the greatest non-religious document in history.

1800 - Dr. Benjamin Waterhouse gave the first cowpox vaccination, to his son, to prevent smallpox.

Jenner created the vaccine, but it was Waterhouse who proved is efficacy. And he did it on his own family...I'm pretty sure the FDA would frown on this today.

1835 - The Liberty Bell cracked while being rung during the funeral of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall in Philadelphia.

I tend to think it cracked as a symbol of Justice Marshall cracking the nation, as a result of him over-empowering the Supreme Court...The Framers of the Constitution never planned on giving the Court such power, and Marshall couldn't have foreseen the havoc the future Court would wreak.

1838 - Arabs attacked the Jewish community of Safed.

I thought the Arabs/Muslims loved the Jews before they created the state of Israel...THE BIG LIE!! But many fools believe it.

1947 - Demolition work began in New York City to make way for the new permanent headquarters of the United Nations.

Oh, for a return of those same demolition crews to this same sight.

1991 - Reversing earlier denials, Iraq disclosed for the first time it was carrying out a nuclear weapons program, including the production of enriched uranium.

No way! The Iraqi's lied??? I'm so NOT shocked.

Yet the U.N. and European jerkoffs all wanted to continue being lied to, rather than take on the problem...I wonder why?

BRIBES!!!

1994 - Kim Il Sung, North Korean dictator since 1948, died at age 82.

Il Sung was a butcher and a nut, but he was pretty normal compared to his mentally ill son, Kim Jong Il.  And a lot more sane than his grandson, Kim Jong Un.

Paranoids with nukes and missiles to deliver them are a scary thing...Thanks a lot Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and Madalyn Halfbright.

July 6 (A Double)

1885 - French bacteriologist Louis Pasteur inoculated the first human being, a boy who had been bitten by a rabid dog.

Pasteur is a giant, and should rank with the top scientists and most important people in history...His presence is felt in all of us who have received a vaccine, and also by those who haven't - because they are protected by those around them who have been vaccinated.
 
1923 - The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Russia, the Ukraine, White Russia, and Transcaucasia), established on paper December 30, 1922, became a reality.

The Hell State became a reality...There have been few before, and none since, which have matched its insanity, and it would still be around if not for the strength of American Conservatives.

1439 - The Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches signed the Decree of Union at the Council of Florence, creating an official union between the two churches.

Like most 'decrees,' this one was more of a political move than a religious one, and the majority of both branches wanted no part of the other...Either way, the union was short, and the two Christian religions were doomed to separation due to geography, cultural differences, and the Muslim conquest of much of Southeast and Eastern Europe.

1775 - The Continental Congress issued the 'Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms,' listing grievances but denying there was intent to become independent of Great Britain.

Almost a year to this date they changed their tone, and declared independence...Read the Document: Declaration of Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms.

1854 - The Republican Party was formally established at a meeting in New York City.

Within six years the 'Party of Lincoln' won the White House, and America's future was turned upside-down...FOR THE BETTER!!

1989 - A Palestinian shouting "The glory of Allah!" grabbed the steering wheel of an Israeli bus, causing a crash which claimed 15 lives.

Many Muslims take joy in killing in Allah’s name; one of their many differences from Jews and Christians, who are commanded not to “murder in God’s name.”

Most mistake the commandment of “thou shalt not kill” to mean, they can’t kill at all, which would forbid killing in self-defense as well...The commandment is properly understood as “thou shall not murder in God’s name.” -  Dennis Prager

2000 - The German Parliament offered a formal apology to Nazi-era slave and forced laborers passing a bill setting up a five billion-dollar compensation fund.

I suppose they feel like they are even now...Sick SOB's.

June 23

1888 - Abolitionist Frederick Douglass became the first black American nominated for U.S. President.

Frederick Douglass was born a slave, but escaped to freedom in 1838.  He went on to be the most important black man of his time, and one of the five most important in American history...It should be noted, Douglass was nominated by receiving one vote from the Kentucky delegation at the Republican Convention.

FYI: Top 5 American blacks = Barack Obama, Jackie Robinson, M.L. King, Frederick Douglas, George Washington Carver.

Being elected President of the U.S. instantly jumped Obama to #1...I didn't want him to win the job, but unlike Liberals, I am an honest historian.

930 - The world's oldest parliament, the Iceland Parliament, was established.

This parliament is known as the Althing and is the oldest, but has little if any other historical significance...Such is Icelandic history.

1995 - Dr. Jonas Salk, the medical pioneer who developed the first vaccine to halt the crippling disease of polio, died.

Salk, known as 'The Man Who Saved the Children,' was a giant of his time...His vaccine has saved millions from the debilitating effects of polio, and his name should be listed with the brilliant minds of any time.

1983 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Congress could not veto presidential decisions.

DUH!!! But is anyone surprised to see a Democrat led Congress trying to push its luck constitutionally?

1993 - In a case which drew widespread attention, Lorena Bobbitt sexually mutilated her husband, John, after he allegedly raped her. John Bobbitt was later acquitted of marital sexual assault; Lorena Bobbitt was later acquitted of malicious wounding by reason of insanity.

If he did rape her, more power to her! If he didn’t, he should be justified in cutting off her breasts, as a moment of insanity...One had to be wrong, and at least one should have done jail time.

That said, I tend to believe Lorena, and John probably got what he deserved.

2003 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the University of Michigan's School of Law affirmative action policy.

Someone please show me the portion of the Constitution which explains how the sins of the past are to be paid for by the generations of the future...Affirmative Racism is bad for blacks and wrong for America.

May 14

1796 - English physician Edward Jenner performed the first successful vaccination, inoculating an eight-year-old boy against smallpox and laying the foundation for modern immunology.

WOW!!! How many millions (billions?) of human beings have been saved from the scourge of smallpox by this vaccine alone? And this was just the beginning of the history of immunology.

For this reason, Dr. Jenner should go down as one of the ten most important people in the history of the world...Alexander, Caesar, etc., were great leaders, but is their value for all of humanity, for the rest of time, even close to that of Dr. Jenner’s?  It's debatable.

1787 - Delegates began gathering in Philadelphia for a convention to draw up the U.S. Constitution.

These brilliant men met to create the most important legal text in the history of the world...Out of which grew the federal republic we know as the United States of America.

1804 - The Lewis and Clark Expedition to explore the territory of the Louisiana Purchase left St. Louis. The expedition started up the Missouri in a 55-foot covered keel boat and two small craft.

These explorers were the astronauts of their time, and their journey was every bit as dangerous as the trips to the moon...In fact, more people expected the lunar astronauts to return home than those who expected this mission to end successfully.

I highly recommend you read about this great adventure: Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson and the Opening of the American West.

1948 - British rule in Palestine came to an end with the Jewish National Council proclaiming the State of Israel. Within hours Israel was under attack from Arab forces.

And they’ve been at war ever since...I am a huge proponent of the Israeli State, and hope with all my heart it lasts forever.

That said I am very leery of a few million Jews in a sea of a billion Muslims...Time will tell, but we should all pray for 'The People of the Book.'

1955 - Representatives from eight Communist Bloc countries, including the Soviet Union, signed the Warsaw Pact in Poland. The Warsaw Pact was inspired by Nikita Khrushchev to strengthen the Soviet hold over its Eastern European allies.

The ‘Iron Curtain’ was 'strengthened' and the Cold War got much hotter...Also, it should be noted this 'alliance' was created to control the nations in the bloc as much as it was to defend against NATO.

1984 - The chairman of the Soviet Union's Olympic Committee told a Moscow news conference his country's decision to withdraw from the summer games in Los Angeles was "irrevocable."

They were correct to withdraw, just as the U.S. was in 1980...But not for the reasons both gave.  I wish the entire Olympics would go away, because it is a corrupt showcase for dictators, corrupt politicians, and even more corrupt scumbags in the International Olympic Committee.

1986 - Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said in a televised address that casualties from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster had risen to nine dead and 299 hospitalized, but said, "The worst is behind us."

9 or 299 or 2,999,999, what’s the difference in the 'Land of the Gulags?'...When life is cheap, statistics mean nothing. In fact the higher the number, the less important it often is.

"A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic." - Joseph Stalin.

1992 - Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev appealed to the U.S. Congress to pass a bill aiding the people of the former Soviet Union.

What other people in history have rebuilt the nations and economies of the countries it defeated? NONE!

And it should be noted, this is a theme in American history:  Germany, Japan, etc.

1993 - President Bill Clinton told a news conference his threat of military force to halt the war in the former Yugoslavia was "still on the table" despite opposition from European allies.

How dare Clinton not pass the 'Global Test,' upsetting our European 'ALLIES?'

2000 - Tens of thousands of mothers rallied in Washington to demand strict control of handguns.

If they really want handgun control they should have rallied to put more police on the streets, arrest all of the shit-heads, and execute those who murder...This is how you control the ‘handgun problem.’

Guns in the hands of good people are not dangerous, and the Second Amendment guarantees our right to them. Also, it's important to remember each of the amendments to the Constitution has equal value, and would be meaningless without the other.

May 8 (A Triple)

1945 – V.E. Day (Victory in Europe Day) is celebrated by the Western Allies in WWII, for ending the war against Germany...Victory Day is celebrated by the Russians, for ending their war against Germany May 9, 1945.

After hundreds of years of general war, Europe was finally saved from itself...It's important to remember, WWII was nothing less than an extension of WWI, which was an extension of the hundreds of wars fought on the continent for thousands of years.

Luckily, since this day Europe has seen the longest period of general peace since the time of the Romans...Which is why this period is known as the Pax Americana - the American Peace.  A peace enforced by the strength of the American military and economy - and it's people's willingness to provide such strength.

To understand what an incredible human undertaking this war was, look at the death statistics from the major players in the European Theatre:

USSR: Over 23 million dead
Germany: Over 7 million dead
Poland: Over 5 million dead
Yugoslavia: Over 1 million dead
Romania: Over 830,000 dead
Hungary: Over 580,000 dead
France: Over 560,000 dead
Italy: Over 450,000 dead
United Kingdom: Over 450,000 dead
United States: Over 410,000 dead
Lithuania: Over 350,000 dead
Czechoslovakia: Over 340,000 dead
Latvia: Over 220,000 dead
The Netherlands: Over 200,000 dead

By far the most destructive war in the history of humankind.

It should also be noted V.E. and Victory Days didn't end WWII...There was another enemy who needed to be finished off:  The Japanese - who were on the verge of collapse, but the killing in the Pacific Theatre didn't stop for another couple months.

1952 - The U.S. conducted the first hydrogen bomb test, at the Eniwetok Atoll.

This was a massive upgrade on the atom bomb - Many hundreds of times larger.

The big question isn't who will ultimately have them.  The big question is: Who will be the first to use one - and equally, who will be the first to take one?

1980 - The World Health Organization announced the eradication of smallpox.

One of the true scourges of mankind was killed off...Hopefully.

Smallpox has been with man for at least 10,000 years, and with the expansion of cities it became one of man's greatest killers...In the 20th Century alone, it's estimated 500 million people died worldwide from smallpox.  To put this number in context:  It's estimated 200 million people died in the 20th Century due to war, genocide and famine - less than half the number killed by smallpox.

It must also be remembered smallpox pretty much wiped out the original inhabitants of the Western Hemisphere - the 'Indians'.  A fact which drastically changed the world.

Only time will tell, but it's a pretty safe bet the germ-world will find another great man-hunter.

Hopefully mankind isn't stupid enough to re-introduce such a killer in the form of a re-branded - and newly 'banded' - biological weapon, which would be much more devastating then nuclear weapons.

1541 - Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto discovered the Mississippi River.

No he didn’t, the Indians had been there for thousands of years...I’m practicing to be a Liberal.

1846 - The Battle of Palo Atlo: The first major battle of the Mexican-American War.

General Zachary Taylor gave the Mexicans a 'whoopin,' which was the norm for the whole war...But make no mistake, the result of this battle was more a result of Mexican military inferiority than U.S. superiority.

It is kind of funny this same Mexican army, which couldn’t win a single battle against U.S. troops, spanked an invading French force 16-years later.

1864 - The Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse began: U.S. Civil War.

Another bloodbath, another day closer to Union victory…Grant wasn’t winning battles but he was winning the war.  It was a brutal last year, however.

April 28

1932 - The first yellow fever vaccine was announced.

VACCINES WORK!!  Just look at the pre-vaccine era data.

Unless you’d rather see millions of people afflicted with the many diseases currently protecting the 'human world' from the 'germ world'...Sure some people are killed and maimed by vaccines, but nowhere near as many as those who’ve been protected from the debilitating and deadly germs they defend against.

The question of 'vaccinating vs. not vaccinating' isn’t even a logical debate...And the idea they aren't needed anymore because the world has been eradicated of the horrors of vaccine preventable diseases is disproved anywhere vaccines have low rates.

What is a smart argument is: Can we continue to stay ahead of the germs or will they eventually claim their superiority over man and his magic - modern medicine?

I'm betting germs make a huge comeback at some point, because the germ world changes much faster than the human world...And the germ world doesn't have maniacs contesting its change.

585 B.C. - A war between Lydia and Media ended due to a solar eclipse.

Lydia and Media were in present day Turkey and Iran.

Both probably figured their gods were being overpowered by their opponents gods, and decided they better give up before they were destroyed by the same power which put the sun out.

1686 - The first volume of Isaac Newton's 'Principia Mathamatica' ('Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy') was published in Latin. His discovery of differential and integral calculus is presented here. Below are Newton’s Laws of Motion, which obliterated the Aristotelian concept of inertia.

1. Every physical body continues in its state of rest , unless it is compelled to change that state by a force or forces impressed upon it.

2. A change of motion is proportional to the force impressed upon the body and is made in the direction of the straight line in which the force is impressed.

3. To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction.

Book Three of the Principia opens with two pages headed 'Rules of Reasoning in Philosophy.' There are four rules as follows:

1. We are to admit no more causes of natural things than such as are both true and sufficient to explain the appearances. (A restatement of Ockham’s Razor: “What can be done with fewer is done in vain with more.”)

2. Therefore to the same natural effects we must, as far as possible, assign the same causes.

3. The qualities of bodies which are found to belong to all bodies within the reach of our experiments, are to be esteemed the universal qualities of bodies whatsoever.

4. In experimental philosophy we are to look upon propositions inferred by general induction from phenomena as accurately or very nearly true notwithstanding any contrary hypothesis that may be imagined, till such time as other phenomena occur, by which they may either be made more accurate, or liable to exceptions.

It’s a slow day, so why not...There are few things as impressive as the mind of this 'Genius of all Geniuses.'

1902 (at exactly 10:40 AM) - The one billionth second since January 1, Year Zero.

As counted on the Gregorian Calendar.

Just an interesting stat, and a great example of how large a billion of anything is.

1914 - W.H. Carrier patented the air conditioner.

I live in Phoenix (Land of the 120 Degree Summer Day), so in my mind this is by far one of the greatest inventions in the history of mankind.

1939 - Hitler proclaimed the German-Polish non-aggression pact was still in effect:  WWII.

HAHAHAHAHAHA! Not in a funny way, but in an absolutely ridiculous and sad way.

1945 - Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, were executed by Italian partisans as they attempted to flee the country: WWII.

(By the way, many texts list him as killed on April 29, but the real date was the 28th).
 
YES!!! Justice was served, and the Italian people were completely justified in stringing Il Duce up and beating his dead corpse to a pulp.

It’s too bad his buddy, Hitler, escaped the Russian mob, which would have made Mussolini’s departure look like playtime compared to what they would have done to ‘The Madman.'

1952 - The Japanese Peace Treaty was signed, formally ending WWII in the Pacific.

Seven years after the war ended...Such is the case when the victors are decent enough to rebuild a country and a nation.

No country in the history of the world had ever done such a thing, which is one of the many things separating the U.S. from any other country in history.