January 12 (A Double)

1896 - H.L. Smith took the first X-ray photograph - a hand with a bullet in it.

This was a huge development in the history of medicine..And one which extended well past medicine. For better and for worse.

1943 - Soviet forces penetrated the siege of Leningrad, creating a breach in German lines, which had encircled the city for a year and a half. This breach allowed more supplies to come in along Lake Ladoga, the lifeline of the Leningrad resistance:  WWII.

The Battle of Leningrad is one of the greatest battles in world history, and should be read by all...I recommend 'The 900 Days,' by Harrison Salisbury.

The Russians lost approximately one million lives in almost 900-days; around 1,000 per day for 2 1/2 years...As a point of reference, imagine the effect a 9/11/01 or Pearl Harbor every 2-3 days for almost three years would have on America.

The 'City of Lenin,' (or 'Peter' for those who are true historians) much like Stalingrad, could not fall to the Germans, and Hitler was so maniacal he insisted on conquering it, when bludgeoning, isolating and bypassing the city made much more strategic sense.

1893 - Hermann Goering was born.

Happy Birthday, you fat-ass, psychotic, piece of human garbage!!

That said, the field marshal is one of my favorite Nazis to read about.

1918 - The U.S. government agreed to use state prisoners as farm laborers.

Can you imaging if we did this today? The ACLU and the rest of the Liberal Jackals would be howling mad.

Who cares what the ACLU wants, though.  It sounds like a much better plan than bringing in millions of illegal aliens to do the same work...But I’m sure in modern-day, moronic, Liberal America this would be considered “cruel and unusual punishment.”

1948 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled states could not discriminate against law-school applicants because of race.

Of course race shouldn’t preclude anyone from law school (or any school)...Neither should gender, etc.

This should include whites and men, by the way, because 'Reverse Racism' is as repugnant as 'Direct Racism'...Except in Liberalville, of course, where they not only push for Reverse Racism but also push for the "soft bigotry of low expectations." - G.W. Bush.

It's what keeps Democrats in office, and has been a brilliant political scheme for over 60-years.

1950 - The USSR reintroduced the death penalty for treason, espionage and sabotage.

In 1950?  That would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

1961 - A United Nations pact banning genocide went into effect.

Bangladesh (1971), East Timor (1975-99), Cambodia (1975-79), Bosnia (1992-95), Rwanda (1994), Darfur (2004-today).

Looks like banning genocide works really well.

1976 - The U.N. Security Council voted 11-1 to seat the Palestine Liberation Organization for its debate on the Middle East. The United States cast the only dissenting vote.

Yet we continue to prop up this joke of an organization - actually both...So, we get what we ask for.

1990 - Romania became the first Warsaw Pact member to ban the Communist Party.

Considering Romania's sordid history, banning Commies is unlikely to keep them from reverting to poor form.

1991 - A deeply divided U.S. Congress gave President G.H.W. Bush the authority to expel Iraq from Kuwait.

Wait a minute.  I thought everyone supported the first Gulf War - just not the second one...This is the mythology we've all heard from Democrats and their lap-dogs in the media for the past two decades.

For the record:  The Senate voted 52-47, the House voted 250-183.

Can you believe there were actually 48 dirt bag Senators (47 + 1 dissenter) and 183 POS Representatives who voted to allow Saddam to keep Kuwait?

Democrats of course!

This same group of clowns were raging again 12-years later when the time came to get rid of the 'Butcher of Baghdad'...So much for the lie that Democrats supported the First Gulf War because we had a 'global mandate' to free Kuwait.

1995 - Amid unprecedented media hype, the murder trial of Hall of Fame football star O.J. Simpson began in a Los Angeles Superior Court. Simpson was accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ronald Goldman.

It’s hard to believe, but this is still the biggest media story in my 40+ year existence...It got every bit as much play as 9/11, Iraq War, Katrina, Obama, etc., and certainly was overwhelmingly covered for a longer period of time.

Incredibly, 'The Juice' got away with murder...Equally incredible, justice was finally served when he was put in prison for such a stupid act as trying to steal his own stolen football paraphernalia.

1998 - Nineteen European nations signed a treaty in Paris opposing human cloning.

Sure...We’ll see how long the Mengelian-wannabes are held at bay on this one.

1998 - Germany said it agreed to establish a $110 million fund to compensate Jewish victims of the Nazis in eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Payments from the fund would be released starting in 1999 over a period of four years, benefiting an estimated 17,000 to 20,000 victims.

So the other 9-10 million were ‘freebies’? I guess this makes everything alright, though, for the 17,000.

Uhhh, do you realize that comes to a paltry $6,471 per person? (110,000,000/17,000).

A piece of crap used car costs over $6,471. I guess Der Fuhrer was right and the life of a Jew really is cheap.

2000 - The U.S. Supreme Court gave police broad authority to stop and question people who run at the sight of an officer.

They should have given the police the 'authority' to see if the 'runners' can outrun a bullet...If you have nothing to run from, then don't run.

2010 - A massive earthquake struck Haiti.

200,000-300,000 Haitians were killed as a result of this event...As a point of reference, the U.S. had around 400,000 deaths in all of WWII.

Nature is truly a 'mother.'

November 18

1095 - Pope Urban II convened the Council of Clermont to plan the First Crusade.

I hope you haven't bought into the myth of the Crusades brought to us via the American media and public school system, who would have us believe the 'poor Muslims' were brutally attacked by the loony-religious, warmongering Europeans...What a joke.

One it's important to remember Islam conquered the area of the modern-Middle East from the West...For over a thousand years, the Western/Christian world extended from the Atlantic Ocean to the current borders of Russia, Persia and India, and included North Africa until they were conquered by Islam.

Also, Islam spread its reign of death and conquest not just through Asia and North Africa, but also into much of Eastern Europe, and ruled Spain for over 300 years by this time...Thankfully, Western Europe north of Spain was saved by the Franks (Charles Martel and Charlemagne) and the Habsburg Empire halted the Muslims in Central Europe.

The Europeans were responding to never-ending attacks and invasions, and it's a good thing they did because the Muslim world was advancing almost unchecked until the Crusaders took the fight back to them.

Ultimately, neither side was able to destroy the other, but the Crusades and Spanish Reconquista effectively limited the Muslim Horde to the Middle East, North Africa and the far reaches of Eastern Europe...A blessing those of us who live in the modern Western world should always be thankful for.

1307 - William Tell shot an apple off his son's head? Did it happen? No one knows for sure. The origin of the story is unknown, but is of either Swiss, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic or Persian origin.

If he did or didn’t is of no importance, and the event is of even less importance...But I do love the mythology of such events.

What's interesting is the origin of the story being of far north European (Germanic) or Persian origin.

1803 - The Battle of Vertieres: The Haitian 'air force' defeated a French invasion force.

The Haitian air force was the main combatant the French had to deal with, and was decimated by...What was the Haitian air force? Mosquitoes which spread malaria to the French troops, making them sick or killing them as fast as they arrived.

1903 - The Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty gave the U.S. exclusive canal rights in Panama.

And then President Dumb Ass (Carter) and the Democrat Congress decided we should give it back to the Panamanians...Who are in the process of selling it to the Chinese.

Reason #3,851 never to trust Democrats with National Security issues.

1916 - General Douglas Haig finally called off the first Battle of the Somme in Europe after five months of futile battle which included the first use of tanks in battle. The Allied advance of just 125 square miles claimed 420,000 British and 195,000 French casualties. German losses were over 650,000:  WWI.

The Somme was one of the great battles of WWI, and also one of the most useless...The Allies began the assault with the hope of keeping German troops from reaching the Battle of Verdun, but as it turned out the Battle of the Somme was more destructive than Verdun.

1936 - Germany and Italy recognized the Spanish government of Francisco Franco.

Of course they did...And Hitler took full advantage of the Spanish Civil War to train his troops and air force for his upcoming plans.

1978 - Jim Jones led 914 of his followers to their deaths at Jonestown, Guyana, by drinking a cyanide-laced fruit drink. Cult members who refused to swallow the drink were shot.

How sad, and how pathetic...I will never understand how people can be corralled into these insane asylums.

1988 - President Reagan signed major legislation creating a cabinet-level drug czar and providing the death penalty for drug traffickers who kill.

Executing 'drug traffickers who kill' is a great idea...But why not others who kill? And it seems to me that drug traffickers kill people’s health and minds even if they don’t take their actual life.

So, all drug traffickers should be executed...If for no other reason than for contributing to the destruction of American society.

1993 - The U.S. House of Representatives joined the Senate in approving legislation aimed at protecting abortion facilities, staff and patients.

No one should be threatened or killed...But it should be noted they did nothing to protect the most innocent and defenseless of all at an abortion clinic: UNBORN BABIES!!!

1996 - One time CIA station chief Harold J. Nicholson was charged with selling top secrets to the Russians.

This POS was sentenced to 23-years in prison...WHAT A LOAD OF SHIT!!!! All treasonous, traitorous Americans should be executed. No deals, no mercy.

2003 - The Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled the right to same sex marriage was guaranteed by the state constitution.

Gotta love the Judicial Super-Legislators making stuff up as they go...How about letting the people of Massachusetts put the issue to a vote? Nah! Because we all know the perverse idea would go down in flame(r)s.

2004 - The U.N. Security Council held a two-day session in Nairobi. This was the first time it had convened outside of New York headquarters.

Too bad they weren't looking for a new home. The U.N. would be much better off in Nairobi, or Denmark, or Iran, or Korea, or...(fill in the blank with any non-American nation).

2005 - Conservative leader Angela Merkel took a last step toward becoming Germany's first female chancellor when she and other party officials signed a hard-won agreement to form a left-right coalition government.

Make no mistake, neither Merkel nor her party are Conservatives in the American sense, but they are much more so than their Lefty coalition partners.

October 11 (A Double)

1939 - A letter from Albert Einstein was delivered to President Franklin Roosevelt concerning the possibility of atomic weapons:  WWII.

Try to imagine a world with Nazi nuclear capability? A world of unimaginable horrors...This alone is the only reason needed when asked “why did the U.S. go to war with Germany when Germany didn’t attack the U.S.”
 
1944 - Japan announced it would "fight to the last man, woman, child, weapon, and piece of equipment":  WWII.

This alone is the only reason needed when asked 'why did we have to drop the atom-bombs on Japan?'

1521 - Pope Leo X gave King Henry VIII of England the title of 'Defender of the Faith' following the publication of his book against Martin Luther.

This is the same Henry VIII who was soon excommunicated from the Church...Such was religious politics in the 16th Century.

And make no mistake, religion has always been political.

1776 - The first naval Battle of Lake Champlain: American Revolutionary War.  Forces, led by General Benedict Arnold, suffered heavy losses, but managed to stall the British.

Remember, Benedict Arnold was a hero of the Revolution before he turned traitor...Between this battle and the First Battle of Saratoga, there were few who did more on the battlefield to help the American cause.

1868 - Thomas Edison filed papers for his first invention, an electrical vote recorder to rapidly tabulate floor votes in Congress. Members of Congress rejected it.

The genius was emerging, even though his first devise was shot down...It’s funny Congress couldn’t even recognize the importance of a a simple vote counter; a shortsightedness which hasn't gone away in our time - yet we assume they can effectively rule and mandate so much of our lives.

1993 - In Haiti, army-backed thugs prevented American troops from landing as part of a U.N. peace mission and drove away U.S. diplomats waiting to greet the soldiers.

Such was the Clinton Military...How in the world did a rag-tag group of Haitians stop forces from the greatest military in the history of the world? The troops should have mowed these fools down, and completed their mission. Instead they were ordered to turn tail.

September 25

1396 - The last great Christian crusade, led jointly by John the Fearless of Nevers and King Sigismund of Hungary, ended in disaster at the hands of Sultan Bajazet I’s Ottoman army at Nicopolis.

The Crusades died a whimpering death, but did perform the vital function of keeping the Muslim Horde tied up in the Middle East and North Africa.

From the 8th-11th Centuries the Muslims swept through much of South and Southwest Asia, and were on the march towards Europe...The Crusaders failed in their goal to reclaim the Holy Land, but succeeded in a much more important (and unintentional) way by saving Central and Western Europe from Islam's ravages.

1066 - The Battle of Stamford Bridge: England's Saxon King Harold defeated an invading Norwegian force.

Harold marched his troops out to defeat the Norwegians...And defeat them he did.

Little did he know, however, there was another invader coming from the south - An invasion led by William, Duke of Normandy...Soon to be known as William the Conqueror.

1513 - Spanish explorer Vasco Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama, becoming the first known European to see the Pacific Ocean.

The westward path to the Orient was discovered, and the link between the Atlantic and the Pacific became an obsession for many for the next 400-years.

FYI: It was the same isthmus Balboa crossed which ultimately served as the mechanism for uniting the two great oceans, with the construction of the Panama Canal.

1555 - The Peace of Augsburg: Lutheranism was recognized in Germany.

This was a peace treaty signed by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and the princes of the Shmalkaldic League (the Lutheran Princes).

The treaty was a bitter pill for Charles and the Catholic Church, and a final realization he couldn't keep the forces of Lutheranism at bay...The result was the official recognition of the Lutheran religion in the Empire.

"Cuius regio, eius religio": "He who rules, his religion," or "in the Princes land, the Princes religion."

In other words: The various lands of the Empire would be Catholic or Lutheran as determined by the religion of that land's ruler.

1789 - The first United States Congress adopted 12 amendments to the Constitution and sent them to the states for ratification. Ten of the amendments became the Bill of Rights.

The fact there would be amendments to the new Constitution was known before the great document even had time to dry...It would have never been ratified without this knowledge.

We all know of the first 10 amendments (the Bill of Rights), but I admit I have no idea what the proposed 11th and 12th were???

1818 - The first blood transfusion using human blood (instead of animal blood) was performed in London at Guy's Hospital.

This was a huge advance in medical technology...It's hard to believe any transfusions from animal blood were successful.

1890 - Mormon president Wilford Woodruff issued a manifesto formally renouncing the practice of polygamy.

Make no mistake, the Mormons didn't want to make this concession...They had little choice.

At the time Utah was a semi-autonomous territory within the U.S., but was being faced with a couple of choices, neither of which were palatable to the Mormon populace.

1. End polygamy, and retain a little power as a territory and later a state in the Union.

2. Continue on its path and be annihilated by federal troops.

There was no third option, and the one they chose allowed them to maintain a semblance of autonomy.

1938 - President Franklin Roosevelt urged negotiations between Hitler and Czech President Benes over the Sudetenland.

This turned out well...And the Czechs had no say in the eventual 'negotiations.'

1954 - François Duvalier ('Papa Doc') was elected President of Haiti.

By no means was Papa Doc even close to the 20th Century's Mega-Deka Murderers, but he was a very established democidal nut...Killing around 30,000 on the tiny island of Haiti.

That said, it is quite possible Duvalier was the most bizarre character of the 20th Century (a huge honor considering his peers), and a self-proclaimed Voodoo practitioner...If you like reading about insaniacs, I recommend you check out Papa and Baby Doc.

1974 - Scientists warned the continued use of aerosol sprays would cause ozone depletion, leading to increased risk of skin cancer and global weather changes.

This was during a time when many scientists were warning of 'Global Cooling'...Check it out: Newsweek, April 28, 1975.

Bunch of Gloom-n-Dooming idiots.

Guess what? I guarantee the Earth will go through periods of cooling and warming...And will do so with or without man's help.

1993 - Three U.S. soldiers in Somalia were killed when their helicopter was downed by a rocket-propelled grenade.

I'm sure our Commander-in-Chief had great intentions, but what was our military doing in Somalia without a legitimate plan?

Also, why is it Democrat presidents can use the military to do whatever bogus operations they want, but George Bush deposed of one of the world's most dangerous dictators and Liberals went nuts?

Hmmmmm??

September 15

1940 - During the Battle of Britain, the tide turned when the Luftwaffe sustained heavy losses inflicted by the Royal Air Force:  WWII.

It's hard to believe Hitler didn't fire the ‘Fat Field Marshal’ for this disaster - or follow the normal Nazi practice of killing him...Thankfully, Hitler not only let him live, but Goering continued in his position as C-in-C of the Luftwaffe through the end of the war.

Of all Hitler’s Henchmen none were quite as pathetic and incompetent as Goering, who had a large role in Germany’s three worst debacles of the war: The Dunkirk Escape, the Battle of Britain and the Battle of Stalingrad...Goering was given the honor of staring in all three, and in each case he failed epically.

1916 - Military tanks were first sent into action as part of the Allied offensive at the Battle of the Somme:  WWI.

Trench warfare was the routine method of battle in WWI, but the advent and use of tanks and planes put an end to this useless tactic in all future wars.

1917 - Russia was proclaimed a republic by Alexander Kerensky, head of the provisional government.

Who knows how Russian history would have been if the Mensheviks kept the Bolsheviks out of power...It would have likely been a different kind of Communism, but the end result likely would have been similar: The destruction of the human spirit.

1935 - The Nuremberg Laws deprived German Jews of their citizenship and made the swastika the official symbol of Nazi Germany.

Less than two years in charge and Hitler was already following through with his promises...Had the rest of the world taken him serious from the start, they could have averted disaster.

Instead the rest of the world shoved their heads further up their asses, and hoped for the best.

1937 - British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain flew to Germany to discuss the future of Czechoslovakia with Adolf Hitler.

Chamberlain was the #1 'head shover,' but at least he was about to provide “peace in our time"...Great.

1942 - Armies of Nazi Germany began their siege of the Russian city of Stalingrad:  WWII.

Speaking of Stalingrad (see above)...Open fighting ended in the battle, and the Germans were on the siege offensive from here till the Soviet breakout.

This is where Goering came into play. He promised Hitler he’d be able to supply the German troops from the sky, since there was no way the Wehrmacht could keep such an impossible logistics train...Goering was wrong, again, and instead of becoming a great victory, Stalingrad became a kessel (cauldron) for Field Marshall von Paulus and his 800,000 man 6th Army.

1994 - In a terse ultimatum from the Oval Office, President Bill Clinton told Haiti's military leaders: "Your time is up. Leave now or we will force you from power."

Check out Bubba threatening that great power - Haiti.

Question: How did Haiti threaten the U.S.? This is the question Liberals ask when Republican presidents use the military.

Oh, I forgot: Military operations with (D) behind them = Good...Military operations with (R) behind them = Bad.

1995 - The U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women approved a wide-ranging platform on women's rights, including the promotion of inheritance rights and the condemnation of wartime rape.

Wow! The U.N. had the brilliance to 'condemn' wartime rape....Such genius coming out of the ‘Circle Jerk Group’ is truly awe-inspiring.

So, what have they been doing to actually protect women since this time? Nada!!

1997 - Vice President Al Gore and Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman reported over 30 million Americans (1 in 7) were suffering from hunger.

What a crock of crap.

Look around you. Look anywhere in this country...There are surely some people who are ‘hungry,’ but there is no way it is anywhere near 14% of Americans. This was just a boldfaced lie.

It’s even more laughable when you combine this 'report' with those coming out stating over 20% of the population is ‘obese'...Bunch of jokers. If they ever lose their jobs, they should go looking for work at the U.N. where they love this kind of garbage.

2005 - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran is willing to provide nuclear technology to other Muslim states. Hours later, European nations renewed an offer of economic incentives if the Mideast nation would halt its uranium enrichment.

Let me get this straight, Iran acts poorly and the West offers to give it money? Sadly, that sounds about right.

2005 - North Korea said it wouldn't give up its nuclear weapons without receiving a reactor for generating power, stalling six-nation talks on Pyongyang's atomic programs.

It works for Iran, so why shouldn't North Korea give it a shot as well?

And now they are testing hydrogen bombs and ICBMs...Nice!!

July 31

1917 - The Third battle of Ypres began (ended November 10):  WWI.

This battle is properly known as the Battle of Passchendalele, and is one of the major battles of World War I, with over 700,000 casualties between the two sides...Ypres was also the last great trench warfare battle in history.

"...I died in Hell (they called it Passchendaele) my wound was slight and I was hobbling back; and then a shell burst slick upon the duckboards; so I fell into the bottomless mud, and lost the light." - Siegfried Sassoon

1291 - Egyptian Mamelukes conquered Beirut, ending the European presence in Palestine and Syria.

It was only a matter of time before the Muslims conquered the area...This should also be seen as an end of relative peace in the region as well, because Muslims have been more brutal on each other than the Christians ever were.

1777 - The Marquis de Lafayette, a 19-year-old French nobleman, was made a major-general in the American Continental Army:  American Revolutionary War.

Lafayette is one of only six people to be given the title of 'honorary citizen of the U.S,' and played a huge role in the victory of the Colonials over the Brits...His role was as an adviser to Washington, but more important was his influence on the French to join the battle against the Brits.

A quote from the Continental Congress: "that his services be accepted, and that, in consideration of his zeal, illustrious family and connexions, he have the rank and commission of major-general of the United States."

1919 - Germany's Wiemar Constitution was adopted.

The Germans couldn't have devised a worse system to succeed the Kaiser, and created a paper-tiger for a government in a nation in desperate need of strong leadership...Unfortunately, a strong leader is exactly what they eventually got. It took 14-years, but he surely arrived.

1932 - German Election: Nazis received 37.3% of the vote.

THIS IS WHAT THE WIEMAR CONSTITUTION CREATED!!!

Hitler and the Nazi's received just over 1/3 of the vote in 1932, but took over the nation in 1933...Huh!!

A stupid system, with the perfect conditions for a takeover, and a brilliant (though demented) politician to perform the taking.

And never forget, Der Fuhrer and his maniacal followers were ELECTED!!!! Voting matters, but democracies aren't the most important factor in a peaceful nation - freedom and liberty are.

1987 - Iranian pilgrims and riot police clashed in Mecca, resulting in some 400 deaths, according to the Saudi government which blamed Iranians for the violence.

Go back to my comment from the 1291 event above.

1994 - The U.N. Security Council authorized member states to use "all necessary means" to oust the military leadership in Haiti.

Question: Why on Earth would the U.N. 'authorize' the Haitian leadership to be removed, but not Saddam in Iraq? Nor the dozens of equally brutal regimes on the planet?  Hmmmm...Could it be many of the nations on the Security Council had no financial interests in Haiti, but definitely did in Iraq and elsewhere? Of course that's why.

1996 - The White House won agreement with key Republican lawmakers on a package of anti-terrorism measures.

I thought Muslims loved the U.S. when Bill Clinton was in office?? Come on now, the Muslim world only hated George W. Bush.

Seriously, the media and Leftist Dems have been telling us this since 9/11/11...So it must be true.

Oh, and they loved Obama, too...And hate Trump, too.

It must be true.

2006 - The U.N. passed Resolution 1696, demanding that Iran suspend uranium enrichment by the end of August.

What a sad joke...Both the resolution and the U.N., that is.

1997 - In Brooklyn, New York, police seized five bombs believed bound for terrorist attacks on New York City subways.

Go back to my comment from the 1996 event above.