March 9 (A Double)

1862 - The Battle of Hampton Roads: U.S. Civil War.  The ironclads 'USS Monitor' (Union) and 'CSS Merrimack' (Confederate) had their famous battle.

The battle between the Monitor and the Merrimack was the world’s first naval battle between two ironclad ships...Neither had the proper weaponry to sink the other, and the two ships were unable to finish each other off through ramming, so the battle ended in an uneventful tie.

Tactically and strategically the battle had little worth, but the importance of the battle was the power displayed by the ships, which revolutionized naval shipbuilding worldwide.

1864 - General Ulysses S. Grant was appointed Commander-in-Chief of Union forces:  U.S. Civil War.

Lincoln finally had his 'fighting general,' and Grant did not disappoint him.

Many revisionist historians have attempted to smear Grant’s reputation, calling him a butcher and accusing him of unwisely wasting his troops. These historians are ridiculous, and Grant knew the fastest way to end the war (which would end the slaughter) was to constantly attack Lee’s forces and destroy them...Lincoln knew this as well, and had no reservations about Grant’s methods or personal foibles.

Sadly, our modern presidents, representatives and military pundits don't understand the only way to fight a war is to crush the enemy and force them to surrender...Well, it's the only way to 'successfully' fight a war.

1776 - The book 'Wealth of Nations' was published.

Adam Smith's great book on capitalism is one of the most important economics books in history.  His genius was true in the 18th Century, and it is true in the 21st...Because it is true.

Hopefully our leaders and people relearn this truth in the near future...Don't hold your breath, however.

1916 - Pancho Villa led a Mexican band in a raid on Columbus, New Mexico, killing more than twelve people.

This was back in the day when the Mexicans were more like the Huns and Vandals. In our time they are much more like the Goths...If you don’t understand the reference you need to return here more often.

1918 - The Russian Bolshevik Party became the Communist Party.

Call it whatever you want, Lenin created and ran an insane asylum...And he passed it off to the perfect mental patient: Joe Stalin.

1945 - U.S. B-29 bombers launched attacks on Japan, causing widespread devastation. In Tokyo, an estimated 80,000-120,000 people died:  WWII.

The Japanese were lucky the U.S. didn’t have to invade Japan Proper, because this number would have multiplied to millions of Japanese dead...And please don’t fall for the Liberal garbage that we committed war crimes with these fire-raids. The Japanese brought this on themselves by refusing to quit without a thorough ass kicking.

1976 - The first female cadets were accepted for admission to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

No nation should accept or demand their women to join the military...Unless the nation is at peril of losing its sovereignty.

The whole idea of women in the military as a means of equality is a joke, and has weakened our total force structure.

IT’S NOT THAT THEY CAN’T, IT’S THAT THEY SHOULDN’T!! And lets be real honest, most also can't!

1994 - The U.N. Human Rights Commission condemned anti-Semitism, putting the world body on record for the first time opposing discrimination against Jews.

And what has the U.N. done to enforce its condemnation? Not a damn thing...And what was the U.N. doing prior to 1994? Not a damn thing.

What a joke!!

March 7 (A Double)

1530 - King Henry VIII's request for a divorce with Catherine of Aragon was turned down by Pope Clement

The pope made a huge strategic mistake with this decision...The Reformation was only 12-years old, and his decision to bar the English monarch from this divorce turned England against the Church.

Who knows how history would have played out if the Brits remained in the Catholic sphere instead of the future leader of the Protestant world?

1936 - Adolf Hitler ordered his troops to march into the Rhineland, thereby breaking the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Pact.

This was the first chance the French and Brits had to check ‘The Madman’...But they didn’t have the intestinal fortitude, and failed civilization in an unimaginable way.

This decision proved extremely costly...Incredibly, Hitler gave them more opportunities before the Polish invasion, but they continued to shy away from solving the problem until it was too late and became cataclysmic.

322 B.C. - Aristotle died. His writings included treatises on logic, metaphysics, ethics, politics, rhetoric and natural sciences. He first described language in terms of subject and predicate as well as parts of speech. Aristotelian Logic is based on a small number of unambiguous constructs, such as, "if A, then B": the truth of one implies the truth of another. This celebrated rule gives Aristotelian reasoning the power to establish facts through inference. The constructs also included A=A, representing that every entity is equal to itself. He defined politics as the science of the sciences that looks after well-being. His writings included 'De Generatione Animalum.'

Aristotle is the most well known of the ancient thinkers, and a man with few intellectual superiors. It also didn't hurt his reputation to be Alexander the Great's mentor...Which leads to the question: Did the teacher make the student, or did the student make the teacher?

1921 - Leon Trotsky's Red Army attacked rebellious sailors at Kronstadt, with great slaughter.

It's ironic the last legitimate force the Bolsheviks had to destroy were these sailors, who happened to be the first legitimate force to side with the Bolsheviks in 1917...Such is the twist of fate.

And, 'great slaughter' was nothing abnormal for the Bolsheviks.

1911 - The United States sent 20,000 troops to the Mexican border as a precaution in the wake of the Mexican Revolution.

We are long overdue to do the same to guard against the current Mexican invasion.

1975 - The U.S. Senate revised its filibuster rule, allowing 60 senators to limit debate in most cases, instead of the previously required two-thirds of senators present.

Changing the rules of the Senate is a simple procedure. It has been done in the past and will continue to be done in the future. Such is the game when the minority party insists on obstructing the majority...I just wish the Republicans would use these rules as effectively as Democrats do.

That said, meant to set up the Senate as a 'defensive' mechanism against the 'offensive' nature of the House, and the Founders would have very little problem with the fact it tends to hold up 'change.'

1994 - The U.S. Navy issued its first permanent orders assigning women to regular duty on a combat ship, in this case, the USS 'Eisenhower.'

Women should never be in combat, except as a last-ditch need for a country in dire straits...That said, if they are going to take up spots in the military, they must be combat effective, and usable.

Every woman in the military should be available for combat duty...100%.

The logical conclusion is they shouldn’t be in the military at all. The military isn’t a social experiment, it is the first and last line of defense for our nation...But Liberals care more about social engineering than National Defense.

March 6 (A Triple)

1820 - The Missouri Compromise was signed by President James Monroe, providing for the admission of Missouri into the Union as a slave state, but prohibited slavery in the rest of the northern Louisiana Territory.

The illogical-logic of having the unwillingness to confront the problem, yet knowing slavery was terribly wrong...Such was the state of affairs in early-mid 19th Century America.

Democracy is a wonderful thing, but it isn't perfect. One of the inherent weaknesses of free democracies is the perpetual need to appease at least half the populace to remain in power. Which often leads to the continuation of bad policies at the expense of votes.

1857 - The Dred Scott Decision: The U.S. Supreme Court handed down its landmark ruling that black slave Dred Scott could not sue for his freedom in a federal court because he was not a U.S. citizen.  The Court also didn't buy it that his white master died in a 'free' state.

Another hideous reality of American history, but not one which dents its greatness...This is something to keep in mind any time you think only good answers come out of the courts.

Many Union troops lost their lives in the quest to correct this wrong.

"SOMETIMES WAR IS THE ONLY ANSWER!!"

1961 – Executive Order 10925 established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. It was charged with the elimination of race, creed, color, and national origin as barriers to employment in the government as well as in firms employed on government contracts. The order used the term “affirmative action” to refer to measures designed to achieve non-discrimination.

A noble objective, pursued through an ignoble mechanism.

Racism should be ended through equality of condition and opportunity, not through 'Reverse-Racism' or artificial positioning of any race...It isn't good for the nation as a whole - and isn't even positive for those being propped up.

1836 - The Battle of the Alamo ended: Mexican forces captured the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, killing the last of 187 defenders who held out in the fortified mission for 13 days.

This was a battle won by Mexico, but a rallying cry for many Americans to go to war with Mexico...It took a few years, but the Texans got their revenge in the long-run.

1861 - The Confederate Congress called for 100,000 volunteers.

Within a few months they were put to use.

1944 - U.S. heavy bombers staged the first American raid on Berlin:  World War II.

We all know the saying: 'Payback is a bitch'...Well, the Krauts had a lot of payback coming their way, and the next year saw the raising of their cities.

1981 - Walter Cronkite said "And that's the way it is" for the final time, as he closed the "CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite."

And then he was followed by an even bigger Liberal turd: Dan Rather.

1990 - The Soviet Parliament approved a property law allowing private citizens the right to own the means of production and other business enterprises for the first time since the early 1920s.

The chains were falling...But their weight was such that they continue to shackle those who wore them.

Oh, and so does the mighty fist of the Russian overlords.

1991 - Following Iraq's capitulation in the Persian Gulf conflict, President GHW Bush told a cheering joint session of Congress that "aggression is defeated. The war is over."

Papa Bush proclaimed “peace in our time,” but just like Neville Chamberlain he did nothing but pass the problem on to another leader...Unfortunately, Bush was succeeded by a man of much less testicular fortitude.

March 4

1519 - Hernando Cortes landed in Mexico.

Cortes landed with around 600 troops and 20 horses, and took on the most powerful nation in the New World - with a population of millions.

There is no way the Spaniard should have been able to defeat such an empire, but Cortes' force of will and audacity, along with an incredible amount of luck, technology, horses, native enemies the Aztecs had abused for years, and smallpox, allowed him to perform the Alexandrian task of conquering the Aztecs...I'd argue what Cortes accomplished was even more amazing than what Alexander the Great did - regardless of how it happened.

That said, had the Aztecs followed the 'First Rule of Invasions':  Kill them on the beach - their civilization might still be around. But they didn't, and paid the ultimate price for their mistake.

1238 - Battle of the Sit River:  Russia vs. Mongols.

The Mongols thoroughly crushed the Russians in this battle, which effectively ended Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian unified resistance; at least as an organized force.

As a result, these lands were subjected to two centuries of Mongol domination.  A fact which forever changed the culture, psychology and biological makeup of the region.

1776 - George Washington's colonial forces occupied Dorchester Heights, Massachusetts:  American Revolutionary War.

Overnight the Continentals secretly manned the heights, building defensive structures and lining cannon to defend Boston Harbor...On March 17th the British accepted their position was untenable and retreated.

This 'battle' was one of the early 'victories' in the Revolution and was of enormous strategic value to the Continentals:  "The rebels have done more in one night than my whole army could do in months." - British General William Howe

1789 - The U.S. Constitution went into effect when the first federal Congress met in New York.

The most perfect government system ever created took effect - a low threshold to pass, but still.

Obviously it has flaws, and required revisions, but the fact it contains a means for doing so is part of its greatness.

1801 - Thomas Jefferson became the first U.S. President inaugurated in Washington D.C.

There's a trivia question most Americans won't get correct, because they would assume George Washington was the first...Washington's first inauguration was in New York City, and his second in Philadelphia.  John Adams was also inaugurated in Philadelphia, but he was the first to live in the White House, when the federal government moved to D.C. in 1800.

1849 - Senator David Atchison was President of the United States - at least he claimed to be for one day.

This date was supposed to be inauguration day for President-Elect Zachary Taylor, but it was a Sunday and Taylor wasn't sworn in (quite a different time back then when it came to religion)...Sen. Atchison was the President Pro Tempore, and as such believed it was his duty to assume the title of President to assure continuity of the government.

Another trivia question I'm pretty certain only a handful of Americans would know.

1917 - Jeanette Rankin (Montana) was sworn in as a member of the House of Representatives and became the first woman to serve in Congress.

How odd that a woman was elected to a federal office before women were allowed to vote in federal elections...That said, lets not get too excited about Rep. Rankin. She voted against U.S. entry in WWI, and was the only representative to vote against entering WWII after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor:

"Small use it will be to save democracy for the race, if we cannot save the race for democracy." - J. Rankin.

Ugh! She would fit in perfectly with our current peacenik jackasses.

1997 - Declaring the creation of life "a miracle that reaches beyond laboratory science," President Bill Clinton barred spending federal money on human cloning.

I must admit I didn’t think he had this amount of decency in him...On the same note, why wouldn’t he have the same opinion on the destruction of life in the womb? Particularly in the case of Partial Birth Abortions?

2009 - The International Criminal Court issued and arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for war crimes in Darfur.

Of course Bashir is a 'bad man.'  So what has the ICC done about it?  Last I checked he's still in power ...Also, why Bashir?  Or even the rest of those on the ICC list of 'war criminals and crimes against humanity?'  There are so many bad actors in the world, the list could be much larger, but the reality is the list is political and about power.  Those on the list are 'small' compared to those who belong on it.

And even if the list is legit, what is the ICC going to do about it?  Nada!

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 2 (A Double)

962 - Otto I, King of the Lombards, was crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

Otto is considered the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, but this history is very sketchy.

Some historians claim Charlemagne was the founder of the HRE, after being crowned Emperor of the Romans, but his empire was dissolved shortly after his death.

The first known use of the term Holy Roman Empire was in 1254, and the formal name of the empire, the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation (Heiliges Römisches Reich deutscher Nation) first appeared in the 1500's...But the HRE was fact long before this.

Also, I hope you understand the Holy Roman Empire was neither 'holy' nor 'Roman,' and wasn't much of an 'empire'...It was a collection of German states, which at times ranged outside of Central Europe but not often enough to be considered an empire.

1942 - The Battle of Stalingrad ended:  WWII.

There were approximately two million casualties in this battle, and the Soviets took the brunt of the beating, but on this day the German 6th Army surrendered, ending what is considered one of the greatest battles in history...If you are not a historian and want to read about any part of WWII this is the battle I recommend.  There are many excellent books on the subject, and I promise you will be enthralled by its enormity, barbarism, and turns of fate.

Not only was this battle one of the greatest ever, but Stalingrad was the beginning of the end for the Germans in the East - a true turning point in WWII.

1653 - New Amsterdam became a city.

The city is still there, but it's better known as New York...Never forget the Dutch had colonies in North America before having to cede them to the English.

1811 - Russian Settlers established Ft. Ross trading post.

Like the Dutch (above) it's important to remember the Russians held territory in North America, as well...Today this area is more or less the city of San Francisco.

1848 - The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: This treaty ended the Mexican-American War, and turned over to the United States a huge portion of the present-day Southwestern United States, including Texas, New Mexico and California for $15 million.

America's 'Manifest Destiny' was getting closer to it's natural point...The Gadsden Purchase occurred a few years later, Hawaii and Alaska were a bonus, and 'space' is still to be conquered.

1933 - Two days after becoming German Chancellor, Adolf Hitler ordered the dissolution of the German Parliament.

Never forget good ol' Adolf was ELECTED by the German people. They should have seen this coming, yet they chose him anyway...And Europe sat around with its thumbs up their rectum allowing it to happen.

Sometimes you get what you ask for...We must keep this in mind in our time, as well.

1954 - President Eisenhower reported the detonation of the first hydrogen bomb.

This test occurred in 1952.  Thankfully, 60 year later the world has only seen them tested - not used in anger.

1971 - Ugandan Army strongman, Major-General Idi Amin took full power as military head of state and formed an 18-man cabinet to run the country.

Idi has gotten a bad rap. He was nowhere near as prolific a 'democidal dictator' as some of his peers...He only killed around 250,000 (give or take a few).

Compared to the other great butchers of the 20th Century (Hitler, Stalin, Mao, etc.), Amin is a pauper on the list of madmen...A pretty sad statement about the history of the 20th Century.

January 19

570 (assumed date) - Mohammad, founder of Islam, was born into the Quraysh tribe in Makkah. His birthday is observed on the 12th day of Rabi ul’Awwal, the 3rd month of the lunar calendar, in a festival known as Mawlid-al-Nabi.

Mohammad brought hell to the Bedouin people of the Middle East, and his successors spread this hell throughout North Africa, most of South and Southwest Asia, Spain and Southeastern Europe...It should be noted, this 'Religion of Peace' has never been about peace, and from the very beginning has been about conquest and subjugation - which should be evident in the meaning of the word Islam:  "submission."

That said, Mohammad will go down as one of the most important people in the history of the world. Right there with Christ, Alexander, Caesar, Augustus, etc...He may end up being the most important.

1523 - In Switzerland, Ulrich Zwingli published his 67 Articles, the first manifesto of the Zurich Reformation attacking the authority of the Pope.

Zwingli was a contemporary of Luther and Calvin, and a major player in the Protestant Reformation.

1917 - The Zimmermann Note.  A coded message sent to Germany’s minister in Mexico by German Foreign secretary Arthur Zimmermann, proposing an alliance between Germany and Mexico in the event war broke out between the U.S. and Germany. Intercepted by British naval intelligence, the note proposed, among other things, "We shall give generous financial support, and it is understood that Mexico is to reconquer the lost territory in New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona." The message was forwarded by the British to the U.S. State Department:  WWII.

I'm not quite sure why Germany thought Mexico would be a strong or reliable ally, but this note blew up in their face politically.

President Wilson wanted very little to do with the 'European squabble,' but to a certain extent his hand was forced by the belligerence of the Germans themselves. As far as Mexico goes, they had another plan to reclaim the areas listed in the 'Note' - They'd just flood the areas with people and reconquer them right under our noses, through the process of creating a demographic shift in the Southwest U.S.

1920 - The U.S. Senate rejected American membership in the League of Nations.

Why couldn't we have been so lucky in 1945? We should have answered the U.N. in the same fashion we did the League of Nations...With a huge 'HELL NO!!'

1922 - A geological survey indicated America's oil supply would be depleted in 20-years.

The Enviro-Idiots are nothing new.  They've been running around, stark mad, for decades...I often wonder what their real goal is, because they can’t possibly be this stupid.

If anything, it's pretty likely if we drill anywhere dinosaurs or sea life lived (which is everywhere) we'd probably eventually strike oil - or some other useful natural resource.

1974 - UCLA's men's basketball winning streak was ended by Notre Dame.

88 consecutive wins in a major men's sport - at any level - is insane!  But these UCLA teams were insanely good.

1977 - President Gerald Ford pardoned Tokyo Rose (Iva Toguri D'Aquino)

WHY?  Why wasn't this traitorous piece of garbage hung?  There was no reason to save her, and the fact she didn't die at the hands of an American executioner is a disgrace.

January 17

1991 - The U.S. Patriot Defense Missile was used in battle for the first time.  It shot down an Iraqi Scud fired at Saudi Arabia.

The Patriot defense system is truly revolutionary, because never in the history of ballistic warfare had a defensive weapon been used to intentionally eliminate an offensive weapon in use.

And for those who question the efficacy of missile defense:  The Russians and Chinese oppose and hate the development, production and placement of all types of missile defense...Which should say a lot about its effectiveness.

395 - Roman Emperor Theodosius died.

Theodosius was the last emperor to effectively rule the Roman Empire as a complete unit...Another event in a long line of events leading to the 'Fall of Rome.'

On his death, he granted his two sons parts of the Empire, which was permanently divided between the East and West...The West (Rome) fell in about 100 years, but the East (Constantinople) lasted for over 1,000 more.

1501 - The Papacy returned from Avignon to Rome.

Most people have no idea the Catholic Church went through a period where the Pope wasn't at Rome, or that there were periods of two competing Popes...Such is the ignorance of the American educational system - which is great when it comes to degenerate studies and Leftwing propaganda, but fails miserably when it comes to legitimate history.

The Catholic Church has always been a political entity, but never as much as it was during the pre-Reformation era.  It's too bad for the Church it took its fracturing, as well as being 'put in its place' by the various European princes and monarchs, before it was able to return to its primary position as the spiritual leader of the Christian world.

1821 - Mexico allowed Moses Austin and 300 U.S. families to settle in Texas.

Big mistake for the Mexicans...Huge boom for the U.S.

1935 - The League of Nations voted to award Germany the Saar Basin.

The first Nazi appeasement.

Hitler could tell from the beginning that France, Britain and the Soviets would do just about anything to avoid a fight...Unfortunately, Hitler was willing to do anything to force them to fight.

1945 - Soviet and Polish forces liberated Warsaw:  WWII.

The Soviets were nice enough to let the Poles do most of the fighting - and dying...A systematic scheme to undermine the Poles from the very beginning of their liberation.

Once again, lets not get too crazy about any sentence containing the words 'Soviet' and 'liberate.'

1946 - The United Nations Security Council held its first meeting.

Vomit In, Vomit Out!!

1964 - The PLO charter was put together with articles proclaiming Israel an illegal state, pledging "the elimination of Zionism in Palestine."

Few things are as amazing as the survival of the Jewish State in the middle of the Muslim wasteland...I’ve said for years, I don’t see how Israel can outlast its enemies. Here’s hoping I’m very wrong. Past history says I'm probably not.

1982 - 'Cold Sunday':  The U.S. saw temperatures drop to the lowest levels in over 100 years in many cities.

Had to be Global Cooling, back before Global Warming, back before Climate Change, of course...Sure.

1995 - The Kobe Earthquake:  A massive 7.2 earthquake destroyed Kobe, Japan, killing over 5,000.

Nature truly is a 'Mother.'

1997 - A French medical team removed ten bullets from Uday Hussein, son of Saddam Hussein. One bullet was still left lodged in his spine.

How nice of the French to save one of the worlds biggest psychopaths...Papa Hussein was bad, and Kim Jong Ill was a treat as well, but Uday may have taken the cake.

I’m sure the people Uday sent through the plastic shredders, or the soccer players who lost their legs for losing soccer matches, thanked these French bastards for saving Saddam's loony son...Thankfully the U.S. Military gave him a proper ending six years later.

1998 - President Bill Clinton was interrogated during a deposition in the Paula Jones case. It was the first time a sitting president was interrogated in a court case. During the nearly six hours of sworn testimony, Clinton denied he engaged in a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky.

This was a civil trial, not some 'right wing conspiracy'...AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES COMMITTED PERJURY!!!!!!

That said, the problem with Clinton was never about sexual relations (sadly much of America had no problem with his sexual weakness), but was about his overall lack of honesty and decency...We’ve had rogues in the White House before, but none were quite like Bubba.

Thankfully, his equal despicable wife will never be President.

2001 - The British House of Commons voted to ban fox hunting.

How pathetic for what was formerly the most powerful nation on Earth to have its federal government reduced to such stupid governance.

Sadly, the U.S. government is getting to this point, as well.

2003 - The Strategic Partnership with Africa (SPA), consisting of 15 developed nations, international lending institutions and U.N. agencies, concluded its annual meeting in Addis Ababa, agreeing to increase aid to Africa.

What a colossal joke...No one at the U.N. cares about Africa (as displayed in Rwanda, the Sudan, etc.). They just pay off African dictators in order to get their support in the Circle Jerk Group, and to steal their  natural resources.

January 10

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A huge state was soon to become an economic monster.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why is the federal government funding a Liberal propaganda network?

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

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

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

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

January 1

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

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

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

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

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

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

1 - The Christian Era began.

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

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

404 - The last gladiator competition in Rome.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

December 30

1922 - Vladimir I. Lenin proclaimed the establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, organized as a federation of Russia, Ukraine, Belorussia and the Transcaucasian Federation..

What a glorious day for all of mankind, with Lenin succeeding in the formation of the worlds first communist nation...Which, like all other communist nations to follow, became a Hell State.

The USSR had the distinction of being not just the first, but the greatest Hell State.

1460 - The Battle of Wakefield: The English Duke of York was killed by Lancastrians, and Queen Margaret hung his head over the gate of the city.

This was one of the great battles in the Wars of the Roses...Why did Margaret kill the Duke? To guarantee her son, Edward II, would succeed Henry VI as King of England.

Unfortunately for the Lancasters and Yorks neither survived the civil war, and Henry Tudor eventually won the crown - becoming Henry VII.

1853 - The Gadsden Purchase: The United States bought 45,000 square miles of land along the Gila River from Mexico for $10 million.

Less than 150-years later, Mexicans are attempting a Reconquista through the process of mass migration and breeding...And we are not only letting it happen, we are helping it happen.

1916 - Grigory Yefimovich Rasputin was drowned by the Russian Czar’s henchmen when he was thrown through a hole in the ice of the Neva River. On the night of December 29-30, they poisoned his wine, but he did not die. Then they shot him twice, but when he still refused to die, they drowned him.

It’s amazing the ‘Mad Monk’ lived as long as he did, because previous Czars would have executed him long before Nicholas did...This spinelessness was one of the reasons Nikki soon lost his empire - and his life - to the commies.

1932 - The USSR barred food handouts for housewives under 36-years of age.

And here in the U.S. many feminist whack-jobs insist on following in the footsteps of their Soviet heroes, by deriding American housewives as useless to society.

1959 - The first ballistic missile submarine, the USS George Washington, was commissioned.

”Global Reach, Global Power”...By “Sea, Land or Air.”

1999 - After 2,000 years of hostile relations between Christians and Jews, the Vatican and Israel approved a document in which the Holy See and the Jewish State recognized each other.

The two religions are intertwined historically (through the Old Testament) and original geographic location...They are definitely different, but similar in their concepts of ‘good and evil.’

Plus, Jesus was a Jew. As such, I don’t think it is much of a stretch to consider Christianity a Jewish sect.

2006 - Saddam Hussein was executed.

Far too few evil men have met their death at the hand of justice, and very few men have deserved such justice as Saddam Hussein did...We should be proud in being part of his downfall, and eventual extermination.

December 29

1890 - The Battle of Wounded Knee: The last major conflict of the Indian Wars took place in South Dakota after Colonel James W. Forsyth of the 7th Cavalry tried to disarm Chief Big Foot and his followers. Some 300 Sioux Indians were killed by U.S. troops sent to 'disarm' them.

The Anglo-Franco-Spanish-American conquest of the American Indian is a sad, but natural occurrence...We can feel bad, and we can reminisce, but the reality of the situation is this: World history is the spread - as a result of military, demographic, biological or epidemiological conquest - of people over space and time.

The American Indians are no different than the Philistines, Lydians, Hittites, Sumerians, etc, etc, etc...People come and people go. Over time, our people will as well.

1778 - British troops, attempting a new strategy to defeat the American Colonials, captured Savannah, capital of Georgia, in some of the bloodiest fighting of the Revolutionary War.

The British ‘Southern Strategy’ was doomed to failure:

1. Colonial population centers were in the north.
2. France and Spain were neighbors to the south, and would do whatever it took to slap their European foe, helping the Americans by default.

1845 - Texas (comprised of the present state of Texas and part of New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming) was admitted as the 28th state, with the provision that the area (389,166 square miles) be divided into no more than five states "of convenient size."

America was getting closer to its 'Manifest Destiny.'

1934 - Japan renounced the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the London Naval Treaty of 1930.

Seven years till Pearl Harbor...It’s truly amazing how powerful this tiny island nation became.  It's unfortunate for itself as well, because the price it paid for such a rise was the ultimate downfall.

1940 - In a radio interview, President Roosevelt proclaimed the U.S. as the "arsenal of democracy":  WWII.

It's too bad FDR's successors, modern-day Democrats, don’t see it this way.

1970 - OSHA was established by an act of Congress.

OSHA is an enormous drag on American production, which affects everything from household income levels to Gross National Product. Of course, workplace standards are necessary, but nothing is needed with such reach and punitive power as this bureaucratic monstrosity.

What happened to Adam Smith-style economic policy? Sadly, we have allowed pseudo-socialist economic policy to replace the tried-and-true genius of laissez-faire...Just wait until some real socialists get power.  Then we'll see just how fast they prove the genius of laissez-faire, and the abject failure of socialism.

Unfortunately, we're going to have to live through such proof before Americans give up on this monstrosity.

1998 - Two top Khmer Rouge leaders apologized for the deaths of as many as two million people during their regime in the 1970s, and asked Cambodians to forget the past.

'Forget the past'? You’ve got to be kidding me...This would be like asking the Jews to ‘forgive the Nazis.'

November 13

1995 - Seven people, including five Americans, were killed when a bomb exploded at a military training facility in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Six years before 9/11/01, and what did we do to punish those who killed our troops? NOTHING!!! Because Clinton didn't have the stones to take appropriate action.

Instead he twiddled his thumbs (among other things), and allowed the Islamists to grow more and more bold...We suffered other hits between this time and 9/11/01, and he did little more than after this attack. So, who can blame the Jihadis for thinking they could kill Americans with no recourse?

Luckily when they tried their luck with G.W. Bush they were given a much different answer. And it's no surprise we haven't been hit again - at least not in a big way...Unfortunately, this may change with any future presidents, if they are more in the Bill Clinton mold.

1789 - Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter to a friend in which he said, "in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."

No truer words have ever been spoken...Except maybe an equal truth in our time:

"Nothing is certain, except death, more debt and taxes." - Author Unknown

1806 - Pike's Peak was discovered, but not climbed, by Lieutenant Zebulon Montgomery Pike during an expedition to locate the source of the Mississippi.

Peak is a strange character, and one who's famous name far exceeds his deeds or worth.

The Army sent him to the West because he was such a pain in the ass. The Army brass couldn't stand him and would have been just as happy had he perished in the Rockies.

Plus, Pike never made it up the mountain which is named for him. He tried many times, but never made it. He did make it back East to tell his version of the discovery, however.

1835 - Texans officially proclaimed independence from Mexico, calling itself the Lone Star Republic.

Texas is one of two states which was formerly an independent nation...Along with Hawaii.

Many think Utah was, but it wasn't...Utah was semi-autonomous, but never independent of the U.S.

1913 - The first modern elastic brassiere was patented by Mary Phelps Jacob. She initially made the brassiere from two handkerchiefs, a piece of ribbon and a piece of cord.

I bet many of you've been wondering about this fact...You never know what you're going to be treated to here, so you better keep coming back.

1930 - The first revolving milk platform was used. It could milk 1680 cows in seven hours.

This devise allowed machines to do the work of humans, and sped up the process greatly. Which allowed for mass production of milk and milk products to flourish.

1942 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt lowered the draft age from 21 to 18.

In a time of war, you do what is necessary.

1956 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled segregation on interstate buses is unconstitutional.

This decision was the fruit of Rosa Parks efforts...Sadly, legal doesn't mean reality, and it was many years before the problem of transportation and blacks was finally ended.

1993 - President Clinton used his weekly radio address to make a pitch for the North American Free Trade Agreement, then flew to Memphis, Tennessee, where he delivered an anti-crime speech to black ministers at the Temple Church of God in Christ.

NAFTA is nothing but a scheme to get 'Illegal Aliens' in the country, and I wish the Democrats in Congress won this battle...But they didn't.

Also, what's with Clinton giving speeches in a church? Personally, I have no problem with it, but I can't believe the 'separation of church and state Nazi's' didn't go insane over this...Try to imagine if a Republican gave the exact same speech in a church. All Hell would break loose in Liberalville.

2001 - President George W. Bush issued an executive order establishing military tribunals for the trial and potential execution of any person he labeled an “enemy combatant.” He dictated that people classified as enemy combatants “shall not be privileged to seek any remedy...directly or indirectly...in any court of the United States.”

Imprison them, question them, question them some more, torture and question them one last time, then execute them...Bush's order was much too lenient for my taste.

November 8 (Another Huge Day)

Another day of huge events...As such each will be highlighted in blue.
----------------------------
641 - Alexandria, Egypt, fell to Islam.

Alexandria was one of the greatest cities in the ancient world, but he Byzantines had no chance of holding it against the Muslim Horde...Unfortunately it will never reclaim its former greatness - not as long as it's held by barbarians who seems to 'advance in reverse', that is.

General Amr Ibn al-As's letter to Caliph Omar: "I have taken the city, which contains' 4,000 palaces, 4,000 baths, 12,000 dealers in fresh oil, 12,000 gardeners, 40,000 Jews who pay tribute, 400 theatres or places of amusement."

Needless to say, the great city has remained in Muslim hands for almost 1,400 years, and probably will for another 1,400.

1519 - Cortes entered Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztecs.

Rule #1 of Invasions: "Do not allow the invader off the beach"...And surely don’t meet and play nice with them.

Not understanding this rule cost the Aztecs - and the rest of the original Americans - their civilizations.

1864 - Abraham Lincoln was elected to his second term as U.S. President.

Thankfully George McClellan didn’t win the election, after running on a platform to 'end the war'...Which would have resulted in an untenable situation between the U.S.A. and C.S.A.

1917 - The Council of People's Commissars was established as the new government of Russia, and named Lenin as Chairman, Trotsky as Foreign Commissar and Stalin as Commissar of Nationalities.

An awesome triumvirate! Lenin and Trotsky were the brains, Stalin and Trotsky the muscle.

You should notice Trotsky made both lists...But his muscle was nowhere near that of Stalin’s, which is why Stalin became Lenin’s eventual successor.

1923 – The Beer-Hall Putsch: Adolf Hitler launched his first attempt at seizing power with a failed coup in Munich.

This was a pathetic attempt, with little more than a rag-tag group of Nazi’s...But it was a turning-point in Nazi history. A turning-point because Hitler wasn’t killed in the battle, or given a death sentence for trying to overthrow the government. Instead it showed he had to take over Germany at the ballot-box. Amazingly, he did just that in less than 10-years.

FYI: This battle is also where the brilliant, strong, energetic, Herman Goering began his decline towards becoming a pathetic, fat, degenerate...Goering was shot in the groin, which led him to pain medication addiction - as well as further addictions - obesity and megalomania.

1933 - President Franklin Roosevelt created the Civil Works Administration, designed to create jobs for more than four million unemployed Americans.

1. Creating jobs isn’t the government’s function.

2. Creating these artificial jobs didn’t work worth a damn...The Depression wasn’t halted by one single minute due to FDR's New Deal schemes.

3. The New Deal probably stagnated the economy and caused the Depression to last longer than it should have lasted.

All of which are something to keep in mind in future recessions...Sadly, it's not something the government will ever learn - because the people will never learn that it's not the job of the government, and will force the government into such poor choices.

1942 - Operation Torch began:  WWII.

This was the first large-scale action for the Americans in WWII, who landed with a combined 400,000 man Allied force...And it’s important to note this invasion was in French North Africa, against the combined German and Vichy France forces.

The Western Allies attacked Hitler’s 'Soft Underbelly,' which allowed them to eliminate the Vichy SOBs, end any chance of the Nazi’s taking the Middle Eastern oil fields, and was a much better training-ground for American troops than the European meat-grinder would have been.

Plus, it allowed the Soviets to absorb the majority of the German blow in 1942-43...Sorry Uncle Joe, you double-crossing bastard.

1942 - Hitler proclaimed the fall of Stalingrad:  WWII.

Nostradamus he was not...Instead Stalingrad became the site of Germany’s worst loss - a true 'Kessel.'

Hitler was a political genius, but militarily he was a complete moron...Thankfully!

1950 – The first jet-plane battle in history took place:  Korean War.

USAF Lieutenant Russell J. Brown shot down a North Korean MiG-15, and a new age in warfare began.

1956 – The U.N. demanded the USSR leave Hungary; a demand which was ignored.

Hahahaha! I hope I’m not the only one who finds humor in the Circle Jerk Group’s demands…They can’t even make demands on countries like Haiti, let alone the world’s superpowers. Well, except the weak-kneed U.S., that is.

1960 - Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy defeated Vice President Richard Nixon for the presidency in a cliffhanger.

'Cliffhanger' = Mob voter fraud?

Hmmmmmmm. I can’t find that definition in any of my dictionaries.

Make no mistake, this election in 1960 greatly influenced the Nixon team's problems in the 1972 election.

1994 - Midterm elections resulted in Republicans winning a majority in the Senate while at the same time gaining control of the House for the first time in 40-years.

It only took 2-years for Clinton to piss off enough people to lose the House and Senate...Which is part of the reason his presidency had any success.

I hope you understand the second part of that statement...Obama was forced into the same Congressional situation, but unlike Clinton he didn't learn the lessons.  Which is why his presidency was a constant battle, because he chose to 'RULE' against the will of the people.

1994 - California voters approved Proposition 187, designed to deny education and social services and non-emergency health care to illegal aliens.

Voters passed the initiative by a 59% to 41% margin...But the courts immediately blocked the new law, and have tied up the measure to this day.

So much for the 'will of the people'...It's funny how Liberals are all for denying 'democracy' when it doesn't fit their needs, but cling to it when it does.  Funny in a sick way, that is.

1997 - Chinese engineers diverted the Yangtze River to make way for the Three Gorges Dam, the most ambitious construction project in modern China's history.

This is an awesome project, matching that of any in the history of the world.

My favorite part is the Chinese government more or less telling people in the way of the new water-flow to 'get out of the way or become part of the project'...Such is the value of life when you hit the billion people mark. Or in Communist countries.

September 8

1380 – The Battle of Kulikovo.

Also called the Battle of the Snipes Field.

According to Russian legend, the Russians defeat the Tatars in this battle, even though they were outnumbered 150,000 to 300,000 troops...The real numbers are probably closer to 80,000 to 125,000, but there is no doubt the Russians were greatly outnumbered.

The importance of the battle is it marks the beginning of the end of Mongol (Tatar) control of Russia.

1664 - The settlement of New Amsterdam was seized from Dutch governor Peter Stuyvesant by the English.

This area shortly change its name to one we all know: New York - after falling from Dutch to English control.

But make no mistake, New York has kept many of the characteristics of a Dutch town. Some good, some bad.

1847 – The Battle of Molino del Rey: Mexican-American War.

General Winfield Scott defeated the Mexican army in one of the bloodiest battles of the war.

1892 - The original 'Pledge of Allegiance' was written on this date.

The history of 'The Pledge' is an interesting one...Go here to read a Short History of The Pledge .

1926 - The League of Nations assembly voted unanimously to admit Germany as a member.

How nice...Hitler ripped Germany out of The League soon enough, though.

1935 - Louisiana Senator Huey P. Long was shot by Dr. Carl Austin Weiss Jr., while attending a session of the state House of Representatives in Baton Rouge; he died two days later.

The 'Kingfish' was an incredibly powerful Democrat senator, and a legitimate threat to FDR...Hmmmmm. Take that how you will.

1939 - President Franklin Roosevelt declared a "limited national emergency" due to war in Europe:  WWII.

94% of Americans wanted to stay out of the war - something to keep in mind in all of our current foreign policy problems.

Sadly, FDR was a politician, not a statesman. He knew the U.S. had to get in the war (and would eventually be dragged in), but didn’t have the testicular fortitude to do what had to be done at the expense of pissing off the electorate.

So, while the Nazi’s ran amok in Europe for two years, America watched from the sidelines as millions died...Oh, and at the same time the Japanese trashed China and grew stronger.

1941 - The entire Jewish community of Meretsch, Lithuania, was exterminated:  WWII.

WooHoo! Another big day for the ‘master race’...Psychos.

1943 - General Eisenhower announced the unconditional surrender of Italy:  WWII.

Italy the nation surrendered, but Italy the territory still had to be fought for...The Germans had no intention of giving it up without a fight.

1944 - Russian troops reached Bulgaria, and Bulgaria promptly declared war on Germany:  WWII.

Bulgaria’s nothing more than the eastern version of the Italians...Which is barely better than being French.

1945 - Hideki Tojo, Japanese Prime Minister during most of World War II, attempted suicide rather than face a war crimes tribunal.

He failed...And justice was served when the hangman got him on December 23, 1948.

1968 - Saundra Williams won the first Miss Black America pageant.

Imagine if there was a Miss 'White' America pageant...All Hell would break loose in Race-Baiterville, USA.

1974 - President Ford granted Richard Nixon an unconditional pardon for all federal crimes he may have committed while in office.

Stinking Nixon!!! He had the opportunity, ability and public support to be one of our better presidents...Instead he was paranoid, sent the nation into a period of confusion, and crushed the Republican Party.

If nothing else, we should never forgive him for bringing Jimmy Carter to the presidency.

1998 - Mark McGwire's 62nd home run broke Roger Maris' record of 61 homers set in 1961.

'Big Mac' (also known as 'Roids Mac') is a disgrace, and should come out and admit he ‘juiced.’

He should also request that Maris’s record be reinstated...Ooops. Another ‘roid monster’ (Bonds) topped 'Big Roids' record.

Here’s hoping none of them get in the Hall of Fame.

August 13 (A Triple...But I'm Making Note of a Special Fourth)

1521 - Hernando Cortes, Spanish conqueror, captured and destroyed Tenochtitlan (modern-day Mexico City) after a three month siege.

Firepower, cavalry, disease, superstition and neighboring Indian tribes who detested the Aztecs (probably the most important factor) were more than enough for Cortes and his meager band of Spaniards to overwhelm the greatest nation in the New World...It's a story beyond belief - maybe the most incredible conquest ever - one which changed the world.

Read more about Cortes.

1898 - The Spanish-American War ended.

This war was America's coming out party, and also the end of Spain's once great role on the international stage...It's ironic it is also the date which saw Spain's greatest conquest: Cortes against the Aztecs.

1961 - Berlin was divided when East Germany closed the Brandenburg Gate, sealing off the border between the city's eastern and western sectors in order to halt the flight of refugees. Two days later work began on the Berlin Wall.

The Cold War got much 'hotter' on this day...And millions of East Germans saw their slight chance at a decent life disappear.

1995 - Baseball great Mickey Mantle died of cancer.

I am too young to have seen him play, but as a child I read extensively about 'The Mick' and watched re-runs of 'Home Run Derby.'  He was my first hero...I admit to crying when I saw the news of his liver cancer, and even more on this day of his death.

Mickey was an awesome baseball player who was the strongest and the fastest, a switch-hitter, a Hall of Famer, a Triple Crown winner, a 3-time MVP, a 16-time All Star, a champion. He was almost mythological in my young mind, and the ballplayer I most often pretended to be when hitting balls against the wall or catching flies in the outfield.

"That boy hits baseballs over buildings. He runs as fast as Ty Cobb." - Casey Stengel

I'm glad I didn't know of his flaws when I was a child, and wish we could return to a better time when our heroes could be just that - HEROES!

Unfortunately, we live in a time where heroes are created then destroyed by the media, and I feel sorry for the children of our current day. There is no such thing as childhood innocence, and they are made to grow up much too fast in a world with the cruelest of realities...I admit I long for a better time, a time when a boy could be a boy.

1932 - Adolf Hitler rejected the post of Vice-Chancellor of Germany, saying he was prepared to hold out "for all or nothing."

Unfortunately the Austrian Madman soon got it 'all'...And the world got Hell.

July 7 (A Double)

1520 - Hernando Cortes defeated the Aztecs.

Firearms, horses, smallpox and superstition were enough for Cortes and his band of a few hundred soldiers to overwhelm the greatest power in the New World - establishing Spain as the West's greatest power.

The Aztecs and every other American Indian group made a fatal mistake ignoring the 'First Rule of Invasions':  Don't let the invaders off the beach...As a result, the invaders never left, and more or less wiped out the invaded.
 
1937 - The 'China Incident' began WWII in Asia.

I bet most don't know WWII started with this incident, at the Marco Polo Bridge...Heck, I bet most thought the war started when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

If I'm anywhere near correct on this assumption you desperately need to visit this blog every day.

1456 - Pope Calixtus III annulled the heresy charges brought against Joan of Arc, twenty-five years after her execution.

I'm sure this made Joan feel much better.

Leave it to the French to turn over for execution their national hero.

1647 - Thomas Hooker, Puritan pastor, founder of Connecticut, and organizer of the first American federal government system, died. He is known as the 'Father of American Democracy.'

I didn't know this...Learn something new every day.

1798 - The U.S. Congress rescinded all treaties with France, beginning the Quasi War.

I'm sure many think the French were our 'friends' because they helped us during the Revolutionary War, but this is one of the biggest lies in the entire history of our country.

The French would have gladly conquered the 'British Colonies' themselves, but Napoleon knew he couldn't, so he stuck it to the Brits by helping the Colonists...This is also why France sold the Louisiana Territory to the U.S.

The Quasi War was and undeclared naval war, and involved the young American fleet against French pirates, who were supported by the French Revolution (Napoleon). So, don't fall into the trap of believing the French have always been our 'allies.' If anything, they've always been a bunch of duplicitous pricks. Nothing more, nothing less.

1997 - Three days after landing on Mars, the Pathfinder spacecraft yielded what scientists said was unmistakable photographic evidence that colossal floods scoured the planet's now-barren landscape more than a billion years ago.

Floods = Water, Water = Life...There should be no problem with this on an evolutionary or religious level.

May 29

1453 - The Byzantine Empire fell to Turkish Sultan Mehemet II, who captured Constantinople.

This is the 'real date' of the Fall of the Roman Empire...The Western capital (Rome) fell in the 5th Century, but the Eastern capital lasted for almost another 1,000 years.

It's sad this isn't properly taught in schools. I'm not sure if it's intentional or not - probably not.

The splendor of the Byzantines was every bit as impressive as that of Rome, and the power of the Roman Empire was centered in the East long before the West fell.

Unfortunately, I see no way the West ever regains this magnificent piece of territory...Not so much because the Islamic world is so powerful, but because the West has become to pathetic to reclaim it.

1765 - Patrick Henry denounced the Stamp Act before Virginia's House of Burgesses. Responding to a cry of "Treason!," Henry replied, "If this be treason, make the most of it!"

Henry is one of my favorite Patriots, and one of the leading advocates of revolution...Check out some of his famous quotes, and you'll see why I'm so fond of him.

1864 - Archduke Maximilian of Austria arrived in Mexico to become Emperor.

Gotta love the a Euros trying to reestablish themselves in the Western Hemisphere while the U.S. was in the middle of a civil war.

It's too bad Lincoln didn't have a few extra divisions to send to Mexico and mop up on these pukes...Pathetically, the Euro-scum couldn't even handle the Mexican force, which tossed them out.

1943 - Meat and cheese rationing began in the U.S.:  WWII.

CALL OUT THE ACLU(seless)...How dare the government restrict anyone's liberty of eating meat and cheese!!!

Of course we were in the middle of a world war, but this would mean nothing to the current group of anti-American POS's...In fact, they'd probably be crying we had no business fighting Germany, because they didn't attack us.

2001 - The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case of Elkhart v. Books, letting stand the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling that the display of the Ten Commandments on an Elkhart, Indiana, city monument was in violation of the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

How ridiculous!! Most of the laws we have are based on a scriptural reference or concept...And the Bible (Old and New) has always been a motivating force behind American justice.

I'm sure they'd have no problem if a judge decided to post the Code of Hammurabi, though! Which was codification of religious laws as well, but it isn't Judeo-Christian so it would pass...Hell, they'd probably allow Sharia to be posted, as well.