February 18

1405 - Emir al Kebir Timur 'i-Leng' (Tamerlane) died while leading an expedition to China.

How can one person be known by so many names? Timur - also known as Temur, Taimur, Timur Lenk, Timur i Leng, Tamerlane, Tamburlaine, or Taimur-e-Lang, which translates to Timur the Lame.

No matter what he was called, this Turko-Mongol was a fantastic leader, and one of the few to go down in history with 'the Great' after his name - a well earned title.

1536 - France and the Ottoman Empire signed a trade and military alliance against the Holy Roman Empire.

It's important to remember the Ottomans held large chunks of Eastern Europe and were major players in the European power structure...It's also important to remember the French have always been willing to take on any allies - even Muslims who wanted to crush Christian Europe.

1546 - Martin Luther, German Augustinian Friar and leader of the Protestant Reformation, died.

Luther is one of the twenty most important people in history...Anyone could have taken on the Church, but very few could have survived its attacks, and almost none could have won.

1861 – Jefferson Davis was inaugurated the Confederacy’s provisional president at a ceremony held in Montgomery, Ala...“All we ask is to be left alone,” Davis stated.

Thankfully President Lincoln was at the helm...If a man of lesser qualities had been president, the America we know today would be a much different place.

1932 - Japan declared Manchurian independence from China.

How nice of the Japanese...In reality, Japan placed a puppet in charge of Manchuria and held it for themselves, but the headline is nice.

1962 - Robert F. Kennedy said U.S. troops would stay in Vietnam until Communism was defeated.

Or until peaceniks flooded his party and forced the defeat of our proud military.

I have no doubt the war would have went differently if JFK hadn’t been assassinated...If nothing else, a reasonably Conservative leader would have been Commander-in-Chief, instead of LBJ.

1979 - Snow fell in the Sahara Desert.

Global Cooling at its finest.

1985 - General William C. Westmoreland and CBS reached an out-of-court settlement in Westmoreland's $120 million libel suit from a CBS News documentary, 'The Uncounted Enemy: A Vietnam Deception.'

You’d think CBS would have learned, but they obviously haven’t and continue to put out 'hate-the-military propaganda.'

1998 - President Bill Clinton's foreign policy team encountered jeers during a town meeting at Ohio State University while trying to defend the administration's threat to bomb Iraq into compliance with U.N. weapons edicts. "One, two, three, four, we don't want your racist war," shouted some of the handful of hecklers at The Ohio State University in Columbus, catching Secretary of State Madeleine Albright off guard and drowning out what she was trying to say.

This puts a big challenge to the 'Bombs with (D) = Good, Bombs with (R) = Bad' theory.

That said, I’m sure Halfbright was 'caught off guard,' because she had no reason to think 'her people' would turn on her.

January 30

1933 - Adolph Hitler was named German Chancellor.

German President Hindenburg, the Army, and others thought they could control and marginalize Hitler by putting him in this post.

"I will employ my strength for the welfare of the German people, protect the Constitution and laws of the German people, conscientiously discharge the duties imposed on me, and conduct my affairs of office impartially and with justice to everyone." - A. Hitler

That worked out well.

Hindenburg died in 1934, Hitler was hardly marginalized - let alone controlled - and the Nazi regime was about to 'make history.'

1648 - The Peace of Munster.

The Netherlands finally achieved independence from Spain...Over a hundred years before the American colonies broke from Britain.

1661 - Oliver Cromwell was ritually executed.

I love this kind of stuff.  So, what did English King Charles II do?  Two years after Cromwell had been dead, he was dug up, hanged, drawn and quartered, then his body was thrown in a pit and his head displayed on a pole outside Westminster Abby.

Such is the fate of those who overthrow their leaders and don't figure out a way to keep their own on the throne.

1717 - Surrounded by the Russian Army, the Lithuanian-Polish Parliament reduced its army by half and acknowledged Russian protection.

'Acknowledged Russian protection?' Very nice.

The Ruskies had them surrounded...And soon conspired with Germany and Austria to eliminate both nations.

1781 - The Articles of Confederation went into effect as the official government of the United States of America.

I hope you know there was a U.S. government between the period of American independence and the Constitution...If you didn't, you need to return to this blog much more regularly.

1835 - A gunman fired twice at President Andrew Jackson, the first attempt on the life of a U.S. President. Jackson wasn't injured.

The first, but not the last...I’m not hoping for Trump, or any future president, to take a shot (not by any means), but we are very overdue for another.

1862 - The U.S. Navy's first ironclad warship, the Monitor, was launched:  U.S. Civil War.

It’s nearly miraculous this 'can with a turret' didn’t sink immediately...The upcoming battle between the two ironclads (Monitor vs. Merrimack) proved to be a joke, but the era of wooden ships was about to come to an end with the introduction of these two ships.

1937 - Thirteen leading Communists were sentenced to death for allegedly participating in a plot, led by Leon Trotsky, to overthrow the Soviet regime and assassinate its leaders.

Was it true or not? Probably, probably not...Either way it was a good excuse for Uncle Joe to pull out the execution squads, and he didn't limit his retaliation to thirteen.

1939 - Adolf Hitler called for the extermination of European Jews:  WWII.

WhoooHooo!!!! Happy Extermination Day...Sick bastard.

1948 - Indian political and spiritual leader Mahatma Gandhi was murdered by a Hindu extremist.

A sad day for the world...Gandhi was a Socialist, but he was a good man, and a great Indian.

1953 - President Eisenhower announced he would pull the Seventh Fleet out of Formosa to permit the Nationalists to attack Communist China.

What a joke...The Nationalists would have been slaughtered en mass, as our troops found out in North Korea.

Nice bluff, Ike. Don’t make threats you don’t aim to keep.

1968 - The Tet Offensive began: North Vietnamese forces launched surprise attacks against South Vietnamese provincial capitals.

The war was a mess before, but this event caused LBJ to flinch (almost a full Turret’s twitch)...The U.S. eventually won the battle, as it did every other, but never regained its footing politically.

And never forget why we lost the war: Both parties (and many presidents) failed our country, but the Democrats (who controlled the presidency and Congress for most of it) were too weak to win the war, and the Republicans were given an unwinnable situation by the time Nixon became president.

1979 - The civilian government of Iran announced it decided to allow Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who'd been living in exile in France, to return.

Khomeini's return was one of the biggest mistakes of the Carter Presidency...Which says a lot.

It was expected Khomeini would fire up a revolution, but Carter didn’t have the stomach to have him assassinated...We know the rest of the story in Iran, but most overlook the overall effect this had on the Middle East, where various forms of Islamic fundamentalism are trying to take hold throughout the region.

2003 - President G.W. Bush put America's allies on notice that diplomacy would give way to a decision on war with Iraq in "weeks, not months."

THANK GOD Jimmy Carter wasn’t president after 9/11/01...Or Clinton, or Gore, or Kerry, or Obama, etc, etc, etc.……

January 21

1924 - Vladimir Lenin died of a brain hemorrhage.

Lenin is one of the most important figures of the 20th Century...I'd like to say for better or for worse, but truth be told it was only for worse.

Sadly, as bad as the pathetic Soviet people had it under Lenin, they didn't get a reprieve after his death.  Instead they found out the real meaning of Hell - under Joseph Stalin.

1522 - Adrian Florisz Boeyens was elected Pope, as Adrian VI.

Normally I don't make much of Popes being elected, but this one is special for his previous role:  He was the leader of the Inquisition.

I've said it many times, but this event proves it as well as any, the Church has had its share of scoundrels.  Adrian was one of the most bloody.

1880 - The first sewage system which was separated from storm drains was created; in Memphis, Tennessee.

It's hard to put enough emphasis on sanitation, because as a modern American I've never lived in a place of filth...Thankfully.

1954 - The first atomic submarine, the USS Nautilus, was launched at Groton, Connecticut.

Global Reach, Global Power, By Sea, Land or Air, 24/7, 365 days a year...Here's hoping President Trump will rebuild our military and restore it to it's former power - especially the Navy.

1968 - The Battle of Khe Sanh began:  U.S.-Vietnam War.

Both sides claimed victory in this battle - per normal - but the ultimate outcome was the Americans leaving the base, and the North Vietnamese laying the groundwork for the Tet Offensive.

1977 - President Carter pardoned American Vietnam War-era draft evaders and ordered a case-by-case study of deserters.

This makes me sick...Any and all draft evaders should be tried for subversive activities. Including our pathetic 41st president.

1997 - Trying to improve its tarnished image, the Democratic National Committee announced it would no longer accept money from people or companies with foreign ties and would limit contributions from labor unions and wealthy benefactors.

Hahahaha!!! This is one of the biggest lies ever told by the DNC. And that's saying a lot considering how high the bar is...It’s time they change their party logo from the Jackass to Pinocchio.

And no one has ever mastered the cash-grab from foreigners, labor unions and the super-rich more than Barack Obama and the Clintons.

December 10

1994 - Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin received the Nobel Peace Prize, pledging to pursue their mission of healing the anguished Middle East.

Arafat received a 'Peace Prize?' This has to be the ultimate proof the Nobel Peace Prize is an absolute joke...Well, that and Obama getting one before doing anything - including setting the Middle East on fire.

But it does give the Iranian Mullahs, the loony Kim family in North Korea, Vlad, etc., hope for getting one someday...Maybe everyone can share one for the fine work they've done in Syrian and Iraq.

1520 - German reformer Martin Luther publicly burned Pope Leo X's bull, 'Exsurge Domine,' which demanded Luther recant his 'protestant' heresies, including that of justification by faith alone rather than through purchased indulgences or other papal favors.

Luther put his life on the line, and his ‘afterlife’...Remember, according to Church doctrine he couldn’t go to Heaven without receiving his ‘Last Rites,’ and if excommunicated he could not receive such ‘Rites.’

This was a huge deal in the 16th Century, yet Luther stood his ground.

The Church brought this problem on itself, through the mess of the Papacy during the 14th-16th Centuries, and the Protestant Reformation was probably the best thing that could have ever happened to the Roman Church.

1864 - Union General William T. Sherman completed his 'March to the Sea' when he arrived in front of Savannah, Georgia:  U.S. Civil War.

He ‘arrived,’ but it took a 12-day siege before Sherman was able to invest Savannah...Which made a very nice Christmas president for President Lincoln.

1869 - Women's suffrage (right to vote) was granted in the Wyoming Territory...The first in the U.S.

The U.S. isn’t a perfect nation, and it’s history is filled with issues which should have been made right from the start, but weren’t...This is one.

What's great about the U.S., though, is the fact we have a system in place which allows us to eventually get it right.

Amazingly, nationwide women’s suffrage had to wait another 50-years.

1898 - Spain signed the Peace of Paris Treaty officially ending the Spanish-American War. It gave Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines to the United States.

Isolation and the United States ceased to by synonymous, as America claimed its first piece of the ‘global pie.’

1948 - The U.N. General Assembly adopted its Universal Declaration on Human Rights.

What a dumb ass, Utopian ideal...This same group has defended the right to exist for such ‘Human Rights Sponsors’ as Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot, Castro, Mao, etc.

1949 - 150,000 French troops massed at the border in Vietnam to prevent a Chinese invasion.

Can you imagined if the Chinese called their bluff, and invaded? The world would have seen one of two events occur:

1. The French participating in the world’s largest 'Sit Down Demonstration.'

2. A massive slaughter of Frenchies on the battlefield.

Knowing the Chinese as I think I do, they'd have massacred them if #1 occurred, too.

2006 - The oil-rich Arab states on the Persian Gulf said they would consider starting a joint nuclear program for peaceful purposes. The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council included Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.

Another of the many ugly realities of allowing Iran to obtain atomic power...For peaceful or belligerent uses.

And who knows how long the six states listed above will remain 'peaceful' as well? It's a massive stretch to label Saudi Arabia as 'peaceful' at this time, let alone any time in the future.

November 11

1918 - Armistice Day: Fighting in World War I came to an end with the signing of an armistice between the Allies and Germany.

After four brutal years, WWI ended on the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month."

So, what did WWI accomplish? It:
1. Destroyed the 'old order of things' (especially in Germany, Russia, Austria, and Turkey)...Which has had massive consequences.
2. Ushered in the advent of the Communist Hell State...Starting with Russia.
3. Saw the beginning of America's international influence on a large scale.
4. Was the beginning of total, unrestricted warfare...Involving civilians as participants and casualties in exponential numbers.
5. Resulted in the death of over 15,000,000 people (8.6 million military, and 6.4 million civilians).
6. Created a perfect petri-dish for the 1918-19 Spanish Flu, which killed over 20,000,000 people.
7. Ended without a clear-cut victor...Germany wasn't 'defeated,' and hardly lost a battle on German soil.

Of all the disasters of WWI, it is the last one which cost humanity the most.

Germany quit the war, but wasn't defeated, and many Germans at the time believed they should resume the battle as soon as they could to reestablish their historic place in the world...And to put an end to the unreasonable reparations forced on them, which killed the German economy.

As a result, what WWI really accomplished was:
1. The founding of Leninim/Stalinism.
2. The founding of Nazism.
3. The resumption of WWI with an even greater and more horrific evil in WWII.

So, we must recognize and honor the end of WWI, but also should look back with disdain on those who didn't bring it to a proper end...Which caused the Armistice to be nothing but a cease-fire between 1918 and 1937-in-Asia/1939-in-Europe.

1215 - The Fourth Lateran Council was convened by Pope Innocent III.

It was here that the Church first defined 'transubstantiation': The Eucharist changing invisibly into the body (bread) and blood (wine) of Christ.

The Council also attempted to define papal primacy over secular leaders, which had been, and continued to be, a huge problem between the various European kings and the Pope.

On a side note, the Council also determined Jews and Muslims should wear clothes to enable them to be distinguished from Christians...Very nice.

1620 - The Mayflower Compact was signed: An agreement by 41 Pilgrims calling for a "body politick” designed to guarantee "just and equal" laws.

The Pilgrims felt they landed in a world outside that owned by the London Company, therefore they were outside the reach of British rule...They soon found this wasn't the case in the eyes of the British crown, though.

The importance of the Compact is it provided for the basis of all governments in what eventually became the thirteen American colonies.

1921 - President Harding dedicated the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.

1923 - The Eternal Flame was lit at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

I hope you will someday be able to visit this amazing site...There have been few moments in my life more powerful than the two days I spent at Arlington, and even fewer than the time I spent at the Tomb.

1972 - The U.S. Army turned over its base at Long Bihn to the South Vietnamese army, symbolizing the end of direct U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War.

In other words, we turned tail and left the South Vietnamese to be slaughtered by their northern brothers.

"It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it." - General Douglas MacArthur

1992 - Russian President Boris Yeltsin told U.S. senators in a letter that Americans had been held in prison camps after World War II and some were "summarily executed," but that others were still living in his country voluntarily.

No one should be shocked by this statement, but not being shocked doesn't take away the sting of its reality.

1995 - The European Union's 15 member-states decided to pull their envoys out of Lagos to show their anger at Nigeria's execution of human rights leaders.

I'm sure the Nigerians were really upset by this action...Scared, too.

1998 - President Clinton ordered warships, planes and troops to the Persian Gulf as he laid out his case for a possible attack on Iraq. Iraq, meanwhile, showed no sign of backing down from its refusal to deal with U.N. weapons inspectors.

Clinton should have taken care of this problem during his administration, but didn't have the testicular fortitude to do it...Instead he 'spoke loudly, and carried a wiffle-ball bat.'

Keep this in mind the next time you think about voting for a peacenick Commander-in-Chief.

Question: I thought Billy and his Democrat pals have been saying there was no need to worry about Iraq? Hmmmmmm.

2004 - Yasir Arafat, chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, died in Paris.

HAPPY YASIR's DEAD DAY!!! WoooooooooooooHoooooooooooo!

Good riddance to dead murderers...I hope he suffered terribly, and wish it lasted longer.

I also hope he's getting his '72 Virgins' in Allahville...Of course, I'm of the opinion the 72 are gorillas, and they do the devirginizing.

November 10

461 - Pope Leo 'The Great' died.

Why is Leo 'The Great'? Well, he was the only person who personally faced off with and defeated Attila the Hun, which is enough to earn anyone the title of 'The Great.'

Amazingly, he did it without bloodshed, and forced the Hun to turn-tail and never return to Italy...What did he do, or what did he say? No one knows, but this event forever changed history, and set the Christian Church up as the eventual successor to the Roman Empire.

1775 - The United States Marine Corps was formed by order of the Continental Congress.

Happy birthday to the greatest amphibious military force in the history of the world...Semper Fi!!

1917 - The new Russian government suspended freedom of the press.

Of course they did...They were Communists.

The suppression of human rights is the norm in every Communist state ever created...Which is why Communism is a failed theory. Even though it hasn’t been exterminated and has found a 'soft home' in Western Liberalism.

1919 - Abrams v. United States:  The U.S Supreme Court ruled the federal government could suspend constitutional rights when the nation faced "a clear and present danger."

Duh!! How can anyone think otherwise? There will be no 'constitutional rights' without the existence of the U.S.

Obviously this is a slippery-slope and must be avoided, but desperate times call for desperate measures...This is also why every American must be armed. To make sure the government doesn’t use tools like this without necessary cause.

1964 - Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara said the United States had no plans to send combat units into Vietnam.

What a sad joke...We should never make such a promise with anyone!

1975 - The U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution equating Zionism with racism.

That's par for the course in the U.N...Reason #873,466 why the U.S. should not be in the U.N.

October 31

1517 - Martin Luther posted the '95 Theses' on the door of the Wittenberg Palace Church, marking the start of the Protestant Reformation in Germany.

The proper name for the '95 Theses' is 'The Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences.'

Luther was a Catholic monk, and grew tired of the bastardizations of the Christian faith...Even a strict Catholic would have difficulty denying Luther's claims, because the Church had grown quite fat and abusive.

It's important to note Luther didn't set out to destroy the Catholic Church or to found his own version of Christianity...Instead he wanted to reform the existing church - to cleanse it of abuses of power and un-holiness.

This didn't work out because the Church was far too big for anyone to make demands on, and the Church had Holy Roman Emperor Charles V to lean on for military support...But, both the Papacy and Charles made a huge mistake: They allowed Luther to live. Had they killed him immediately, the Reformation would have likely died with him.

Instead, Luther found refuge in the German states and the Reformation took root - a pivot in European history the likes of which hadn't happened since the fall of Rome.

475 - Romulus Augustulus, last Western Roman Emperor, was elevated to the throne.

What a pathetic figure. He didn’t last long, though, and the Empire was in its last months.

It is interesting to look at the name of this last emperor and its irony: Romulus was the legendary founder of Rome, and Augustus the founder of the Roman Empire...Romulus Augustus proved to be much less than either.

1803 - The USS Philadelphia grounded off Tripoli and was captured by the Barbary pirates.

This event sparked the Barbary Wars, which were the U.S.'s first as an independent nation...It's not surprising it was Muslim pirates who were our first enemy. Just as they are today.

1846 - The Donner party, unable to cross the Donner Pass, began constructing a winter camp.

It was a long Winter - For some.

1914 - The Battle of the Vistula River ended.  Russian troops pushed the Germans back to their original positions:  WWI.

This battle is also known as the Battle of Warsaw.

It was one of the first WWI battles on the Eastern Front, and the Russians were able to overwhelm the Germans due to superior numbers...This was the case for all of 1914 and much of 1915, but it didn't last past that point. After 1915 the Russians found themselves on the opposite end of most of these battles.

1942 - One of the great wartime radio shows premiered, as CBS debuted 'Thanks to the Yanks.' The show, starring Bob Hawk, became one of the most popular of the wartime programs.

This was back in the day when the media and Hollywood were pro-American...Oh how things have changed.

1961 - The body of Joseph Stalin was removed from public display (in Stalin's Tomb). The longtime dictator of the former Soviet Union was reburied in a simple grave, beginning the USSR's 'de-Stalinization policy.'

Uncle Joe is one of the greatest butchers in the history of the world, causing death and suffering for millions of his enemies and his own countrymen...They should have drawn and quartered his dead corpse, then burned the remains in the hope of every part of his existence going straight to Hell.

1968 - President Lyndon Johnson ordered a halt to all U.S. bombing in North Vietnam, saying he hoped for fruitful peace negotiations.

Peace never comes through weakness...He should have bombed them into submission and allowed the infantry to force Ho Chi Mihn to surrender.

1998 - President Bill Clinton signed the 'Iraq Liberation Act' which stated it was "... the policy of the United States to support efforts to remove the regime headed by Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq and to promote the emergence of a democratic government to replace that regime."

Getting rid of Saddam was the official policy of the U.S.

"Today I am signing into law H.R. 4655, the 'Iraq Liberation Act of 1998.' This Act makes clear that it is the sense of the Congress that the United States should support those elements of the Iraqi opposition that advocate a very different future for Iraq than the bitter reality of internal repression and external aggression that the current regime in Baghdad now offers." - President Bill Clinton

So, why didn't Clinton follow through with this official U.S. government policy instead of leaving it to his successor to handle?

It's important to point this out to every fool who questions why Bush took out Hussein. He followed the official policy of the United States, which was signed by Bill Clinton...Clinton wouldn't, Bush did.

I was all for this measure.  The problems began when Bush thought he could bring Western-style freedom and democracy to the Middle East.

September 2 (A Triple)

31 B.C. - The Battle of Actium: Octavian defeated Marc Antony.

Actium is one of the most important battles in history, because Octavian (later Augustus) finished off any resistance he had in the Roman world, and soon put an end to the Roman Republic - establishing the Roman Empire.

1945 - Japan signed an unconditional surrender aboard the U.S. battleship Missouri in Tokyo Bay, formally ending World War II.

"We are gathered here, representatives of the major warring powers - to conclude a solemn agreement whereby peace may be restored. The issues involving divergent ideals and ideologies, have been determined on the battlefields of the world and hence are not for our discussion or debate. Nor is it for us here to meet, representing as we do a majority of the people of the earth, in a spirit of distrust, malice or hatred. But rather it is for us, both victors and vanquished, to rise to that higher dignity which alone befits the sacred purposes we are about to serve, committing all our people unreservedly to faithful compliance with the obligation they are here formally to assume.

It is my earnest hope and indeed the hope of all mankind that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past - a world founded upon faith and understanding - a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish - for freedom, tolerance and justice.

The terms and conditions upon which the surrender of the Japanese Imperial Forces is here to be given and accepted are contained in the Instrument of Surrender now before you.

As Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, I announce it my firm purpose, in the tradition of the countries I represent, to proceed in the discharge of my responsibilities with justice and tolerance, while taking all necessary dispositions to insure that the terms of surrender are fully, promptly and faithfully complied with.

Let us pray that peace be now restored to the world and that God will preserve it always. These proceedings are closed." - Gen. Douglas MacArthur

1945 - Ho Chi Minh broke ties with France and declared Vietnam an independent republic.

WWII ended, and in a round-about-way, the first fight of the Cold War began...Such is the cruel reality of human history.

490 B.C. - Phidippides ran the first 'marathon,' seeking aid from Sparta against Persia.

Phidippides didn’t run a 'marathon.'  He was running to Sparta to ask for their help at the Battle of Marathon.

He ran in vain, however, because the Spartans left the Athenians to fend for themselves...And they did just fine, to the great shock and shame of the Spartans.

44 B.C. - Cicero delivered his 'First Philippic,' an attack on Mark Antony, in the Roman Senate.

Cicero was a brilliant orator and politician, but an even better survivor, because he recognized very early that Octavian would be the eventual successor to Caesar.

Make no mistake, however, Cicero was no ally of Octavian’s, and was soon taking shots at the Emperor as well.

1192 - The Treaty of Jaffa put an end to hostilities of the Third Crusade. Negotiated between Richard the Lion Heart and Saladin, Christian pilgrims were granted special rights of travel around Palestine and in Jerusalem.

Richard and Saladin may have 'ended hostilities' but the Crusades were anything but over.

1666 - The Great Fire of London began.

Much of the city went up in flames, including 13,000 houses...Amazingly, only around a dozen people died in the fire.

On a positive note, the fire played a large role in stopping the spread of the Black Plague in London.

1752 - Britain adopted the Gregorian calendar.

Most of Europe made this change 150-years earlier...Which is one of the many reasons historical dates are often convoluted and confusing.

1777 – The Battle of Cooch's Bridge, N.J.:  U.S. Revolutionary War.

This was a small, inconclusive battle, which would normally go unrecognized here...But it is important for one reason: It was the first battle where the new nation used the 'Stars and Stripes Flag' in battle.

1901 - U.S. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt offered the advice, "Speak softly and carry a big stick," in a speech at the Minnesota State Fair.

This was a great quote, and one we should always live up to...That said, it’s important to understand there is no use in “carrying” any size stick if you don’t swing it when necessary.

1929 - An opera, composed by Kurt Weill with a libretto by Berthold Brecht, was in its final minutes when Brecht's wife launched into a speech for communism from the stage.

Sounds just like the current set of thespian idiots we have...Some things never change.

1963 - Alabama Governor George C. Wallace prevented the integration of Tuskegee High School by encircling the building with state troopers.

”In Birmingham they love the governor…” - Lynard Skynard.

They probably still love Gov. Wallace, who was a Democrat by the way.

1995 - At a military cemetery on a hill high above Honolulu, President Bill Clinton marked the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, saying it taught Americans that "the blessings of freedom are never easy or free."

Clinton was 100% correct!! It’s too bad he and his Liberal pals don’t believe a word of what he said, though...But what else is new from the world's greatest shit salesman, who is constantly tossing out 'samples.'

August 12 (A Double)

1934 - Babe Ruth played his final game.

The Babe, the Bambino, the Sultan of Swat. The greatest player in the history of the game...The most dominant American athlete - regardless of which sport.

I don’t do many sports events here, but there has never been a bigger American sports figure, and there will likely never be another like him in the future...The Babe was a baseball god, the likes of which has never been seen.

Most know of his hitting prowess, but it should also be known he was one of the best pitchers of his time, and had he not switched to the outfield would have possibly gone into the Hall of Fame as a pitcher.

1953 - The Soviet Union conducted a secret test of its first hydrogen bomb.

They had the A-Bomb, and it was only a matter of time before they got the 'H'...Thankfully the Soviets never put that bad-boy to belligerent use, but the Ruskies still have them and who knows what will happen in the future?

1099 - The Crusaders won the Battle of Ascalon.

Ascalon was the last major battle of the First Crusade - a victory for the Crusaders...Sadly, they soon realized they conquered a land which could never be held. A lesson which went unlearned for the entirety of the Crusades.

As much as I hate to say it, I'm afraid this is a lesson the Israelis are going to learn over time as well.

1552 - Emperor Charles V granted religious freedom with the Treaty of Passau.

'Granted'? Hardly...Charles had no choice, because he couldn’t control the Protestant lands he gave such 'freedom' to.

1553 - Pope Julius III ordered all copies of the Talmud to be confiscated and burned.

There’s no doubt the Roman Catholic Church had a period where it was much more like the Taliban than the 'Kingdom of Heaven'...This was one of those cases.

1865 - Joseph Lister became the first doctor to use disinfectant during surgery.

Coming from a medical background and knowing what I know about infection, I’d say this was a huge event.

1867 - President Andrew Johnson sparked a move to impeach him when he defied Congress by suspending Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton.

I hope you know Johnson was the first president to be impeached...It wasn’t Clinton (#2), and it wasn’t Nixon (who wasn’t impeached).

If you didn’t know this, you need to come to this blog much more regularly.

1941 - French Marshal Henri Petain gave full support to Nazi Germany:  WWII.

Would anyone expect anything else? Petain rolled over like a cheap whore for the invading Germans. Why would he be expected to fight after the fact.

1972 - The last American combat ground troops left Vietnam.

We won every battle, but lost the war...A pathetic statement about our civilian leaders - who sent the military out to fail.

It was the right war, in the right place, at the right time, but those in the ultimate position of running the war ran it right into the ground...Unfortunately they took the country with them.

1990 - Air Force Staff Sergeant John Campisi died after being hit by a military truck in Saudi Arabia, becoming the first U.S. casualty of the Persian Gulf crisis.

All too often our brave troops die in events other than combat related...Such is the history of warfare and always will be.

No matter how they fall, however, every American soldier who serves the country honorably is deserving of infinite honor and remembrance by the American people.

1998 - Swiss banks agreed to pay $1.25 billion to settle lawsuits brought by Holocaust survivors and their heirs. The banks kept millions of dollars deposited by Holocaust victims before and during World War II.

This really is pathetic, but lets play games with math just to show how pathetic it is (Assume 6,000,000 dead Jews):

- 1,250,000,000/6,000,000 = $208.33 per dead Jew.

Most of us spend more than $210 on groceries every other week. No wonder Hitler thought they were worthless.

August 11

1941 - President Franklin Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill signed the Atlantic Charter, setting forth eight world goals for the world after the war ended:  WWII.

The 'eight world goals' for the post-WWII world order:

1. No territorial gains sought by the United States or the United Kingdom.
2. Territorial adjustments must conform to the people involved.
3. The right to self determination of peoples.
4. Trade barriers lowered.
5. There must be disarmament.
6. There must be freedom from want and fear.
7. There must be freedom of the seas.
8. There must be an association of nations.

#’s 1, 4, 7, and 8 all came to fruition - as a result of U.S. domination in these areas...But #’s 2, 3, and 6 were obliterated by the reality of the Soviet Union, who weren’t invited to this ‘goal setting’ party.

#5 was a complete joke.

1492 - Alexander VI was elected Pope.

This is one of the most important popes in history...But notice I didn’t say 'good'.

Alexander closely allied the Church to the Spanish throne, began the mass censorship of books, excommunicated many pre-Reformation antagonists, and set the parameters for the Treaty of Tordesilla, which demarcated the areas of exploration in the New World between Spain and Portugal - at least on paper.

1942 - Vichy government official Pierre Laval publicly declared "the hour of liberation for France is the hour when Germany wins the war":  WWII.

Make no mistake, many Frenchmen would rather be German slaves than saved by the English and Americans...Vive la France! Bunch of pathetic surrender monkeys.

1954 - A formal peace took hold in Indochina, ending more than seven years of fighting between the French and Communist Viet Minh.

'A formal peace'? In other words, the French got their asses handed to them and decided to quit Indochina...Always beware of how words are phrased. The headline was ‘true,’ but it didn’t tell ‘the truth.’

1964 - The U.S. Congress approved the 'War on Poverty' bill (Economic Opportunity Act).

A classic example of ‘throwing good money after bad'.

The government has placed those in poverty in a perpetual state of helplessness, and made them dependent on the government...This is bad for the human spirit, and bad for America as a whole - but it is good for the politicians dependent on the votes of those on welfare.

In other words: The Democrats have kept the poor in a system of 'Political Indentured Servitude,' and it has been great for the Democrats, but horrible for those they are preying on.

1965 - The Watts Riots erupted in Los Angeles when a white police officer arrested a black man for drunk driving. After six days of rioting, four people were dead, over 1,000 hurt, nearly 4,000 arrested, and property damage was estimated at about $40,000,000.

This worked out well for the Watts community...I’ll never understand why rioters kill and destroy their own.

1975 - The United States vetoed the proposed admission of North and South Vietnam to the United Nations, following the Security Council's refusal to consider South Korea's application.

We didn't have to worry about this problem for long...North Vietnam soon swallowed up the South, and there was only Vietnam.

1984 - President Reagan sparked controversy when he joked during a voice test for a paid political radio address saying he had "signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes."

Ooops! Reagan probably would have been better off not saying this...But, it is one of the million reasons I love him.

1995 - President Bill Clinton banned all U.S. nuclear tests, calling his decision ''the right step as we continue pulling back from the nuclear precipice.''

What a great idea. I’m sure our enemies will follow suit. Riiiiiiiiiiight???

2000 - President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 13166, commonly known as the 'Limited English Proficiency' (LEP) Act. EO 13166 requires federal agencies and any other entities which receive federal funds via grants, contracts or sub-contracts to make their activities accessible to non-English speaking persons.

Clinton was the king of pushing 'bad laws' through the Executive Order instead of the legitimate way of leaving it to the representatives of the people - until Obama came around, that is...Ah, who needs Congress when we have a degenerate Chief Executive to make laws instead?

Plus, I’m sure all of you don’t mind paying for the thousands of forms being printed at taxpayer expense in the modern day Tower of Babel we seem intent on building.

August 2

216 B.C. – The Battle of Cannae: Second Punic War.  Hannibal crushed a Roman Army at Cannae, Italy.

Hannibal routed the Romans, making superb use of the terrain, his elephants and executing a perfect 'double envelopment' in one of the most famous battles in history.

How overwhelming were the Carthaginians in this battle? Hannibal had significantly less troops (the Romans had one of the largest field armies they ever sent out to battle), but handed the Romans almost 70,000 casualties, compared to less than 20,000 of his own.

That said, Hannibal won battles, but like many great invaders he was unable to conquer Rome...As a result, the Romans eventually destroyed and ended Carthaginian civilization - literally.

1776 - The Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4th, was actually signed by members of the Continental Congress:  American Revolutionary War.

I bet you thought the declaration was signed on July 4th...It isn’t important when they ‘formally’ signed the document. It is important when they declared their intentions, which was July 4th.

1802 - Napoleon declared himself 'Consul for Life.'

He only kept this title for a year and a half before taking an even bigger leap, naming himself Emperor.

1934 - Adolf Hitler declared himself Fuhrer (leader) of Germany, and the German Armed Forces swore a 'Holy Oath' to Hitler personally.

1. It’s wasn't chance that Hitler picked this day (same as Napoleon crowning himself emperor).

2. Many have tried to wash away the sins of the German Army when it comes to Hitler and his crazy Nazis, but it must be noted there would have been no Fuhrer without their loyalty to him...History should not be kind to the Wehrmacht on this issue, in which they had every opportunity to depose of - instead of empowering - the madman.

1939 - Albert Einstein signed his famous letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt urging the American government to support research toward an atomic bomb. After the bombing of Hiroshima, Einstein stated, "I could burn my fingers that I wrote that first letter to Roosevelt."

Einstein’s quote is very famous, and extremely short-sighted...The Germans were the dominant scientific nation of the time, and there was no way to know the Allies would defeat them before they created their own atomic weapon.

And there is little doubt Hitler would have made much more horrific, and frequent, use of such a weapon...Same with the Japanese if they had the opportunity.

Einstein was a math and physics genius, but his moral compass was short circuited.

1964 - The Pentagon reported the first of two attacks on U.S. destroyers by North Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin:  Vietnam War.

Was it a fake report? Maybe...Was the war inevitable either way? The U.S. had an official doctrine of 'containing communism,' so war was going to happen either way.

1983 - The U.S. House of Representatives voted 338-90 to designate the third Monday in January a federal holiday in honor of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This should have been Civil Rights Day...There were too many who had a large roll in the process to give it to one person, even though MLK was the logical choice if they insisted on naming it after a specific person.

1990 - Iraq invaded Kuwait, seizing control of the oil-rich emirate. President GHW Bush condemned the incursion as an act of "naked aggression."

Today’s Democrats claim the second war with Iraq was wrong, but the first one was proper because the 'international community' agreed with it.

Lets look back: Only ten Democrat Senators voted to back Bush in 1991...The same double-talking SOB’s voted against the first, just as they did in the second - even though, after the fact, they claim they supported the first.

SOB's indeed!

July 21

1861 – The First Battle of Bull Run:  American Civil War.

This was the first major military battle of the war, and is called the Battle of Manassas in the South.

Bull Run was one of the few battles where the Confederates had relatively equal troop numbers, and was a very one-sided battle - for the South.

Neither commanding general performed well (McDowell or Johnston), and neither side gained anything with this battle...The importance of Bull Run is it showed the war would be costly in money, material, years, suffering, and life.

FYI: Bull Run is also where General Thomas Jackson picked up the nickname of 'Stonewall': "Look! There is Jackson standing like a stone wall! Rally behind the Virginians!" – Confederate General Barnard Bee.

70 - Romans secured Jerusalem after four months of battle and great slaughter.

The Jews put up a good fight, but there is no way they could have held back the awesome Roman machine...Unfortunately, this began a new Diaspora, which lasted almost 1,900 years.

1306 - Philip 'the Fair's' secret commission resulted in the arrest and confiscation of all the goods and money of every Jew in France.

No wonder the French did nothing when the Nazi’s took on the 'Jewish Problem'...They have their own sordid history against the Jews.

1542 - In a strengthening of the fight against Protestantism, Pope Paul III set up the Inquisition.

The various Inquisitions did little if anything in Protestant lands, but were a great tool for Catholic countries to keep check and control of their people...Never forget: Everything is politics - especially organized religion.

1798 – The Battle of the Pyramids.

Napoleon defeated the Egyptian Mamelukes on his path to becoming the new Pharaoh...In his own mind anyway.

In the end Napoleon must have wished he never went to Egypt, because there was no way he could control the Egyptian populace, and the Brits were constantly on his heals in the Mediterranean destroying his supply routes...But at least the French found the Rosetta Stone - the key to unlocking ancient Egyptian writing, on this little foray.
 
1904 - The 4,607-mile Trans-Siberian railway was completed.

This is an awesome railway connecting European Russia with the Russian Far East. Primarily, Moscow to Vladivostok.

1925 - The so-called 'Monkey Trial' ended in Dayton, Tennessee, with John T. Scopes convicted of violating state law for teaching Darwin's Theory of Evolution.

In less than 100-years the U.S. went from disallowing teaching evolution, to disallowing teaching creation...How did this country get turned upside down??? LIBERALISM!!!

1954 - France surrendered North Vietnam to the Communists.

How pathetic...Even more pathetic, the U.S. did likewise 20-years later.

1994 - After a two-month trek across Russia following his return from 20-years of exile, Alexander Solzhenitsyn arrived back in Moscow.

The importance of Solzhenitsyn cannot be minimized, and he must be recognized as one of the most important 'freedom fighters' of the second half of the 20th Century...Right along with Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul II.

2005 - Explosions struck three London Underground stations and a bus at midday in a chilling but less deadly replay of the suicide bombings that killed 56 people two weeks prior to this date. One person was seriously wounded.

Europe hasn't had it's 9/11/01, yet, but this was another warning Islamist nutters are trying.

July 13

1954 - The United States, Great Britain and France reached an accord on Indochina, dividing Vietnam into two countries - North and South along the 17th parallel.

Someone should have made sure Ho Chi Minh was on board.

Dividing the country in two was a formula for disaster in Korea, and should have been recognized as the same in Vietnam...Unfortunately, none of the signatories above had the stomach to uphold the treaty.

1643 - The Battle of Roundway Down: English Civil War.  English Parliamentarians were defeated by the Royalists under Prince Maurice.

This was one of the few victories for the crown, which received many 'whoopins' from the Parliamentarians in the near future...It was also the greatest cavalry battle of the civil war.

1863 - Anti-draft riots broke out in several Northern U.S. cities when many citizens opposed being drafted into the Union Army. In New York City alone, hundreds were killed and there was over $2 million in property damage. Hostility was vented mostly against blacks, as they were considered the cause of the 'War Between the States.'

These same 'Northern U.S. cities' are today’s pansies as well.

It is interesting to note their anger at blacks...I hope you aren't foolish enough to think this wasn’t (isn't) the case in the North.

1977 - Electricity went out for 25-hours in New York City due to a short in neighboring Westchester County. 776 looters were arrested, 100 policemen injured, nearly 500 fires reported, and $135 million worth of property was damaged or destroyed.

I’m sure Al Qaeda is familiar with this event...If I were them this would be one of the many terror plans I'd pursue.

1983 - The U.S. Senate approved, 50-49, the production of nerve gas weaponry, with Vice President George Bush casting the tie-breaking vote.

We have 'nerve gas weaponry'???? I am so shocked!! Not.

I'm sure most of our enemies have them as well.

1995 - President Bill Clinton denounced a base-closing list for the damage it would do to California and Texas, but then approved the package while promising to save jobs in those states.

Someone forgot to tell Bill, and his Liberal jackass pals who hate the military, the function of military bases is to support the needs of the military, not to create artificial jobs for those living around them.

This is why they are called military bases, instead of ‘civilian welfare plants.'

June 8 (A Double)

632 - Mohammad died.

As much as I hate to admit it, Mohammad must be given his due: Mohammad is tied with Christ for the title of 'Most Important Person in History.'

I'm sure Christians don't like reading this comparison, but real history is predicated on being honest and telling the truth...Sadly, if current trends continue, Mohammad will eventually pass Christ in importance because Islam is ever increasing in land and population while Christianity is faltering.

That's a problem for Christians, but an even bigger problem for the world.

793 - Norsemen sacked Lindisfarne.

This is a huge event, but sadly most Americans have never heard of it. Don’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault our education system pays no attention to 'real' history.

The Sack of Lindisfarne was the first major assault the Norsemen made on Europe, and marks the beginning of the Viking Age...Lindisfarne was easy pickings for the Vikings, because it was an unguarded island, inhabited mostly by monks from the local monastery.

"In nearly 350 years we and our forefathers have been living in this the best of countries and never before has such terror struck Britain as the one we now have to suffer from this heathen race. Nor was it thought to be possible that such an attack could be carried out from the sea. Look at St. Cuthbert's church sprinkled with the blood of the holy priests, deprived of its decorations, a room more venerable than any in Britain given as spoils to this Heathen race." - Alcuin (French historian)

65 - Jewish rebels captured the fortress of Antonia in Jerusalem, beginning the Jewish rebellion against Rome.

This can be looked at in the way listed, or as the beginning of the end of the Jewish nation...Within five years the Temple was destroyed, and the 1900-year Diaspora began.

452 - Attila the Hun invaded northern Italy.

After years of slapping around the eastern portion of the Empire, and then a little setback in Gaul, the 'Scourge of God' decided to bring Hell to Italy...Amazingly, he never went after Rome Proper.

Was it the city walls, or was it the power of the Pope?  No one will ever know for sure, but the long term importance of Attila is he turned tail after meeting the Pope, which began the ascension of a new power: The power of the Papacy.

1965 - U.S. troops were ordered to fight offensively in Vietnam.

What a disgusting order...U.S. troops should always be allowed to 'fight offensively.' Even when fighting defensively!

The U.S. Military knows its job, and does it better than any other on the planet, but when it is handcuffed by its political minders it is no more powerful than the simplest rock-thrower...A sad fact we witness often.

1967 - The USS Liberty was attacked for over two hours in international waters by the air and naval forces of Israel, using rockets, torpedoes, and napalm. 34 crew members died and 171 were wounded.

I am a friend of Israel, but it would be nice to find out the truth behind this incident. The BS we’ve been given for the past 50-years is unacceptable...The U.S. has been Israel’s lone, constant friend, and even if the truth is extremely disheartening we deserve to know why this happened.

1989 - Chinese Premier Li Peng appeared on TV praising a group of army soldiers, apparently for their role in crushing the student-led pro-democracy movement.

Of course he did...Peng was a descendant of Mao, and Mao would have awarded the military great honors for such a deed.

June 4 (A Double)

1940 - The Allied evacuation of Dunkirk ended with the rescue of 340,000 troops:  WWII.

Operation Dynamo was a British miracle, but also a failure of epic proportions by Hitler and his general staff.

There is no way the Brits should have made if off the Continent, but thankfully they did...Had they not, it is very likely Operation Sealion (Hitler’s plan to invade England) would have occurred, with at least a 50/50 chance of succeeding.
 
1942 - The Battle of Midway began (ended June 7):  WWII.

Midway was the turning-point in the Pacific Theatre of WWII:  A four day battle, which was planned by both the Japanese and Americans to set the other up for destruction.

Fortunately the U.S. intercepted the Japanese plans, and were prepared for the assault...The Americans also had another stroke of luck on their side - catching the Japanese between flights, refueling their planes.

The end result: The U.S. lost one carrier, one destroyer and 307 troops - the Japanese lost four carriers, one cruiser, and 2,500 troops...The carrier loss was one the Japanese couldn’t recover from, and set the stage for the next three years of American victories throughout the Pacific.

781 BC - The first recorded solar eclipse was noted in China.

Solar eclipses have happened throughout all of human history, but this is the first time anyone felt the impulse to make note of it...The process of taking note is what makes it historical.

1717 - The Freemasons were founded in London.

Regretfully, I admit to knowing next to nothing about the Freemasons...Anyone who can give me a good link will be thanked for doing so.

1911 - Gold was discovered in Alaska's Indian Creek.

'Seward’s Folly' keeps proving to be anything but a folly...Plus, try to imagine the havoc the Soviets would have caused if they owned Alaska.

1954 - France granted full independence to Vietnam.

WWII pretty much destroyed the European colonial system, and the French could no longer rule a region anywhere near as far away as Indochina.

1956 - A speech by Nikita Khrushchev blasting Joseph Stalin was made public.

This would have been much more impressive had Nikki done it while Uncle Joe was alive...But then again, Nikki would have never lived to see 1956 if he had done this.

1985 - The U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lower court's ruling striking down an Alabama law providing for a daily minute of silence in public schools.

What a wonderful event for the nation. We are so much better off as a society...Hardly. Just look outside, read and watch the news.

1989 - The Tienanmen Square Massacre. At least hundreds of pro-democracy students were killed and thousands wounded when Chinese troops opened fire on crowds and sweeping demonstrators from the square in Beijing.

Democracy and human liberty are no closer to success in China than they were in 1989...The Communist overlords have opened the economy a little (mostly to an oligarchical few), but the shackles are still firmly on the people.

1999 - President Bill Clinton issued Executive Order #13124 "to give individuals with psychiatric disabilities the same hiring opportunities as persons with severe physical disabilities or mental retardation under the Civil Service Rules, and to permit individuals with psychiatric disabilities to obtain Civil Service competitive status."

I’m empathetic towards those with limited ability, but do we really need our government employees to be 'mentally retarded' or have 'psychiatric' troubles? Is this any way to effectively do 'the people’s business?'

May 10 (A Triple)

1521 - Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes began the siege of Tenochtitlan (modern-day Mexico City).

Cortes surely wasn’t Quetzalcoatl, but the fact he conquered the Aztecs and their million man empire with his 600 man, 20 horse and 10 cannon force is almost godly. At the very least it was an Alexandrian effort...Having tons of moxie, as well as gunpowder, luck, and superstition, was helpful - but smallpox was Cortes' best ally.

1607 - The first permanent English colony in North America, the Jamestown Settlement, was founded near what is today Williamsburg, Virginia.

This settlement could have easily had the same fate as the 'Lost Colony of Roanoke Island'...Thankfully it didn’t and Anglo-American history took hold from this point.

1940 - Winston Churchill became British Prime Minister.
 
The Krauts invaded Western Europe, Neville Chamberlain resigned as P.M., and the Brits threw a 'Hail Mary' - named Winston!

Very few British citizens wanted Churchill to ever get close to the top spot; even fewer politicians did - even among his own Conservative Party...But he was a man of extremes (genius and crazy), and the Nazi invasion of Western Europe called for extreme measures.

The Soviets and Americans did the heavy lifting when it came to defeating Germany, but it was Winston Churchill who kept the Nazis from winning the war...He was able to string the Germans out across the map, buying space and time - allowing the Germans and their allies to make strategic mistakes; strategic mistakes no one could have predicted, but mistakes the Brits have always been able to create for their enemy in times of extremis.

Most important, Churchill refused to surrender.  Decades later it's easy to say 'of course the Brits didn't surrender', but at the time there were many who thought it was a smart idea; an inevitable reality - including many Brits...Winston refused to surrender, offering only "blood, toil, tears and sweat", and truly helped save the world from "the abyss of a new dark age."

1497 - Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci sailed on his first voyage to the New World. America was named after him.

This was a strange twist of history, because the New World should have been called Columbia.

FYI: America was originally going to be called Americus, but was changed to America (the female version) instead.

1752 - Benjamin Franklin first tested the lightning rod.

Franklin was a true genius - the Da Vinci of his time...It's incredible so many difference-making men appeared in the American Colonies in such a short period of time.

It's impossible to rank the American revolutionaries in order of importance, but Ben Franklin belongs in the top two or three easily.

1775 - The Second Continental Congress named George Washington supreme commander of the revolutionary forces.

Like Franklin, above, Washington is one of those 'top three' guys...Actually, the top guy.

The congress didn't pick a perfect general, but it did pick a perfect supreme commander for this war.

1801 - The First Barbary War began:  The Barbary pirates of Tripoli declared war on the U.S.

"...to the shores of Tripoli."

Our young Navy and Marines proved themselves more than worthy, and set a precedent for the U.S. not being messed with...Until modern times, that is.

1837 - The Panic of 1837.

Recessions and depressions have come and gone through all of American history.  None were 'good times', but they were a by-product of America's tremendous growth.  Luckily, they were always followed by more times of growth...Only in the last couple decades have we become so pathetic as to think things have never been so bad, which is part of the reason our recoveries have been so poor.

1863 - Confederate General Stonewall Jackson died after being accidentally shot by his own troops at the Battle of Chancellorsville:  U.S. Civil War.

A great general met his end.  Only Lee was more important to the Confederate cause...It's not surprising, his troops and country started a downward slide from this point on.

1869 - The 'golden spike' was driven at Promontory Point, Utah, joining the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific lines to form America's first transcontinental railway.

The Gold Rush was huge, but linking the nation via rail was the source of the population boom in the American West.

Amazingly, California alone comprises 1/8 of the current U.S. population...And that doesn’t even include the illegals.

1924 - J. Edgar Hoover became FBI Director.

Hoover was an extremely important person in American history, but no one should hold a government post for 48-years...New blood is vital to any organization, especially in doing the 'people’s business.'

1940 - Germany invaded France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg:  WWII.

It’s hard to believe the French surrendered almost as quickly as the other three...Something to keep in mind when marveling at the Brits holding out alone for the next year.

1941 - Adolf Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, parachuted into Scotland on what he claimed was a peace mission:  WWII.

Hess was Deputy Fuhrer of the Third Reich, and technically only behind Hitler and Goering on the Nazi food-chain.

In reality, however, Hess was a 'deputy' without duties, nothing more than Hitler’s lapdog, and by fleeing he saved his tail from the real power-brokers in the Reich: Hitler, Himmler, Goering, Heydrich, Borman, etc., who would have eventually swallowed him up.

1969 - The Battle of Hamburger Hill began: Vietnam War.

This was a controversial battle, but in no way a large-scale, strategic or tactically important battle...It was a meat-grinder, however.

1984 - The International Court of Justice said the U.S. should halt any actions to blockade Nicaragua's ports. The U.S. previously said it would not recognize World Court jurisdiction on this issue.

Thankfully we had a president in Ronald Reagan who told the globalists to stick it up their arse.

Do you think any of the (D)-boys would have done this? Jimmy (D) Carter, William (D) Clinton, John (D). Kerry, Barack (D) Obama? Hell NO!!

American sovereignty trumps any global authority and we run serious risks of losing such sovereignty every time we elect a Democrat president.

1993 - Members of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee visited the Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia for a hearing on the issue of homosexuals in the military.  Most of the sailors said they favored keeping the ban on gays.

I was in the military and can guarantee you many more than 'most of the sailors (military)' don’t want gays in the service...Probably over 95% of them would say NO WAY!!

1994 - The state of Illinois executed convicted serial killer John Wayne Gacy for the murders of 33 young men and boys.

Good riddance to serial killers.

It’s hard to believe a bunch of Liberal pukes protested the execution of this human piece of crap, but they did...Per normal, they were on the wrong side of humanity.

Oh, and I'm sure these same scum would fight like hell for the right to execute the unborn.

2000 - High winds drove what began as a deliberately set fire into a New Mexico canyon, forcing the evacuation of the entire town of Los Alamos and its 11,000 residents. The fire was set to contain an earlier blaze intended to clear brush.

Nice 'controlled burn.'

May 7 (A Huge Day)

This date has six events which would be the top event on most normal days...It's rare, but it happens, so I'm not going to try to pick one or two over the others, and will highlight all six.
---------------
1429 - The English siege of Orleans was broken by Joan of Arc:  100 Years War.

The English were on the verge of winning the war, but a girl saved France.

And what did the French do to repay 'The Maid?' They handed her over to the English to be executed…Bastards then, bastards now!!

1863 - The Battle of Vicksburg began:  U.S. Civil War.

Vicksburg was one of the turning points of the war, splitting the Confederate east and west, and giving the Union control of the Mississippi River...Other than ending the war, Vicksburg was Grant's finest moment.

1939 - The Rome-Berlin Axis:  Germany and Italy announced a military and political alliance.

Hitler got a crappy ally - he expended far too much time and too many troops bailing Il Duce out of problems...Mussolini got a maniacal ally - he lost control of events, and the Germans absorbed Italy.

Both men paid the ultimate price for their alliance - as did their countries.

1945 - General Dwight Eisenhower accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany from General Alfred Jodl:  WWII.

The end of the war in Europe was one day away.

1954 - The 55-day Battle of Dien Bien Phu ended: Vietnamese insurgents overran French forces, beginning the end of French involvement in Indochina.

They not only lost, but got smoked in this battle...Question: Since 1918 have the French won a single military battle? Answer: None of consequence!!

1975 - President Ford formally declared an end to the 'Vietnam era.' In Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) the Viet Cong staged a rally to celebrate their takeover.

It's ironic the date of the French capitulation in Vietnam matched that of the U.S...It's not something we should be proud of.

Incredibly, the U.S. won every battle, but lost the war...Has this ever happened?  The whole war was the ultimate 'Pyrrhic Victory.'

Not only was Vietnam the right battle, at the right place, at the right time, it was one we won militarily. But we lost domestically because the 'Enemy Within' was stronger than the will of the general public, and surely stronger than that of our political leadership - some of which happened to be part of the 'Enemy Within'...A dangerous precedent we've been paying for on every front in American society since this time.

1915 - 1,198 people, including 63 children, died when a German torpedo sank the British liner Lusitania off the Irish coast. 114 of the victims were American:  WWI.

We should have been in WWI prior to this event, and it’s pathetic we waited almost two more years to get in, but the sinking of the Lusitania was a prime motivating factor of U.S. entry in 1917.

1985 - 10-years after the Vietnam War ended, New York City honored Vietnam veterans with a huge ticker tape parade.

Spit on our soldiers for 10-years, then throw them a parade? I think not...We must never screw over our troops again!!

1997 - A U.S. government study criticized Switzerland for dealing in Nazi gold during World War II.

It took 50-years to figure this out??

April 30 (A Triple)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1975 - South Vietnam unconditionally surrendered to North Vietnam.

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

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

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

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

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

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

March 29

1973 - The last United States troops left South Vietnam, ending America's direct military involvement in the Vietnam War.

Vietnam was the “right war, at the right place, and at the right time,” but our government didn’t have the testicular fortitude to fight it as Americans...Instead they chose to fight it as Frenchmen, or worse - the Obama Foreign Policy Sorority.

Liberalism run-amok won out, and the country took a beating psychologically...It took a decade for America to wake up. Thankfully, Ronald Reagan was there to lead this awakening.

Unfortunately, we have forgotten this lesson, and are walking ourselves right back into a 1941/1979/2001 position.

87 B.C. - Chinese Emperor Han Wu Ti died.

Han was one of the greatest Chinese emperors. He ruled for over 50-years, and greatly expanded Chinese power (conquering parts of Vietnam and Korea), and professionalized China's civil service system.

His name (Han) is what the dominant people of China were named after.

1847 - The Battle of Vera Cruz ended: Mexican American War.  Victorious U.S. forces led by General Winfield Scott occupied the city of Vera Cruz after Mexican defenders capitulated.

The Battle of Vera Cruz was the first amphibious landing in U.S. history, and its victory brought a virtual end to the Mexican-American War.

1936 - 99% of Germans voted for the Nazi Party in an election.

WOW!  That's awesome!  And it proves democracy is useless unless it is paired with freedom...It also proves Stalin's quote about who votes not being as important as who counts the votes.  Again, back to freedom.

1942 - The British bombed Lubeck, Germany:  WWII.

It took almost three years, but the Brits were finally able to hit back at the German homeland...In the next three years, along with tons of American help, they made up for lost time.

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

Can you imagine the ACLU(seless), and the rest of the Liberal jackals, if the government declared a need to restrict anything in our current time? They’d be howling mad at the thought of giving up an ounce of butter.

1951 - Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage. They were executed in June 1953.

Oh for the 'Good Ol’ Days'...Back when we used to execute traitors, and do so in short order.

Today, these two pukes would be given ACLU honors for sharing with the rest of the world, and if they were miraculously convicted would have 25-years of appeals.
 
1995 - The U.S. House of Representatives rejected a constitutional amendment placing term limits on lawmakers. The rejected proposal would have limited terms to 12-years in the House and Senate.

You would think 12-years as a Congressman would be enough, but these jackasses were looking for lifelong jobs, and couldn’t possibly be asked to give them up...Sadly America continues to pay the price for the lack of new blood and ideas in Congress - or true accountability.