On This Day in History

c/o Library of Congress

AD 37 – Nero, fifth Emperor of the Roman Empire, was born in present-day Anzio, Italy. Known for a reign filled with excessiveness and despotism, Nero is also noted for seemingly countless executions, including those of his mother, his stepbrother, and many of the early Christians against whom he placed blame for the Great Fire of Rome. With assassination all but imminent, Nero committed suicide in AD 68, bringing the 54-year rule of Julio-Claudian dynasty to an end.

1791 – Authored and introduced to the 1st United States Congress by James Madison as the limitations on our government in regard to personal liberties, the first 10 Amendments to the United States Constitution (better known as the Bill of Rights, pictured) became law when ratified by the Virginia General Assembly, providing the three-fourths needed by the States to make it official.

1939 – Gone with the Wind premiered at Loew’s Grand Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. The film earned 10 Academy Awards (a record that stood for 20 years) and is ranked sixth in the American Film Institute’s list of the Top 100 Best American Films of All Time. It was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry in 1989.

1966 – Walt Disney died in Burbank, California 10 days after his 65th birthday.

1973 – Facing pressure from members of the Gay Liberation Front and psychiatrist/gay rights activist Ronald Bayer, among others, the Board of Trustees of the American Psychiatric Association voted 13-0 to remove homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

The APA, for the record, has been criticized (more than once) for employing an inferior diagnostic process in lieu of a more unempirical structure that elevates the opinions of the prominent few. Author and psychiatrist Dr. William Glasser has referred to the DSM as “phony diagnostic categories,” arguing that “it was developed to help psychiatrists . . . make money.”

2001 – The Leaning Tower of Pisa was reopened to the public after 11 years and $27,000,000 to fortify it, without fixing its famous slant (3.97 degrees, or 3.9 meters). Engineers expect the nearly 700-year-old freestanding bell tower to remain stable for another 200 years.

2005 – The parliament of Latvia (northeast Europe) amended its national constitution with Article 110, formally eliminating same-sex couples from being entitled to marry and adopt.

Information initially obtained from Wikipedia; confirmed and revised (when necessary) through various sources.

Sunday's Quote: From one Founder to another

c/o Encyclopedia Virginia

The Founders are referenced with increasing regularity on this blog because time has proven them more honorable, stalwart and wise than the majority of those who lead us today. Thus, if some socialist-friendly liberal ever attempts to lecture you about what the Founders meant, perhaps throwing this back at him/her will be of some assistance.

----------------------------------------

“The selfishness and corruption of Europe I have no doubt about, and therefore wish most sincerely that our free Republics may not suffer themselves to be changed and wrongly wrought upon by the corrupt maxims of policy that pervade European Councils--where artful and refined plausibility is forever called in to aid the most pernicious designs. It would seem as if there were a general jealosy [sic] beyond the water, of the powerful effects to be derived from Republican virtue here, and so we hear a constant cry from thence, echoed & reechoed here by all Expectants from the Treasury of the United States--That Congress must have more power--That we cannot be secure & happy until Congress command implicitly both purse & sword.

“So that our confederation must be perpetually changing to answer sinister views in the greater part, until every fence is thrown down that was designed to protect & cover the rights of Mankind. It is a melancholy consideration that many wise & good men have, some how [sic] or other, fallen in with these ruinous opinions. I think Sir that the first maxim of a man who loves liberty should be, never to grant to Rulers an atom of power that is not most clearly & indispensably necessary for the safety and well being [sic] of Society. To say that these Rulers are revocable, and holding their places during pleasure may not be supposed to design evil for self-aggrandizement, is affirming what I cannot easily admit. Look to history and see how often the liberties of mankind have been oppressed & ruined by the same delusive hopes & fallacious reasoning. The fact is, that power poisons the mind of its possessor and aids him to remove the shackles that restrain itself.”
– Richard Henry Lee, from a letter to Samuel Adams; March 14, 1785

Perhaps better known as Robert E. Lee’s great uncle, R.H. Lee was both a signer of the Articles of Confederation and the author of the Lee Resolution, by which the Second Continental Congress declared the Colonies to be independent of the British Empire. In fact the initial drive towards independence was led by an alliance known as the “Adams-Lee Junto.”

Happy 4th

With battles having broken out some 15 months earlier, the Second Continental Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia on this day, 235 years ago, formally announcing the thirteen American colonies' intention to separate from the British Empire, thus becoming a soverign and autonomous nation.

This is the flag of the Culpeper Minutemen, a militia group formed in northern Virginia at the outset of the Revolution in 1775.  Remembered for their trademark phrases "Liberty or Death" & "Don't Tread on Me" – terms that remain pertinent to this day – these indomitable patriots fought with distinction as they helped turn the tide amid the early days of the War.  In remembrance of men like these, I fly this flag in their honor.

On This Day in History: A particularly blood-stained date

Pulitzer-winning shot by Charles Porter

1775 – The first engagements of the American Revolution begin at the Battles of Lexington and Concord throughout Middlesex County, Massachusetts.  Colonialists earned victory on this day, but the War itself would not be decided for another eight years.

1861 – One week after the Battle of Fort Sumter, a group of secessionists and Southern sympathizers in Baltimore, Maryland attack the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment as they traveled en route to Washington, DC.  The ensuing riot resulted in 16 deaths, including 12 civilians.

1951 – Eight days after being relieved of command by President Truman, General Douglas MacArthur addressed a joint session of Congress with his famous Old Soldiers Never Die speech.

1961 – In an attempt to overthrow the regime implemented by Fidel Castro, the Bay of Pigs invasion of southern Cuba is quelled in three days.  Fifty years later, Cuba is all but in ruins.

1971 – Charles Manson was sentenced to death for his role in the Tate-LaBianca murders.  The ruling was commuted to life imprisonment a year later when the Supreme Court of California temporarily eliminated the state's death penalty.  Manson is currently incarcerated at Corcoran State Prison in central California.

1987 – The Simpsons premiered as a short cartoon on The Tracy Ullman Show.  I remember like it was yesterday.

1993 – Ending a siege that lasted for over seven weeks, the Mount Carmel Center – home of the Branch Davidian sect near Waco, Texas – burns to the ground, killing all 80 people inside.  Four ATF agents were also killed throughout the incident.

1995 – Said to be seeking vengeance against the federal government for its handling of the siege in Waco, among other raids, Timothy McVeigh carried out the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people and injuring 450.  At the time it was the deadliest act of terrorism ever committed on American soil.

Eventually convicted of 11 federal offenses, McVeigh was executed on June 11, 2001 – exactly three months prior to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

On This Day in History: Patriots, et al.

1755 – Alexander Hamilton, once the Commanding General of the United States Army and a Founding Father of our nation, was born in Charlestown, Nevis, British West Indies.

1794 – Chosen by George Washington to serve as the first United States Marshal for the State of Georgia, Scottish-born Robert Forsyth became the first Marshal in American history killed in the line of duty.

1843 – Francis Scott Key, the author of our national anthem -- "The Star-Spangled Banner" -- died in his native Maryland.  An novice poet, Key became inspired to write a prose describing his observation of the British bombardment of Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in September 1814.  "The Defence of Fort McHenry" was published a week later in the Patriot, by which he urged the adoption of "In God is our Trust" as the national motto in the fourth stanza.  Signed into law by President Eisenhower, "In God We Trust" became our national motto nearly a century and a half later in 1956.  Notably, F.S. Key also served as a Vice President of the American Bible Society for 25 years until his death.

1861 – Following South Carolina, Mississippi and Florida, Alabama seceded from the United States to become the fourth member of the Southern Confederacy.  Three more States -- Georgia, Louisiana and Texas -- followed just prior to the first shots fired at Fort Sumter.  The last four States -- Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina -- were not prompted to join until Abraham Lincoln called for Southern civilians to join the Federal cause.

1879 – The Anglo-Zulu War began with the British invasion of the Zulu Kingdom in southern Africa.  The English achieved victory in just under six months.

1935 – Already the first woman to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic, Amelia Earhart (pictured) became the first person to successfully fly solo from Hawaii to California.

1949 – Los Angeles, California experiences its first recorded snowfall.

1964 – U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Luther Leonidas Terry publishes a landmark report saying that "smoking may be hazardous to health."  The worldwide anti-smoking efforts inspired by the report continue to this day.

1990 – Over 300,000 people marched in favor of Lithuanian independence from the USSR, which led to the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania on March 11.  The Soviet Union eventually dissolved over a two-year period, and the United Nations formally recognized Lithuania on September 17, 1991.

1998 – Religion of Peace: The Sidi-Hamed massacre occurs in Algeria on the last day of Ramadan.  According to the BBC, "An estimated fifty gunmen poured in, attacking children and adults alike; they bombed a cafe where films were being watched and a mosque in nearby Haouche Sahraoui, killing those who fled, and stormed houses to slaughter those within.  According to official figures, 103 were killed and seventy injured."  It was the second of five such Islamic-led massacres to have occurred in Algeria during the year.

On This Day in History

1000 – Hungary is established as a Christian kingdom by Stephen I.  Nearly a thousand years after his death, Stephen is still regarded as one of Hungary's most revered saints, and the date of his canonization is celebrated as a state holiday commemorating the foundation of the nation.

1642 – According to the "Old Style" dating system, Isaac Newton, simply one of the most influential people in history, is born in Lincolnshire, England.  (The "New Style" calendar places his birthday on January 4, 1643.)

1776 – George Washington and his army cross the Delaware River to attack Great Britain's Hessian (German) mercenaries.  The Battle of Trenton was won decisively the next day, which boosted the Continental Army's morale and inspired a significant number of re-enlistments.

1818 – Written by Father Joseph Mohr and composed by Franz Xaver Gruber, the first performance of "Silent Night" takes place in the Church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.

1826 – The result of whiskey smuggling for a Christmas party in the North barracks at the United States Military Academy, the Eggnog Riot concludes after beginning the previous night.  The riot involved more than one-third of the cadets by the time it ceased, 19 of whom were eventually court-martialed.

1868 – President Andrew Johnson grants unconditional pardon to all Confederate soldiers.

1899 – Hailed by the American Film Institute as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema, Humphrey Bogart (his real name) was born in New York City.

1990 – Based upon a proposed hypertext system designed to access the many forms of documentation at, and related to, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the first successful trial run of the system that would become the World Wide Web was conducted by computer scientists Robert Cailliau and, the man credited for "inventing" the Internet, Tim Berners-Lee (and not Al Gore).

2009 – Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian Muslim, unsuccessfully attempted a terrorist attack while on board Northwest Airlines Flight 253 en route to Detroit, as the concealed plastic explosives in his underwear failed to detonate properly.  Abdulmutallab was restrained, arrested, and eventually charged with, among other things, the attempted murder of 289 people.  The would-be "martyr" is currently incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in York Charter Township, Michigan.

Shown above, "Washington Crossing the Delaware" by Emanuel Leutze (1851) is located at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Iconic Shot(s): "God and country"

(click to enlarge)

The Cadet Chapel at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York has been a place of Protestant worship for members of the Corps of Cadets for 100 years.
 

Photo by Ahodges7 and released to the public domain under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License

(click to enlarge)

Completed 102 years ago, the United States Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, Maryland, is one of two houses of worship on the grounds of the Navy's service academy.  Both Protestant and Catholic services are held there.  In 1913, the remains of the Scottish-both and American Revolution hero Captain John Paul Jones were interred in the crypt beneath the Chapel inside a sarcophagus made of 19 tons of Grand Pyrenees marble.
 

© Dan Smith

On This Day in History

The guy standing actually lost.

1776 – Nathan Hale, a soldier for the Continental Army during the American Revolution who was captured by the British during an intelligence-gathering mission in New York City, is hanged for espionage.  Officially designated as the state hero of Connecticut in 1985, Hale -- a true patriot -- is best remembered for his last words before being hanged: "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."

1823 – Joseph Smith is supposedly directed by an angel called Moroni to Cumorah Hill near his home in Manchester, New York where the "golden plates" Smith are said to have used to translate the Book of Mormon were buried.  Nonsense.
 

1888 – The first issue of National Geographic magazine is published.  It remains possibly the most important American periodical ever. 

1896 – Queen Victoria surpasses her grandfather, King George III, as the longest reigning monarch in British history.  Her reign lasted nearly 64 years.  Provided she survives, Victoria's great-great-granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II, will surpass Victoria on September 10, 2015.

1927 – Jack "The Manassa Mauler" Dempsey (pictured above, standing) loses his world heavyweight title rematch to Gene "The Fighting Marine" Tunney in front of 104,000 people at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.  A comprehensive account of what became known as "The Long Count Fight" can be found here.  On a side note, the $2,658,660 gate was the first in history surpass the million-dollar mark.

1980 – The Iraqi air force attacks ten airfields inside Iran, beginning the Iran-Iraq War.  The conflict was declared a stalemate after nearly eight years of fighting.  

1991 – Discovered in 11 different caves throughout the ruins of Khirbet Qumran in Israel's West Bank between 1947-1956, the Dead Sea Scrolls are made available to the public for the first time by the Huntington Library in San Marino, California.

2006 – The F-14 Tomcat is retired from the United States Navy.  Initially deployed aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in 1974, the F-14 served with distinction as the Navy's primary maritime air superiority fighter and fleet defense interceptor for over 30 years.  Believe me, the Tomcat kicked a lot of ass on behalf of this nation.

Sunday's Quote(s): Why this day is special

Our Nation turns 234 years old today.  Before the quotes, I want to share some background about the Founders, including their trials and tribulations, which I originally collected, as I recall, from several different sources and fellow compatriots about two years ago:

Most of the Constitutional delegates were natives of the Thirteen Colonies, but nine were born elsewhere.  Pierce Butler, Thomas Fitzsimons, James McHenry, and William Paterson were born in Ireland.  William Richardson Davie and Robert Morris were from England.  James Wilson and John Witherspoon were sons of Scotland, and Alexander Hamilton was a native of the West Indies.

The Founding Fathers had strong educational backgrounds.  Some, like Benjamin Franklin, were largely self-taught or learned through apprenticeship.  Others had obtained instruction from private tutors or at academies.  About half of the men had attended or graduated from college in the Colonies or Great Britain, and some held medical degrees or advanced training in theology.

Some of the Founding Fathers were anti-clerical or vocal about their opposition to organized religion, such as Thomas Jefferson (who created the "Jefferson Bible"), and Benjamin Franklin.  Yet other notable founders, such as Patrick Henry, were strong proponents of traditional religion.

While some of the delegates had no religious affiliation, most were Protestant, except Charles Carroll, Daniel Carroll, and Thomas Fitzsimons, who were Roman Catholic.  Among the Protestant delegates to the Constitutional Convention, 28 were members of the Church of England (Episcopalian, post-Revolution), eight were Presbyterian, seven were Congregationalist, two were Lutheran, two were Dutch Reformed, and two were Methodist, totaling 49 of the 56 representatives.

These men signed the Declaration of Independence fully aware of the consequences if captured.  Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy.  He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKean was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.  He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding.  His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.  The home of Thomas Nelson, Jr. was used by British General Charles Cornwallis as his headquarters. It was destroyed at the Battle of Yorktown, and Nelson ultimately died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis also saw his home and properties destroyed.  The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months of her incarceration.  John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying.  Their 13 children were forced to flee for their lives, and his possessions were laid to waste.  For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

In total, five of the Signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.  Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.  Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.  Nine of the Signers even died from wounds or hardships that resulted from the Revolutionary War.

The Founders pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor for so much that we take for granted today.  May we always be inspired to maintain our society in their honor.

"Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed - else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die."

-- Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), 34th President of the United States, General of the Army (five-star) of the United States and Supreme Allied Commander (Europe) during World War II

"Those who won our independence believed liberty to be the secret of happiness and courage to be the secret of liberty."
-- Louis Brandeis (1856-1941), Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court and namesake of both Brandeis University & the University of Louisville's School of Law

"We on this continent should never forget that men first crossed the Atlantic not to find soil for their ploughs but to secure liberty for their souls."

-- Robert J. McCracken (1904-1973), Scottish Baptist minister, author, and professor of theology who cited "the chasm between Christian principle and Christian practice"

"It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you."

-- Author unknown

"It is the love of country that has lighted and that keeps glowing the holy fire of patriotism."

-- J. Horace McFarland (1859-1948), environmental conservationist

"The United States is the only country with a known birthday."

-- James G. Blaine (1830-1893), Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Senator from Maine, two-time Secretary of State, and leader of the Republican "Half-Breeds"

"What is the essence of America?  Finding and maintaining that perfect, delicate balance between freedom 'to' and freedom 'from'."

-- Marilyn vos Savant (1946-), columnist, author, lecturer, and playwright who was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for three years as having the "Highest IQ."  She has written her "Ask Marilyn" column in Parade magazine since 1986.

"My God!  How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!"

-- Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), third President of the United States, first U.S. Secretary of State, second Governor of Virginia, Delegate to the Second Continental Congress and the Congress of the Confederation, founder of the University of Virginia, and principal author of the Declaration of Independence

“The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the republican model of government... [is] staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.”

-- George Washington (1732-1799), first President of the United States, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, overseer of the Philadelphia Convention that drafted the U.S. Constitution, and the "Father of Our Country"

On This Day In History: How 'bout some war...

1775 – Having been unanimously voted commander-in-chief of the Continental army by Congress several weeks prior, George Washington arrives in Cambridge, Massachusetts to take command of the army he would lead to victory eight grueling years later.

1778 – British and Iroquois forces kill 360 people in the Wyoming Valley massacre amid the American Revolution.  Some of the raiders hunted the fleeing Patriots before torturing to death upwards of forty who had already surrendered.

1863 – The final day of the Battle of Gettysburg during the War Between the States culminates with Pickett's Charge.  That didn't go well.

1898 – Amid the waining days of the Spanish-American War, the Spanish fleet is destroyed by the United States Navy in Santiago, Cuba.  Victory would be secured the next month.

1913 – Confederate veterans at the Great Reunion of 1913 reenact Pickett's Charge.  Upon reaching the High Watermark of the Confederacy, the Southerners were met by the outstretched hands of friendship from their northern counterparts.  I've seen footage from the event, and it's very touching.

On This Day in History: June 17

1631 – Mumtaz Mahal (born Arjumand Banu Bob) dies while giving birth to her fourteenth child.  Her husband, Emperor Shah Jahan I of the Mughal Empire, spends the next 23 years building a sarcophagus to commemorate his love for her in Agra, India.  The end result became known as the Taj Mahal.

1775 – Three months into the American Revolution, the Battle of Bunker Hill takes place in the Charlestown area of Boston, MA between the British Army and colonial militias from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.  Considered a Pyrrhic victory for England, a British officer after the battle was quoted, "We have ... learned one melancholy truth, which is, that the Americans, if they were equally well commanded, are full as good soldiers as ours."  The war itself would not be decided for eight years.

1885 – Given to the United States to represent the friendship established between America and France during the American Revolution, the Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor.

1963 – The United States Supreme Court rules, 8-1, in Abington School District v. Schempp (consolidated with Murray v. Curlett), 374 U.S. 203 (1963), against allowing the recital of Bible verses and the Lord's Prayer in public schools.  It's been downhill ever since.

1972 – Five Republican White House operatives -- Virgilio González, Bernard Barker, James W. McCord, Jr., Eugenio Martínez, and Frank Sturgis -- are arrested for burglary in an attempt to illegally wiretap the offices of the Democratic National Committee.  The ensuing Watergate scandal ultimately resulted in President Richard Nixon's resignation two years later.

1994 – Following a nationally televised low-speed highway chase, O.J. Simpson (pictured) is arrested for the murders of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.  The resulting trial, often referred to as "the trial of the century," ended on October 3, 1995 with a not guilty verdict that was watched by over half the American populace.

A year and four months later, Simpson was found liable for the wrongful death of Ronald Goldman, and battery against Nicole Brown Simpson.  Although only a small portion of the $33.5 million judgment was ever collected, O.J. ended up in prison, nevertheless, for criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, assault, robbery, and using a deadly weapon in Las Vegas.  Found guilty exactly 13 years after his infamous not guilty verdict, Simpson was sentenced to 33 years in prison (with the possibility of parole in about nine years) and is now serving his sentence as inmate #1027820 at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Pershing County, Nevada.

On This Day in History: March 15

44 BC -- Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death at the Theatre of Pompey by Marcus Junius Brutus, Gaius Cassius Longinus, Decimus Junius Brutus and several other Roman senators.  This violent act set the stage for the end of the Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire.

1776 -- South Carolina becomes the first American colony to declare its independence from Great Britain and set up its own government.  They'd do it one more time about 85 years later.

1783 -- With the end of the American Revolution approaching, many soldiers who were deeply in debt due to their pro bono service to the Continental Army became concerned that Congress would not meet previous assurances in regard to back pay.

Congress derived all its revenue from the States and had no way of paying more than a fraction of the money owed, which resulted in talk among soldiers of enforcing martial law to secure what had been promised.  In an emotional speech, George Washington successfully pleaded with his officers not to support what became known as the Newburgh Conspiracy, and the threatened coup d'état never came to fruition.

1952 -- On the French island of Réunion, 73 inches of rain falls in the town of Cilaos in one day, setting a new world record.

1985 – The first Internet domain is registered to symbolics.com.  Purchased by XF.com Investments on August 27, 2009, the current Symbolics web site is available at symbolics-dks.com.