A word from Churchill

I began reading “Citizens of London” by Lynne Olson recently. Thus far the story about the Americans — centering primarily on Edward R. Murrow, Averell Harriman and John Gilbert Winant — who stood with Churchill’s Britain during “it’s darkest, finest hour” has proven a good read. Hence I found the pic below both notable, and personally applicable, as well.

On This Day in History

1703 – In what is now Tokyo, Japan, 46 of the legendary Forty-seven Ronin committed ritual suicide (seppuku) as part of the samurai honor code (bushidō) for avenging their master's death.

1789 – George Washington was elected the first President of the United States.

1844 – Discovered by German Biblical scholar Constantin Tischendor, the Codex Sinaiticus -- ancient portions of both the Old and New Testaments -- was uncovered at St. Catherine's Monastery in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.

1861 – Delegates from South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana convened in Montgomery, Alabama to form the Confederate States of America.

1902 – Charles Lindbergh was born in Detroit, Michigan.  Having initially risen to prominence with his solo non-stop flight from Roosevelt Field in New York's Long Island to Le Bourget Field in Paris, France (May 20-21, 1927; nearly 3,600 miles), Lindbergh was named TIME magazine's first Man of the Year.  Later in life he also became a prize-winning author, explorer, environmentalist and inventor.  Few have ever accomplished so much in a lifetime.

1906 – Dietrich Bonhoeffer [pictured] was born in Breslau, Germany (present-day Wrocław, Poland).  A master theologian of the Evangelical Lutheran faith, Bonhoeffer became critical of the Church's general insensitivity to the needs of secular society as he witnessed social upheaval, a decline of traditional values and international financial crisis -- much like the events of today.

Opposed to circumventing Christ in "religiosity," Bonhoeffer's time at Abyssinian Baptist Church in the Harlem borough of New York City (where he taught Sunday School) inspired a world view that would ultimately lead him to establish the Confessing Church, which became one of the few opposing voices to the Nazification in Germany.  It also led to Bonhoeffer's two-year incarceration and eventual martyrdom at the Flossenbürg concentration camp, less than a month before the Nazi regime collapsed.

In short, his influence and the example he set by speaking and standing for Truth cannot be overstated.

1945 – "The Big Three" -- Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin -- open The Yalta Conference at the Livadia Palace in Crimea (present-day southern Ukraine) to discuss Europe's postwar reorganization.

2004 – Mark Zuckerberg launched "Thefacebook," the forerunner to Facebook, from his dorm room at Harvard University.  Seven years later, Facebook.com boasts of 600 million users and only trails Google as the world's most visited website.

Sunday's Quote: Churchill

A recent interview with John Fisher Burns, London bureau chief for The New York Times and two-time recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, got me to thinking about the British as military protagonists.  Paraphrasing Burns, much of the world has considered the United States, however begrudgingly, as "keepers of the peace" for generations.  And while this is true, at least some of that inspiration can be attributed to one of Britain's all-time greats:

"Churchill considered Nazism vile and barbaric, a rejection of civilization in every way, despite his respect for the German race.  He was particularly offended by its anti-Semitism, which made Nazism, in some ways, worse than communism. ...  

"Even after Hitler violated the Munich peace agreement of 1938 and conquered all of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, Chamberlain and Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax adamantly opposed a pact with Soviet Russia.  They fundamentally misunderstood Hitler, had too much sympathy for Germany and too much contempt for Soviet Russia, and feared war too much to adjust policy.  They were not as intellectually imaginative, strategically discerning, or obsessively determined to face threats as Churchill.  But Churchill’s standing in the Conservative Party and the nation at large was very low in the mid- to late 1930s, and his warnings went unheeded.

"Churchill was clearly the indispensable man of the moment in 1940, whom destiny summoned to change the course of history.  His overwhelming love of country and civilization, grave sense of obligation to protect and improve on all the good the ages had produced, romantic view of the world, and keen understanding of how history had reached a vital point, made him realize why he and Britain had to battle relentlessly, regardless of the odds.  His firm conviction that individuals can overcome great adversity, his belief that great leaders can redirect global forces, and his uplifting oratorical abilities, allowed Churchill to shape the thoughts and feelings of his countrymen and save his country and civilization."
-- from "Being Winston Churchill" by Michael Makovsky; December 8, 2010

Iconic Shot: Wartime leaders

(click to enlarge)

A sculpture by Lawrence Holofcener depicting a jovial moment between British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, located on New Bond Street in the Westminster borough of London, England.  © André Leroux

On This Day in History: February 18

I've been in some pain over the past week or so.  I'm rather tired and a bit preoccupied, so the posts haven't been as consistent lately, but that will change in the near future.  In the meantime, here's some history:

1229 -- Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II signs a 10-year truce with Islamic sultan al-Kamil, regaining Jerusalem, Nazareth and Bethlehem without the typical necessity of military engagements or support from the Pope.

1861 -- Jefferson Davis is inaugurated as the provisional President of the Confederate States of America in Montgomery, Alabama.  It would be nearly nine months before the provisional title was dropped.

1884 -- Largely recognized as the first "Great American Novel," Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is published for the first time.

1901 -- Winston Churchill gives his maiden speech -- the first oratory offering by a newly elected member of Parliament -- in the House of Commons as a representative of Oldham.