Pharaoh RutinTutin

Does anyone else think this "Puzzle" looks like a bowling lane? So is Sarah the Bowler or the Ball? Nanase is stronger than Sarah, implying that she could be the better bowler. But Nanase is also far more flexible than Sarah, so she would also be the better ball. Or maybe for the sake of preparedness, Nanase stowed an oversized bowling ball in Sarah's back pack before the trek even began. Without informing Sarah, of course.

Wasn't it revealed that the J stood for "Just" as in Arthur, Just Arthur? Or am I thinking of someone else?

We thought Rhoda was a guppy swimming with sharks. It turns out that she is a Piranha.

Spell books have not expanded. They have contracted.

29 October This one is late. Sorry... 539 BC – Cyrus the Great (founder of Persian Empire, not Achy Breaky Billy Ray) entered the capital of Babylon and allowed the Jews to return to their land. Tip for future conquerors, don't go conquering people if there is any chance they could see someone else conquer you. It really wears away at the mystique. 1618 – English adventurer, writer, and courtier Sir Walter Raleigh is beheaded for allegedly conspiring against James I of England. Royal Survival Tip: when there is a change of monarch, the closer you were to the former monarch, the farther you should stay from the current monarch. 1888 – The Convention of Constantinople is signed, The Con-Con. No, it's not a gathering of people with the purpose of taking each other's money. That's every other Convention. This one is a guarantee of free maritime passage through the Suez Canal during war and peace. Signatories included representatives from United Kingdom, Germany, Austro-Hungary, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire. Strangely absent from the proceedings was Egypt. 1901 – In Amherst, Massachusetts, nurse Jane Toppan is arrested for murdering the Davis family of Boston with an overdose of morphine. After her arrest she confessed to 31 murders. She is quoted as saying that her ambition was "to have killed more people—helpless people—than any other man or woman who ever lived". It is good to have a goal in life. 1922 – King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy appoints Benito Mussolini as Prime Minister. Yes, let's see if appeasing political bullies makes them less annoying and/or dangerous. Neville Chamberlain is taking notes. 1923 – Turkey becomes a republic. The Ottoman Empire is reduced to the footstool of history. 1929 – The New York Stock Exchange crashes in what will be called the Crash of '29 or "Black Tuesday", ending the Great Bull Market of the 1920s and beginning the Great Depression. This time it isn't just ticker tape falling from the high windows on Wall Street. 1944 – World War II: The Soviet Red Army enters Hungary. They would not leave until significantly later. 1998 – Space Shuttle Discovery blasts off on STS-95 with 77-year-old John Glenn on board, making him the oldest person to go into space. During an in-flight interview, the Senator claims that he can now get his Tang with Geritol or Metamucil.

28 October AD 97 – Emperor Nerva is forced by the Praetorian Guard to adopt general Marcus Ulpius Trajanus as his heir and successor. The Emperor's Guard is so much more loyal when they choose the Emperor. 1636 – A vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony establishes the first college in what would become the United States, today known as Harvard University. And do fight fiercely... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27PSHASlGUU 1664 – The Duke of York and Albany's Maritime Regiment of Foot is established. Tell it to the Marines. The Royal Marines, that is. 1726 – The novel Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift is published. Is it a parody of traveler's tales? Is it political satire? Or is the sophisticated literature lost on the Yahoos of the English speaking world? 1775 – American Revolutionary War: A British proclamation forbids residents from leaving Boston. This order will be rediscovered in 1991 and enacted as the Big Dig, keeping everyone from moving into, out from, around, or through Boston until 2007. 1886 – In New York Harbor, President Grover Cleveland (not the Muppet, not the Family Guy neighbor) dedicates the Statue of Liberty. The first ticker tape parade takes place in New York City when office workers spontaneously throw ticker tape into the streets as the statue is dedicated. If you throw your office waste paper out the window, that's littering. If you throw your office waste paper out the window onto a parade, that's patriotism. 1893 – Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 in B Minor receives its première performance in St. Petersburg, only nine days before the composer's death. Critics call it Pathétique. 1919 – The U.S. Congress passes the Volstead Act over President Woodrow Wilson's First Lady Edith Wilson's veto, paving the way for Prohibition to begin the following January. 1922 – Italian fascists led by Benito Mussolini march on Rome and take over the Italian government. The King convinced the Prime Minister to step aside and let the Black Shirt Bullies wear themselves out playing with the government. This couldn't possibly turn out badly. 1940 – World War II: Greece rejects Italy's ultimatum. The Greco-Italian War begins. Italy invades Greece through Albania, marking Greece's entry into World War II. Did Mussolini think that Greece would do the same thing Italy did? 1942 – The Alaska Highway (Alcan Highway) is completed through Canada to Fairbanks, Alaska. They can build a 1,700 mile highway through Canadian wilderness in less than a year, but I can't get anyone to patch a pothole where the street meets the highway? 1943 – According to "Anonymous" letters received by Astronomer Morris K. Jessup in 1955, it was on this date in 1943 that the US Navy conducted experiments involving invisibility, teleportation, interdimensional and time travel on the destroyer escort USS Eldridge (DE-173) at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. The so-called Philadelphia Experiment. Interesting idea, except that the Eldridge was on a shakedown cruise in the Bahamas at the time. 1955 – William Henry Gates version 3.0 goes live in Seattle, WA. The US Mint begins putting his baby picture on the currency. He'll own it all anyway. 1956 – Elvis Presley receives a polio vaccination on national TV. This single event is credited with raising immunization levels in the United States from 0.6% to over 80% in just six months. But is there any treatment for that twitchy lip of his?

Not exactly what most archaeologists would have done in that situation. On the other hand... It is cold outside. And do you really need to read yet another tomb inscription threatening a curse on all who enter?

27 October 939 – Æthelstan, the first King of England, died and was succeeded by his half-brother, Edmund I. The Royal names of England were so much more interesting before the Normans replaced the Anglo-Saxon monarchs. 1275 – Oldest documentation of the city of Amsterdam. Actually, it was a declaration allowing the inhabitants of the village of Aemstelredamme to travel freely through the County of Holland, paying no tolls at bridges, locks and dams. It seems that if you're Dutch, you don't need to be a Billy Goat to avoid paying the Troll under the bridge. 1795 – The United States and Spain sign the Treaty of Madrid, which establishes the boundaries between Spanish colonies and the U.S. That seems to be a practical solution. Unless, of course... 1810 – United States annexes the former Spanish colony of West Florida. Well, so much for that treaty. 1904 – The first underground New York City Subway line opens; the system becomes the biggest in United States, and one of the biggest in the world. Can you dig it? 1914 – The British lose their first battleship of World War I: The British super-dreadnought battleship HMS Audacious (23,400 tons) is sunk off Tory Island, north-west of Ireland, by a minefield laid by the armed German merchant-cruiser Berlin. The loss was kept an official secret in Britain until 14 November 1918 (three days after the end of the war). The sinking was witnessed and photographed by passengers on RMS Olympic. The Olympic passengers included many Americans who, as citizens of a neutral state, were not obligated to keep the secret, and they did talk. By the end of the war, the only people who did not know about the sinking of the Audacious were British civilians who relied entirely on the British press for information. How Audacious indeed. 1988 – Cold War: Ronald Reagan suspends construction of the new U.S. Embassy in Moscow due to Soviet listening devices in the building structure. If the KGB had not demanded that the local contractors install so many listening devices, the American security might not have noticed a smaller number. 1994 – Gliese 229B is the first Substellar Mass Object to be unquestionably identified. Who would have thought that there were things other than stars orbiting other stars? 2017 – Catalonia declares independence from Spain. Spain did not agree...

26 October 1597 – Imjin War: Admiral Yi Sun-sin routs the Japanese Navy of 300 ships with only 13 ships at the Battle of Myeongnyang. There is an advantage to being lighter an more maneuverable than your opponent. But 23:1 is a bit much. 1640 – The Treaty of Ripon is signed, restoring peace between Scotland and Charles I of England. Don't despair, Scotland. Your descendants in America will use the lesson of your treaties with England when writing treaties with the Native Americans. 1689 – General Piccolomini of Austria burns down Skopje, supposedly to prevent the spread of cholera. Others think he ordered the destruction of the city just because it was too far from his own headquarters to rule effectively. He died of cholera himself soon after, so good job preventing the disease from spreading. 1774 – The first Continental Congress adjourns in Philadelphia. I wonder if anyone will notice. 1775 – King George III of Great Britain goes before Parliament to declare the American colonies in rebellion, and authorizes a military response to quell the American Revolution. I guess someone did notice what they were doing in the City of Brotherly Love. 1776 – Benjamin Franklin departs from America for France on a mission to seek French support for the American Revolution. "Hi France. Would you like to help us annoy England?" 1813 – War of 1812: A combined force of British regulars, Canadian militia, and Mohawks defeat the Americans in the Battle of the Chateauguay. Canadians still invade the US every autumn. Especially Florida for about six months. 1825 – The Erie Canal opens: Passage from Albany, New York to Lake Erie. Sal the Mule becomes the most famous female in the New World. 1861 – Two days after the first transcontinental telegraph was completed, the Pony Express officially ceases operations. What? No federal bailout or bankruptcy restructuring? 1881 – The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral takes place at Tombstone, Arizona. For those of you unfamiliar with the event, some cowboys involved with illegal activities objected to law enforcement interfering with those activities. 1905 – Sweden accepts the independence of Norway. But what will Scandinavia fight about now? 1912 – First Balkan War: The Ottoman occupied city of Thessaloniki, is liberated and unified with Greece on the feast day of its patron saint Demetrius. On the same day, Serbian troops captured Skopje. Only 223 years after it was burned down it had once again become a military target. Nice recovery. 1917 – World War I: Battle of Caporetto; Italy suffers a catastrophic defeat to the forces of Austria-Hungary and Germany. The young unknown Oberleutnant Erwin Rommel captures Mount Matajur with only 100 Germans against a force of over 7000 Italians. In case you didn't realize it, Erwin Rommel was the Chuck Norris of Germany. 1946 – H _ P P Y _ _ R T H _ _ Y P _ T S _ J _ K 1947 – The Maharaja of Kashmir and Jammu agrees to allow his kingdom to join India. When Britain left India, there were more than a few unresolved issues... 1996 – In Boston where the American Academy of Pediatrics was holding its annual conference. Intersex activists Morgan Holmes and Max Beck attempt to deliver an address, "on long-term outcomes and to challenge their still-prevailing opinion that cosmetic surgery to "fix" intersexed genitals was the best course of action", but were "met, officially, with hostility and were escorted out of the conference by security guards". The group only later demonstrated, carrying a sign saying "Hermaphrodites With Attitude" 1999 – Britain's House of Lords votes to end the right of hereditary peers to vote in Britain's upper chamber of Parliament. If this keeps up, ancient titles will no longer be worth the parchment upon which they are illuminated. 2001 – The United States passes the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 or USA PATRIOT Act into law. It faced a lot of legal challenges, some of which might have been avoided if anyone had bothered to read the entire act before it was passed and signed into law. But the nifty acronym title was enough to silence any early dissent.

Ok, big romantic scene. Cue Léo Delibes' Flower Duet. Fade to black. Now ladies, I know you're high school seniors in your final semester. But could you please ACT like going to class matters?

24 October 1260 – Chartres Cathedral is dedicated in the presence of King Louis IX of France; the cathedral is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is an excellent example of Gothic architecture. But it is also the fifth Cathedral to stand at that site since the first one was destroyed by Danes (who else?) in 858. Why the tradition of building on the exact site of what had been previously destroyed by fire, war, or disaster? It is like building a castle in the swamp only to see it sink into the swamp then building another castle in the swamp... 1360 – The Treaty of Brétigny is ratified at Calais, marking the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years' War. Because Intermission is also useful outside the Theatre. 1590 – John White, the governor of the second Roanoke Colony, returns to England after an unsuccessful search for the "lost" colonists. Will no one admit that it was alien and/or time travel abduction? 1795 – Third Partition of Poland: The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth is completely divided among Austria, Prussia, and Russia. We get it. The rest of Europe is determined to keep Poland from doing something terrible, like existing. 1851 – William Lassell discovers the moons Umbriel, and Ariel, orbiting Uranus. Ask your local eight-year-old to supply the joke here. 1857 – Sheffield F.C., the world's oldest association football club still in operation, is founded in Sheffield, England. Old-Timers and Throw-Back-Jersey games provide a lot of choices and marketing opportunities. 1861 – The first transcontinental telegraph line across the United States is completed. This destroyed the entire Pony Express industry. 1901 – Annie Edson Taylor becomes the first person to survive going over Niagara Falls in a barrel. She did this for financial reasons. She thought people would pay to meet, hear the story, and have their businesses associated with the first person to go over Niagara Falls and survive. It turned out, no, people really weren't all that interested. 1926 – Harry Houdini's last performance takes place at the Garrick Theatre in Detroit. Yes, even Houdini could not escape Detroit. 1931 – The George Washington Bridge opens to public traffic. It may not be as aesthetically pleasing as the Brooklyn Bridge on the other side of Manhattan. But it is a far more comfortable way into New Jersey than what George Washington himself used on Christmas Night 1776. 1946 – A camera on board the V-2 No. 13 rocket takes the first photograph of earth from outer space. So with all the V-2s herr von Braun launched in the war, none of them included a camera? 1947 – Famed animator Walt Disney testifies before the House Un-American Activities Committee, naming Disney employees he believes to be communists. Great job promoting the family atmosphere, Uncle Walt. 1954 – Dwight D. Eisenhower pledges United States support to South Vietnam. Good idea, but perhaps not executed properly. 1975 – In Iceland, 90% of women take part in a national strike, refusing to work in protest of gaps in gender equality. To think that workers only making 60% as much as the men could shut down nearly 100% of a country. 1977 – Veterans Day is observed on the fourth Monday in October for the seventh and last time. (The holiday is once again observed on November 11 beginning the following year.) Yes, the United States did go a little nuts in the 70s attempting to move EVERY holiday to be observed on Monday. We've found other ways to go nuts since then. 2003 – Concorde makes its last commercial flight. It turned out that many passengers paying for a luxury ticket would rather be comfortable for a long flight instead of cramped on a fast flight.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/22235024 http://egscomics.com/sketchbook/2018-032 If this transformation was temporary and intended as "punishment", the long term effect would be not unlike Jerry's hammers. It could actually encourage more bad behavior. As for who did the transforming? I know it is easy to blame Kitty. But there are just too many ways this kind of change could happen in Moperville. Even though extremely unlikely, this kind of change is possible even within the realm of random quantum fluctuation in our own "reality"*. * I am still not convinced that our reality is actually real

23 October First, if you happen to be reading this between 06:02 AM and 06:02 PM local time on October 23, HAPPY MOLE DAY! (6.02 x 1023) 42 BC – Liberators' civil war: Second Battle of Philippi: Mark Antony and Octavian decisively defeat Brutus's army. Brutus (the one who ate two) commits suicide. Mark Antony and Octavian would, after this point, find working together increasingly difficult. 425 – Valentinian III is elevated as Roman emperor at the age of six. The empire is falling apart, so what better way to preserve it than by crowning a child? 1157 – The Battle of Grathe Heath ends the civil war in Denmark. In 1146 Eric III had abdicated and two, eventually three, men had been declared King in different parts of Denmark. Fast forward through a decade of Viking Politics and King Sweyn III is killed with an axe by peasants after losing his own armor and weapons following the Grathe Heath battle. Valdemar I restores the country. 1295 – The first treaty forming the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France against England is signed in Paris. We know the French and Scots both have a strong dislike for the English. But is that really enough common ground to form an alliance? 1707 – The first Parliament of Great Britain meets. Even though the people of Scotland may not like the English any more now than they did then, this pretty much ends the Auld Scottish alliance with France. 1739 – War of Jenkins' Ear starts: British Prime Minister Robert Walpole, reluctantly declares war on Spain. DID YOU HEAR THAT, JENKINS? ENGLAND IS GOING TO WAR WITH SPAIN! 1812 – Claude François de Malet, a French general, begins a conspiracy to overthrow Napoleon Bonaparte, claiming that the Emperor died in Russia and that he is now the commandant of Paris. Would Monsieur de Malet prefer a firing squad or the Guillotine? 1861 – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln suspends the writ of habeas corpus in Washington, D.C., for all military-related cases. Yes, there is a war going on. But please Abe, granting and preserving some freedoms is not justification for stamping out others. 1941 – World War II: Field Marshal Georgy Zhukov takes command of Red Army operations to prevent the further advance into Russia of German forces and to prevent the Wehrmacht from capturing Moscow. To be blunt, the Soviets finally found a competent commander who had not been purged by Stalin on the eve of war with Germany. 1942 – World War II: Second Battle of El Alamein: At El Alamein, an obscure city in northern Egypt that had previously been the site of yet another inconclusive battle in the desert campaign, the British Eighth Army under Field Marshal Montgomery begins a critical offensive to expel the Axis armies from Egypt. This would mark the turning point for the Western Allies in the war against Germany or, as Winston Churchill would describe it, the end of the beginning. Herr Schicklgruber, one problem with quickly conquering very large areas is that it allows your enemies to test their weapons and practice their tactics against your forces where they are spread most thin. 1946 – The United Nations General Assembly convenes for the first time, in Flushing, Queens, New York City. Really UN? Most English speakers don't think of "Flushing" as a Long Island neighborhood. 1973 – The Watergate scandal: US President Richard M. Nixon agrees to turn over subpoenaed audio tapes of his Oval Office conversations. Was that really so hard, Mr President? The Courts and Congress are certain to be reasonable in how they proceed as long as you cooperate and don't tamper with the... Oh no.

Which brings us back to the Nanaseslas idea In her mistress' steps she trod Where the snow lay dinted Heat was in the very sod Which Nanase had printed...

Maybe Nanase is related to Good King Wenceslas? Queen Nanaseslas looked out... Or is this just one more reminder that Nanase is Hot?

22 October 362 – The temple of Apollo at Daphne, outside Antioch, is destroyed in a mysterious fire. Destroyed "mysteriously" near Antioch? Book of Armaments, Chapter 4, Verses 16 to 20: Then did he raise on high the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch, saying, "Bless this, O Lord, that with it thou mayst blow thine enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy."... 451 – The Council of Chalcedon adopts the Chalcedonian Creed regarding the divine and human nature of Jesus Christ. Yes, Jesus is God. Yes, except for the sin, Jesus is Human. What is so hard to understand? 1730 – Construction of the Ladoga Canal is completed. You'll always know your neighbour And you'll always know your pal If ya ever navigated on Ladoga Canal 1790 – Warriors of the Miami people under Chief Little Turtle defeat United States troops under General Josiah Harmar at the site of present-day Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the Northwest Indian War. Today, people from Fort Wayne invade Miami. 1797 – André-Jacques Garnerin makes the first recorded parachute jump from one thousand meters above Paris. Parking is a problem in most cities today. But is parking your transportation a kilometer above the city and then parachuting down really a viable solution? 1844 – The Great Anticipation: Millerites, followers of William Miller, anticipate the end of the world in conjunction with the Second Advent of Christ. The following day became known as the Great Disappointment. Remember folks, every prediction about the "end of the world" has, so far, been wrong. 1883 – The Metropolitan Opera House in New York City opens with a performance of Gounod's Faust. What kind of diabolical deal was made to get this place open? 1910 – Dr. Crippen is convicted at the Old Bailey of poisoning his second wife and is subsequently hanged at Pentonville Prison in London. As he was born and began his career near my home town, I am obliged to discuss him. You've probably never heard of Hawley Harvey Crippen unless you are a fan of tawdry soap-opera stories of sex and murder. He is notable as the first criminal suspect apprehended through the use of wireless telegraphy. 1964 – Jean-Paul Sartre is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, but turns down the honor. Existentialism taken to a ridiculous extreme? 1964 – Canada: A Multi-Party Parliamentary Committee selects the design which becomes the new official flag of Canada. As far as art designed by committee goes, it isn't so bad. 1976 – Red Dye No. 4 is banned by the US Food and Drug Administration after it is discovered that it causes tumors in the bladders of dogs. So we can ban substances that cause tumors in dog bladders. But we can't ban substances that cause tumors in human lungs? 1978 – Papal inauguration of Pope John Paul II. Second time they tried this ceremony this year. I think they got it right this time. 1998 – October 22 was designated International Stuttering Awareness Day (ISAD). The day is intended to raise public awareness of the millions of people – one percent of the world's population – who have the speech disorder of stuttering. I for one am acutely aware of stuttering. Suffice to say that there is a reason why I prefer text-based communications. 1999 – Maurice Papon, an official in the Vichy France government during World War II, is jailed for crimes against humanity. He was released for "Humanitarian" reasons after a few years while people he unjustly prosecuted were still incarcerated. For more details, see 10/17/1961.

21 October 1520 – Ferdinand Magellan discovers a strait now known as Strait of Magellan. A narrow body of water connecting two larger bodies of water in a relatively straight line named for the commander of the vessel that "discovers" it? Sounds much too simple. What did the locals call it before Magellan got there? Oh, that's right. If you don't have guns and Church backing, your opinions don't count. Same date a little farther north... 1520 – João Álvares Fagundes discovers the islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, bestowing them their original name of "Islands of the 11,000 Virgins". The French Overseas Collectivity can barely support a population of less than 7,000 today. How did eleven thousand virgins, and who knows how many not-so-virgins, manage to survive off the Newfoundland coast back then? 1797 – In Boston Harbor, Old Ironsides (Not Raymond Burr) the 44-gun United States Navy frigate USS Constitution is launched. She's still afloat and ready to defend Boston Harbor against any brig, sloop, or schooner the British might send to retaliate for that tea incident. 1805 – Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Trafalgar: A British fleet led by Vice Admiral Lord Nelson defeats a combined French and Spanish fleet under Admiral Villeneuve. The Brits are going to remember this one for a while. 1824 – Joseph Aspdin patents Portland cement. Water proof mortar is fine for those who can't be bothered to shape and fit stones with surgical precision. 1845 – Birth of Will Carleton, American poet and journalist (d. 1912). If you're not from Michigan, you've probably never heard of him. But as he lived and worked near my hometown, I am obliged to comment on him at every opportunity. http://www.poorhousestory.com/over_the_hill.htm 1854 – Florence Nightingale and a staff of 38 nurses are sent to the Crimean War. Why Britain and France were involved in a war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire is difficult for historians to explain. What Florence Nightingale did for Nursing and Medicine must not be forgotten. Nightingale was trained as a statistician. I don't know how, but the medical profession's dependence on paperwork seems to begin here. 1867 – The Medicine Lodge Treaty is signed by southern Great Plains Indian leaders. The treaty requires Native American Plains tribes to relocate to a reservation in western Oklahoma. What medicine was in that lodge that made the Native leaders think the US Government would honor this treaty? 1879 – Thomas Edison applies for a patent for his design for an incandescent light bulb. What a brilliant idea 1895 – The Republic of Formosa collapses as Japanese forces invade. When Japan managed to capture some islands near Taiwan without much effort, the Qing Dynasty decided that giving Japan Taiwan would be in their best interest. The people on Taiwan didn't agree, and declared their independence. This independence lasted until the Japanese fleet arrived and, with Qing forces already gone, took over. 1910 – HMS Niobe arrives in Halifax Harbour to become the first ship of the Royal Canadian Navy. Canada, you have a LOT of coastline. You really should have been taking steps on your own before this. 1921 – President Warren G. Harding delivers the first speech by a sitting U.S. President against lynching in the deep South. So Americans as a people are not officially sure something is wrong until the President tells us it is wrong? 1945 – Women's suffrage: Women are allowed to vote in France for the first time. Are you sure it's still not too soon? Maybe you want to wait until after the next war. 1973 – Fred Dryer of the Los Angeles Rams becomes the first player in NFL history to score two safeties in the same game. For those unfamiliar with American Gridiron Football, a Safety is scored when a team downs the ball in their own end zone, giving two points (or in very rare cases, one point) and control of the ball to the other team. It's often as embarrassing as an Own Goal in that other kind of Football. 1983 – The metre is defined at the seventeenth General Conference on Weights and Measures as the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. So if you are ever measuring something and you don't have a meter stick, just get out your stopwatch that can track time to at least one part in three hundred millionths of a second.

19 October 202 BC – Second Punic War: At the Battle of Zama, Roman legions under Scipio Africanus defeat Hannibal Barca, leader of the army defending Carthage. This sounds very impressive... 439 – The Vandals, led by King Gaiseric, take Carthage in North Africa. Wait a minuet. Carthage fell to Vandalism? I am much less impressed with General Scipio. 1216 – King John of England, yes the King John who was the younger brother of Richard the Lionheart. The King who committed the unforgivable sin of not being Richard the Lionheart. The King who suffered countless insults with every retelling of the Robin Hood legend. The King began the long British tradition of surrendering Royal power to the minor nobles by signing the Magna Carta (not the Japanese comic version of the Manga Carta). The King who was the youngest of five sons of King Henry II of England and Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine. The King who proved unable to hold his mother's territories in France. This King dies at Newark-on-Trent and is succeeded by his nine-year-old son Henry III. It would be several more Henrys before England found a king more notorious than John. 1453 – The Hundred Years' War ends with the French recapture of Bordeaux, leaving English control only on Calais. Maybe there is some place other than France England could try conquering? 1469 – Ferdinand II of Aragon marries Isabella I of Castile, a marriage that paves the way to the unification of Aragon and Castile into a single country, Spain. It also permits Ricky Ricardo to frequently exclaim "Lucy! You got some Spaining to do!" 1781 – At Yorktown, Virginia, representatives of British commander Lord Cornwallis hand over Cornwallis' sword and formally surrender to George Washington and the comte de Rochambeau. Why were the British fighting so hard to keep these troublesome colonies in the first place? 1805 – Napoleonic Wars: Austrian General Mack surrenders his army to the Grande Armée of Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Ulm; 30,000 prisoners are captured and 10,000 casualties inflicted on the losers. Careful Monsieur Bonaparte. Not every battle will go so well for the Grande Armée. 1812 – Napoleon Bonaparte retreats from Moscow. Tough loss, but a great musical score. 1813 – The Battle of Leipzig concludes, giving Napoleon Bonaparte one of his worst defeats. Maybe there is some place other than Europe France could try conquering? 1933 – Germany withdraws from the League of Nations. But how does Germany expect to peacefully resolve its diplomatic issues without league backing? 1973 – President Richard Nixon rejects an Appeals Court decision that he turn over the Watergate tapes. He's sure to rethink this position and release all the tapes, complete and unedited.

http://egscomics.com/egsnp/nanasecraft-02 It is easier to be caviler about money if you either have a lot of it, or none whatsoever. And if you have none whatsoever, you going to be caviler about money pretty close to home. Not in some exotic adventure locale.

Many adventuring archeologists seem to believe that anything you find by digging it up is yours to keep. Some other people have crazy ideas like that the stuff in tombs still belongs to the deceased, or their family, or the religion that buried the guy and his stuff, or the country in which the tomb is found...

With as much awkwardness as is often experienced in EGS, I think it is Diane who has finally had this "Weird Al' moment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8tRDv9fZ_c

Revenge is a dish best served cold. The main story is only now approaching the coldest part of the first winter since that incident.

NO! I don't care what your educational credentials may imply. I don't care if you lived through the relevant Historical period. I Don't care how CUTE you may look. I will reject any attempt to deny the reality of the Viking Horned Helmet. Longenhodden, according to Rose Nylund.

I knew yawl would point that out schooner or later.

13 October AD 54 – Emperor Claudius dies from poisoning under mysterious circumstances, supposedly after eating mushrooms. One legend claims his final words were "Damn it! I can feel myself becoming a god." His 17-year-old stepson Nero succeeds him. Strangely enough, the "Poisoning" may have been a purely accidental case of food poisoning, or even some other natural causes. While there isn't usually too much nice to say about Nero, it doesn't look like he was directly involved with the death of Claudius. Nero's mother, Agrippina the Younger, on the other hand... 1307 – Hundreds of Knights Templar in France are simultaneously arrested by agents of Phillip the Fair, to be later tortured into a "confession" of heresy. To be fair to Philip, "Fair" has several meanings. It would be unfair to say that Philip received "the Fair" as an epithet for his behavior towards the Templars, or the Jews, or the English, or the Papal Court... 1773 – The Whirlpool Galaxy is discovered by Charles Messier. This is the Galaxy now known as M51a. Not a washing machine. 1884 – The International Meridian Conference, in Washington, votes on a resolution to establish the meridian passing through the Observatory of Greenwich, in London, as the initial meridian for longitude. Most of Europe and the Americas would have their clocks synchronized with Britain, ± n hours, within a decade. Most. France would take their time, keeping their own time for some time. 1903 – The Boston Red Sox win the first modern World Series, defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in the eighth game. For a World Championship, teams from outside the United States have won it only twice. 1923 – Ankara replaces Istanbul as the capital of Turkey. If the capital is not Constantinople, it might as well be Ankara. Even though they didn't include that town in the song. 1983 – Ameritech Mobile Communications launched the first US cellular network in Chicago. Finally, we can drive around the city and never need to put down our phones. 2010 – The mining accident in Copiapó, Chile comes to an end as all 33 miners arrive at the surface after surviving a record 69 days underground awaiting rescue. While this was a compelling story with a happy ending, an even better result would have occurred if the mine had been run with safety standards in the first place.