This Day In History

[Don Edwards 548]

1 hour ago, The Old Hack said:

The Moderator: Making claims about the quality of candidates is solidly in the territory of politics. Kindly desist from this topic or I shall have to lock the thread.

~tOH.

That's exactly why I gave up on the pun...

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,586]

April 26

1607 – English colonists make landfall at Cape Henry, Virginia.  They know the location because they hear singing "I'm Henry The Cape, I Am."

1777 – Sybil Ludington, aged 16, rode 40 miles to alert American colonial forces to the approach of the British regular forces.  This was more than twice as far as Revere rode in 1775.  I guess Longfellow couldn't come up with a good rhyme for Ludington.

1803 – Thousands of meteor fragments fall from the skies of L'Aigle, France; the event convinces European scientists that meteors exist.  Is it possible that Aristotle might have been wrong about something?

1805 – First Barbary War: United States Marines captured Derne under the command of First Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon.  This is the first military victory for the US on foreign soil since the Revolutionary War.  The Corps will recall this battle as the Shores of Tripoli.

1962 – NASA's Ranger 4 spacecraft crashes into the Moon.  The event convinces Moon Scientists that Earth Probes exist.  Is it possible that Aristotle might have been wrong about something?

1986 – A nuclear reactor accident occurs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Soviet Union (now Ukraine), creating the world's worst nuclear disaster.  Three Mile Island, PA sends heartfelt thanks.

[ChronosCat 155]

April 26 in EGS History

2011 - Melissa trash-talks the bull dragon; Noah just trashes it.

2017 - Pandora introduces herself to the Immortal now known as Zeus in her Chaos form. It's important to make a good first impression, after all.

 

April 27 in EGS History

2004 - Nanase sleeps on herself.

2005 - Vlad tells Grace to call her Vladia.

2010 - Dan buys an apron.

2016 - Little skulls appear in Grace's eyes. I wonder if she uses her shape-shifting to pull off that trick?

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,586]

April 27

1667 – Blind and impoverished, John Milton sells the copyright of Paradise Lost for £10.This fails to discourage future generations of writers.

1791 – Birth of Samuel Morse.  Or as he would later put it, .---- --... ----. .---- / -... .. .-. - .... / --- ..-. / ... .- -- ..- . .-.. / -- --- .-. ... .

1932 – Birth of Casey Kasem.  Zoinks!

1939 – Birth of Judy Carne.  Sock it to me!

1945 – World War II: Benito Mussolini is arrested by Italian partisans in Dongo, while attempting escape disguised as a German soldier.  This was the second time Il Duce was arrested during the war.  He would not escape a second time.

1953 – Korean War:  Operation Moolah offers $50,000 to any pilot who defected with a fully mission-capable Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 to South Korea.  The first MiG pilot does not land in South Korea until after the Cease-Fire.

1981 – Xerox PARC introduces the computer mouse.  They follow that with a computer cat to catch the mouse, a computer dog to catch the cat, and I don't know why she swallowed the fly.

1987 – The U.S. Department of Justice bars Austrian President Kurt Waldheim (and his wife, Elisabeth, who had also been a Nazi) from entering the USA, charging that he had aided in the deportations and executions of thousands of Jews and others as a German Army officer during World War II.  Only ten years after NASA included his voice as an official greeting, as UN Secretary General, on the Voyager Records.

[The Old Hack 2,448]

5 hours ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

Only ten years after NASA included his voice as an official greeting, as UN Secretary General, on the Voyager Records.

I guess they were still believing in that thing with the Space Nazis. It reminds me of that scene in Contact where the aliens seek to establish a bridge of communication and one of the first signals they send is a repeat of the very first TV transmission ever made on Earth.

[ChronosCat 155]

April 28 in EGS history:

2003 - Tedd spills his soda.

2004 - Damien flies away.

2007 - Ellen reveals she's hot for all of us.

2008 - Ellen nearly makes Nanase drop her tray, then a few minutes later Justin makes her nearly choke on her milk. Meanwhile in the non-canon-verse, Susan wears an awesome shirt (and also sports bunny ears).

2014 - Sarah envisions herself as an anthro werewolf riding an alicorn.

2017 - Sirleck abandons the old man's body, and prepares to take possession of the butler.

 

[ChronosCat 155]

April 29 in EGS History:

2003 - Susan uses a hammer in defense of Tedd. Foreshadowing, or inconsistent world-building for the sake of a joke - you decide!

2005 - Grace and Vladia inform Guineas that (hetrosexual) women find him hot. As the strip title says, no good can come of this knowledge. Meanwhile, Dan tests his elite lettering skills; Minion is not impressed.

2011 - Grace uses her shape-shifting abilities to get out of a hold.

2015 - Ellen is an unintentional genius. At least Dan didn't pull out the cliched "You're a genius!" "I am?" joke.

2016 - Grace brings about the fall of the Broman Empire.

 

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,586]

April 29

1380 – Death and Feast Day of St Catherine of Siena, Italian mystic, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church.  She was a terrible disappointment to her family.

1483 – Gran Canaria, the main island of the Canary Islands, is conquered by the Kingdom of Castile.  The overwhelming opinion on both sides is that the place is for the birds.

1521 – Swedish War of Liberation: Swedish troops defeat a Danish force in the Battle of Vasteras.  Why were the sons of Vikings fighting each other in the first place?  Isn't that what the rest of Europe is for?

1770 – James Cook arrives in Australia at Botany Bay, which he names.  Ricardo Montalbán is found in cold sleep.

1945 – World War II: Adolf Hitler marries his longtime partner Eva Braun in the Berlin Führerbunker.  For a wedding present, U-286 torpedoes the Captain-class frigate HMS Goodall (K479) outside the Kola Inlet.  The news does not get better for Herr Schicklgruber.

1945 – World War II: The Italian commune of Fornovo di Taro is liberated from German forces by Brazilian forces.  The rest of the German army in Italy surrenders to the Allies.  Dachau concentration camp is liberated by United States troops.

1953 – The first U.S. experimental 3D television broadcast showed an episode of Space Patrol on Los Angeles ABC affiliate KECA-TV.  65 years later and 3D Television is still experimental and/or an expensive novelty.

1967 – After refusing induction into the United States Army the previous day, Muhammad Ali is stripped of his boxing title.  He will get a rematch and reclaim his championship.

1974 – Watergate scandal: United States President Richard Nixon announces the release of edited transcripts of White House tape recordings relating to the scandal.  Because turning over records that you have edited will certainly answer all your critics' questions and get the press and Congress off your back.

[The Old Hack 2,448]

1 hour ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

1521 – Swedish War of Liberation: Swedish troops defeat a Danish force in the Battle of Vasteras.  Why were the sons of Vikings fighting each other in the first place?  Isn't that what the rest of Europe is for?

Duh. We had to do something to occupy the breaks at half time.

[Illjwamh 98]

On April 30 in History:

311 - Eastern Emperor Galerius officially ends persecution of Christians instituted by his predecessor Diocletian. Diocletian had been hesitant to institute the persecution in the first place, but had been talked into it by his good pal Galerius.

1492 - The king and queen of Spain grant a "commission of exploration" to Christopher Columbus, as it means he'll go away and they'll likely never have to see him again.

1598 - Taking a page out of Galerius's book, Henry IV of France tells the Huguenots that they can Christian however they want. It has the desired effect of getting people to stop killing each other. Someone should tell Louis XIV.

1789 - George Washington takes the oath of office to become the first President of the United States. Depending on how you count, he is anywhere between the first and the fourth "first president" we've had.

1803 - Thomas Jefferson, a staunch advocate of limiting federal and executive power, exercises federal executive power he just made up in order to buy a bunch of land from Napoleon.

1812 - A small piece of that land Jefferson bought becomes a state called Louisiana. Imagine if London said, "We're gonna be called England now; you'll have to think of a new name for the rest of it."

1945 - Adolf Hitler opts to shoot himself rather than face retribution for the acts he committed during World War II. While I'm not one to ever advocate suicide (or Hitler), he probably made the right call.

1973 - President Richard Nixon announces that John Dean, White House counsel, has been fired. By coincidence, two other top aides happen to resign. This has nothing to do with the investigation surrounding the president; why would you even ask?

1985 - Gal Gadot is forged from clay and brought to life by Zeus.

[Amiable Dorsai 70]

19 minutes ago, Illjwamh said:

1803 - Thomas Jefferson, a staunch advocate of limiting federal and executive power, exercises federal executive power he just made up in order to buy a bunch of land from Napoleon.

Dude, it was totally on sale, think how much money we saved.  Besides, that jerk, George was sniffing around it. Couldn't let him have it, he was still making a nuisance of himself in the Northwest Territories.

 

[Scotty 1,061]

46 minutes ago, Illjwamh said:

1945 - Adolf Hitler opts to shoot himself rather than face retribution for the acts he committed during World War II. While I'm not one to ever advocate suicide (or Hitler), he probably made the right call.

Actually, this was the moment where a person from the future actually succeeds on travelling back in time to kill Hitler, after he had already accomplished the atrocities necessary for there to be a need to develop time travel, the timeline remains unchanged, but those involved are satisfied anyway.

[ChronosCat 155]

April 30 in EGS History:

2002 - EGS hits 100 comics. Most of the main cast so far (as well as Greg and Jeremy) make it. Even Ellen is there, and she doesn't even exist yet!

2004 - Grace uses her telekinesis to fly for the first time.

2010 - Sarah summons the Demonic Duck in a car. (She should have just said she saw something out the window. It wouldn't have even had to be the Duck - when no one else saw it she could just say they missed it.)

2013 - Nanase and Ellen are invited to a New Year's party.

2014 - Grace fantasizes about seeing Justin and Rhoda shirtless.

[ChronosCat 155]

May 1 in EGS History

2003 - Nanase pouts to learn Ellen didn't come to the latest ASMA class.

2012 - Dan does an Andy Serkis impression.

2013 - Nanase outlines the circumstances under which she would drink; Akiko compares her to Applejack. (I don't know, if I was going to compare her to a pony, I think I would go with Rainbow Dash.)

2017 - Elliot reads his spellbook. And yes, judging by Ellen's reaction, that is a historically important event.

 

[ChronosCat 155]

May 2 in EGS History:

2008 - Nanase tells Ellen about all the ways she managed to sneak magic use into her day; later she finds the coolest disappointments ever in her spell-book.

2013 - Mrs. Kitsune tries to warn Nanase of the danger of developing a reputation for heroics. It might be more effective if she was willing to admit she actually has some experience with this sort of thing.

2014 - After seeing Grace with his aura-vision, Luke freaks out.

2016 - A dame that looks an awful lot like Tedd cosplaying as Jessica Rabbit hires Detective Block to tackle a mysterious case.

 

[The Old Hack 2,448]

26 minutes ago, ChronosCat said:

2016 - A dame that looks an awful lot like Tedd cosplaying as Jessica Rabbit hires Detective Block to tackle a mysterious case.

Moo.

[Illjwamh 98]

Totally spaced that I'd done one for yesterday!

On May 2 in history:

1519 - Leonardo da Vinci enters hypersleep, to awaken once the rest of civilization has caught up to him. As far as the official record is concerned, he died.

1536 - Anne Boleyn, the Queen of England, is arrested on charges of adultery, incest and treason. Also witchcraft, because why not, amirite?

1611 - The first version of the King James Bible is printed. They were going for a version that in a mere 400 years' time, nobody would be able to understand.

1933 - Hitler bans trade unions. Because we all know they're liberal plots to redistribute wealth and - NO! No political commentary. Sorry.

1955 - Tennessee Williams wins the Pulitzer Prize for "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof". PETA objects, though no one there read it.

1972 - J. Edgar Hoover dies, presumably of auto-erotic asphyxiation.

1986 - Chernobyl is evacuated due to the nuclear meltdown of six days prior. Better late than never?

1998 - Tom Riddle, a.k.a. Voldemort, is killed in the Battle of Hogwarts by Harry Potter. This in no way influenced my decision to make a list for today.

2000 - Access to accurate GPS readings is no longer restricted to the U.S. military. This may come as news to anyone who owns a dash-mounted GPS device.

2011 - Terrorist leader Osama bin Laden is killed at his compound in Pakistan. Due to either overconfidence or supernatural psychic powers - or perhaps time zones - U.S. president Barack Obama made the announcement yesterday.

2015 - Princess Charlotte is born in the U.K., as further insurance against Harry ever taking the throne.

[ChronosCat 155]

May 3 in EGS History

2002 - Nanase breaks up with Elliot. Meanwhile, Grace takes a nap in squirrel form.

2004 - Grace apologizes to Damien for hurting him.

2007 - Pandora reveals that she is familiar with the Super Mario Bros. series; Magus has no idea what she's talking about.

2010 - The Demonic Duck jumps out of a moving car; Susan assures us he's fine, but Grace still looks pretty upset.

2011 - Greg burns his finger trying to touch Dex, then a Fire-Guy glomps him.

 

[Pharaoh RutinTutin 1,586]

May 3

1715 – A total solar eclipse was visible across northern Europe, and northern Asia, as predicted by Edmond Halley to within 4 minutes accuracy.  This was better than his prediction for a certain comet's return which was only accurate within one year.

1921 – The Government of Ireland Act 1920 is passed, dividing Ireland into Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland.  Certainly this will end all conflict on the Emerald Isle.

1935 – Birth of Ron Popeil, American businessman.  But wait, there's more!  He founded the Ronco Company.  Now how much would you pay? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BX56syrmWQ

1937 – Gone with the Wind, a novel by Margaret Mitchell, wins the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.  Many Americans seem to forget or ignore the "Fiction" part.

 

1957 – Walter O'Malley, the owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, agrees to move the team from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.  This wasn't the first time a major sports franchise had moved.  It would not be the last time.  But some how, this became the great tragedy that future generations would continue to lament.

1960 – The Off-Broadway musical comedy The Fantasticks opens in New York City's Greenwich Village, eventually becoming the longest-running musical of all time.  Try to remember.

1960 – The Anne Frank House museum opens in Amsterdam, Netherlands.  Try to remember.

1978 – The first unsolicited bulk commercial email (which would later become known as "spam") is sent by a Digital Equipment Corporation marketing representative to every ARPANET address on the west coast of the United States.  Civilization officially comes to an end.

[The Old Hack 2,448]

May 4, 1945

The Nazi forces in Denmark surrender late in the evening. Households all over the country burst into celebration at the news. Blackout curtains are torn from windows and candles put on display. The display of candles to celebrate our freedom becomes traditional on this evening for many years to come.

[ChronosCat 155]

May 4 in EGS History:

2012 - Elliot fails to recognize a reference to an iconic scene from The Matrix despite owning the movie.

2015 - Ashley suggests she and Elliot should head in the direction of the Lingerie store.

...As I was compiling this list, there was a long period where I was worried I'd have say nothing much happened in EGS on this day. (Or, horrors, not post anything.)

[CritterKeeper 1,102]

On 5/3/2018 at 11:09 AM, Illjwamh said:

On May 2 in history:

2000 - Access to accurate GPS readings is no longer restricted to the U.S. military. This may come as news to anyone who owns a dash-mounted GPS device.

And within a day, the first Geocaching stash was placed, and the coordinates published online.  Within three days, it had been found twice.

[Illjwamh 98]

Happy Children's Day!

 

On May 5 in History:

 

553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins, with the goal of once and for all getting everyone on the same page about how to Christian. Predictably, it ends up doing the opposite of that.

 

1215 - English Barons say they don't have to do what the king says anymore. Quite sure he'd kept it a secret, King John wracks his brain wondering how they figured that out.

 

1260 - Kublai Khan assumes control over the Mongol Empire. What's left of it, anyway. Barely half of Asia! Pathetic. We'll have to do something about that.

 

1494 - Christopher Columbus lands at Jamaica. An old hand at this by now, he quickly issues orders to his crew, saying, "All right, hurry up, these people aren't going to murder and enslave themselves!"

 

1789 - The Estates-General in France convene for the first time in 175 years. This is good; they'll be able to talk through their problems and everything will settle down.

 

1821 - Death of Napoleon. Europe heaves a collective sigh of relief.

 

1862 - A contingent of the Mexican army defeats a much larger French force at the town of Puebla. This will be celebrated in future by Americans who know nothing of the event donning every Mexican stereotype they can think of and drinking lots of tequila. Also by Mexicans saying, "Oh yeah, that's a thing that happened."

 

1904 - Cy Young pitches the first perfect game in modern baseball history. If only there were some award he could be given to acknowledge his achievement.

 

1925 - John T. Scopes is arrested and charged with teaching science in a science class.

 

1961 - Alan Shepard is the first American to go to space. This was your one chance to stop us, aliens.

 

1983 - Henry Cavill is the first baby in history born with a computer generated upper lip.

 

2002 - Spider-man is the first movie to top $100 million dollars in its opening weekend. Maybe there's something to these comic book movies after all, eh?

[ChronosCat 155]

May 5 in EGS History:

2003 - Brownie meets Fairy Doll Nanase for the first time, and decides she'd be fun to play with; the ensuing commotion wakes Ellen up from a nap.

2008 - Tedd injures Susan's brain with logic.

2010 - Sarah reveals that ever since Elliot started assuming female form regularly, she's not as into Elliot as she used to be.

2017 - Grace provides Duck with change. (Or is that, "a" change?)

[ChronosCat 155]

I got a bit busy the past few days, but I don't want to wait a year to post these, soooo...

May 6 in EGS History:

2003 - Nanase accidentally finds a soft landing space.

2011 - Greg begins teaching Grace a sleeper hold using the Fire Guys as practice dummies.

2016 - Voltaire informs Sirleck that Adrian Raven is half-immortal.

 

May 7 in EGS History:

2008 - A bunch of girls quit the Feminist club because it's unpopular.
 

May 8 in EGS History:

2002 - Grace is a bad kitty.

2017 - Elliot reads a PM from someone claiming to be transgender and asking for a way to be transformed.

 

As for today/tomorrow (depending on where you are)...

May 9 in EGS History:

2004 - Ellen, Elliot, and Mrs. Dunkel all celebrate Mother's Day by dressing in matching dresses and aprons.

2005 - Vladia tries to get Grace to let go of her feelings of guilt and inadequacy by arguing with her angrily. It's not very effective.

2011 - Arthur Arthur refuses to send in a team to deal with the Bulldog Dragon, simultaneously displaying a great deal of faith in the effectiveness of non-magical Police officers against magical monsters, and a disturbing disregard for casualties.

2012 - Mr. Tensaided paraphrases a Ghostbusters quote about a building to describe a person.