• Announcements

    • Robin

      Welcome!   03/05/2016

      Welcome, everyone, to the new 910CMX Community Forums. I'm still working on getting them running, so things may change.  If you're a 910 Comic creator and need your forum recreated, let me know and I'll get on it right away.  I'll do my best to make this new place as fun as the last one!
Illjwamh

This Day In History

Recommended Posts

21 August

1614 – Death of Elizabeth Báthory, Hungarian countess and serial killer.  It seems Countess Dracula didn't bathe in enough blood to preserve her indefinitely.

1770 – James Cook formally claims eastern Australia for Great Britain, naming it New South Wales.  The continent of Australia isn't all that big.  Captain Cook should have just claimed the whole thing at one time.  And why specifically New South Wales?  New Wales?  Sure.  There was already a New England, New France, New Spain.  Or perhaps South Wales since it is rather close to Antarctica.  But New and South Wales?

1879 – Knock, Knock?  In the village of Knock, County Mayo, Ireland, where observers stated that there was an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saint John the Evangelist, angels, and Jesus Christ (the Lamb of God).  Hopefully this is a supernatural apparition.  It will take a miracle to save this Knock, Knock joke.

1883 – An F5 tornado strikes Rochester, Minnesota, leading to the creation of the Mayo Clinic.  Apparently whipped eggs can cure anything.

1911 – The Mona Lisa is stolen by Vincenzo Perugia, a Louvre employee.  Just what could you possibly do with a piece of stolen art that famous?

1993 – NASA loses contact with the Mars Observer spacecraft.  The biggest problem with unmanned spacecraft is that there is no one there to give the silly thing a quick kick when it doesn't start.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
On 8/17/2018 at 6:55 AM, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

1585 – A first group of colonists sent by Sir Walter Raleigh under the charge of Ralph Lane lands in the New World to create Roanoke Colony on Roanoke Island, off the coast of present-day North Carolina. SPOILER ALERT:  This does not turn out well.

Oh, I don't know, considering all the grey-eyed and light-haired natives reported on and spreading out from Croatoa, the island whose name was carved on a post in Roanoke when it was discovered deserted, I'd say it turned out pretty well for the colonists left behind!

On 8/18/2018 at 6:28 AM, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

1572 – Marriage in Paris, France, of the Huguenot King Henry III of Navarre

Any relation to Etienne of Navarre?

On 8/19/2018 at 4:34 AM, The Old Hack said:

That reminds me of a Wyoming law that has made it illegal to shoot fish in Wyoming. But this law applies only to the fish of Wyoming. Fish that somehow migrate into Wyoming from elsewhere are fair game.

A lot of places support killing off invasive species, because those newcomers often lead to the native species going extinct.  When I volunteered in the Wildlife Ward in vet school, there were strict rules about what we were and weren't allowed to do with wildlife, especially migratory birds, but there wasn't a lot of legal protection for pigeons, starlings, and sparrows, because those were all invasive species.  Think about how many of those we have now, and how many native birds that means they have displaced.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, CritterKeeper said:

A lot of places support killing off invasive species, because those newcomers often lead to the native species going extinct.  When I volunteered in the Wildlife Ward in vet school, there were strict rules about what we were and weren't allowed to do with wildlife, especially migratory birds, but there wasn't a lot of legal protection for pigeons, starlings, and sparrows, because those were all invasive species.  Think about how many of those we have now, and how many native birds that means they have displaced.

That all makes sense. The thing is, this law applied specifically to firearms. You may still angle, net, paw or even drop depth charges after the poor fishies. It is just shooting them that is illegal.

Though in a way that also makes sense. Shooting into water just strikes me as... well, risky. Not to mention that having all those leftover bullets lying on river or lake beds can't be all that environmentally responsible. I can't imagine that they are all that biodegradable.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm pretty sure that explosives for fishing run afoul of several laws. Dunno if any of them are specifically about fishing, as opposed to non-approved use of explosives...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
4 hours ago, Don Edwards said:

I'm pretty sure that explosives for fishing run afoul of several laws. Dunno if any of them are specifically about fishing, as opposed to non-approved use of explosives...

True, true. But at least the fish can't report you to the cops for fish murder! :icon_eek:

(This reminds me of one of the Elder Scrolls games where if a chicken spotted you committing murder, it could apparently tell the city guards about it and you would shortly thereafter be wanted for the crime.)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

392 – Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor.  The Barbarian General just tells the Senate who they should name as the figurehead leader?  There have been worse succession plans...

1485 – The Battle of Bosworth Field, the death of Richard III , last king from the House of York.  The end of Plantagenet dynasty.  And the beginning of the renaissance in Britain.  If a King must meet a violent end, it should be memorable.

1642 – Charles I raises his standard in Nottingham, which marks the beginning of the English Civil War.  King Charles twice attempted to start a civil war in a country he already nominally ruled,.  Lost both times.  And in the end still might have kept his throne (and more importantly, his head) if only he had been willing to concede that side that beat him could impose the terms for his surrender.

1777 – British forces abandon the Siege of Fort Stanwix after hearing rumors of Continental Army reinforcements.  Rumors?  This is an actual military tactic?  Ok, major points for achieving strategic objectives with minimal loss of lives and materials on both sides.  But, darnitol, it just doesn't make for a good movie.

1798 – French troops land at Kilcummin, County Mayo, Ireland to aid the rebellion.  Because no matter else what France may be doing, it always has time to help anyone fighting England.

1864 – Twelve nations sign the First Geneva Convention, establishing the rules of protection of the victims of armed conflicts.  So we should not kill civilians and soldiers who surrender indiscriminately?  This will never catch on.

1902 – Theodore Roosevelt becomes the first President of the United States to make a public appearance in an automobile.  Up until then, it had been thought that these motorized horseless carriages were undignified.  It didn't take long for people to realize the vehicle did not make the politician undignified.

1968 – Pope Paul VI arrives in Bogotá, Colombia. It is the first visit of a pope to Latin America. Less than fifty years later, the Pope is from Latin America.  Coincidence?

1971 – J. Edgar Hoover and John Mitchell announce the arrest of 20 of the Camden 28.  This high profile bust turns out to be a bust for the Department of Justice.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

23 August

30 BC – Imperial Housekeeping.  After the successful invasion of Egypt, Octavian executes Marcus Antonius Antyllus, eldest son of Mark Antony, and Caesarion, the last king of the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt and only child of Julius Caesar and Cleopatra.  Yes, this is housekeeping.  That is, these are the things you must do if you want to keep an imperial house.

AD 79 – Earthquakes are noted in Pompeii and elsewhere around Mount Vesuvius on the feast day of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire.  This is probably nothing important.

1775 – American Revolutionary War: King George III delivers his Proclamation of Rebellion to the Court of St James's stating that the American colonies have proceeded to a state of open and avowed rebellion.  George III realized this almost a year before the revolting Americans got around to formally declaring independence?  Apparently the man had not yet gone mad.

1939 – World War II: Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union sign a non-aggression treaty, the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. In a secret addition to the pact, the Baltic states, Finland, Romania, and Poland are divided between the two nations.  (In later years, this would be commemorated by European Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and Nazism or Black Ribbon Day.)  The biggest bullies have divided up the playground...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

24 August

79 AD – Mount Vesuvius erupts, burying the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae in volcanic ash.  It should be noted that this is the TRADITIONAL date for the eruption.  Some scholars believe that the event occurred on October 24.  If we ever get public acknowledgement of a working time machine, this detail will be very important to know before planning a historical trip to the Bay of Naples.

367 – Gratian, son of Roman Emperor Valentinian I, is named co-Augustus at the age of eight by his father .  Bring-your-child-to-work-day taken to the extreme.

394 – The Graffito of Esmet-Akhom, the latest known inscription in Egyptian hieroglyphs, was written.  Romans wonder why the Egyptians bother making public inscriptions in a language almost no one can read anymore.  After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, cultural descendants of Romans would continue making public inscriptions in Latin just because of tradition.

410 – The Visigoths under king Alaric I begin to pillage Rome.  This goes so well...

455 – The Vandals, led by king Genseric, begin to plunder Rome. Pope Leo I requests Genseric not destroy the ancient city or murder its citizens. He agrees and the gates of Rome are opened. However, the Vandals loot a great amount of treasure.  "Don't kill anyone.  Don't destroy the buildings.  Don't break anything that's too big to move.  If you do those things, we will let you leave with as much as you can carry."  Maybe the city should re examine how they recruit, train, staff, and equip the police?

1215 – Pope Innocent III declares Magna Carta invalid.  And yet, it remained in effect as a fundamental part of English law for several centuries.  Up to and beyond the point when Mr VIII declared that Pope's declarations in England were invalid.  If English law had been selectively ignoring Papal decrees for centuries, why was the court of Mr VIII so worked up about the detail that the Pope wouldn't officially annul the King's first marriage?

1349 – Six thousand Jews are killed in Mainz after being blamed for the bubonic plague.  This does nothing to end further plague outbreaks.  It is just easier to blame, capture, and kill humans rather than microbes, fleas, and rats.

1456 – The printing of the Gutenberg Bible is completed.  This is soon followed by the printing of everything else.

1608 – The first official English representative to India lands in Surat.  This inaugurates centuries of peaceful relations based upon mutual respect and recognition of the sovereignty of the people and nations of the Indian subcontinent.

1662 – The Act of Uniformity requires England to accept the Book of Common Prayer.  Because matters of faith and dogma should not be left in the hands of career theologians but determined by pandering politicians.

1690 – Job Charnock of the East India Company establishes a factory in Calcutta, an event formerly considered the founding of the city.  In 2003 the Calcutta High Court ruled that the city's foundation date is unknown.  A Colonial business starts a new venture in a distant place without investigating or recording what was in that place previously?  I'm sure that is a aberration and unlikely to ever happen any where else.

1781 – American Revolutionary War: A small force of Pennsylvania militia is ambushed and overwhelmed by an American Indian group, which forces George Rogers Clark to abandon his attempt to attack Detroit.  Detroit?  Was Clark really determined to capture Motown, or was he just looking for an excuse to say "We tried.  Couldn't do it.  Sorry."

1814 – British troops invade Washington, D.C. and during the Burning of Washington the White House, the Capitol and many other buildings are set ablaze.  Dolley Madison's rescue of national art treasures elevates the role of presidential wife to First Lady of the United States.  Today, Dolly Madison is best known for prepackaged snack cakes.

1869 – Cornelius Swartwout is awarded U.S. Patent 94,043 for a Waffle iron.  In later years, the day would become National Waffle Day in the United States.  This should not be confused with Election Day.

1891 – Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera.  If you didn't like what was printed after Gutenberg finished the Bible, you will absolutely hate what Hollywood does with Edison's camera.

1932 – Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly across the United States non-stop (from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey).  I understand flying away from LA.  But why fly towards Newark of all places?

1941 – Adolf Hitler orders the cessation of Nazi Germany's systematic T4 euthanasia program of the mentally ill and the handicapped due to protests, although killings continue for the remainder of the war.  That thing herr Schicklgruber told you to do back in 1939?  He has been getting a lot of complaints about it, so he doesn't want the complainers to hear about you doing it any more.

1958 – Birth of Steve Guttenberg, American actor and producer.  Not the guy who printed the Bible in 1456.

1967 – Led by Abbie Hoffman, the Youth International Party temporarily disrupts trading at the New York Stock Exchange by throwing dollar bills from the viewing gallery, causing trading to cease as brokers scramble to grab them.  Brokers making multi-million dollar deals dropped what they were doing to chase after a few singles?

1989 – Cincinnati Reds manager Pete Rose is banned from baseball for gambling by Commissioner A. Bartlett Giamatti.  Any bets on whether or not he makes it into the Hall of Fame?

1991 – Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as head of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.  On the same day, Ukraine declares itself independent from the Soviet Union.  At this point, there really isn't a Soviet Union.

1992 – Hurricane Andrew makes landfall in Homestead, Florida as a Category 5 hurricane, causing up to $25 billion (1992 USD) in damages.  Including blowing the WSR-57 weather radar and the anemometer off the roof of National Hurricane Center's/the Miami State Weather Forecast offices in Coral Gables.

1995 – Microsoft Windows 95 was released to inflicted on the public in North America.

1995 – Birth of Lady Amelia Sophia Theodora Mary Margaret Windsor, English fashion model and 38th in the line of succession to the British throne.  Just in case the modeling career doesn't work out.

2006 – The International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefines the term "planet" such that Pluto is now considered a dwarf planet.  People who normally care very little about science find this very offensive.  Pluto itself does not seem affected at all.

2016 – An earthquake strikes Central Italy with a magnitude of 6.2, with aftershocks felt as far as Rome and Florence.  Or will some academic reinterpretation of records insist that this took place in October?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

If English law had been selectively ignoring Papal decrees for centuries, why was the court of Mr VIII so worked up about the detail that the Pope wouldn't officially annul the King's first marriage?

The Magna Carta was annulled on the basis that John signed it under duress, but his successor re-issued it voluntarily to secure support iirc.

There were several monarchs who clashed with the pope, John amongst them, Henry VIII is noteworthy here insofar as it was suddenly politically tenable to break from Rome.

1 hour ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

The International Astronomical Union (IAU) redefines the term "planet" such that Pluto is now considered a dwarf planet.  People who normally care very little about science find this very offensive.  Pluto itself does not seem affected at all.

Issue being that Pluto turned out to be in a belt of objects, and if Ceres was classified as an asteroid rather than a planet (as which it otherwise qualifies) purely due to being in the asteroid belt, then same would apply to Pluto.

So there were at the time either eight known planets (MVEMJSUN) or eleven (MVEMCJSUNPE), but not in any case ten.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

It should be noted that this is the TRADITIONAL date for the eruption. 

Good. I would hate to think that Pompeii got scorched, choked and buried in volcanic ash in violation of tradition.

1 hour ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

This is soon followed by the printing of everything else.

Including the printing of the first typos. One Bible in particular got into trouble for omitting a 'not' from the Seventh Commandment and gained notoriety as being the 'Wicked Bible'.

1 hour ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

The Act of Uniformity requires England to accept the Book of Common Prayer.

This resulted in the Book of Uncommon Prayer and the Book of Rare Prayer becoming valuable collectibles.

1 hour ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

Including blowing the WSR-57 weather radar and the anemometer off the roof of National Hurricane Center's/the Miami State Weather Forecast offices in Coral Gables.

Perhaps understandable. Particularly the latter looked a bit anemic.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

On August 25 in History:

 

766 - Byzantine emperor Constantine V, whose epithet literally means "poopy name", breaks the mold of imperial assassination plots by discovering one, publicly humiliating the conspirators, and executing the leaders. "I am rubber and you are glue" taken up to eleven.

 

1270 - King Louis IX of France dies while on Crusade in that holiest of holy lands, Tunisia.

 

1609 - Galileo demonstrates one of his telescopes in Venice. Why a society of merchant sailors would want something that lets you see things that are far away is a mystery for the ages.

 

1823 - Fur trapper Hugh Glass is mauled by a bear in the wilderness of South Dakota. He refuses to die before first taking his revenge on an uptight Academy that has yet to reward the incomparably talented Leonardo DiCaprio.

 

1825 - Uruguay declares its independence from the recently independent Empire of Brazil, who are unaffected by the irony.

 

1875 - Capt. Matthew Webb becomes the first person to ever swim the English Channel, marking the birth of a new era of people who have nothing better to do.

 

1894 - Dr. Kitasato Shibasaburō discovers the pathogen that causes bubonic plague, just a few days before a white guy working separately does the same. He publishes his findings in The Lancet, and also in the less-read journal, "Discoveries That Would Have Been Really Useful 550 Years Ago".

 

1920 - The counterattacking Soviet Red Army are defeated for all time by the invading Polish in the Battle of Warsaw, who in the resulting ceasefire will ultimately see their borders expand by roughly 200 meters. Totally worth it!

 

1930 – Sean Connery is born in a tuxedo.

 

1939 - The UK promises to defend Poland in the event they are invaded by a foreign power. It's good to be cautious, but I really don't think there's much to worry about.

 

1944 - The only time in recorded history that Parisians are happy to see a bunch of Brits and Americans.

 

1980 - Zimbabwe joins the United Nations. No one told them memberships weren't being given out in alphabetical order.

 

1991 - Belarus breaks up with the Soviet Union, since it's what all the cool countries are doing, but they still text each other all the time without telling anyone.

 

2012 - Voyager 1 is the first man-made object to enter interstellar space. Sapient species around the galaxy coordinate a strategy of acting like they're not home.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
8 hours ago, Illjwamh said:

2012 - Voyager 1 is the first man-made object to enter interstellar space. Sapient species around the galaxy coordinate a strategy of acting like they're not home.

Unfortunately for them, this was not good enough to protect them from Janeway.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

26 August

1542 – Francisco de Orellana navigated the Amazon River, reaching the Atlantic Ocean.  Starting on the Pacific coast and then crossing the Andes, Orellana's band gets separated from the exploration group they were supposed to be supporting on a northward journey.  So instead they build a boat and sail downstream eastward to the Atlantic.  North?  East?  Mountains?  Rainforest?  Pacific?  Atlantic?  Spain?  Portugal?  The details don't matter, just as long as you return with the gold.

1748 – The first Lutheran denomination in North America, the Pennsylvania Ministerium, is founded in Philadelphia.  And all these years of listening to Garrison Keillor made me think that Lutheranism in America began in Lake Wobegon, Minnesota.  Where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.

1768 – Captain James Cook sets sail from England on board HMS Endeavour.  There are crises developing for Britain with their colonies in North America and their neighbors in Europe.  Yet the Admiralty still has the foresight to send their best Captain on world wide voyages of diplomacy and discovery.  I suppose that's a valid strategy.  If you think that a cultural legacy that endures for centuries is more important than a few more years of nominal political dominance.

1789 – The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is approved by the National Constituent Assembly of France.  This is followed by more than 16,000 people guillotined in the Reign of Terror.

1920 – The 19th amendment to United States Constitution takes effect, giving women the right to vote.  This is Active Suffrage, the right to vote in elections.  As opposed to Passive Suffrage, the right to be elected to office.  Neither should be confused with Suffering, or what the electorate endures when the major parties reveal their candidates.

1958 – Death of Ralph Vaughan Williams, English composer and educator.  If you enjoy any older English folk songs, hymns, or carols, there's a significant chance you're thinking of the Vaughan Williams arrangement.  And some people object to reworking old musical themes into new tunes.

1968 – The Beatles release Hey Jude.  ||:Na, na, na, na, na, na, na.  Na, na, na na.  Hey Jude:||  

1978 – Papal conclave: Albino Luciani is elected as Pope John Paul I.  The length of his reign as Pope will be one of the most notable in recent history.

1980 – Death of Tex Avery, American animator, director, and voice actor .  He showed us what is happening in every man's brain when he is near someone he finds attractive.  Despite our best efforts, guys, we know we are all just Tex Avery cartoon characters on the inside.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
3 hours ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

Captain James Cook sets sail from England on board HMS Endeavour. I suppose that's a valid strategy.  If you think that a cultural legacy that endures for centuries is more important than a few more years of nominal political dominance.

Nonsense. If they had really been serious they wouldn't have sent Captain James Cook on the Endeavour. They would have sent Captain James Kirk on the Enterprise.

3 hours ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

||:Na, na, na, na, na, na, na.  Na, na, na na.  Hey Jude:||

And here I thought it was Na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, Batman.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

27 August

410 – The sacking of Rome by the Visigoths ends after three days.  Quitting after just three days?  Do you know who wouldn't quit so quickly?  The Romans.  When they were invading, they would sack a city.  Take everything and everyone of value.  And then the Romans would stay and make that city their own.  When invading Rome, do as the Romans do.

1172 – King Henry II of England crowns his heirs, Henry the Young King and Queen Margaret, but gives them no actual authority.  In more civilized lands, like Ancient Egypt, older Pharaohs would frequently have their heirs crowned as Viceroy, Prince-Regent, or even Co-Regent.  Then the younger Monarch would spend their days dealing with mundane administration, diplomacy, and politics.  Meanwhile the elder Pharaoh could concentrate on the spiritual and symbolic duties while presenting the Regal image that the people need for inspiration.  In other words Mr II, make the kids work for you.

1776 – Battle of Long Island: In what is now Brooklyn, New York, British forces under General William Howe defeat Americans under General George Washington.  So it seems "Brooklyn's broken out in fights" isn't just a line from the Car 54 Where Are You theme song.

1793 – French Revolutionary Wars: The city of Toulon revolts against the French Republic and admits the British and Spanish fleets to seize its port, leading to the Siege of Toulon by French Revolutionary forces.  Because surrendering to an aggressive foreign power is always better than dealing with your own government in turmoil.

1859 – Petroleum is discovered in Titusville, Pennsylvania leading to the world's first commercially successful oil well.  This is a historical curiosity at best.  Petroleum is unlikely to be a significant commodity in any economy.

1883 – Eruption of Krakatoa in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) peaked in the late morning of Monday, 27 August when over 70% of the island and its surrounding archipelago were destroyed as it collapsed into the caldera.  The final explosion is heard over 3,000 miles away and 20 million tons of sulfur pumped into the atmosphere reduce average temperatures around the world by over 2O F for five years.  Hollywood allocates a significant portion of their resources for the next 135 years to the single purpose of filming bigger explosions.

1896 – Anglo-Zanzibar War: The shortest war in world history (09:00 to 09:45), between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar.  Really, if it takes more than a day to settle a war, some one in command is just being stubborn.

1927 – Five Canadian women file a petition to the Supreme Court of Canada, asking, "Does the word 'Persons' in Section 24 of the British North America Act, 1867, include female persons?"  The eventual answer from the court is "No".

1928 – The Kellogg–Briand Pact outlawing war is signed by fifteen nations. Ultimately sixty-one nations will sign it.  Most of these countries will be at war within the next fifteen years.

1991 – The European Community recognizes the independence of the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania from the USSR.  And Moldova declares independence from the USSR.  OF course, there is effectively no USSR at this point to contest the claims of independence.

2003 – Mars makes its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years, passing 34,646,418 miles (55,758,005 km) distant.  And if the Cold War had not ended a dozen years ago, this would have been the logical next step in the Space Race.  Darn peace breaking out and ruining all our fun.  Grumble, grumble...

2011 – Hurricane Irene strikes the United States east coast, killing 47 and causing an estimated $15.6 billion in damage.  Good night, Irene.  Good night, Irene.  We'll see you in our nightmares.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

28 August

475 – The Roman general Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his capital city, Ravenna.  Is the Empire really Roman if neither the Eastern nor Western components are using Rome as the Capital City?

1565 – Pedro Menéndez de Avilés sights land near St. Augustine, Florida and founds the oldest continuously occupied European-established city in the continentl United States.  Today, the city is a tourist destination as the oldest continuously occupied European-established city in the continental United States, and America's source for Datil Peppers.

1609 – Henry Hudson discovers Delaware Bay.  He has a few more places to visit before he starts naming Rivers and Bays for himself.

1833 – King William IV gives Royal Assent to the Slavery Abolition Act 1833, abolishing slavery throughout the British Empire, with exceptions.  Slavery remained legal in areas controlled by the East India Company for another decade, until the passage of the Indian Slavery Act, 1843.  And of course, this had no effect on slaves in the troublesome colonies that had declared their independence 57 years earlier.

1845 – The first issue of Scientific American magazine is published.  Yes, there was a time when you could be both American and Scientific.

1849 – After a month-long siege, Venice, which had declared itself independent as the Republic of San Marco, surrenders to Austria.  Apparently they were never able to link up with the Republic of San Polo.

1859 – The beginning of the Carrington event, the strongest geomagnetic storm on record to strike the Earth, is noted with increased sunspot and aurora activity.  Electrical telegraph service is widely disrupted as the event reaches its peak in early September. The 2,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Ton Gorilla at the center of the Solar System is flinging stuff at us.

1867 – The United States takes possession of the (at this point unoccupied) Midway Atoll.  It remains a largely forgotten island until paired with Tora, Tora, Tora as a double feature on cable.

1898 – Caleb Bradham's beverage "Brad's Drink" is renamed "Pepsi-Cola".  So that's it?  No Brad Challenge?  No Brad Generation?

1917 – Ten Suffragettes are arrested while picketing the White House.  The courts would eventually decide that the White House is primarily a place of Federal Business and thus pickets and other protests can take place outside, just like any other Federal office.  So a protest on 28 August was successful?  This could set a precedent...

1955 – Black teenager Emmett Till is brutally murdered in Mississippi, galvanizing the nascent civil rights movement...

1957 – U.S. Senator Strom Thurmond begins a filibuster to prevent the Senate from voting on Civil Rights Act of 1957; he stopped speaking 24 hours and 18 minutes later, the longest filibuster ever conducted by a single Senator...

1963 – March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom: The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. gives his I Have a Dream speech...

1964 – The Philadelphia race riot begins...

1968 – Rioting takes place in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention, triggering a brutal police crackdown.  Thus the 28 August Protests did continue on all sides of the political spectrum, with a mixed bag of success for the protesting parties and their targets.

1993 – The Galileo spacecraft discovers a moon, later named Dactyl, around 243 Ida, the first known asteroid moon.  Just as the human Galileo was the first to discover moons around another planet,  Not to worry.  It's not like Astronomers are going to change the definition of what it is to be a moon.

2003 – In "one of the most complicated and bizarre crimes in the annals of the FBI", Brian Wells dies after becoming involved in a complex plot involving a bank robbery, a scavenger hunt, and a homemade explosive device.  The ability to multitask is valuable ability in legitimate employment and parenting.  Not so much a part of recreational activities.  And it should be avoided when committing major felonies.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

29 August

1009 – Mainz Cathedral suffers extensive damage from a fire, which destroys the building on the day of its inauguration.  Hopefully the structure is still under warrantee.

1475 – The Treaty of Picquigny ends a brief war between the kingdoms of France and England.  You really need to buy the program to follow the French and English fighting.

1521 – The Ottoman Turks capture Nándorfehérvár (Belgrade).  What will the Ottoman Empire do for an encore?

1526 – Battle of Mohács: The Ottoman Turks led by Suleiman the Magnificent defeat and kill the last Jagiellonian king of Hungary and Bohemia.  Ok, that is quite an encore.

1541 – The Ottoman Turks capture Buda, the capital of the Hungarian Kingdom.  So the Ottomans kill the last Hungarian King of the Jagiellonian dynasty, but wait fifteen years to capture the kingdom's capital?

1728 – The city of Nuuk in Greenland is founded as the fort of Godt-Haab by the Ottoman Turks  (oops, got into a bit of a habit there). Royal Governor Claus Paarss.

1898 – The Goodyear tire company is founded.  If only there was some big, slow moving, flying billboard to announce this to the world...

1991 – Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union suspends all activities of the Soviet Communist Party.  Any more "official" Soviet activity at this point is just to use up the Soviet forms and stationary in the Kremlin.

2005 – Hurricane Katrina makes its second landfall as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 125 mph (205 km/h) near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana. Devastating much of the U.S. Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, killing up to 1,836 people and causing $125 billion in damage.  Lesson?  When the government says "Evacuate", leave before the high winds and flooding start.  Your situation will not be better if you wait for someone to rescue you afterward.  And unless you're in the New Orleans Saints, you do not want to spend that much time in the Superdome.

Edited by Pharaoh RutinTutin
Spelling

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

 

54 minutes ago, Pharaoh RutinTutin said:

2005 – Hurricane Katrina makes it second landfall as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 125 mph (205 km/h) near Buras-Triumph, Louisiana. Devastating much of the U.S. Gulf Coast from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle, killing up to 1,836 people and causing $125 billion in damage.  Lesson?  When the government says "Evacuate", leave before the high winds and flooding start.  Your situation will not be better if you wait for someone to rescue you afterward.  And unless you're in the New Orleans Saints, you do not want to spend that much time in the Superdome.

Trouble with that is there were an awful lot of people who couldn't evacuate, either because they couldn't afford so much as bus fare; or because they had disabilities or family with disabilities who couldn't afford special transport; or because they were told evacuation centers wouldn't allow them to bring their beloved pets and they couldn't bear to leave them to die, and again, either couldn't afford to get anywhere that would allow them to bring their pets, or couldn't get out fast enough with them (evacuation planning now takes pets into account for this very reason).

Not only that, but the storm was only Category 3 by then, and isn't what did most of the damage and cost most of the lives -- it was the levees and other flood protections failing in over fifty places, and the water surging over many levees and then only moving out much more slowly because the barriers were then keeping the water in.  The general public were not fully warned of that, they only expected the storm damage, and they'd been through other storms before, so there was no reason to expect it to be so much worse this time.  By the time the predicted storm track shifted into a direct hit and they were told storm surges would overtop the levees, it was too late for many to change their plans and evacuate.  It wasn't just low ground, 80% of the city was flooded for weeks before the waters receeded.

It's easy to say in hindsight "Those people should have gotten out," but luckily Emergency Management experts have learned from many of the mistakes and omissions that were made.  Plans now include transport for those who can't get out on their own, and accommodation for evacuees to bring their pets.  Warnings include the worst case scenarios and are given earlier.  Not perfect, by any means, but better.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
11 minutes ago, CritterKeeper said:

It's easy to say in hindsight "Those people should have gotten out," but luckily Emergency Management experts have learned from many of the mistakes and omissions that were made.  Plans now include transport for those who can't get out on their own, and accommodation for evacuees to bring their pets.  Warnings include the worst case scenarios and are given earlier.  Not perfect, by any means, but better.

Fortunately we have such things as big showy churches that are potentially perfect shelters but will not accommodate flood refugees because that might get dirt on their magnificent tax-exempt floors.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
8 hours ago, CritterKeeper said:

Trouble with that is there were an awful lot of people who couldn't evacuate, either because they couldn't afford so much as bus fare; or because they had disabilities or family with disabilities who couldn't afford special transport; or because they were told evacuation centers wouldn't allow them to bring their beloved pets and they couldn't bear to leave them to die, and again, either couldn't afford to get anywhere that would allow them to bring their pets, or couldn't get out fast enough with them (evacuation planning now takes pets into account for this very reason).

Another factor was that while New Orleans had a disaster plan that recognized the danger of a hurricane, AND (iirc) the danger that the hurricane might damage levees which would be another cause of widespread damage, and (noting the desirability of evacuation) had evacuation plans including the uses of the school district's buses as evacuation vehicles...

... in the event, NOBODY OPENED THE BOOK.

The school buses sat unused in parking lots, and many of them were damaged or destroyed by flooding.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now