Today in History...

[staboner 4,988]

On 6/4/2018 at 3:55 PM, PRONG HORN said:

June 4

 

 

this always gets to me. i remember seeing it on TV when it happened. i remember my parents being glued to the TV and just being silent. i remember the stillness in the room when the video played on the news. i was what, 12 years old or so. man. one of the defining moments of the 20th century. picture absolutely gets me every time. 

[Walden Ponderer 12,639]

12 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Seems unfair to leave out Mozambique, Angola, São Tomé and príncipe, and Macau.

Spain has a better marketing department, what can I tell you?

[LongestHorn 759]

 

[Sbbruin 21,898]

87 years ago today my mom was born.  She died 3 years and 11 months ago.  And I really miss her.

[Kennythetiger 9,478]

Man, whatever happened to Portugal?  Seemed like around Columbus' time they were heavy-hitters, but now it's just that country on the west side of Spain.

[Walden Ponderer 12,639]

3 minutes ago, Kennythetiger said:

Man, whatever happened to Portugal?  Seemed like around Columbus' time they were heavy-hitters, but now it's just that country on the west side of Spain.

Pretty much since 1621, when Philip IV of Spain became Philip III of Portugal, it's been downhill. First, they struggled to maintain independence from Spain, then they wasted too many resources trying to keep Brazil, and then they invented fado, and couldn't keep from crying themselves to sleep at night as a consequence. Seriously, that stuff makes the blues sound like happy fun time music.

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

5 minutes ago, Kennythetiger said:

Man, whatever happened to Portugal?  Seemed like around Columbus' time they were heavy-hitters, but now it's just that country on the west side of Spain.

They were a progressive center of international trade, via the sea, valued learning, and had a king who supported and financed missions of sea faring discovery around the known and unknown world at a time when there was no accurate way of getting to point B and back again consistently. 

They were also a major center of map making in Europe apparently around the 14th and 15th centuries, if my reading of "The Explorers" is correct. 

[Patricio Swayze 17,058]

Pretty much since 1621, when Philip IV of Spain became Philip III of Portugal, it's been downhill. First, they struggled to maintain independence from Spain, then they wasted too many resources trying to keep Brazil, and then they invented fado, and couldn't keep from crying themselves to sleep at night as a consequence. Seriously, that stuff makes the blues sound like happy fun time music.

You forgot Napoleon and moving the throne to Brazil (the only European king to visit, let alone live in the new world, if I remember correctly).

[Patricio Swayze 17,058]

They were a progressive center of international trade, via the sea, valued learning, and had a king who supported and financed missions of sea faring discovery around the known and unknown world at a time when there was no accurate way of getting to point B and back again consistently. 
They were also a major center of map making in Europe apparently around the 14th and 15th centuries, if my reading of "The Explorers" is correct. 

Both the Spanish and Portuguese wouldn’t have been shit on the 7 seas without their hired basque navigators.

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

2 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Both the Spanish and Portuguese wouldn’t have been shit on the 7 seas without their hired basque navigators.

Did not know that, weird wild stuff.

[El Diablo 4,232]

Shit, I was told way back in the day that Spain had more clout with the folks making the divvy up deal and so got what everyone thought at the time was the larger amount of land. It wasn't until later that the full extent of the size of Brazil was known, especially how far out into the Atlantic it stretched (WAYYY beyond the line of longitude that delineated the Spanish holdings from the Portuguese). Well huh. 

[Patricio Swayze 17,058]

Did not know that, weird wild stuff.

For instance, people always say Magellan circumnavigated the globe. Nope, it was his basque navigator that did the heavy lifting and had to finish the trip after Magellan died.

[Walden Ponderer 12,639]

5 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

For instance, people always say Magellan circumnavigated the globe. Nope, it was his basque navigator that did the heavy lifting and had to finish the trip after Magellan died.

I always heard he circumcised the globe with a 40 foot pair of clippers.

[Patricio Swayze 17,058]

I always heard he circumcised the globe with a 40 foot pair of clippers.

That’s the way the Sephardic Jews tell it.

[Hugo Stiglitz 23,367]

 

[phdhorn 6,224]

1 hour ago, Patricio Swayze said:

For instance, people always say Magellan circumnavigated the globe. Nope, it was his basque navigator that did the heavy lifting and had to finish the trip after Magellan died.

Don't start no shit with Lapu-Lapu, won't be no shit with Lapu-Lapu.

[LongestHorn 759]

The USS Liberty incident was an attack on a United States Navy technical research ship, USS Liberty, by Israeli Air Force jet fighter aircraft and Israeli Navy motor torpedo boats, on 8 June 1967, during the Six-Day War.  Over 1/3 of the crew was killed or seriously wounded.

http://www.usslibertyveterans.org/files/War Crimes Report.pdf

https://www.nsa.gov/resources/everyone/digital-media-center/image-galleries/historical/uss-liberty/index.shtml

[phdhorn 6,224]

632 - Mohammed dies.  Chaos abounds.

[Walden Ponderer 12,639]

June 8, 793 C.E., the Viking invasion of England began with a raid on Lindisfarne, where Irish monk Saint Aidan had established a Catholic priory in 634, and which had been the focal point for the Christianization of northeastern England for over 150 years.

A Northumbrian scholar employed by King Charlemagne of the Franks (and roughly ten years later, declared Holy Roman Emperor) described the event thusly:

"Never before has such terror appeared in Britain as we have now suffered from a pagan race. . . .The heathens poured out the blood of saints around the altar, and trampled on the bodies of saints in the temple of God, like dung in the streets."

Probably a bit overstated, in reality. While we have sensationalized accounts of Viking depredations, most of the actual "invading" done by the Nordic seafarers was in Scotland and Ireland, with raids in England mostly consisting of looting, pillaging, burning, and leaving -- much like what the English military did, in fact, when raiding (wait for it) anyone not English, well into the 20th century.

[Walden Ponderer 12,639]

June 10th is celebrated in Portugal as "Dia de Portugal, de Camões e das Comunidades Portuguesas" (Day of Portugal, Camões, and the Portuguese Communities).

While this day is officially observed only in Portugal, Portuguese communities around the world, from Southeast Asia, to Africa, to Brazil, to the various immigrant communities in the U.S. stretching from Connecticut to Los Angeles, take part in commemorating both the culture of Portugal and also more specifically the life and works of Luís de Camões, the 16th century poet who penned the national epic celebrating Portuguese history and achievement, titled "Os Lusíadas" ("The Lusiads").

I personally am going to observe this day by listening to a lot of fado music and eating whatever soup I can find that most closely resembles caldo verde.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11,821]

On 6/7/2018 at 5:26 PM, Kennythetiger said:

Man, whatever happened to Portugal?  Seemed like around Columbus' time they were heavy-hitters, but now it's just that country on the west side of Spain.

Bacalhau is good shit.  So there’s that.  

[LongestHorn 759]

On this day in 1970, SOG legend Don Blackburn convened a 15 member feasibility study panel code name Polar Circle at DIA Arlington VA for Son Tay rescue attempt of American POWs held 25 miles outside of Hanoi.  SR-71 photos taken in May credited for the intelligence.

Operation Ivory Coast is among the most daring Special Forces raids of all time.  Col. Bull Simon, another legend, would lead the ground component of Green Berets.  

[Walden Ponderer 12,639]

June 11th is Kamehameha Day in Hawaii. Kamehameha the Great was the monarch who unified the unified Kingdom of Hawaii, which until 1810 had been divided amongst the several islands. 

On December 22, 1871, Kamehameha V decreed the celebration of his grandfather, to be observed every year on June 11, and this celebration continued even after Hawaii became the 50th state in the United States in 1959 -- in fact, recognition of Kamehameha Day was one of the first acts of the new state legislature.

On all the islands, various civic parades and formal celebrations take place during daylight hours, to be followed by Ho'olaule'a ("Celebration") which is basically a big street party featuring dancing and carousing (think Luau, but not confined to the beach -- though occasionally the Elvis-ish cheese factor can be pretty high).

[Walden Ponderer 12,639]

June 12, 1967, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Loving v. Virginia that all state miscegenation laws were unconstitutional. Interracial marriage, up until that time, had been outlawed in numerous states.

Mildred Loving, a black woman, and Richard Loving, a white man, had been sentenced to a year in prison in Virginia for violating the Virginia Racial Integrity Act of 1924. At the time, mixed race marriages, even in states where they were legal, were extremely rare.

As of the 2010 census, however, 10% of reported marriages were between two people whose racial self-identification was not the same, a 2,500% increase over the 1960 census.

June 12th has been celebrated as "Loving Day" -- it is hard to think of a more fortuitous nomenclature.

[El Diablo 4,232]

What's the state motto there? Virginia is for lovers?

[Walden Ponderer 12,639]

June 13, 313 C.E., the Edict of Milan, signed by Western Roman Emperor Constantine I, and Eastern ruler Licinius, whose territory had been reduced to little more than modern Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, decreed religious tolerance throughout what was left of the Roman Empire.

The "Edictum Mediolanense" is actually controversial amongst historians because there is no physical relic, no piece of parchment, remaining, only two contemporary accounts which contradict each other. The practical implications of policy, however, are known from the fact that the persecution of Christians had marked the rise and fall of various Roman politicians since the fall of the Severan dynasty in 235 C.E. 

For almost a hundred years, the fickle opinion of Roman mobs either favorable or antagonistic to the new religion dictated who got to do what to whom. Until the ironic rise of Catholic Christian oppression of everyone else, the Edict of Milan granted a brief respite in which government minded their own business. 

It was not until progressive-thinking Unitarian preacher Ferenc Dávid (Francis David) of Transylvania penned tolerance legislation for that small kingdom in the 16th century that the idea of letting people come to their own conclusions on religious and ethical matters began to take hold again in the formerly Roman territories.

[LongestHorn 759]

In 1966 today, SCOTUS granted us the right to remain silent.  Miranda was found guilty anyway, served 5, and would later die from stab wounds suffered in a mens room of a bar following a poker game in January 1976.  Fun fact for our resident players.

[El Diablo 4,232]

Kaiser Wilhelm was in the news on this day, had a meeting with some cat named Franz Ferdinand.

 

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/kaiser-wilhelm-concludes-meeting-with-archduke-franz-ferdinand

[LongestHorn 759]

Happy 243rd Birthday US Army!  

More cake!

In the spring of 1775, this “army” was about to confront British troops near Boston, Massachusetts. The revolutionaries had to re-organize their forces quickly if they were to stand a chance against Britain’s seasoned professionals. Recognizing the need to enlist the support of all of the American seaboard colonies, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress appealed to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia to assume authority for the New England army.

Reportedly, at John Adams’ request, Congress voted to “adopt” the Boston troops on June 14, although there is no written record of this decision. Also on this day, Congress resolved to form a committee “to bring in a draft of rules and regulations for the government of the Army,” and voted $2,000,000 to support the forces around Boston, and those at New York City. Moreover, Congress authorized the formation of ten companies of expert riflemen from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, which were directed to march to Boston to support the New England militia. George Washington received his appointment as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army the next day, and formally took command at Boston on July 3, 1775.

[Trey3216 15,372]

5 minutes ago, LongestHorn said:

Happy 243rd Birthday US Army!  

More cake!

In the spring of 1775, this “army” was about to confront British troops near Boston, Massachusetts. The revolutionaries had to re-organize their forces quickly if they were to stand a chance against Britain’s seasoned professionals. Recognizing the need to enlist the support of all of the American seaboard colonies, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress appealed to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia to assume authority for the New England army.

Reportedly, at John Adams’ request, Congress voted to “adopt” the Boston troops on June 14, although there is no written record of this decision. Also on this day, Congress resolved to form a committee “to bring in a draft of rules and regulations for the government of the Army,” and voted $2,000,000 to support the forces around Boston, and those at New York City. Moreover, Congress authorized the formation of ten companies of expert riflemen from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia, which were directed to march to Boston to support the New England militia. George Washington received his appointment as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army the next day, and formally took command at Boston on July 3, 1775.

That, that right there, is a badass pic  

[Walden Ponderer 12,639]

June 14, 1966, the Vatican announced the end of the "Index Librorum Prohibitorum" (the catalog of banned books). Since 1557, the Catholic Church had prohibited the writing, reading, sale, distribution, conception etc. of any literature which tended towards any kind of violation of church doctrine, led to independent thinking, or heavens forbid, personal enjoyment.

Pope Paul VI finally reversed four centuries of intolerance and anti-intellectualism. The 20th and final version of the catalog had been published in 1948, culminating a long history of official opposition to such works as Johannes Kepler's "Epitome astronomiae Copernicanae", Immanuel Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason". Various translations of The Bible (?!?!) which had not been approved by the Vatican, anything written by David Hume, Schopenhauer, or Nietzsche, all the various works of François Rabelais, Michel de Montaigne, Desidarius Erasmus, D.H. Lawrence... well, it's a pretty comprehensive list, which includes ipso facto anything which contradicted any point of Catholic dogma.

Pope Francis (whom I personally prefer to think of as Jorge Mario Bergoglio) is an exemplar of how far one movement (even one as stodgy and conservative as the Catholic Church) can come in just half a century -- not only does he not ban free thinking, he has done a lot of it himself, having written numerous opinions and said numerous things that as recently as 1965 could have gotten him excommunicated.

[Walden Ponderer 12,639]

June 15, 1215 C.E., the Magna Carta Libertatum (Latin for "the Great Charter of the Liberties") was signed at Runnymede, near Windsor, by King John of England. 

As the progenitor of the modern institution of democracy in the Western world, the Magna Carta was essentially a peace treaty between John and his rebellious nobility. It promised the protection of church rights, granted habeus corpus rights to the English nobility, granted landholders the right to a speedy trial, and reduced royal taxes. Just as significant, it established a council of 25 barons which was the forerunner to the House of Lords... which in turn was the forerunner of the House of Commons, the first truly significant democratically elected national assembly in a nation with imperial aspirations.

Of course, much about the Magna Carta is not found in high school history books, including the fact that it was annulled by Pope Innocent III. Occasionally, you'll find the odd American who is aware that no English king since that time has taken the name "John" -- what has recently come to light thanks to advances in genealogy research is the odd fact that all but one American president has claims as a descendant of King John. And no, that one is not Barack Obama -- he, too, has King John as an ancestor. If you're curious, I'll leave that research to your own devices.

Spoiler alert! About 50% of the claims, including that of Donald Trump, are simply fabricated by overzealous amateur historians.

[El Diablo 4,232]

The Catholic Church is an odd institution, what with their proclamations of what is fact and such. I was rummaging around in the garage of a friends house, it had belonged to his parents and they were deceased and he was cleaning things up. Anyway, I ran across a 1939 copy of Catholic Catechism. It stated that the State of Israel/Kingdom of the Israelites had been destroyed and would never again be formed on Earth. Well, well, well...Does the Vatican even recognize Israel's right to exist?

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

2 hours ago, Walden Ponderer said:

June 15, 1215 C.E., the Magna Carta Libertatum (Latin for "the Great Charter of the Liberties") was signed at Runnymede, near Windsor, by King John of England. 

As the progenitor of the modern institution of democracy in the Western world, the Magna Carta was essentially a peace treaty between John and his rebellious nobility. It promised the protection of church rights, granted habeus corpus rights to the English nobility, granted landholders the right to a speedy trial, and reduced royal taxes. Just as significant, it established a council of 25 barons which was the forerunner to the House of Lords... which in turn was the forerunner of the House of Commons, the first truly significant democratically elected national assembly in a nation with imperial aspirations.

Of course, much about the Magna Carta is not found in high school history books, including the fact that it was annulled by Pope Innocent III. Occasionally, you'll find the odd American who is aware that no English king since that time has taken the name "John" -- what has recently come to light thanks to advances in genealogy research is the odd fact that all but one American president has claims as a descendant of King John. And no, that one is not Barack Obama -- he, too, has King John as an ancestor. If you're curious, I'll leave that research to your own devices.

Spoiler alert! About 50% of the claims, including that of Donald Trump, are simply fabricated by overzealous amateur historians.

The beginnings of western style democracy for sure.  

Dilly Dilly......(is that still a thing ?)

[Walden Ponderer 12,639]

54 minutes ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

The beginnings of western style democracy for sure.  

Dilly Dilly......(is that still a thing ?)

Yeah, funny thing, democracy.  Iceland has actually been democratic for over a thousand years, but they never get credit for it. And Sweden has the smallest population-to-representative ratio of any country in the world, but we never talk about them as a bastion of democracy.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is a republic, not a democracy, but we thump our chests as the inventors of the genre anyway.

[DoobieWah 1,467]

6 minutes ago, Walden Ponderer said:

Meanwhile, the U.S. is a republic, not a democracy, but we thump our chests as the inventors of the genre anyway.

 

 

No, we really don't, not seriously anyway.

Just try to get Chuckie Shumer to say out loud that the US is "a bastion of Republicanism".

[Walden Ponderer 12,639]

June 16, 1755, in the French and Indian Wars, the French surrendered at Fort Beauséjour (later renamed Fort Cumberland by the British), located at the Isthmus of Chignecto in present-day Aulac, New Brunswick, Canada. 

The Battle of Fort Beauséjour marked the beginning of the end for the French Empire in North America, as it ended the conflict known as "Father Le Loutre's War" opening the way for a British offensive in Nova Scotia, an assault the French were incapable of fending off.

In addition to the long term international ramifications of English victory over the French in Canada, the residents comprising the largest population in the territory surrounding the fort (for hundreds of miles around) were the Acadians, who believed that they had been granted the right of neutrality in all future Franco-British conflicts by the “conventions of 1730” -- the British, of course, had other ideas. 

Following the battle, the Acadians were expelled, with the vast majority choosing to emigrate to modern day Louisiana, becoming the Cajuns we all know and are incapable of understanding. Those who managed against all odds to stay in Canada can, with a reasonable degree of justification, be referred to as "Snow Cajuns".

[Walden Ponderer 12,639]

On June 17, 1944, The Republic of Iceland officially gained its independence from Danish rule. 

Þjóðhátíðardagurinn is the "Icelandic National Day" and coincides with the birthday of Jón Sigurðsson, who was the primary mover-and-shaker in the 20th century for the drive for Icelandic independence. The 1918 "Act of Union with Denmark" made a proviso for revision (including outright independence) in 1943; however, in 1943, Nazi Germany occupied Iceland, making it a moot point. 

Once the Germans were expelled (later in that same year), the U.S.. and British forces occupying the country asked them to wait until hostilities in the region ceased before seeking to vote on the question. 

In 1944, they wasted little time in organizing the move; while Denmark opposed the measure, they did so peacefully, and when Iceland's decision was finalized on June 17, King Christian X sent a letter of congratulations to the leaders of the new country.

[LongestHorn 759]

June 17, 1972 Watergate Building, Washington, D.C. -  Five men, one of whom said he is a former employee of the Central Intelligence Agency, were arrested at 2:30 a.m. yesterday in what authorities described as an elaborate plot to bug the offices of the Democratic National Committee here. Three of the men were native-born Cubans and another was said to have trained Cuban exiles for guerrilla activity after the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion. They were surprised at gunpoint by three plain-clothes officers of the metropolitan police department in a sixth floor office at the plush Watergate, 2600 Virginia Ave., NW, where the Democratic National Committee occupies the entire floor.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2002/05/31/AR2005111001227.html

[Onboard 2.0 9,083]

On 6/15/2018 at 12:16 PM, Walden Ponderer said:

Yeah, funny thing, democracy.  Iceland has actually been democratic for over a thousand years, but they never get credit for it. And Sweden has the smallest population-to-representative ratio of any country in the world, but we never talk about them as a bastion of democracy.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is a republic, not a democracy, but we thump our chests as the inventors of the genre anyway.

Yes, we are a representative republic, and we're a garden variety democratic form of gov't as opposed to socialism, communism, despotism, monarchies, etc        Didn't know about the democratic blossoming among the Scans and Icelanders.  I'd say they're a bit more socialistic now, with regard to taxes at least. That can work when your populations are smaller, and concentrated in less areas.                                                                                                                                                                            You seem a bit perturbed about it all though.  Inventors ?  More like developers and research scientists thereof, IMO.

[miguelito 11,313]

[Hugo Stiglitz 23,367]

 

How much do you think we could get for the Statue of Liberty? 

[Parliament 14,333]

On June 17, 1944, The Republic of Iceland officially gained its independence from Danish rule. 
Þjóðhátíðardagurinn is the "Icelandic National Day" and coincides with the birthday of Jón Sigurðsson, who was the primary mover-and-shaker in the 20th century for the drive for Icelandic independence. The 1918 "Act of Union with Denmark" made a proviso for revision (including outright independence) in 1943; however, in 1943, Nazi Germany occupied Iceland, making it a moot point. 
Once the Germans were expelled (later in that same year), the U.S.. and British forces occupying the country asked them to wait until hostilities in the region ceased before seeking to vote on the question. 
In 1944, they wasted little time in organizing the move; while Denmark opposed the measure, they did so peacefully, and when Iceland's decision was finalized on June 17, King Christian X sent a letter of congratulations to the leaders of the new country.

King X was a beta. You just LET THEM GO?

[Hugo Stiglitz 23,367]

Redacted due to bitching.

Edited June 18, 2018 by Hugo Stiglitz

[miguelito 11,313]

Cool story, but does it have to be in tweet form?

[El Diablo 4,232]

1 hour ago, miguelito said:

Cool story, but does it have to be in tweet form?

I don't think Hugo understands any other form of communication.

[Hugo Stiglitz 23,367]

Today in 1972, one FBI agent made two fateful decisions that saved America. This is the story of Daniel Bledsoe, unsung hero of Watergate.

Bledsoe joined the Marines after high school. He fought at the Chosin Reservoir in Korea vs. 100,000 Chinese soldiers. As his commander Chesty Puller put it, "We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things."

After the war, Bledsoe got married, graduated from college, then joined the FBI. In 1972, he was assigned to the major crimes desk in the criminal section of the General Investigative Division.

On June 17, Bledsoe was told by the supervisor there was a break-in at DNC headquarters, but police were handling it. Despite finding bugging equipment—a federal offense—the supervisor did not open a federal case. Bledsoe did.

“Up until I heard about Liddy and Hunt being involved, I thought this might be a Cuban intelligence operation directed by the KGB in Cuba,” Bledsoe later recalled.

Hours later, he made the next fateful decision.

“At about 4:00 in the afternoon, my secretary answered the phone and told me, ‘It’s the White House.’” 

“I picked up the phone and I said, ‘This is Agent Supervisor Dan Bledsoe. Who am I speaking with?’

“He said, ‘You are speaking with John Ehrlichman. Do you know who I am?’"

Bledsoe: “Yes. You are the chief of staff there at the White House.” 

Ehrlichman: “That’s right. I have a mandate from the President of the United States. The FBI is to terminate the investigation of the break-in….”

Ehrlichman repeated himself and asked Bledsoe if he would stop the FBI.

“No,” Bledsoe responded. 

“Under the constitution, the FBI is obligated to initiate an investigation to determine whether there has been a violation of the illegal interception of communications statute.”

Ehrlichman: “Do you know that you are saying ‘no’ to the President of the United States?” 

I said, “Yes.” 

Ehrlichman: “Bledsoe, your career is doomed. You are gone. You’re doomed.”

Ehrlichman went to prison in 1975 for conspiracy to obstruct justice.  

Bledsoe retired in 1980.

[miguelito 11,313]

Thanks for revising that.

[Kennythetiger 9,478]

15 hours ago, Hugo Stiglitz said:

 

How much do you think we could get for the Statue of Liberty? 

What's up with her big toe?

[El Diablo 4,232]

On June 19, 1981, three black teenagers drowned in Lake Mexia as a black reserve deputy and a white probation officer tried to transport them by boat from Comanche Crossing after arresting them at a Juneteenth celebration following a vehicle search that produced marijuana and a syringe. Only two of the teens could swim. The families of the three teens won a $15 million settlement from the county in 1983.