July 18th

Today is Mandela Day!

Nelson Mandela turned 91 on Saturday and to honor the anti-apartheid activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, South Africa has renamed the day Nelson Mandela Day. The South African government has called on its citizens to spend 67 minutes of their time on this day in service to the less fortunate and the marginalized.

The number 67 represents the number of years the former South African president has spent fighting for freedom, including 27 years as a political prisoner of the former apartheid regime. Mandela fever has gripped the nation as people visited convalescent homes, prisons, hospitals and clinics to make a difference in the lives of others.

Mandela Day celebrates the idea that each individual has the power to transform the world, the ability to make an imprint. Looking back, we've got a whole lot of work ahead of us.

The Great Fire of Rome According to the historian Tacitus, Magnum Incendium Romae started on the night of 18 July in the year 64 AD. It began in the shops clustered around the Circus Maximus and spread rapidly through the mostly wooden homes of the city. Even though popular legend remembers Nero playing the fiddle while Rome burned, Tacitus said that Nero playing his lyre and singing while the city burned was only a rumor. Apparently Nero was out of town and the fiddle would not be invented for another thousand years.

According to Tacitus, upon hearing news of the fire, Nero rushed back to Rome to organize a relief effort, which he paid for from his own funds. After the fire, Nero opened his palaces to provide shelter for the homeless, and arranged for food supplies to be delivered in order to prevent starvation among the survivors. In the wake of the fire, he made a new urban development plan. Houses after the fire were spaced out, built in brick, and faced by porticos on wide roads.

But many in the local population blamed Nero and his reconstruction plans were unpopular. While Nero didn't have to worry about reelection, he probably was thinking of what happened when Gaius Julius Caesar became unpopular. So being a typical politician, Nero found a scapegoat. To diffuse blame, Nero targeted the Christians. Confessions were coerced with methods far more crude than the modern day Guantanamo Bay interview and Tacitus described the persecution.

Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths. Covered with the skins of beasts, they were torn by dogs and perished, or were nailed to crosses, or were doomed to the flames and burnt, to serve as a nightly illumination, when daylight had expired.

On July 18, 1290 King Edward I of England issues the Edict of Expulsion, expelling all Jews from England. Lasting for the rest of the Middle Ages, it would be over 350 years until it was formally overturned in 1656.

On July 18, 1536 the Christians were no longer persecuted by the Romans but the Holy Roman Empire had a problem of a different sort. The authority of the Pope was declared void in England by an act of Parliament. Apparently it was a marital issue.

In 1627, French explorers noticed oil seeping out of the ground in western New York. It was the first recorded mention of oil on the North American Continent. The Seneca Oil Spring is located near the spillway end of Cuba Lake on the Oil Spring Indian Reservation.

On July 18, 1716, a decree orders all Jews expelled from Brussels.

In 1792, American naval hero John Paul Jones died in Paris at age 45. On September 23, 1779, Jones achieved his most famous victory off the coast of England. While engaging the British merchant fleet led by the Serapis in heavy combat for over three-and-one-half hours, his flagship the Bonhomme Richard, which he had renamed in honor of his patron Benjamin Franklin was sinking. After heavy losses of life on both sides, the British surrendered allowing Jones and his crew to abandon their sinking ship and transfer to the captured Serapis. As the American ship was listing, Jones’s answered the enemy's demand that he surrender with the immortal words, "I have not yet begun to fight!"

The more things change, the more they stay the same. On this day in 1876 the British government agreed to a Royal Commission on Noxious Vapours that would determine the effects of certain gases and vapors emitted by industry and investigate means of prevention. They Wrinkle Their Noses. The report two years later would bring better regulation but warn of impeding economic growth.

But witnesses who argued that noxious vapors were inevitable if the nation was to prosper had their effect. The commission noted that regulation was only practical if it did not involve "ruinous expenditure." And courts remained reluctant to shut down polluters if the result would destroy the industry of a town.

London suffered a killer smog in December 1952 that killed as many as 12,000 people. Britain passed its Clean Air Act in 1956. The United States passed a weak Clean Air Act in 1963 and strengthened it in 1970.

Actually America's first attempt at pollution control came in 1955, seven years after The Donora Smog Disaster.

Today was the first day of the Second Battle of the Isonzo in 1915. It was fought between the armies of the Kingdom of Italy and of Austria-Hungary on the Italian Front in First World War. By the end of that battle on August 15th, the total casualties were about 91,000 men, of which 43,000 Italians and 48,000 Austro-Hungarians. 280,000 Italians lost their lives during the four battles waged over Isonzo River in 1915. "In the course of 1916 the Italians had sustained 500,000 casualties."

Three years later, on the birth date of Nelson Mandela, it was the third day of the Second Battle of the Marne. American and French forces launched a successful counteroffensive against the Germans. This battle that marked the turning of the tide in World War I was the last German offensive and was quickly followed by the first allied offensive victory of 1918. The American Expeditionary Force with over 250,000 men fighting under overall French command played key roles both in the initial defense and the later advances. On July 18th "the American troops in a magnificent counterattack threw a whole division of Germans back across the Marne River." In succeeding to drive the Germans back and capturing 1000 German prisoners 30,000 Americans were killed or wounded.

In 1925, a preview of evil rearing it ugly head once again. On July 18, 1925 Adolf Hitler published his book "Mein Kampf," calling for a national revival and a battle against the Communism and Jews. Only 15 years after 15 million people were killed in World War I, Hitler became the leader of Germany and began fulfilling his dream to "overthrow the shackles of the Treaty of Versailles."

On this day in 1940, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the greatest American who ever lived, was nominated for an unprecedented third term. The man who created the middle class first took office in 1933 as America's 32nd president. Roosevelt would eventually be elected to a record four terms in office, the only U.S. president to serve more than two terms. In order to prevent a hero of the people ever offering so much hope and prosperity to the working class again, two years after the death of the great man, Congress passed the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The amendment that prevents a third term for American presidents was ratified by the required number of states in 1951.

In 1964, The 4 Seasons fourth song to reach the #1 spot was "Rag Doll." The Jersey Boys other #1 hits were: "Big Girls Don’t Cry," "Walk Like a Man," and "December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)."

On this day, the process started going micro. Integrated Electronics Corporation (Intel) was founded on July 18, 1968. Originating as a Maker of semiconductors, in 1971 Intel released its first microprocessor, the 4004 designed for a calculator. In 1972 came the more powerful 8008. With the introduction of the 8080 in 1974, the first personal computers were made possible.

On July 18, 1974, because of a marijuana possession charge, in another country no less, the so called Justice Department of the United States denies John Lennon an extension of his non-immigrant visa and orders him out of the country by September 10.

On this day in 2003, the body of Dr David Kelly was found in the woods not far from his Oxfordshire home. At the time of his death there was much controversy in his life and Dr Kelly has been at the center of a row between the British Government an reality.

The row centred on a report by journalist Andrew Gilligan during the Today programme on BBC Radio Four in which he said the government had "sexed-up" its dossier on Iraq to boost public support for the war.

He accused the government of inserting a claim into the dossier that Saddam Hussein was capable of deploying weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes.

Dr. Kelly's body was discovered just days after appeared before the Parliamentary committee charged with investigating the scandal and many questions remain unanswered about David Kelly's suspicious death.

Five years ago today: A spokesman said California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would not apologize for mocking certain lawmakers as "girlie men," despite criticisms from Democrats that the remark was sexist and homophobic.

One Year ago today: "The Dark Knight," starring Christian Bale as the caped crusader and Heath Ledger as the Joker, premiered.

July 17th

On this day in 1794 the rebels had their biggest victory in the Whiskey Rebellion. Back in 1791 things were getting off to a flying start in the federal government. To raise cash for the new government, Alexander Hamilton convinced Congress to approve taxes on alcohol and carriages. (No not baby carriages) In what would become an American tradition, Congress designed the tax so smaller distillers would pay more than larger distillers. George Washington was a big time booze maker and he got to pay 6 cents per gallon, while the little guy was taxed at 9 cents per gallon.

Hamilton's principal reason for the tax was that he wanted to pay down the national debt, but he justified the tax "more as a measure of social discipline than as a source of revenue." But most importantly, Hamilton "wanted the tax imposed to advance and secure the power of the new federal government."

In the new nation that was without a caste system, the "cohee" of the frontier, which was like Pennsylvania back then, were having none of this. Considered it to be both unfair and discriminatory, civil protest soon became an an armed rebellion. In the summer of 1794, what with no dead presidents masks available yet, some rebels disguised themselves as women to tar and feathers a tax collector. On July 17, the rebels had their biggest victory. 500 armed men clashes with troops from Fort Pitt after firing on a revenue collector and burning down his home.

Get you a copper kettle, get you a copper coil,
Fill it with new-made corn mash and never more you'll toil.
You'll just lay there by the juniper while the moon is bright,
Watch them jugs a-filling, in the pale moonlight.

Build you a fire with hickory, hickory, ash and oak,
Don't use no green or rotten wood; they'll get you by the smoke.
We'll just lay there by the juniper while the moon is bright,
Watch them jugs a-filling, in the pale moonlight.

My daddy, he made whiskey; my granddaddy, he did too.
We ain't paid no whiskey tax since 1792.
We just lay there by the juniper while the moon is bright,
Watch them jugs a-filling, in the pale moonlight.
Watch them jugs a-filling, in the pale moonlight.

Within the next three weeks, 15,000 uniformed militiamen enter into the fray and the "Whiskey Rebellion" was no more. Big business won, the "cohee" chalked one up in the loss column.

In 1821, warm beaches and a retirement heaven. When the Adams-Onís treaty was concluded with Spain, the Spanish ceded Florida to the United States and war with Spain was delayed for 77 years. But 180 years later it didn't seem like such a good idea.

In 1861, Congress authorized the Treasury Department to print and circulate paper money for the first time. Not immediately called the "Federal Reserve Notes," Congress was pressed for money to finance the Civil War so they authorized "Demand Notes" and replaced that a year later with "Legal Tender Notes". These were the predecessors of the "Greenbacks" today that are not worth the paper they are printed on.

In 1862, Congress authorizes African Americans to become laborers in the U.S. Army. Over 186,000 African-Americans serve in the Union Army, with 38,000 losing their lives.

In 1898, Spanish troops in Santiago, Cuba, surrendered to U.S. forces during the Spanish-American War. Two and a half years later, at the signing of the Cuban-American Treaty, The United States took permanent possession of Guantanamo Bay.

On July 17, 1899, James Cagney, the Academy-Award winning American film actor, was born. Following his death on March 30, 1986, his obituary appeared in The New York Times.

In 1901, Dr. Willis Carrier installed a commercial air conditioning system at a Brooklyn, NY printing plant. The first system to provide man-made control over temperature was not meant for humans but machines. In 1902, Carrier completed drawings for what came to be recognized as the world's first scientific air conditioning system. By the early 1920s the centrifugal chiller by Carrier led to comfort cooling appearing in movie theaters for summer blockbusters. Then came department stores and office buildings. Now chillin' out in July is considered a must.

On July 17, 1917 with Great Britain at war with Germany, King George V issues a royal proclamation, changing name of the British royal from the German Saxe-Coburg Gotha to Windsor. Everyone is immediately fooled into believing that a bunch of inbred Germans are really English.

Today in American Memory section of The Library of Congress, homage is payed to the Spanish Civil War.

The Spanish Civil War began on July 17, 1936 as a series of right-wing insurrections within the military, staged against the constitutional government of the five-year-old Second Spanish Republic. Because it was the first major military contest between left-wing forces and fascists, and attracted international involvement on both sides, the Spanish Civil War has sometimes been called the first chapter of World War II.

The rebels, or Nationalists as they came to be known, were backed by a spectrum of political and social conservatives including the Catholic Church, the fascist Falange Party, and those who wished to restore the Spanish monarchy. They received aid in the form of troops, tanks, and planes from Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, and Germany field-tested some of its most important artillery in Spain. With the rise of General Francisco Franco as leader of the Nationalist coalition, the threat of fascism's spread across Europe visibly deepened.

The Republicans were backed by Spanish labor unions and a range of anti-fascist political groups, from communists and anarchists to Catalonian separatists to centrist supporters of liberal democracy. The Republicans received aid from the Soviet Union and from Mexico, but their most likely European allies signed a joint agreement of nonintervention. The most visible international aid came in the form of volunteers. Estimates vary, but as many as 60,000 individuals from over fifty countries joined the International Brigades to fight for the cause of the Spanish Republic. Between two and three thousand of these volunteers were men and women from the United States—most served with the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.

The Spanish Civil War posed a major threat to international political equilibrium, and Americans watched closely the events of the conflict. The brutality of the situation also forced many Americans to question the United States' post-World War I noninterventionist policies. Between 500,000 and 1 million Spaniards, both soldiers and civilians, died from war or war-engendered disease and starvation, and thousands more became displaced refugees.

‘Wrong Way’ Corrigan wasn't so wrong after all. Americans may be bad at geography but on July 17, 1938 when he left Floyd Bennett Field in New York, supposedly headed for Los Angeles,how long could he say to himself "Wow that Hudson River is bigger than I thought." A 3,150-mile wide river! According to Wikipedia, Douglas Corrigan knew what he was doing.

Corrigan, however, was a skilled aircraft mechanic (he was one of the builders of Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis) and a habitual risk-taking maverick; he had made several modifications to his own plane, preparing it for transatlantic flight. Between 1935 and 1937, he applied several times, unsuccessfully, for permission to make a nonstop flight from New York to Ireland, and it is likely that his "navigational error" was a protest against government "red tape"; however, he never publicly acknowledged having flown to Ireland intentionally.

The man who is remembered every time a football player goes the wrong way was welcomed home as a hero (ticker tape parade and all) and was forever known as ‘Wrong Way’ Corrigan.

On July 17, 1944, munitions, which were being loaded aboard the SS E.A. Bryan at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine north of Oakland, California, detonated, killing 320 sailors and civilians and injuring 390 others. Most of the dead and injured were enlisted African-American sailors.

On this day in 1948, The Dixiecrat Revolt and Strom Thurmond.

Tensions came to a head in 1948 when, in an unprecedented move, President Harry Truman placed himself squarely behind civil rights legislation. Truman advocated federal protection against lynching, anti-poll tax legislation, the establishment of the permanent Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC), and the prohibition of segregation in interstate transportation. For the first time since Reconstruction, the status of African Americans had become a national issue. Many white southerners believed these measures signaled the beginning of an insidious campaign to destroy cherished regional "customs and institutions."

On July 16, 1948 Southern Democrats opposed to the Democratic party's position on civil rights met in Birmingham, Ala., to endorse South Carolina Gov. Strom Thurmond.

In 1954, the world’s first jazz fest. The tennis courts of Newport Casino, in Newport, Rhode Island, were host to the first Newport Jazz Festival. The opening song was performed by Eddie Condon and his band who played "Muskrat Ramble."

In 1955, Walt Disney opened the gates to "The Happiest Place on Earth." The man who claimed "That place is my baby, and I would prostitute myself for it," held a gala television broadcast featuring Bob Cummings, Art Linkletter and Ronald Reagan on the opening day of Disneyland.

On the same day in 1955, Arco, Idaho became became the first community in the world to have all its electrical needs provided by nuclear power. The one hour demonstration was made to show the safety of nuclear-powered electricity and its ability to sustain the load.

In 1959, Mary Leakey, the wife of Dr Louis Leakey, made a very significant find when she discovered an ancient hominid skull, the first specimen of a formerly unknown species. Found in the Olduvai Gorge in northern Tanzania, Louis Leakey briefly considered this to be a human ancestor, but the claim was dropped when Homo habilis was found soon afterward. Originally named "Zinjanthropus" (East African Man), the skull was later renamed "Australopithecus boisei". The Leakey's dedicated their lives to the study of Australopithecus and estimated that the skull's age was 1.75 million years old.

On July 17, 1959 "Lady Day" no longer sings the Blues. Billie Holiday, known to her fans as "Lady Day," died in a New York City hospital at age 44."Sometimes it's worse to win a fight than to lose." — Billie Holiday

On July 17, 1961 "The Georgia Peach," Ty Cobb died at the age of 74 from cancer. Considered to be one of or perhaps the greatest baseball player in history, he still holds several records as of 2009, including the highest career batting average (.367)

On July 17,1967 Jimi Hendricks ended his short career as a warm act for the Monkees.

To make a bad situation even worse, Hendrix joined the tour in progress in Jacksonville, Florida on 8 July 1967, just before the Monkees were scheduled to play a couple of shows in North Carolina. One would have been hard pressed to have found a part of America less likely to appreciate what Micky Dolenz described as "this Black guy in a psychedelic Day-Glo blouse, playing music from hell, holding his guitar like he was fucking it, then lighting it on fire" and what Eric Lefcowitz termed "the cacophonic strains of Hendrix's feedback orgies mixed with his lascivious sexuality."

Matters came to head a few days later as the Monkees played a trio of dates in New York. After a handful of gigs, Hendrix grew sick of the "We want the Monkees" chant that met his every performance. Finally, he flipped the bird at the less-than enthusiastic crowd at Forest Hills Stadium in New York and stormed offstage.

On July 17, 1975, the last of the Apollo spaceship program docked with a Soyuz spacecraft in orbit. The first superpower linkup of its kind, seemed sort of sexual.

In 1979, Jimmy Carter was having none of Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza's Miami retirement plans as the Sandinista rebels take Nicaraguan capital.

In 1981, 114 people died in the lobby of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel. A pair of walkways above the lobby collapsed during a dance.

In 1985, Bank of America, the United States second largest banking company, reported a second-quarter loss of $338 million. Maybe the government should have fixed that.

In 1986, the largest filing for bankruptcy in the history of the United States occurred when the LTV Corporation asked for court protection from debts of more than $4 billion. $3 billion of it was retiree benefits that LTV just cutoff . This act led to the Retiree Benefit Bankruptcy Protection act of 1988 that did little to protect retiree's pension and nothing to protect their healthcare. Later during the Shrub era when Congress passed a bill to protect corporations from individuals, corporations were still free to pull the same crap and get this, LTV Corporation screwed the workers again. And if that's not enough for you, in this good old shadow welfare state we live in, LTV is still in business.

In 1996, 230 people died aboard TWA Flight 800. Shortly after leaving John F. Kennedy International Airport, the Boeing 747 bound for Paris, exploded and crashed off Long Island, N.Y.

In 1997, the last day of the Five and Dime. Woolworth Corp. closed its last 400 stores and laid off 9,200 employees.

On this day in 1998, Russia buries Tsar Nicholas II and family, 80 years after they died. Russia's Nicholas II, his wife, their five children, their doctor, cook, valet, maid and even the family dog were executed by the Bolsheviks. They must have been afraid that someday the dog would seek revenge or reclaim the throne. The youngest human to die was the thirteen year old son of Nicholas and Alexandra, Alexei Nikolaevich.

Five years ago today: Arnold Schwarzenegger used the term "girlie men" to describe California Democrats and called upon voters to "terminate" them at the polls in November if they don't pass his $103 billion budget.

One year ago today: With signs that the record salmonella outbreak, while not over, may finally be slowing, the FDA lifted its warning on tomatoes. Hot peppers were still a no no. And if that leaves a bad taste in your mouth, George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki held a secure video conference during which they agreed to set a "general time horizon" for bringing more U.S. troops home from the Iraq war.

July 16th

Not the Bull but the Edict of 1054. On this day, after negotiations broke down between Humbert of Mourmoutiers and with Constantinople on differences between the Christian East and Rome, Old Humbert got a little carried away.

"So finally with his patience exhausted, Humbert and his colleagues strode into the Church of Santa Sophia on Saturday, July 16, 1054, right before the chanting of the afternoon liturgy and laid on the altar a bull excommunicating Cerularius, Emperor Michael Constantine, and all their followers, and then departed, ceremonially shaking the dust off their feet."

Thus began the 'Great Schism' between the Western and Eastern churches. It only took 911 years until Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras buried the hatchet but things will never be the same.

It may not be as bad as it sounds. On this day in BrainyHistory there is an entry for July 16, 1099 "Crusaders herd Jews of Jerusalem into a synagogue and set it afire." But according to Wikipedia's History of the Jews and the Crusades during the Massacre of Jerusalem the synagogue may have been empty when the Crusaders torched it for shits and giggles.

From The List of The Banned, on July 16, 1439, kissing is banned in England. They did have a better reason than the usual crap.

The Connecticut Compromise was forged on July 16, 1787. Presented by Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth of the Connecticut delegation, a dual system of congressional representation was a victory for the smaller states. There would be an "Upper House" with two representatives from each state chosen by state legislators. The "Lower House" members would serve two year terms and be elected by the people based on population. A census would be taken every ten years and although women would not be allowed to vote they would be counted. African Americans didn't do as well. They could not vote and each would be counted as three fifths of a person.

When George Washington signed the Residence Act of July 16, 1790 an area called the District of Columbia on the banks of the Potomac River was turned into a swamp.

On Dec. 1, 1800, the capital was moved to the newly named city of Washington. The 1800 census counted 14,103 residents of the U.S. capital, composed of 10,066 whites, 793 free black people and 3,244 slaves.

On this day in 1911 Ginger Rogers "who did everything Fred Astaire did, except backwards and in high heels" was born.

The blond, blue-eyed actress, who came out of Charleston contests and the vaudeville circuits to win notice as a cherub-faced flapper with a piping voice and a sassy air in early musicals like "42d Street" and "Gold Diggers of 1933," went on to win acclaim for her dramatic portrayals and an Academy Award for best actress for her depiction of a lovelorn career woman in the 1940 film "Kitty Foyle."

On July 16, 1918, Russia's Czar Nicholas II, his wife, their five children, their doctor, cook, valet, maid and even the family dog were executed by the Bolsheviks. I guess they were afraid that someday the dog would seek revenge or reclaim the throne.The youngest human to die was the thirteen year old son of Nicholas and Alexandra, Alexei Nikolaevich.

On July 16,1927 "a respected spokesman for right-wing extremism and religious prejudice" and the only American mentioned by his admirer Adolph Hitler in Mein Kampf, that respected captain of industry, Henry Ford, settles a $1 million libel suit brought by labor organizer Aaron Sapiro. Ford's newsweekly, The Dearborn Independent, had accused Sapiro of being part of a conspiracy of "Jewish bankers" to seize control of national wheat production and hand it over to the Communists.

On this day in 1945 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, US President Harry S Truman and leader of the Soviet Union Josef Stalin gather at Potsdam to discuss the rebuilding of Europe.

Truman must have hustled home because on that same day in 1945 "Fat Boy" went off at Alamogordo Air Base. All life within a mile radius was killed or obliterated as the fireball rose 8,000 feet in a fraction of a second and mushroom-shaped cloud made 41,000 feet above the New Mexico desert. Three weeks later the atomic bomb was used for its intended purpose, twice!

Did you know that ZIP stands for Zone Improvement Plan? There are 43,000 5-digit zip codes. On this day in 1963 the U.S. Postal Service began using ZIP codes.

July 16,1973 was a good day for truth. While the Senate Armed Services Committee began probes into allegations that the US Air Force had made 3,500 secret B-52 raids into Cambodia in 1969 & 1970, at the Senate Watergate hearings, former White House aide Alexander P. Butterfield publicly revealed the existence of President Richard Nixon's secret taping system. Tricky Dicky must have been buggin' out.

One Great day in 1967! Surprisingly far from Thanksgiving, the son of Woody "This Land Is Your Land" Guthrie, twenty year old Arlo, attended the Newport Folk Festival and found himself promoted to the closing-night concert on the main stage, performing "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" to 20,000 folk fans on July 16, 1967.

They got a building down New York City, it's called Whitehall Street,
where you walk in, you get injected, inspected, detected, infected,
neglected and selected. I went down to get my physical examination one
day, and I walked in, I sat down, got good and drunk the night before, so
I looked and felt my best when I went in that morning. `Cause I wanted to
look like the all-American kid from New York City, man I wanted, I wanted
to feel like the all-, I wanted to be the all American kid from New York,
and I walked in, sat down, I was hung down, brung down, hung up, and all
kinds o' mean nasty ugly things. And I waked in and sat down and they gave
me a piece of paper, said, "Kid, see the phsychiatrist, room 604."

And I went up there, I said, "Shrink, I want to kill. I mean, I wanna, I
wanna kill. Kill. I wanna, I wanna see, I wanna see blood and gore and
guts and veins in my teeth. Eat dead burnt bodies. I mean kill, Kill,
KILL, KILL." And I started jumpin up and down yelling, "KILL, KILL," and
he started jumpin up and down with me and we was both jumping up and down
yelling, "KILL, KILL." And the sargent came over, pinned a medal on me,
sent me down the hall, said, "You're our boy.

For many the song and famous lyrics have become a Thanksgiving tradition.

In 1969, We have Ignition. An estimated one million live viewers and almost everyone with a television watched as Apollo 11 took off for the first manned exploration of the moon.
Watch it again here!

July 16,1980 was a very bad day for truth. Ronald Reagan won the Republican presidential nomination at the party's convention in Detroit.

July 16,1981 was a dark day in music. At the age of 38, folk-rock balladeer 38 year old Harry Chapin died in a car crash in New York. Besides being an organizer for efforts to provide food to the needy, a champion for the hungry and homeless, Chapin's was some of the finest ballads of his day. Taxi, W-O-L-D and Cat’s in the Cradle.

Ten years ago today: Such a sad day. John F. Kennedy, Jr., his wife Carolyn, and sister-in-law Lauren die in a plane crash in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. The Piper Saratoga aircraft was piloted by Kennedy.

Five years ago today: What does all the other rich have that Martha Stewart didn't? On this day she was sentenced to five months in prison and five months of home confinement by a federal judge in New York for lying about a stock sale.

"Yes! We finally captured Martha Stewart. You know, with all the massive and almost completely unpunished fraud perpetrated on the public by companies like Enron, Global Crossing, and Tyco we finally got the ring leader. Maybe now we can lower the nation's terror alert to periwinkle."—Jon Stewart

Two years ago today: The World Court ordered the Bush administration to halt the execution of five Mexican nationals sentenced on death row in the United States. Apparently Bush was not impressed.

One year ago today: Bush Invokes Exec Privilege to Block CIA Leak Testimony. And the Hits just keep on coming.

July 15th

On this day in 1099, Jerusalem was captured by the First Crusade. In the traditional Christian manner, 10,000 were massacred and the Crusaders plundered everything they could get their hands on.

July 15, 1205 was another of those great moments in Vatican History. In the words of the infallible Pope Innocent III, the Jews "shall not dare raise their neck, bowed under the yoke of perpetual slavery." The Pope declares that the Jews are consigned to continual subjugation just for crucifying our Lord and Savior.

On this day in 1606 one of the greatest painters and print makers in European art history and the most important in Dutch history, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born in Leiden, Netherlands.

In 1863 after three days of death the New York anti-draft riots ends. Over 1,000 died in the riots, including many free blacks attacked & murdered by Confederate sympathizers.

July 15, 1869 "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" Well they didn't win the war but they had a better spread. On this day in tactical history after French ruler Napoleon III commissioned Hippolye Mege Mouries to find a butter substitute for the war with Prussia, a patent for a beef based buttery spread is issued. Probably because the taste was marginal it was called margarine. Well actually it was because Hippolye Mege Mouries "had used the fatty acid component, margaric acid."

In 1870, Georgia became the last Confederate state readmitted to the Union while Manitoba entered confederation as the fifth Canadian province.

In 1908, at age eighteen, Jean Cocteau publishes his first poem, "Les Façades."

"The instinct of nearly all societies is to lock up anybody who is truly free. First, society begins by trying to beat you up. If this fails, they try to poison you. If this fails too, they finish by loading honors on your head."
— Jean Cocteau (1889-1963)

On July 15, 1918, the Second Battle of the Marne began during World War I.

The Second Battle of the Marne marked the turning of the tide in World War I. It began with the last German offensive of the conflict and was quickly followed by the first allied offensive victory of 1918. The American Expeditionary Force with over 250,000 men fighting under overall French command played key roles both in the initial defense and the later advances. In the Second Battle of Marne with 30,000 killed and wounded, the United States started suffering casualties on the enormous scale usually associated with the battles of the Great War.

According to the New York Times article "the American troops in a magnificent counterattack threw a whole division of Germans back across the Marne River."

On July 15, 1922, for the first time in the United States, the Bronx Zoo displayed a duck-billed
platypus.

In the Summer of 42, The Glen Miller Orchestra recorded "Juke Box Saturday Night" and on the same day the movie The Pride of the Yankees opened in new York starring Gary Cooper and Babe Ruth. Those Were the Days.

A Great Day for Democratic Hopefuls. On this day in 1948 President Harry S. Truman was nominated for another term by the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Twenty-six years later Jimmy Carter delivered his great acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination at Madison Square Garden. Forty-four years later, Bill Clinton claimed the Democratic presidential nomination at the party's convention, also in New York City. There was another good nomination for Democrats on this day, on July 15, 1964 Barry Goldwater was nominated for president at the Republican National Convention in San Francisco. San Francisco?

In 1965, the Mariner IV spacecraft sent back the first close-up pictures of the planet Mars.

"One Life to Live." On this day in 1968 Llanview, Pennsylvania was born. The creation by Agnes Nixon would lead to an ABC dominance in daytime dramas. The first few years of the show were rich in issue stories and characters including Jewish characters, Polish-American families, and the first African-American leads, Carla Gray (Ellen Holly), and Ed Hall (Al Freeman, Jr.).

On July 15, 1971, President Richard Nixon startled the country by announcing he would visit the People's Republic of China. Back then our government portrayed an evil empire of communists but Nixon was going to to seek a "normalization of relations." Not so shocking now that they have become a "one party nation" that when they say "Jump," America owing so much money to China asks "How High?"

In 1973, Let's Not Drink to the Death of a Clown. On that day the very Kinky Ray Davies, announces retirement from Kinks and his wife's decision to leave him, then attempted suicide.

My makeup is dry and is cracked on my chin
I'm drowning my sorrows in whisky and gin
The lion tamer's whip doesn't crack anymore
The lions they won't fight and the tigers won't roar

What a crying shame that would have been. Ray is still going strong. Keep on Rockin' Dave.

In 1974 there was a televised suicide. During a live broadcast of the Sarasota, Florida morning news program Suncoast Digest, newscaster Chris Chubbuck last words before shooting herself in the head was "In keeping with Channel 40's policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts, and in living color, you are going to see another first: an attempted suicide."

On this day in 1975, the first international manned spaceflight. The Russian Soyuz and the U.S. Apollo launched. The Apollo-Soyuz mission was also the last mission in the Apollo program.

Five years after the televised suicide, Reality TV. America was not ready for reality but on this day in 1979 President Jimmy Carter went on television to bring up an American "Crisis of Confidence." In a call for energy independence, protecting the environment and helping the Americans that need help most, President Carter showed way too much confidence in the elected officials and his own Party. While he never used the word, what should have been the most important speech of the late 20th century, became known as the "malaise" speech.

In 1987 Plausible deniability was stretched to the extreme as John Poindexter took the stand and took the rap at the Iran-Contra hearings.

In 1995, Serbs forced Muslims out of Srebrenica. Some 40,000 women, children and elderly people were ordered to leave the "safe area" of Srebrenica by the Bosnian Serbs. Reported by the BBC "United Nations officials say it is the biggest "ethnic cleansing" operation since World War II."

In 1996 MSNBC, a 24-hour all-news network, made its debut on cable TV and the Internet. Now Rupert Murdoch has one of those too.

In 1999, on the day that China declared they had invented their own neutron bomb, the U.S. government acknowledged for the first time that thousands of workers were made sick while making nuclear weapons and announced a plan to compensate some of them.

In 2007, the Philadelphia Phillies lost their 10,000th game, 10-2, to the visiting St. Louis Cardinals. On the same day, the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Los Angeles announced it was settling clergy sex-abuse cases for $660 million.

July 14th

"Le Jour de la Bastille" is celebrated as the dawn of democracy in France. On this day in 1789 citizens of Paris (more like a mob of 20,000) stormed the Bastille prison and released the seven prisoners inside. The prison was a symbol for absolutism of the monarchy of Louis XVI. The prisoners were four forgers, an accomplice to murder, a nobleman jailed for incest, and an insane Irishman. The prison guards had a very bad day and the warden's head ended up on a pike but in about a year Louis XVI lost more than just his crown.

On July 14, 1798 the Constitution of the United States was under seige. Yea so what else is new? Because John Adams had a very thin skin and supporters of Thomas Jefferson were calling him names like "bald," "blind," "crippled," and "toothless," on this day in American history Congress passed a law making it a federal crime to publish false, scandalous or malicious writing about the U.S. government.

To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. — Theodore Roosevelt

The Sedition Act was actually the last of four passed on that dark year. One act—the Alien Enemies Act—is still in force in 2009, and has frequently been enforced in wartime. Thomas Jefferson held them all to be unconstitutional, pardoned and ordered the release of all who had been convicted because of The Sedition Act. Where is Thomas Jefferson when we need him?

On July 14, 1834 James McNeill Whistler, the famed American-born painter and designer, was born. Following his death on July 17, 1903, his obituary appeared in The New York Times. (Go to obit.)

Today is also an historic day for Glass Houses. On July 14th in 1853 America's first World's Fair began in the Crystal Palace, a huge iron and glass structure on the site of today's Bryant Park in New York City.

In 1867, Alfred Nobel (of Peace Prize fame) first showed off his explosive invention. Dynamite was demonstrated at Merstham Quarry in Redhill, Surrey.

In 1868, Alvin J. Fellows of New Haven, CT patented the tape measure. Alvin’s measurements: 40-46-42.

July 14, 1868 was also the day that Gertrude Bell was born. Gertrude Bell had the nickname "Uncrowned Queen of Iraq." Her knowledge of the Middle East earned her an appointment to the British intelligence services during World War I. She was largely responsible for the selection of Faisal I as king of Iraq and the proposed borders within Mesopotamia to include the three Ottoman Empire vilayets that later became Iraq. Bell's influence led to the creation of a country dominated by an oil rich Shi'ite majority in the south and denied the Sunni Kurds a separate, autonomous area or state. The British attempt to control the potential oil fields has been causing trouble ever since.

In 1912, a hero of the people was born. Woody Guthrie who wrote "This Land Is Your Land," "Bound for Glory," "Union Maid" and other American classics, crisscrossed the nation, living & singing among the dispossessed.

A folk song is what’s wrong and how to fix it or it could be
who’s hungry and where their mouth is or
who’s out of work and where the job is or
who’s broke and where the money is or
who’s carrying a gun and where the peace is.
– Woody Guthrie

His music and lyrics helped remind Americans of government actions like The Ludlow Massacre.

In 1916 the Dada Manifesto by Hugo Ball was read for the first time.

How does one achieve eternal bliss? By saying dada. How does one become famous? By saying dada.

Well it worked for a while for Idi Amin.

In 1921, after massive miners' strikes, both private army and government induced violence, three separate declarations of martial law and The Matewan Massacre and the Battle of Blair Mountain the Senate Committee on Education & Labor begins a three-month investigation of the crises in West Virginia's coal mining industry.

In 1933 Germany, the Nazi Party banned all opposition parties. As we all know here in the U.S.A. two is always better than one.

On this day in 1951 Citation began a glorious retirement as a million dollar horse by winning the Hollywood Gold Cup. The great Citation was the eighth American thoroughbred horse-racing Triple Crown champion, and one of two major North American thoroughbreds (along with Cigar in 1994-96) to win 16 races in a row in major stakes competition.

In 1958, the pro-West government of Iraq was overthrown by ‘Abd al-Karim Qasim. King Faisal was assassinated along with his entire household and his prime minister in a coup by army officers which resulted in Iraq's becoming a republic. Baghdad Radio announced the Army has liberated the Iraqi people from domination by a corrupt group put in power by "imperialism" and would "maintain ties with other Arab countries."

On this day in 1965, Adlai E. Stevenson Jr. the Democratic presidential nominee in 1952 and 1956, died at age 65. It is claimed that during his 1956 presidential campaign, a woman called out to Adlai E. Stevenson: "Senator, you have the vote of every thinking person!". Stevenson called back "That's not enough, madam, we need a majority!"Had Americans been smart enough for Adlai Stevenson, he could have been a contender for best president ever.

"Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime."

"I have been thinking that I would make a proposition to my Republican friends... that if they will stop telling lies about the Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about them."

"I have tried to talk about the issues in this campaign... and this has sometimes been a lonely road, because I never meet anybody coming the other way."

"I'm not an old, experienced hand at politics. But I am now seasoned enough to have learned that the hardest thing about any political campaign is how to win without proving that you are unworthy of winning."
-Adlai E. Stevenson

Today the Adlai Stevenson Center on Democracy lives on.

In 1970, La guerra del fútbol began on July 14th! The Football War was a six-day war fought between El Salvador and Honduras. The increasing hostility between the two countries was further inflamed by rioting during the second North American qualifying round for the 1970 FIFA World Cup. Though short-lived, the war claimed thousands of lives and displaced approximately 100,000 people. But they both made it to the World Cup that year?

Was it a Curve or a Sinker? On this day in 1970, the most deceptive pitcher of all time threw out the first pitch in the All Star Game, Richard M. Nixon.

Jimmy Carter won the Presidential nomination during the Democratic National Convention at Madison Square Garden on this day in 1976 . The following day Jimmy Carter made a great speech. Later in a response to the Watergate scandal Carter won the popular vote by 50.1 percent to 48.0 percent over a man that more sensible Americans called the alleged president, Gerald Ford.

In 1977, the U.S. House establishes the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Among their many dysfunctions, they too maintain an "On This Day" page. On this day in espionage!

On the 200th Anniversary of Bastille Day, the French did it with style, flair and bliss. During the biggest street party since France was liberated after World War II there was an official opening of the concert hall, Opera Bastille, which has been built on the site of the Bastille prison. Well there was a few scuffles but everyone kept their heads.

In 1987 Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North concludes 6 days of Congressional testimony. Americans gladly return to their Soap Operas until The White Bronco.

In 2002, French President Jacques Chirac escapes an assassination attempt at Arc de Triomphe during Bastille Day celebrations. The gunman was a 25 year old neo-Nazi.

One year ago today: George W. Bush lifted an executive ban on offshore drilling which had stood since his father was president. What took him so long?

July 13th

John Parker was born in Lexington, Massachusetts, on July 13, 1729. Parker played a prominent role in the first battle of the War for Independence, as leader of the volunteer American militia known as the Minutemen.

On the night of April 18, 1775, Parker received warning of the approach of the king's soldiers under Major John Pitcairn. Parker assembled about seventy volunteers to face the British. In the ensuing skirmish on Lexington Green on April 19, eight Americans were killed and ten were wounded.

The Minutemen followed the British forces to Concord, sniping at them as they retreated. According to legend, the colonists adopted "Yankee Doodle" as their theme song.

In 1793, Jean Paul Marat, the French revolutionary writer of the radical newspaper L'Ami du peuple (The Friend of the People) was stabbed to death in his bath by Charlotte Corday. She had claimed to be reporting traitors to the cause of the Revolution at the time of the murder. The assassination inspired Jacques Louis David to paint the gruesome scene. Corday was executed four days later.

In 1863 the Civil War military draft caused rioting to erupt across New York City. In the following three days about 1,000 people were killed.

In 1897, two years after experimenting with sending and receiving radio signals from different parts of his house, twenty-one year old Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi received a US patent for the radio.

1938 marked the introduction of Pay TV. Spectators paid 25 cents to witness the first television theatre that opened in Boston, MA. The variety show with dancing and song lasted 45 minutes and was attended by 200 people. The acts were performed on a floor above the theatre and transmitted downstairs by TV.

In 1939 Frank Sinatra made his recording debut with the Harry James band. Frankie sang Melancholy Mood and From the Bottom of My Heart. He did good.

Back in 1959, The Shirelles song, "Dedicated To The One I Love" was ahead of its time. The song only hit number 83 on "Billboard" magazine's Top 100 chart but when the song was re-released in 1961, it went to number three on the charts.

In 1960 John F. Kennedy won the Democratic presidential nomination at the party's convention in Los Angeles.

In 1967 race-related rioting broke out in Newark, N.J. with 27 people murdered in four days of violence.

In 1972 George McGovern claimed the Democratic presidential nomination at the party's convention in Miami Beach, Fla. Apparently only Massachusetts residents were very impressed.

On July 13, 1977 a 25-hour blackout hit the New York City area after lightning struck upstate power lines. It only lasted one night but what a night it was. By the time it was over, a record 3,776 people had been arrested. Looting, vandalism, and arson had caused an estimated $300 million worth of damage.

In 1985 it was "Live Aid!" Described as the Woodstock of the eighties, the world's biggest rock festival was organized by Boomtown Rats as an international rock concert from London, Philadelphia, Moscow and Sydney. The concert that took place to raise money for Africa's starving people was attended by 162,000 people, while 1.5 billion people watched the show from their televisions. The effort raised over $70 million.

On Jul 13 1994 Jeff Gillooly, Tonya Harding's ex-husband, was sentenced to two years in prison for his role in the attack on Nancy Kerrigan. He serves six months.

One year ago today, Budweiser escaped from a nation that doesn’t believe in kings. Anheuser-Busch agreed to a takeover by giant Belgian brewer InBev SA.

July 12th

In Union History, on this day in 1954, to represent professional ball players the Major League Baseball Players Association was organized.

In 1958 the first stereo record to make it to the top of the "Billboard Charts." On this day in 1958 "Yakety Yak" by The Coasters was the chart topper.

On July 12, 1984, Democratic presidential candidate Walter F. Mondale announced he'd chosen U.S. Rep. Geraldine A. Ferraro of New York to be his running-mate. Ferraro was the first woman to run for vice president on a major-party ticket.

A Moment in Politics. On July 12, 1977 President Jimmy Carter defended Supreme Court limits on government payments for poor women's abortions.

Well, as you know, there are many things in life that are not fair, that wealthy people can afford and poor people cant. But I don't believe that the Federal Government should take action to try to make these opportunities exactly equal, particularly when there is a moral factor involved.