February 8.

1587. Mary, Queen of Scots, is executed on suspicion of trying to overthrow her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I.

1692. A doctor in the town of Salem, Massachusetts, suggests that two girls in the family of the village minister may be suffering from bewitchment. This begins the Salem Witch Trials. Before all is said and done, nearly everyone (seemingly) is accused, over 150 are formally arrested and imprisoned, with 19 executed. 5 men and 14 women, most are hanged, one is crushed to death under stones while refusing to confess, and several more die in prison.

1904. The Japanese launch a successful surprise attack on the Russian Naval Base at Port Arthur. This commences the Russo-Japanese War. The immediate attacks badly damage the two heaviest battleships of the Russian Asian Fleet (keep in mind that this is pre-aircraft carrier days, and the battleships were the most important ships of any fleet). Subsequently, the Japanese launch additional attacks, then a blockade of Port Arthur, and then a siege, with Port Arthur subsequently falling to hte Japanese. A relief fleet sent by Russia sails from the Baltic to the area, a trip of 18,000 miles (because the British refuse to let it use the Suez Canal), only to have the Japanese spot the fleet, cross teh T, and inflict a humiliating defeat at the Battle of Tsushima. President Roosevelt negotiates a treaty between the Russians and Japanese at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, which results in the Treaty of Portsmouth.

The impact of this war was significant. It was the first defeat of a European power by an Asian country in the modern era, and resulted in significant Russian surrenders of territories/claims in Korea, Manchuria and Sakhalin Island. It also greatly weakened the Tsarist leadership in Russia, which would only survive for another 13 years.

1910. The Boy Scouts of America is founded.

1943. The Battle of Guadalcanal ends with the last Japanese troops having evacuated.

1971. The Nasdaq stock market index debuts.

February 9.

1621. Pope Gregory XV is elected, the last Pope to be elected by acclamation rather than ballot.

1775. British Parliament declares Massachusetts colony in rebellion.

1825. After none of the candidates receives a majority of the popular vote, the US House of Representatives selects John Quincy Adams as President. Future President Andrew Jackson, the other primary contender, is extremely annoyed to say the least.

1861. The Confederate convention in Montgomery, Alabama, selects Jefferson Davis of Mississippi as provisional President.

1895. A new game, originally called mintonette, is invented. It soon becomes better known as volleyball.

1900. The Davis Cup competition is established.

1950. An alcoholic, previously unknown and insignificant junior Senator from Wisconsin makes a speech on Lincoln Day in Wheeling, Nebraska before the Republican Women's Club of Wheeling. Waving some papers around, he claims that he has a "list" of 205 members of the State Department that are members of the Communist Party and are shaping national policy. The senator was Joseph McCarthy, and the escalation in anti-Communist paranoia that resulted became known as McCarthyism. The era in which this occurred is generally known as the Second Red Scare, though clearly the Second Red Scare began before McCarthy made his famous speech.

1960. Joanne Woodward receives the first star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1964. The Beatles perform for the first time on the Ed Sullivan show.

1965. The first US combat troops are sent to South Vietnam, beginning an episode in American history that would result in rioting, the near destruction of the Democratic Party, and the deaths of nearly 60,000 Americans (plus 300,000 US wounded).

1969. The first 747 test flight.

If you're going to do something of special historical significance, do it on February 7 so your chance of being highlighted as the "most significant" for years to come on lists like these is maximized.

February 10.
<O:p></O:p>
An event of limited historical impact, but interesting. On this date, 1355, the St. Scholastica Day Riots occurred. Beginning as an argument between townspeople and two students of <ST1:place w:st="on"><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on">Oxford</st1:City></ST1:place>, the riots eventually left 60 scholars (mostly students, presumably) and 30 townspeople dead. The dispute was ultimately ended in favor of the school, and for the next 470 years, the town mayor and councilors marched bareheaded through the streets and paid the university one penny for each student who was killed. In 1825 the then-mayor refused to play the part, thus ending the tradition.
<O:p></O:p>
<O:p></O:p>1763. The Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the French and Indian War between <st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><ST1:place w:st="on">France</ST1:place></st1:country-region>. That war, generally ignored or forgotten, has had as much or more impact on the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><ST1:place w:st="on">United States</ST1:place></st1:country-region> than nearly any other, as we might all be speaking French instead of English had the result gone the other way.
<O:p></O:p>
<O:p></O:p>1906. <st1:country-region w:st="on"><ST1:place w:st="on">England</ST1:place></st1:country-region> launches a new ship, the HMS Dreadnought. The ship gave its name to an entirely new class of warships. The decision to develop and launch the Dreadnought was not lightly undertaken by <st1:country-region w:st="on"><ST1:place w:st="on">England</ST1:place></st1:country-region>, as it was so revolutionary that it essentially rendered every other ship in the world obsolete. Since <st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region> enjoyed effective naval supremacy, it resulted (as <st1:country-region w:st="on"><ST1:place w:st="on">England</ST1:place></st1:country-region> knew it would) in a whole new round of a naval armaments race. The technologies introduced were all steam turbine engines, giving her a constant speed of 21 knots, and all big guns, which in combination meant she could move faster than any ship of her approximate size, and outgun every ship in the world. Her 10 12 inch turrets outgunned any other ship then afloat. All other battleships in the world were thereafter referred to as “dreadnought” or “pre-dreadnought” in class. The armaments race would continue until the Battle of Jutland.

February 11.

660 BC. This is the traditional founding date of the Empire of Japan, by the first Emperor, Jimmu. While that is the traditional date and name, there is no concrete proof of his existence or that anything really special happened on this date.

1752. Pennsylvania Hospital, the first hospital in the United States, opens.

1808. Anthracite coal is first burned for fuel, experimentally.

1812. Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation, and future Vice President of the United States (under Madison), leads the Massachusetts legislature into redrawing district maps in Massachusetts such that the Federalists were concentrated into a few districts that they won. His party, the Democratic-Republicans, won all the other districts. His name lives on infamy as in the United STates, having given birth to the term "Gerrymandering".

1861. As the Southern states secede, the US House of Representatives passes a unanimous resolution guaranteeing noninterference with slavery in any state. This was part of a series of relatively desperate actions early in the war to try to keep key border slave states, such as Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, Tennessee and others, in the Union.

1929. the Empire of Italy and the Vatican sign the Treaty of Lateran, thereby ending the "Roman question". As a result, the Vatican is henceforth an indepedent sovereignty within Italy.

1963. Julia Childs' show, The French Chef, debuts.

1978. China lifts a ban on the works of those radical Chinese dissidents, Aristotle, Shakespeare and Dickens.

1978. Forces loyal to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeni completely overthrow the government of the old Shah of Iran, signaling the rise of Islamic radicalism.

1990. Nelson Mandela, a political prisoner for 27 years, is released in South Africa. In 1993 he would win the Nobel Peace Prize, and in 1994 become President of South Africa.

February 12.

Wow, after a very interesting set of choices for February 11, today is a real yawner.

To emphasize that fact, I'll pick a silly one.

2000. On this date, 2000, the last original Charles Schultz Peanuts strip was published.

I didn't know that about how gerrymandering got it's name. I assume it's pretty common knowledge for people in MA.

Well, for those with a historical bent anyway. The thing is that Elbridge Gerry really was a very significant member of the Founding Father's generation. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention, a leading Federalist, and one of the three US ministers sent to France and then humiliated by the French in the infamous XYZ Affair, which rebounded badly on the French and the Democrats in Congress.

He wasn't just some hack. And yet...

I know you've all been getting the shakes from withdrawal due ot my not updating this thread, but I'm back on the job...

February 13.

1633. Galileo arrives in Rome for trial before the Inquisition.

1635. The first public school in the US is founded -- the Boston Latin School (which remains an elite public school to this day).

1668. Spain recognizes Portugal's independence.

1935. A jury in New Jersey finds Bruno Hauptmann guilty in the Lindbergh Baby kidnapping case (the "Crime of the Century"). He is subsequently sentenced to death and executed. To this day, the case and the finding of guilt remains controversial. One of the leading figures in the case was Herbert Norman Schwartkopf, the Superintendant of the New Jersey STate Police who was heavily involved in the investigation and had repeated run-ins iwth the FBI, who tried (and mostly succeeded) in taking over the case despite some jurisdictional questions. Schwartkopf's son would go on to lead all coalition forces against Iraq in the early 1990s.

1945. The firebombing of Dresden begins.

1990. Agreement is reached on a two stage plan to reunite Germany.

February 14.

1835. The first Quorum of the 12 Apostles of the Later Day Saints movement is formed.

1849. James K. Polk becomes the first sitting President to have his photograph taken.

1912. The first diesel powered submarine is launched.

1918. Russia adopts the Gregorian Calendar.

1929. The St. Valentine's Day Massacre occurs in Chicago.

1943. German General von Armin, substituting for Rommell, launches attacks against the Allied positions in Tunisia. For fans of the Patton movie, it was the American tactical defeat in these battles that led to Patton being appointed to command and then shouting "I read your book" later when his forces defeated von Armin's.

1949. The Isreali Knesset convenes for the first time.

1989. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issues a fatwa against the life of author Salman Rushdie.

1989. The first of the 24 Global Positioning Satellites is placed into orbit.

Hence his nickname of "Ol' Red Eye".

On this day in 1995 my ex wife kicked out my first nut.
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February 15.

Just for you guys. 1764. The city of St. Louis, Missouri, is established.

1862. Ulysses S. Grant attacks Fort Donelson, Tennessee. This was the first significant victory for Union forces in the Civil War, and starts Grant's meteoric rise.

1898. The USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana Harbor, leading to the Spanish-American War.

1942. The Fall of Singapore to the Japanese. A complete debacle and a serious blow to British interests in Asia.

2005. YouTube is launched.

2007. Had a banana shaped poop
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February 16.

1923. Howard Carter unseals the burial chamber of King Tut.

1945. American forces land on Corregidor island in the PHilippines.

The premier event of the day is one of limited historical importance, but is very cool/interesting for those interested in military history. Today in 1804 Stephen Decatur snuck into Tripoli Harbor and burned the captured USS Philadelphia.

These events occurred during the First Barbary Wars, when President Jefferson dispatched a very significant portion of the United States Navy to the Mediterranean to try to impress upon the various Barbary states that raiding American commerce was a bad idea. One of the ships sent was the USS Philadelphia, a newly commissioned 36 gun frigate built under the very pro-Navy Adams administration. At that size, the Philadephia was bigger and more powerful than any Barbary ship afloat. She was commanded by Captain William Bainbridge.

Arriving off Gibraltar in August, 1802, she quickly proved her worth by recapturing the American brig Celia from a Moroccan man-o-war and bringing both boats into Gibraltar.

Ordered to blockade Tripoli, she cruised off the coast of the pirate city until October 31, 1803, when she ran aground on an uncharted reef. Efforts to refloat her (involving throwing everything overboard, including the heavy stuff such as cannon, etc.) failed, and after Tripoli's shore batteries opened up on her, she was surrendered. Her officers and men became slaves of the Pasha.

It was a humiliating blow for the nascent United States navy and nation.

She was also too great a prize to be allowed to remain in the hands of pirates. Naval commanders decided that she must be recaptured or destroyed. (keep in mind, it took 6+ months for messages to get to the US and back, so commanders on site had great latitude.

On this day, 1804, US Navy Lieutenant Stephen Decatur took the captured Moroccan ketch Mastico (which had been renamed the Intrepid) into Tripoli Harbor. Disguised as a Moroccan vessel, she snuck in at night under the shore batteries of the harbor, approached the PHiladephia, fired her, and quickly fled the scene.

For this daring act, Decatur immediately became a national hero. Quickly promoted to captain for his valor in this act (he volunteered to lead the mission) as well as the prior combat in Tripoli Harbor when he led a boarding party during a bombardment, he remains to this day the youngest person to ever attain the rank of Captain in US Navy history (he was about 25).

Lord Admiral Nelson, hero of Trafalgar, reputedly referred to these events as "the most bold and daring act of the age."

Decatur went on to have a very successful career commanding several frigates, including successes during the War of 1812.

In 1820 Decatur died after a duel with Commodore James Barron, after Barron challenged him due to remakrs made in 1807 relating to Barron's court martial proceedings.

Five US Navy ships have been named the Decatur, as well as forty-six cities and towns in the United States, and countless schools and other public buildings. His former home in Washington DC is a museum, and his portrait appeared on the 1886 US $20 silver certificates.

Bainbridge remained imprisoned until 1806. His negotiated release led a few years later to his rather stunning return to the US Navy, including not just shore duty but command of several frigates. He successful commanded the Constitution during the early part of the war, and then served as second at Decatur's duel. It is rumored that he was jealous of Decatur most of his life due to Decatur's enduring fame.

Bainbridge Island, Washington, and the towns of Bainbridge, Ohio and Bainbridge, Georgia are named after him. Several US navy ships have also been named the Bainbridge.

Is it just me, or are you a few days behind?

Yep. Fell waaaay behind over the long weekend. Am struggling to catch up and keep with it.

I should get even with today by the end of the day.

Okay. Just making sure you didn't go back in a time warp. ;)

Feb 18. Gave advice not to serve indian food to elderly relatives
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I believe that he was showing us the impact of switching from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. Bravo, amnorix. Bravo!

February 17

1753. On this date the conversion of the Julian Calendar to the Gregorian takes effect in Sweden, resulting in the instant jump from February 17 to March 1 of that year. Therefore the dates February 18-28, 1753 never existed in Sweden.

:D

Less important to the conversion of the Swedish calendar on February 17:

1621. Myles STandings is appointed leader of the Plymouth Colony.

1819. The House of Representatives passes the controversial "Missouri Compromise"

1865. Columbia, South Carolina is burned as Confederate forces flee from the coming onslaught of Sherman's Union troops. The question of who is responsible for the burning of the largest city in South Carolina remains controversial.

1867. The first ship passes through the Suez Canal.

1958. Pope Pius XII declares St. Claire of Assisi (~1193-1235) the patron saint of television. (is this for real? This is weird!)

I would've guessed Sally Field.

Saint Isidore, who wrote one of the first Encyclopedias in the middle ages, is often considered the patron saint of the internet.

February 18.

1861. With the unification of Italy almost complete, King Victor Emmanuel II of Piedmont, Savoy and Sardinia proclaims himself King of Italy.

1885. Mark TWain publishes the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

1929. The first Academy Awards are announced.

1943. Goebbels gives the Sportspalast speech, calling for total war.

1954. The first Chuch of Scientology opens in California.

Hey, I'm caught up!

February 19

1807. Former Vice President of the United States Aaron Burr is arrested for treason. He was ultimately acquitted.

1847. The Donner Party is rescued. This amazing tale of a large group of wagon trains heading to California that gets caught in a snowstorm, with some members resorting to cannibalism to survive, gains nationwide attention. The travails of the Donner Party, however, ease the way for migration during the soon-to-occur gold rush, as California funds relief teams that save many lives. Of the 87 original pioneers of the Donner Party, 39 died and 48 survived.

1861. Russia abolishes serfdom.

1878. Edison patents the phonograph.

1942. President Roosevelt signs an executive order allowing Japanese-Americans to be relocated to internment camps.

1943. The Battle of Kasserine Pass in Tunisia. This was teh first meeting of United States army forces against German forces, and the result was a thorough mauling by the Germans. Subsequently, the US realigns its forces and commanders.

February 20. A rather dull one.

1872. The Metropolitan Museum of Art opens in New York City.

1943. Hollywood executives agree to allow censorship by the Office of War Information.

1962. While aboard Friendship 7, part of the Mercury Program, John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the EArth.

February 21.

1848. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish The Communist Manifesto.

1916. The Battle of Verdun begins in France during World War I. Fought until December of that year, it was ultimately a French victory, but the exorbitant cost left a deep impression on the French and Germans of teh horrific cost of war. On both sides there were at least a quarter million soldiers killed, and half a million wounded.

1947. Edwin Land introduces the first instant camera -- the "Polariod Land Camera".

1948. NASCAR is incorporated.

1965. Malcolm X is assassinated.

1972. Nixon goes to China to normalize Sino-American relations.

Feb 22

Halfcan was born- a truely Historic day!!

February 22.

1632. Galileo publishes Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, discussing the Copernican versus the Ptolemiac systems. This ends up on the Vatican's forbidden books list and, less publicly known, as a result, so did everything Galileo had written or would ever write.

1942. President Roosevelt orders General Douglas MacArthur to leave the Philllipines.

1980. The "Miracle on Ice" occurs at the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.

1994. CIA employee Aldrich Ames is charged with spying for the Soviet Union. An analyst in the CIA's Europe Division/Counterintelligence branch, he had high level access to information relating to US agents spying against the Soviets. His leaks were believed to result in comrpomising over 100 US agents, and resulting in the execution of at least 10. Unfortunate and stunning was teh CIA's complete ignorance in not noticing that he had bought a half million dollar home in Virginia with no mortgage, and was driving a Jaguar, and wore tailored-freaking suits to WORK on his relatively modest $60,000 CIA salary. Altogther, Ames was paid $4.6 million by the Soviets.

Recruitment of new Soviet agents also came to almost a complete halt by 1990.

By the early 1990s, unable to identify the mole that they by now knew they had, the CIA swallowed their pride and turned to the FBI to help ferret out the mole. The FBI quickly identifed Ames as a prime suspect, and watched him closely. When Ames was scheduled to visit Moscow on official duty in 1994, the FBI, concerned that he would defect, moved in and made the arrest.

To this day, there is a balance of over $2 million in a Soviet bank account held for Ames' benefit. The Soviets refuse to provide information relating to the bank account to American authorities, asserting that the money was earned and belongs to Ames. It is unclear how he or his heirs will inherit.

Less well known is that their sequel four years later, The Communist Womanifesto, was a much greater commercial success. The novel, subtitled, "To each according to their yearning need, from each according to their burning desire" was a soft-porn novel centering on the formation of a government by a group of female collective workers stranded alone on a desert island.

oh and a guy named George Washington.

Who dat?

February 23. Just a few items today. Insignificant really...

1455. This is the date generally understood to be the date on which the first Gutenberg Bible was published. The method of printing, by moveable type, is quite possibly the most important discovery of teh second millenium given that it led to the profileration of books.

1778. Prussian office Baron von Steuben arrives at Valley Forge and agrees to join the Continental Army. His drilling techniques are critical in saving the undisciplined army in the coming months and years, and his drill manual remains the standard American drill manual for over 30 years until the War of 1812.

1836. The Battle of the Alamo.

1847. The United States crushes the numerically superior Mexicans in the Battle of Buena Vista, one of the more important battles of the Mexican-American war.

1903. Cuba leases Guantanomo Bay to the United States in perpetuity.

1917. The February Revolution begins in St. Petersburg, the first of Russia's cities to experience revolutionary uprisings which will directly lead to the overthrow of the Romanov Dynasty and the fall of the Tsarist system. By October of the same year, a second wave of revolutionary uprisings (the October Revolution) sweeps the Communists into power.

1919. Benito Mussolini forms the Fascist Party in Italy.

1945. During the Battle of Iwo Jima, a group of United States Marines reaches the top of Mount Suribachi and raises the American flag there. The photograph goes on to win the Pulitzer Prize and becomes an enduring symbol in America. It is possibly the most reproduced photograph in history.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ag_raising.jpg

1947. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is founded.

1954. The first mass innoculation of children against polio is begun.

February 24.

1582. Pope Gregory XIII issues the papal bull Inter gravissimas introducing the Gregorian calendar system. Non-Catholic countries refuse to recognize the new system for quite some time (some into the 20th century) resulting in 300 years of occassional confusion and difficulties in coordinating dates among various countries. Further, despite the adoption of the Gregorian calendar for civil purposes, Orthodox countries still use the Julian calendar for religious purposes, resulting in such oddities as different dates for Christmas and Easter among different Christian countries, except, of course, for the Finnish Orthodox Church, which apparently realizing that the rest of the Orthodox Churches are just being juvenile, has in fact adopted the Gregorian calendar.

1803. The United States Supreme Court issues what is quite probably its most important ruling ever in Marbury v. Madison, establishing the concept of judicial review.

1917. The US Ambassador to Great Britian is given the Zimmerman Telegram. This famous telegram was published in full in the United States, and caused a public furor and contributed to the declaration of war by the United States against Germany and its allies on April 6th of that same year. Teh Zimmerman telegram was named after the Foreign Minister of the Imperial German governmnet, who sent the telegram to Mexico offering an alliance with Mexico in the event of the US declaring war against Germany. In return, Germany offered financial support and support for teh return of territories lost in the Mexican-American War.

not-so-distant-in-the-past, couldn't think of a better way to say it than that? Sorry you set off my grammar bug. Right then, on with the sketch.

Well, first I was going to apologize and say that it was literally the last thing I did before turning into bed at nearly midnight last night.

Then I decided I'd rather just tell you to piss off. You don't like it -- don't bother reading my posts.

I deleted the offending language. It was obviously crap, but give me a break. :rolleyes:

If the Germans had actually pulled this off, I'd be mowing lawns for a living today and the Mexicans would be telling me to go back across the border to Kansas. I guess I owe some thanks to General Pershing.

Heh. For relatively obvious reasons, the Mexicans rejected the German offer. German credit was no good except to buy weapons to fight the Americans, and the only significant producer of weapons in the western hemisphere was.....America.

Meanwhile, German goods couldn't be imported because the British and Americans controlled the seas.

Mexico saw it as the empty offer that it really was and rejected it.

February 25.

1836. Samuel Colt receives a patent for his revolver.

1870. Hiram Rhodes Revels, Republican from Mississippi, becomes the first African-American member of Congress (Senate). As of 2009, he is one of only six African-Americans to have ever served in the Senate.

1901. JP Morgan incorporates United States Steel corporation. It was initially capitalized at $1.4 billion, making it the first billion dollar corporation in the world. In its first full year of operations, it produced 67% of all US manufactured steel. Today, it produces only slightly more steel than it produced in that first year, and accounts for only 10% of American steel production. Production peaked in 1953 at 35 million tons, and employment peaked in 1943 (WWII) at 340,000 employees.

1932. That "Bohemian corporal", Adolf Hitler, obtains German citizenship via nationalization, allowing him to run for Reichprasident in that same year.

1933. The USS Ranger is launched, the first US Navy ship to be a fully dedicated aircraft carrier.

February 26.

1815. Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from Elba Island.

1919. By act of the US Congress, the Grand Canyon is established as a National Park.

1951. The 22nd amendment to the US COnstitution is adopted, limiting Presidents to two terms.

1993. A bomb in a truck parked below the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City explodes, killing 6 and injuring over a thousand.

1995. England's oldest investment bank, Barings, collapses as a result of improper trades by a securities broker in Singapore, Nick Leeson, causes it $1.4 billion in losses.

A bit behind----again.

February 27.

1864. The first Union prisoners arrive at Confederate Prison Camp Andersonville. It will quickly obtain a horrendous reputation. The Camp Commandant, Wirz, would become the only person tried and convicted of war crimes in the aftermath of the Civil War, and he would be hanged as a result.

1933. The Reichstag fire occurs in Berlin. The Nazi blame it on Communists, and it quickly leads to the beginning of the elimination of civil liberties and the accretion of martial power in the hands of Hitler and his cronies.

1974. People Magazine is published for the first time.

February 28.

870. The Fourth Council of Constantinople ends. The Council, called by Emperor Basil I and Pope Adrian II, issued 27 canons. It also resulted in deposing Photius, the Patriarch of Constantinople. Later, by order of the Emperor, Photius was reinstated and the Fourth Council annulled. These events resulted ina serious break between the EAstern and Western churches, heightened tensions, and helped led to the Great Schism of 1054.

1827. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad is incorporated, the first railroad to offer transportation to both people and freight.

1844. A gun on the USS Princeton explodes while the boat is on a Potomac River cruise, killing eight Cabinet members and several others. (wow, 8 cabinet members in one shot. Never heard of this story before).

1885. AT&T is incorporated.

1922. The United Kingdom accepts Egypt's independence.

1935. DuPont scientist Wallace Carother's invents Nylon. Rumors of his female foot/leg fetish are unproven.

1953. Watson and Crick report to friends that they have determined the chemical formula of DNA. The formal announcement does not occur until April.

1983. The final episode of MASH appears on TV, becoming the most watched television show in history.

1991. The First Gulf War ends.

1993. The ATF raid the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas. Four agents and five Branch Dividians die, leading to a 51 day standoff.

March 1.

286. Roman Emperor Diocletian raises Maximian to Caesar

293. Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian raise Constantius Chlorus and Galerius as Caesares, beginning the Tetrarchy.

1692. Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne and Tituba are brought before local magistrates in Salem Village, Massachusetts, beginning what would become known as the Salem Witch Trials.

1805. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase is acquitted of his impeachment trial.

1845. President Tyler signs a bill authorizin the United States to annex the Republic of Texas.

1872. Yellowstone National Park is established as the world's first national park.

1873. Remington and Sons begin production of the world's first practical typewriter.

1893. Nikola Tesla makes the first public demonstration of the radio in St. Louis.

1932. The son of Charles Lindbergh is kidnapped.

1936. The Hoover Dam is completed.

1953. Josef Stalin collapses from a stroke, and dies four days later.

1954. The United States detonates Castle Bravo, a 15 megaton nuclear device, at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific. Far more powerful than expected, it was 1,200 times more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and remains to this day the most powerful nuclear bomb detonated by the United States. The unexpected strength of teh bomb leads to the worst radioactive contamination ever caused by the United States, poisoning some native islanders and the crew of a Japanese fishing boat. It also leads to international concern over the dangers of nuclear testing.

1961. The Peace Corps is established.

1974. Seven men are indicted for beraking into the Watergate hotel and obstruction of justice, leading to the Watergate scandal that eventually brings down President Nixon.

:eek: That's amazing.

Yeah, no kidding. I was stunned.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Princeton_(1843)

A more detailed review, however, suggests that it wasn't eight cabinet members, but rather eight people including two cabinet members, and some other senior members of government.

More detail on what went wrong with the gun:

How does stuff like this happen? I'm used to reading about minorities and women being oppressed, but then you'll occasionally read about stuff like this or a woman governor in Wyoming or something, and it kind of muddies up the nice neat picture of the olden days being white men with whips beating on everyone else.

After they seceded, the Southern states lost their seats in the US Congress.

In 1870, Mississippi was still in Reconstruction, but had regained their seats. Accordingly, their legislature was required to elect the 2 senators that would fill the remaining terms of their senators. Back then, the legislatures of the various states elected their senators. Direct election of Senators did not come until much later with the passage of the [mumble] amendment to the Constitution.

The legislatures of the Southern States were dominated during Reconstruction by carpetbaggers from the North, almost inevitably Republicans, and African American Southerners. Accordingly, the choices they made were not exactly in accordance with the wishes of the majority of their citizens.

Once Reconstruction came to a complete end, the "Solid South" became apparent. I looked it up, and Mississippi had exclusively Democratic Senators from 1881-1978...

EDIT: The other Senator the Mississippi legislature appionted was a former Union general. I doubt he would've won a direct election...

March 2.

1071. On an uncertain date in March, 1071, Byzantine Emperor Romanus IV Diogenes personally led an army of 40,000-70,000 troops of mixed nationality out of the gates of Constantinople across the straits and into Anatolia. His object was to suppress the ongoing raids of nomadic tribes of Turkmen who were being directed into the Byzantine lands by the Seljuk Turks in Baghdad and consistently raiding the Christian occupants of the land. In five months, this army would be engaged in the Battle of Manzikert, one of the most significant battles in human history.

1807. By act of Congress, the importation of slaves into the United States is prohibited.

1861. Tsar Alexander II of Russia prohibits slavery, abolishing serfdom in Russia, and leaving the United States as the the last developed nation to engage in the practice.

1933. The film King Kong premiers at Radio City Music Hall.

1949. Captain James Gallagher lands his B-50 Superfortress after completing the first non-stop round-the-world flight in 94 hours and one minute.

1962. Wilt Chamberlain scores 100. The game, between the Warriors and Knicks, was never officially finished after fans storm the court after Wilt scored his 100th point.

March 3.

1820. Congress passes the Missouri Compromise.

1875. The first organized indoor hockey game is played in Montreal, Canada.

1878. Bulgaria regains its independence from the Ottoman Empire.

1918. Russia, Germany and Austro-Hungary sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, ending Russia's involvement in World War I, and granting independence to Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

1924. The 1400 Caliphate is abolished when the current Caliph is deposed. Turkey reorganizes into a Republic under Kemal Ataturk.

1931. The United States officially adopts the Star Spangled Banner as its national anthem.

1938. Oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia.

1991. An amateur video captures the beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles police officers, leading to racial rioting.

I did further research and discovered that it was 8 people that died, including 2 US cabinet members -- the Secretaries of State and the Navy.

I fixed the Wikipedia entry for the day, which is where my first, erroneous, post was sourced from.

March 4.

1238. The Battle of Sit River. The Mongols under Batu Khan (Genghis' grandson) crush the Russians of Grand Prince Yuri II, ending organized resistance to the Mongols. The "Golden Horde" would go on to crush Polish and Hungarian troops as well, and then settle down to rule Rus and the Caucuses for about 250 years.

1461. War of the Roses ends for the moment with the deposing of Lancastrian King Henry VI, who is replaced by his cousin, York King Edward IV.

1629. Massachusetts Bay Colony is granted a royal charter.

1775. On this day, the British in Boston, Massachusetts awaken to find American heavy cannon emplaced on Dorchester Heights, opposite the city. With a commanding range of fire over the city and harbor, the British position is rendered immediately untenable. The victory is the result of American General Henry Knox having led teams of sleds bringing heavy cannon from Fort Ticonderoga (in New York) through the bitter cold New England winter to Boston. At first, the British plan to attack, but bad weather and the potential for a true disaster sink in, and the British abandon the city to the rebels.

1837. Chicago is incorporated as a city.

1861. Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated as President. The newly formed Confederate States adopt their flag, the "stars and bars".

1917. Jeannette Rankin is elected to the US House of Representatives -- the first woman to be so elected. She becomes famous as a pacifist, voting against the United States' entry into World War I and II, being the only memeber of Congress to vote against the latter. Her stance being unpopular, she does not run for reelection.

1957. The S&P 500 is introduced, replacing the S&P 90.

1977. The first Cray 1 Supercomputer is delivered to Los Alamos laboratory. Weighing 5.5 tons (including the built-in freon unit), it was capable of performing at the astounding speed of 80 MFLOPS/second. By comparison, a Pentium 4 2.8 ghz computer can do 2.5 GFLOPS/second, about 31 times faster.

1980. In what is generally acknowledged now as a "really big mistake", Nationalist leader Robert Mugabe wins a sweeping election victory to become the first black Prime Minister of Zimbabwe.

:LOL:

On a side note, I love to say "Zimbabwe".

Stupid split-tail hippie.

Those crazy pacifist Montanans. Of course, she did guarantee herself a place in trivia history for all eternity with her stance...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ef/RankinJ.jpg

Yeah, that's what I figured the twunt looked like.

March 5.

1770. The Boston Massacre occurs. In Boston, Massachusetts, the British have posted a heavy presence of troops, which grates on the colonists' nerves, especially as they often board at the houses of the residents of the city. The troops are there to help enforce the Townshend Acts, which were very unpopular laws designed to take the judiciary out of colonial control and enforce the right to tax colonists. An incident between colonists and troops sparks rioting and attacks on the troops, who fire in self defense, killing five civilians.

The troops who fired were eventually indicted for murder. The colonial government decided to give them a fair trial, so the British could not complain, but no Boston lawyers were willing to represent them for fear of losing clients and being effectively career suicide. Into the breach steps brilliant lawyer, leading patriot and future President John Adams, in the interests of upholding the rule of law. Adams' defense results in several troops being found innocent, and only two soldiers being found guilty of the lesser crime of manslaughter. The events, however, highlight and exacerbate the ongoing tension between the colonies and the mother country -- tensions that would result in the American Revolution in a just a few short years.

The site of the Boston Massacre, which I walk by every day:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...achusetts2.jpg


1836. Samuel Colt makes the first production revolver, a .34 caliber.

1946. In a speech at Westminster College, Missouri, Winston Churchill descirbes the latest events in Europe and with the Soviet Union in particular. In it, he coins the term "Iron Curtain"

At first, the speech is not well received in the West, especially by the public, whose memories of the Soviet Union's alliance with the West against the evils of Nazi Germany are still fresh. Eventually, however, it becomes clear that Churchill's insight was correct.

1953. Soviet dictator Josef Stalin dies.

March 6.

1836. After a 13 day siege by 3,000 Mexican soldiers, the 187 men defending the Alamo are defeated and the fort captured. The few men defending the fort who were not killed in the battle are executed.

1857. Southern sympathizer Chief Justice Taney of the United States Supreme Court hands down the Court's decision in the case of Dred Scott v. Sandford. The case is an immediate sensation, heightening tensions between North and South, and helping to lead to the American Civil War.

CJ Taney, in a woefully misguided attempt to end all dispute regarding the slavery issue that had vexed American politics for over 50 years, handed down an expansive decision that sought to resolve the entire issue. Dred Scott ruled that African Americans that were imported into the United States and their descendants -- whether or not slaves -- were chattel and could never be citizens of the country.

The background of the case was this -- Dred Scott was the slave to a certain doctor, who traveled extensively on business. Among his travels, the doctor went to Northern states that prohibited slavery, including Illinois, and spent time at various forts and other locations in Federal terrotories that prohibited slavery under the Missouri Compromise. After several years of this, and the death of the doctor, Dred Scott sued to be freed, claiming that the time spent in those locations had effectively rendered him a free person under the law.

The Supreme Court ruled against Scott, including such memorable bits of overindulgence as:

As part of the ruling, the Court declared that the Missouri Compromise was Unconstitutional and unenforceable. This was only the second act the Court declared Unconstitutional in its young history -- the first being the famous case of Marbury versus Madison in 1803.

The ruling was considered the latest in a strong push by slavery adherents to extend slavery. Taney's efforts to end the slavery debate had the opposite result -- heightening anti-slavery causes in the North and splitting political parties along geographic/factional lines and splitting the Democratic Party in particular, paving the way for Abraham Lincoln's victory.

The decision had another unintended effect -- the very serious fear that the Supreme Court would next declare, as soon as it had a reasonable opportunity to do so, that no state could declare slavery illegal within its borders. This seriously impacted many Northerners who had been content to let the South have its "peculiar institution" while the North remained slave free. This issue was touched upon in Lincoln's famous "House Divided" speech:

Dred Scott is generally considered, by far, the worst decision the Supreme Court has ever made. Instead of resolving the issue of slavery, it exacerbated tensions over the issue, and was a leading cause of the Civil War.

Chief Justice Roger B. Taney:

http://www.oyez.org/justices/roger_b...it_cropped.jpg

March 7

1876. Alexander Graham Bell is awarded a patent for a newfangled device he calls the "telephone".

1936. In violation of applicable treaties, Germany reoccupies the Rhineland.

1945. American forces seize the Ludendorff Bridge, better known as the Bridge at Remagen. It triggers a weeklong fight between the Germans, trying to knock the bridge out, and Allied forces defending it.

As it's a light day, I'll take a moment to note also that on this day, 321, Roman Emperor Constantine I issues Solis Invicti, decreeing that each week on the day of the Sun God (i.e. Sun Day), would be a day of rest throughout the Empire.

March 8

1655. John Casor becomes the first legally recognized slave for life in the country that will become the United States. In an incredible instance of irony, he is so declared as a result of a legal proceeding brought by his owner -- a freed black man named Anthony Johnson -- one of 20 black men brought to Jamestown in 1619 and who had obtained his freedom by 1623.

If you like that, you may like this better. I was in South Africa last year when the whole election fiasco was happening, and the Zimbabweans were coming across the border in droves. The South Africans called them "Zims". They would say things like, "The Zims are really pretty likeable, and they work hard," or "The Zims seem to be everywhere these days."

I love the name Zims. It's so Seussian.

"Until they fix their own community...."

"It's black on black crime that..."

March 9

1862. A completely inconclusive and inconsequential battle between two ships in the Civil War heralds the dawn of a new era in warships. The USS Monitor battled the CSS Virginia (built in part using the remains of the USS Merrimac) off Hampton Roads, Virginia.

The USS Monitor:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...0px-H59543.jpg

An ungainly, low-in-the-water, barely seaworthy vessell, the Monitor was little more than an armored raft. She had been built very rapidly as a result of the Union's knowledge of the construction of the Virginia as an ironclad. It nearly sank as it was towed into place from Brooklyn to Virginia to ensure that the blockade of Hampton Roads continued. She arrived in the nick of time. On March 8th, the Virginia had come out and sank both the USS Cumberland and the USS Congress, two 50 gun frigates that were on blockade duty. The next day the Virginia slipped her moors and went to destroy the rest of the blockading force, but found the Monitor in her way.

The battle lasted 4 hours, with neither ship seriously damaging the other. At that point, the ships' defenses were far superior to their firepower.

Swamped by high waves while under tow, the Monitor sank on December 31, 1862 with a loss of 16 of her 160 crew members. In 1973, the remains of the wreck were found about 16 nautical miles south of Cape Hatteras. Portions of teh ship have been raised and are on display at the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia.

The CSS Virginia failed in her msision to break the Union blockade, though she sortied out several times to offer battle to the Monitor, which consistently refused after the first fight, and she went on to capture a few merchant vessels.

The CSS Virginia:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...a1862.2.ws.jpg

On the first day of the Battle of Hampton Roads, the Virginia sank the USS Cumberland by ramming her, but in sinking, the Cumberland performed a final service by breaking off the Virginia's ram. The first day of battle also did damage to the Virginia's smokestack, reducing her already pathetically slow speed.

Requiring a much deeper draft than the Monitor, and being a much slower vessel, the Virginia was unable to reenage the Monitor, which stayed in the shoals, despite various efforts to offer battle. On May 10, 1862, with the Union Army engaged in McClelland's Peninsula Campaign, Norfolk, Virginia was occupied (see side-story below). Unable to advance further up the James River due to her deep draft, and not sufficiently seaworthy for the open seas, the Virginia was blown up to prevent her capture.


Peninsula Campaign / Norfolk Side Story. The capture of Norfolk, Virginia, is in itself a fascinating little historical nugget. The port at Hampton Roads is one of the best in the world, and the current home of the US Navy's Norfolk Navy Base. While engaged in the Peninsula Campaign, Union Commander General McClelland was visited by President Lincoln, Secretary of War Stanton and Secretary of the Treasury Salmon Chase, who arrived at Fort Monroe on May 6th. McClellan, whose arrogance match that of any US military leader before or after, claimed he was too busy to meet the President and Secretary of War.

Lincoln strongly felt that Norfolk was vulnerable and could be captured. He very much wanted it captured for the benefit of the Navy, but being ignored by McClellan, decided to undertake the mission himself. He ordered a naval bombardment on shore and then -- incredibly -- after consulting with a local pilot familiar with the shore region, did a personal reconnaissance of the opposing shore, along with the two cabinet members in order to find an unopposed landing point. Troops were ferried across the river, and the troops entered the city a day or two later, encountering little resistance.

Thus, President Lincoln himself was directly responsible for the capture of Newport, Virginia, the loss of that key port to the Confederates (it remained in Union hands for the rest of the war), and the destruction of the CSS Virginia. And in the words of Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase:

"So ended a brilliant week's campaign by the President."

http://www.norfolkhistorical.org/highlights/46.html

March 10

241 BC. The naval forces of the Republic of Rome soundly defeat the Carthaginian navy off the west coast of Sicily in the Battle of the Aegates Islands, bringing the first Punic War to a successful conclusion.

1804. In St. Louis, Missouri, a ceremony is held to transfer ownership of the Lousiana Territory from France to the United States.

1848. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is completed, ending the Mexican-American War. The US, having crushed Mexico in the war, dictates the terms of treaty, which involve the US paying Mexico $15 million in exchange for approximately 525,000 square miles, or about 55% of Mexico's pre-war territory (excluding Texas), being ceded to the US. The US also agreed to honor Mexican citizens' property rights in the affected region, but then went on to mostly ignore this requirement. The ceded area consisted of all of what is now California, Nevada and Utah and parts of what are now Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Wyoming.

http://amhist.ist.unomaha.edu/module...upeHidalgo.gif

1876. The first successful telephone call is made by Alexander Graham Bell who states "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you."

March 11.

1708. Queen Anne withholds consent for the Scottish Militia Bill -- the last time a monarch of England vetoes legislation.

1941. President Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease Act.

1942. Specifiically ordered to do so by President Roosevelt, General Douglas MacArthur leaves Corregidor and heads for Melbourne, Australia.

Has the monarch retained the technical ability to veto legislation in England since then? If so, that's a remarkably long time.

It appears that nothing has been done to eliminate that right from the Monarch, so as a technical matter they could in fact veto any bill passed by Parliament.

Having lain dormant for 300 years, however, I suspect that any such act at this point in time would trigger a very unpleasant result.

March 12.

1894. In Vicksburg, Mississippi, Coca-Cola is sold for the first time.

1938. German troops "peaceably" occupy Austria, completing the Anschluss for all intents and purposes. Annexation of Austria to Germany is announced the next day.

1947. The Truman Doctrine is proclaimed, aimed at thwarting the spread of Communism.

Would anyone be interested in a detailed account of the fall of Constantinople? I'm debating doing this, but I'm wondering if I want to set myself up for doing that much work. If I don't get a positive response, I have an easy out. :D If I do, I will at least consider it.

Istanbul. Istanbul. Istanbul!

Not when it fell it wasn't. :D

So is that a yes?

No, it is not a yes.

I was, of course, referring to this song:

Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night

Every gal in Constantinople
Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople
So if you've a date in Constantinople
She'll be waiting in Istanbul

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way

So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks

Istanbul (Istanbul)
Istanbul (Istanbul)

Even old New York was once New Amsterdam
Why they changed it I can't say
People just liked it better that way

Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks

So take me back to Constantinople
No, you can't go back to Constantinople
Been a long time gone, Constantinople
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks

Istanbul

I'm interested, but don't go to a huge amount of trouble just on my account.

I love that song. Actually, I'm a big fan of They Might Be Giants.

March 13.

1638. The so called "New College" in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which had been formed only two years earlier, receives a bequeath of 779 pounds (half of the decedent's estate) and 400 books from the recently deceased John Harvard, who had been friends of the school's first schoolmaster, Nathaniel Eaton. As a result, the college is renamed in his honor -- Harved College. It was subsequently renamed Harvard University in 1780.

1865. The Confederate States of America, in a moment of supreme irony, agree to the use of African American troops. This notwithstanding Georgian Confederate leader Howell Cobb's previously proclamation that "if slaves make good soldiers, our entire theory of slavery is wrong."

1925. The State of Tennessee passes a new law, called the Butler Act:

The law paves the way for a teacher who intentionally violated the law at the behest of the ACLU which agreed to fund his defense. The teacher was John Scopes, and the trial that resulted would become famous -- the Scopes Trial.

1943. The Nazi SS begins the final elimination of the Jews in the Krakow Ghetto in Poland. Originally housing 60-80 thousand Jews, after completion of this task all Jews have either been sent to labor sites, concentration camps, or been murdered on site.

1954. The Battle of Dien Bien Phu begins in Vietnam. Lasting nearly two months, the battle ends in a decisive defeat for occupying French forces. The French defeat is primarily due to their serious underestimation of the native Vietnamese, their possession of heavy artillery, and their ability to move such artillery through very difficult terrain into the hills surrounding the French base.

1962. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lyman Lemnitzer presents the plan for Operation Northwoods to Secretary of Defense McNamara. The plan proposes that the CIA conduct acts or fake acts of terrorism in American cities and around Guantanomo Bay to justify US military involvement in Cuba. The report is rejected and Lemnitzer is sacked. The proposal comes to light in 1997 as a result of inquiries into JFK's death.

1986. Microsoft IPO's. Regrettably, Amnorix does not participate. Reportedly, Rain Man participates early, but gets out quick after making a killing -- doubling his money!! If he'd only held on he may have been able to buy all of Madagascar and visit it as often as he likes, and have a whole fleet of bikes with a SWAT team of former FBI agents to defend them from local ne'er-do-wells.

March 14. Slow day.

1794. Eli Whitney is granted a patent for the cotton gin. While a tremendous innovative development that turns cotton into a cash king, it has the unfortunate side effect of making slavery a much more profitable institution.

1942. Anne Miller becomes the first patient to be successfully treated with penicillin.

March 15.

44 BC. Beware the Ides of March. Julius Caesar is murdered by Brutus and several other Roman Senators.

1493. Christopher Columbus returns to Spain after his first trip to the Americas.

1545. The Council of Trent convenes for the first time. One of the most important ecumenical councils of the Catholic Church, it is the last to be held for nearly 300 years.

1783. George Washington, in Newburgh, New York, makes a plea to his army and officers not to support the Newburgh Conspiracy -- a proposed coup d'etat by many of the army's soldiers and officers to ensure that they are paid the many years of back pay they are owed. His plea succeeds and the plot is abandoned.

1939. After the Nazi German annexation of the Sudentenland in the fall of the previous year, Germany marches into the now essentially defenseless remainder of Czechoslovakia (Bohemia and Moravia) and incorporates the rest of the country with nary a shot fired.

1952. In Ciliaos, Reunion, an island in the Indian Ocean to the East of Madagascar, 73 inches of rain falls in one day, setting a new world record (that we only hope is never broken. Yeesh)

Holy crap.

March 16.

597 BC. King Nebuchadnezzar the Great, King of Babylon, captures Jerusalem for the first time, displacing Jehoiachin as King and putting in his stead Zedekiah. The Jewish state was then a tributary to Babylon. Zedekiah foments rebellion, allying with the Pharoah of Egypt to try to throw off the Babylonian chains. The Babylonians bring their host, and reportedly besiege Jerusalem for 30 months before capturing it for a second time. As a result, Zedekiah sees his sons put to death before his eyes are put out and he is carried to Babylon in chains to remain in captivity until his death. Jerusalem itself is razed to the ground, the First Temple (a/k/a Solomon's Temple) is destroyed, The Ark of the Covenant is lost to history, and the population of Judah is dispersed amongst the Babylonian Empire.

1521. Ferdinand Magellan, having gone through the Straits now named after him, arrives in the Phillipines -- the first European to do so -- where he is soon to die, never having completed the round-the-world voyage for which he is famous.

1621. Samoset, a Native American, makes first contact with the pilgrims at Plymouth, Massachusetts.

1812. British and Portugese forces besieging French troops in the city of Badajoz, Spain, finally win. After a long and arduous siege, the British troops under Wellington completely lose military discipline, sacking, pillaging and raping the city for the next three days.

1861. Edward Clark becomes governor of Texas, replacing Sam Houston who was ousted from office for refusing to take an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy.

1935. Adolf Hitler orders Germany to rearm, in violation of the Versailles Treaty. Conscription is reintroduced to bolster the Wehrmacht. The British and French sit on their thumbs like fools.

1968. The My Lai massacre occurs. 350-500 Vietnamese villagers -- men, women and children -- are killed by American troops. Some were sexually assaulted, and others mutilated. Of the 26 soldiers originally charged, only one is convicted, William Calley, and he serves only three years of his lifetime sentence. When the incident comes to light a year later, it has deep repercussions both in the United States, where waning support for the war takes a huge hit, and internationally.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai_massacre

The army's effort to suppress the incident goes unpunished.

1984. William Buckley, CIA station chief in Beirut, Lebanon, is kidnapped by Islamic Fundamentalists, and later dies in captivitiy.

1995. Mississippi formally ratifies the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, becoming the last state to directly approve the abolition of slavery and thereby joining the latter half of the 19th century just before the 20th century ends. :shake: