This Date in History - April 25

Happy birthday, Godfather.

404 BC:  DURING THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR, LYSANDER'S SPARTAN ARMIES DEFEATED THE ATHENIANS AND THE WAR ENDS.

Peloponnesian?  Hmm.  Reminds me of that Honeymooners episodes where Ralph talks about a bunch of poloponies.

1134:  THE NAME ZAGREB WAS MENTIONED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE FELICIAN CHARTER RELATING TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ZAGREB BISHOPRIC AROUND 1094.

It's crap like that that explains why I never paid any attention in World History class.

1607:  DURING THE EIGHTY YEARS' WAR, THE DUTCH FLEET DESTROYS THE ANCHORED SPANISH FLEET AT GIBRALTAR.

Eighty years?   That's a lot of bullets.

1644:  THE CHONGZHEN EMPEROR, THE LAST EMPEROR OF MING DYNASTY CHINA, COMMITS SUICIDE DURING A PEASANT REBELLION LED BY LI ZICHENG.

Peasant rebellion?  #OccupyChongzhen?

1792:  HIGHWAYMAN NICOLAS J. PELLETIER BECOMES THE FIRST PERSON EXECUTED BY GUILLOTINE.

Way a head of his time.

1792:  LA MARSEILLAISE (THE FRENCH NATIONAL ANTHEM) IS COMPOSED BY CLAUDE JOSEPH ROUGET DE LISLE.

I wonder if highwayman Pelletier ever got to hear it.

1829:  CHARLES FREMANTLE ARRIVES IN HMS CHALLENGER OFF THE COAST OF MODERN-DAY WESTERN AUSTRALIA PRIOR TO DECLARING THE SWAN RIVER COLONY FOR THE UNITED KINGDOM.

This is the Challenger ship that didn't blow up in space.

1846:  OPEN CONFLICT BEGINS OVER THE DISPUTED BORDER OF TEXAS, TRIGGERING THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN WAR.

And as if it was ripped from today's headlines.

1847:  THE LAST SURVIVORS OF THE DONNER PARTY ARE OUT OF THE WILDERNESS.

Frankly, in today's terms, you're never completely out of the woods.

1859:  BRITISH AND FRENCH ENGINEERS BREAK GROUND FOR THE SUEZ CANAL.

England and France working together?  Somebody calls Ripley's.

1861:  DURING THE CIVIL WAR, THE UNION ARMY ARRIVES IN WASHINGTON DC.

There goes any vacancies at the Holiday Inn.

1898:  THE UNITED STATES DECLARES WAR ON SPAIN.

I do it with Mexico every single time I go to my local car wash.

1901:  NEW YORK BECOMES THE FIRST US STATE TO REQUIRE AUTOMOBILE LICENSE PLATES.

So prisoners at Sing Sing finally have something to do during the day.

1916:  THE UNITED KINGDOM DECLARES MARTIAL LAW IN IRELAND.

Can you really blame them?

1917:  SINGER ELLA FITZGERALD IS BORN.

And one of her legs lived longer than the other.

1932:  BASKETBALL PLAYER MEADOWLARK LEMON IS BORN.

Jack's brother.

1939:  DC COMICS GIVES BIRTH TO BATMAN.

How did they ever get the Batmobile down that birth canal?

1940:  ACTOR AL PACINO IS BORN.

Just you think you're in the womb, they pull you right out.

1944:  THE UNITED NEGRO COLLEGE FUND IS INCORPORATED.

And it still exists.  Even with that now verboten word.

1945:  THE NAZI OCCUPATION ARMY SURRENDERS AND LEAVES NORTHERN ITALY.  BENITO MUSSOLINI'S PUPPET FASCIST REGIME DISSOLVES.

Bye, bye, Adolf.  Arrivederci, Benny.

1953:  FRANCIS CRICK AND JAMES D. WATSON PUBLISH "MOLECULAR STRUCTURE OF NUCLEIC ACIDS" DESCRIBING THE DOUBLE HELIX STRUCTURE OF DNA.

It's crap like this that explains why I never paid attention in Biology either.

1960:  THE US NAVY SUBMARINE USS TRITON COPLETES THE FIRST SUBMERGED CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF THE GLOBE.

Even Michael Phelps came up for air once in a while.

1972:  ACTOR GEORGE SANDERS DIES.

He killed himself.  All About Suicide.

1982:  ISRAEL COMPLETES ITS WITHDRAWAL FROM THE SINAI PENINSULA PER THE CAMP DAVID ACCORDS.

It wasn't worth the papyrus it was written on.

1983:  PIONEER 10 TRAVELS BEYOND PLUTO'S ORBIT.

Does Mickey and Goofy know about this?

1995:  GAME SHOW HOST ART FLEMING DIES.

Undertakers for $50.

1995:  ACTRESS GINGER ROGERS DIES.

Swing Time is up.

2007:  BORIS YELTSIN IS BURIED.

Hopefully it was after he died.

2009:  ACTRESS BEATRICE ARTHUR DIES.

God finally got you for that, Maude.

2010:  ACTRESS DOROTHY PROVINE DIES.

It's now a dead, dead, dead, dead world.

Dinner last night:  Three pasta plate at Becco's.