This Date in History - August 1

Not many blogs are leading off with a picture of Gregg Jefferies today.  But, mine is.  Happy birthday, kid.  Except you're not really a kid anymore, are you?

10 BC:  ROMAN EMPEROR CLAUDIUS IS BORN.

I, Alive.

69:  THE BATAVIANS IN GERMANIA INFERIOR REVOLT UNDER THE LEADERSHI OF GAIUS JULIUS CIVILIS.

Years later, Hitler started Germania Superior.

527:  JUSTINIAN I BECOMES THE SOLE RULER OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE.

Ending the previous Byzantine rule by committee.

607:  ONO NO IMOKO IS DISPATCHED AS ENVOY TO THE SUI COURT IN CHINA.

SUI?  Sleeping under the influence?  Oh, no, no, no.

1192:  RICHARD THE LIONHEART LANDED ON JAFFA AND DEFEATED THE ARMY OF SALADIN. 

Saladin?  Have Spear, Will Travel.

1498:  CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS BECOMES THE FIRST EUROPEAN TO VISIT WHAT IS NOW VENEZUELA.

That's his problem.

1664:  THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE IS DEFEATED IN THE BATTLE OF SAINT GOTTHARD BY AN AUSTRIAN ARMY LED BY RAIMONDO MONTECUCCOLI, RESULTED IN THE PEACE OF VASVAR.

Gee, world history sure does have a lot of big words.

1779:  LYRICIST FRANCIS SCOTT KEY IS BORN.

Oh, say, can you see......

1800:  THE ACT OF UNION 1800 IS PASSED IN WHICH MERGES THE KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND THE KINGDOM OF IRELAND INTO THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND.

Yeah, let me know how that works out.

1819:  AUTHOR HERMAN MELVILLE IS BORN.

You called me Moby What????

1831:  A NEW LONDON BRIDGE OPENS.

My fair lady....

1834:  SLAVERY IS ABOLISHED IN THE BRITISH EMPIRE AS THE SLAVERY ABOLITION ACT 1833 COMES INTO FORCE.

Beating the United States to the punch as usual.

1838:  NON-LABOURER SLAVES IN MOST OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE ARE EMANCIPATED.

That took four years?

1840:  LABOURER SLAVES IN MOST OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE ARE EMANCIPATED.

That took six years???

1842:  THE LOMBARD STREET RIOT ERUPTS IN PHILADELPHIA.

The earliest recorded sale of Nike Sneakers.

1876:  COLORADO IS ADMITTED AS THE 38TH US STATE.

If they insist...

1903:  CALAMITY JANE DIES.

The ultimate calamity.

1914:  GERMANY DECLARES WAR ON RUSSIA AT THE OPENING OF WORLD WAR I.

They didn't order all those pointy helmets for nothing.

1933:  ACTOR DOM DE LUISE IS BORN.

That must have been one big baby.

1936:  DESIGNER YVES SAINT LAURENT IS BORN. 

YSL's DOB.

1942:  GRATEFUL DEAD MUSICIAN JERRY GARCIA IS BORN.

And to think he later became a flavor of ice cream at Ben and Jerry's.

1944:  THE WARSAW UPRISING AGAINST THE NAZI OCCUPATION BREAKS OUT IN POLAND.

"Take that-ski!"

1957:  THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA FORM THE NORTH AMERICAN AIR DEFENSE COMMAND OR NORAD.

Remembering the movie "War Games."  "Shall we play a game?"

1960:  ISLAMABAD IS DECLARED THE FEDERAL CAPITAL OF PAKISTAN.

And now it's Islamaverybad.

1964:  THE BELGIAN CONGO IS RENAMED THE REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO.

So is it now also Republic of the Congo Waffles?

1966:  CHARLES WHITMAN KILLS 16 PEOPLE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN BEFORE BEING KILLED BY THE POLICE.

Shooting people at random.  A true Whitman Sampler.

1967:  BASEBALL STAR GREGG JEFFERIES IS BORN.

Which makes him 21 when he helps to get the Mets into the playoffs in 1988.

1977:  SPY PLANE PILOT FRANCIS GARY POWERS DIES.

You, too?

1981:  MTV BEGINS BROADCASTING IN THE UNITED STATES.

And thus shortens the attention span of our youth forever.

1981:  WRITER PADDY CHAYEFSKY DIES.

The writer of "Marty" and "Network."  A tragic loss.

2004:  A SUPERMARKET FIRE KILLS 396 PEOPLE AND INJURES 450 IN PARAGUAY.

They left over 800 people into a supermarket at one time?  How do you even manage to get a shopping cart?

2007:  THE I-35W MISSISSIPPI RIVER BRIDGE IN MINNEAPOLIS COLLAPSES DURING THE EVENING RUSH HOUR.

Because it would be too easy to do it at 2AM in the morning.

2007:  IRISH FOLK SINGER TOMMY MAKEM DIES.

Now makem dust.

Dinner last night:  Super Dodger Dog at the game.