Wednesday, August 7, 2019

This Date in History - August 7

Happy birthday, Newman....

461: ROMAN EMPEROR MAJORIAN IS BEHEADED FOLLOWING HIS ARREST AND DEPOSITION BY THE MAGISTER MILITUM RICIMER.

 There's an awful lot of "Ms" in that sentence.

1420:  CONSTRUCTION OF THE DOME OF SANTA MARIA DEL FIORE BEGINS IN FLORENCE.

So when do the Florence Astros get to play there?

1427:  THE VISCONTI OF MILAN'S FLEET IS DESTROYED BY THE VENETIANS ON THE PO RIVER.

A blind-ing battle.  Okay, you try to be funny on a blog every day.

1782:  GEORGE WASHINGTON ORDERS THE CREATION OF THE BADGE OF MILITARY MERIT TO HONOR SOLDIERS WOUNDED IN BATTLE.  IT IS LATER RENAMED THE PURPLE HEART.

Not a bad move by a guy who had more white hair than Barbara Bush.

1780:  THE US DEPARTMENT OF WAR IS ESTABLISHED.

That's because they have all these Purple Hearts in the warehouse.

1794:  US PRESIDENT GEORGE WASHINGTON INVOKES THE MILITIA ACTS OF 1782 TO SUPPRESS THE WHISKEY REBELLION.

And that's all because they have all these Purple Hearts in the warehouse.

1876:  SPY MATA HARI IS BORN.

Except she was hiding and nobody knew it.

1884: ACTRESS BILLIE BURKE IS BORN.

The Good Witch.

 1879:  THE OPENING OF THE POOR MAN'S PALACE IN MANCHESTER, ENGLAND.

Not a home we will ever see on Downton Abbey.

1890:  ANNA MANSDOTTER BECOMES THE LAST WOMAN IN SWEDEN TO BE EXECUTED.

So there have been no crimes committed by Swedish women since???

1909:  ALICE HUYLER RAMSEY AND THREE FRIENDS BECOME THE FIRST WOMEN TO COMPLETE A TRANSCONTINENTAL AUTO TRIP, GOINGFROM NEW YORK TO SAN FRANCISCO IN 59 DAYS.

The original female buddy/road trip movie.  Thelma and Louise, take note.

1927:  ACTOR CARL SWITZER IS BORN.

Alfalfa!!!

1927:  THE PEACE BRIDGE OPENS BETWEEN ONTARIO AND BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

Peace indeed.  How much is the toll?

1930:  THE LAST CONFIRMED LYNCHING OF BLACKS IN THE NORTHERN US OCCURS IN MARION, INDIANA.

The key word here is "confirmed."

1940:  ALSACE-LORRAINE IS ANNEXED BY THE THIRD REICH.

For those Nazis who like skiing and cheese.

1942:  SINGER BJ THOMAS IS BORN.

It would be poetic if he was born in a field.  And it was raining.

1942:  THE BATTLE OF GUADALCANAL BEGINS.  US MARINES INITIATE THE FIRST AMERICAN OFFENSIVE OF WORLD WAR II.

Paging John Wayne....

1947:  THOR HEYERDAHL'S RAFT, THE KON-TIKI, SMASHES INTO A REEF AFTER A 11010 DAY JOURNEY ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

No Tiki, no......

1955:  ACTOR WAYNE KNIGHT IS BORN.

He was also in the movie "Porky's"  And that makes total sense.

1955:  TOKYO TELECOMMINICATIONS ENGINEERING, THE PRECURSOR TO SONY, SELLS ITS FIRST TRANSISTOR RADIOS IN JAPAN.

How did you listen to the radio at the beach before this??

1957:  ACTOR OLIVER HARDY DIES.

The ultimate fine mess.

1959:  THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL DESIGN ON THE US PENNY GOES INTO CIRCULATION.  

Back when you could actually buy something with a penny.

1964:  THE US CONGRESS PASSES THE GULF OF TONKIN RESOLUTION GIVING PRESIDENT LYNDON B. JOHNSON BROAD WAR POWERS TO DEAL WITH NORTH VIETNAMESE ATTACKS ON AMERICAN FORCES.

Yeah, that was a good idea.

1966:  RACE RIOTS OCCUR IN LANSING, MICHIGAN.

Why not?  They were everywhere else.

1972:  ACTRESS JOI LANSING DIES.

An actress well known for having breasts that reached from Santa Monica to Pasadena.  Poetically, she died of breast cancer.

1974:  PHILIPPE PETIT PERFORMS A HIGH WIRE ACT BETWEEN THE TWIN TOWERS OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER.

Check out the documentary on this stunt.  "Man on Wire."

1978:  US PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER DECLARES A FEDERAL EMERGENCY AT LOVE CANAL DUE TO TOXIC WASTE THAT HAD BEEN NEGLIGENTLY DISPOSED OF.

It's the same thing that Hollywood does every Friday at our local multiplexes.

1985:  TAKAO DOI, MAMORU MOHRI, AND CHIAKI MUKAI ARE CHOSEN TO BE JAPAN'S FIRST ASTRONAUT.

Can you freeze dry sushi?

2005:  JOURNALIST PETER JENNINGS DIES.

I hope this was ABC's lead story for the day.

2007:  BARRY BONDS OF THE SF GIANTS BREAKS BASEBALL GREAT HANK AARON'S RECORD BY HITTING HIS 756TH HOME RUN.

The history books acknowledge this.  I do not.

2008:  PRODUCER BERNIE BRILLSTEIN DIES.

Outliving original client John Belushi by more than 3o years.

2012:  CRITIC JUDITH CRIST DIES.

So what's the review on that, Judith?

2017:  BASEBALL STAR DON BAYLOR DIES.

No, he did not open the college.

Dinner last night:  Ham and swiss panini.

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