Wednesday, February 7, 2024

This Date in History - February 7

 

Happy birthday to Ashton Kutcher, turning 46 today.  It's all downhill from here.

457:  LEO I THE THRACIAN BECOMES EMPEROR OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE.

What is a Thracian?  Is that like the Kiwanis?

1497:  THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES OCCURS, DURING WHICH SUPPORTERS OF GIROLAMO SAVONAROLA BURN COSMETICS, ARTS, AND BOOKS IN FLORENCE, ITALY.

Wait!   Wasn't that a book that came out in the 80s?

1783:  THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION - FRENCH AND SPANISH FORCES LIFT THE GREAT SIEGE OF GIBRALTAR.   

Like a rock.

1795:  THE 11TH AMENDMENT TO THE US CONSTITUTION IS RATIFIED. 

If that happened today, half the country would hate the news.

1812:  THE STRONGEST IN A SERIES OF EARTHQUAKES STRIKES MISSOURI.

Missouri????

1812:  AUTHOR CHARLES DICKENS IS BORN.

It was the best of times.

1819:  SIR THOMAS STAMFORD RAFFLES LEAVES SINGAPORE AFTER JUST TAKING IT OVER.

Raffles obviously loses interest quickly.

1854:  A LAW IS APPROVED TO FOUND THE SWISS FEDERAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY.

Hot chocolate for everybody!

1867:  AUTHOR LAURA INGALLS WILDER IS BORN.

In the Little Maternity Ward on the Prairie.

1898:  EMILE ZOLA IS BROUGHT TO TRIAL FOR LIBEL FOR PUBLISHING J'ACCUSE.

J'accuse yourself.

1904:  A FIRE IN BALTIMORE, MARYLAND DESTROYS OVER 1,500 BUILDINGS IN 30 HOURS.

That's an awful lot of claims adjusting.

1907:  THE MUD MARCH IS THE FIRST LARGE PROCESSION ORGANIZED BY THE NATIONAL UNION OF WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE SOCIETIES.

I'd prefer a Mud Fight.

1940:  THE SECOND FULL-LENGTH DISNEY CARTOON, PINOCCHIO, PREMIERES.

The whale always scares me.

1944:  WORLD WAR II - IN ANZIO, ITALY, GERMAN FORCES LAUNCH A COUNTEROFFENSIVE DURING THE ALLIED OPERATION SHINGLE.

Enjoy it while it lasts, Nazis.

1951:  MORE THAN 700 SUSPECTED COMMUNIST SYMPATHIZERS ARE BUTCHERED BY SOUTH KOREAN FORCES.

Hey, in the US, they only denied them jobs in Hollywood.

1962:  COUNTRY SINGER GARTH BROOKS IS BORN.

Throw your hat in the air.

1962:  THE UNITED STATES BANS ALL CUBAN IMPORTS AND EXPORTS.

If this law had been maintained, there would be no Yasiel Puig.

1978:  ACTOR ASHTON KUTCHER IS BORN.

I hear he's a really nasty guy.

1979:  GERMAN OFFICER JOSEF MENGELE DIES.

Now I know he was a really nasty guy.

1979:  PLUTO MOVES INSIDE NEPTUNE'S ORBIT FOR THE FIRST TIME.

The planet not the dog.

1984:  US ASTRONAUTS MCCANDLESS AND STEWART MAKE THE FIRST UNTETHERED SPACE WALK DURING THE SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM.

Untethered?   Well, that's scary.

1990:  THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SOVIET COMMUNIST PARTY AGREES TO GIVE UP ITS MONOPOLY ON POWER.

Well it was fun while it lasted.

1995:  RAMZI YOUSEF, THE MASTERMIND OF THE 1993 WORLD TRADE CENTER BOMBING, IS ARRESTED IN PAKISTAN.

And tortured, I hope.

1997:  NeXT merges with Apple Computer, starting the path to Mac OS X.

And a line in the Apple store no doubt.

2000:  MAGICIAN DOUG HENNING DIES.

So much for the magic of illusion.

2001:  ACTRESS DALE EVANS DIES.

The last happy trail.

2001:  ANNE MORROW LINDBERGH DIES.

Yeah, your hubby was a really nasty guy, too.

2013:  THE US STATE OF MISSISSIPPI CERTIFIES THE 13TH AMENDMENT, BECOMING THE LAST STATE TO APPROVE THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY.

Well, you had a good run, too.

2017:  ACTOR RICHARD HATCH DIES.

Down the...

2019:  BASEBALL STAR FRANK ROBINSON DIES.

Of the 1969 World Champion Orioles...no, wait...recalculating.

2019:  ACTOR ALBERT FINNEY DIES.

Star of much-overrated Best Picture of 1964 "Tom Jones."

Dinner last night:  Salad.

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