This day in history
Today, 25 May, was quite a day in history. Of course, every day of the year is the anniversary of something.
On this day in 1961, JFK proposed sending a man to the moon. On that same day in 1961, the X-15 rocket plane reached 100,000 feet. On this day in 585 BC, Thales was the first man (in recorded history) to predict an eclipse. (There are claims, with only the vaguest of documentation, that somebody in China predicted an eclipse within a century or so either way of 585BC.)
On this day in 1787, the US opened a convention to write a new constitution. (Most Americans don't realize that we had a country, a government, and several presidents before George Washington.) On this day in 1925, the Scopes Monkey Trial began. (Most people do not know that this was a publicity stunt by the ACLU. Scopes had never taught evolution and volunteered to be the defendant. The town did the trial in the hope of tourist dollars.)
There were two Civil War battles on 25 May, one in 1862 (Winchester, Virginia) and one in 1864 (New Hope Church, Georgia). But then, it's hard to find a day without some Civil War skirmish, or the birthday of some Civil War general.
Naval history scored two notable points today. In 1878, Gilbert & Sullivan's "HMS Pinafore" premiered in London, and in 1919, the US Navy completed the first trans-Atlantic airplane crossing (using flying boats that landed at sea to refuel from warships stationed for the purpose).
Army history is not left out. On this day in 1940, the German invasion of France reached the English Channel, cutting the armies defending that country in half and trapping the British at Dunkirk. What most people don't know is that 2/3 of the troops rescued from French beaches were French troops who promptly went back home and surrendered. (DeGaulle, then an insignificant two-star general, stayed in England with a few thousand "Free French".) On this day in 1949, the Chinese Red Army occupied Shanghai, and on this date in 1953, the US Army's huge 11" atomic cannon fired its first and only nuclear artillery shell. Non-nuclear ammunition for these cannons was still in the stockpile during the Reagan Administration, and plans existed to have Navy 16" guns fire the shells with special fiberglass sabots (fillers) for extended range. Never happened, but heck, it's a fun story.
All in all, I think I like the Eclipse thing best. It was the time we decided we were going to understand our universe, not just wait to be surprised by it.
On this day in 1961, JFK proposed sending a man to the moon. On that same day in 1961, the X-15 rocket plane reached 100,000 feet. On this day in 585 BC, Thales was the first man (in recorded history) to predict an eclipse. (There are claims, with only the vaguest of documentation, that somebody in China predicted an eclipse within a century or so either way of 585BC.)
On this day in 1787, the US opened a convention to write a new constitution. (Most Americans don't realize that we had a country, a government, and several presidents before George Washington.) On this day in 1925, the Scopes Monkey Trial began. (Most people do not know that this was a publicity stunt by the ACLU. Scopes had never taught evolution and volunteered to be the defendant. The town did the trial in the hope of tourist dollars.)
There were two Civil War battles on 25 May, one in 1862 (Winchester, Virginia) and one in 1864 (New Hope Church, Georgia). But then, it's hard to find a day without some Civil War skirmish, or the birthday of some Civil War general.
Naval history scored two notable points today. In 1878, Gilbert & Sullivan's "HMS Pinafore" premiered in London, and in 1919, the US Navy completed the first trans-Atlantic airplane crossing (using flying boats that landed at sea to refuel from warships stationed for the purpose).
Army history is not left out. On this day in 1940, the German invasion of France reached the English Channel, cutting the armies defending that country in half and trapping the British at Dunkirk. What most people don't know is that 2/3 of the troops rescued from French beaches were French troops who promptly went back home and surrendered. (DeGaulle, then an insignificant two-star general, stayed in England with a few thousand "Free French".) On this day in 1949, the Chinese Red Army occupied Shanghai, and on this date in 1953, the US Army's huge 11" atomic cannon fired its first and only nuclear artillery shell. Non-nuclear ammunition for these cannons was still in the stockpile during the Reagan Administration, and plans existed to have Navy 16" guns fire the shells with special fiberglass sabots (fillers) for extended range. Never happened, but heck, it's a fun story.
All in all, I think I like the Eclipse thing best. It was the time we decided we were going to understand our universe, not just wait to be surprised by it.
posted by Federation Commander at 12:10 PM
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