Our trip to Phoenix was good, though it ended quickly. While I don’t much like to fly (and I’ve made no secret of that), the flights were quite smooth. Our son is doing well…we got to see his apartment for the first time, and it’s pretty nice. I really like the stark beauty of the [...]
Archive for August, 2010
It’s Official – Women can Vote!!
Posted in Twentieth century (1901-1960), United States, tagged 1920, Bainbridge Colby, Nineteenth Amendment, Suffrage, U.S. Constitution on August 26 | 1 Comment »
A week ago, we talked about the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Remember what it was…without looking back? Of course you do. It’s the Amendment that granted women the right to vote. On August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the Amendment, making it law. And on this day (August 26, [...]
Eric Sevareid Gets the Scoop on Jungle Living
Posted in China/Burma/India, World War II (1939-1945), tagged 1943, Burma, C-46 Dakota, Eric Sevareid, Naga, Philip Adams, The Hump on August 24 | Leave a Comment »
When last we talked about Eric Sevareid, he had jumped from a C-46 moments before it crashed into the Burmese jungles. Twenty-two days later, on August 24, 1943, he was reunited with civilization. And in between, there was quite a story for the young correspondant to tell. With a plane still burning nearby, Sevareid and his fellow [...]
The Colonies: Rebels With a Cause
Posted in The Revolution (1775-1783), United States, tagged 1775, Humble Petition, John Adams, King George III, Olive Branch Petition, Proclamation of Rebellion on August 23 | Leave a Comment »
The Battles of Lexington and Concord convinced a goodly number of Colonial doubters that war with the British Crown was inevitable. Bluster and pontification, threat and proclamation…they were all one thing (I’m not sure that’s grammatically proper, but oh well). Muskets and shot, bloodshed and death…well, that was altogether different. But still, there were those [...]
Fire + Wind = The Big Burn
Posted in Twentieth century (1901-1960), United States, tagged 1910, Bitterroot Mountains, Idaho, Montana, The Big Burn, United States Forest Service on August 20 | 1 Comment »
Back in January, we took a look at the power of weather and its never-ending pursuit of equlibrium and tranquility. And it’s a bit ironic that, as weather seeks peace, it often does so in a most violent manner. Severe thunderstorms, hail, tornadoes, and torrential rains are the usual “peace talks” between competing fronts. Last week [...]
The Unknown Battle of Blue Licks
Posted in The Revolution (1775-1783), United States, tagged 1782, Battle of Blue Licks, Bryan Station, Daniel Boone, Israel Boone, Simon Girty on August 19 | 1 Comment »
It’s easy for us to think that when Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown in October of 1781, the American Revolution ended. But news didn’t travel very quickly in the 18th century, and even if it did, the British didn’t consider the conflict over. Yorktown ended up being the last major conflict, but Britain actually stopped fighting [...]
The 19th Amendment and the Power of Mom
Posted in Twentieth century (1901-1960), United States, tagged 1920, Harry Burn, Nineteenth Amendment, Suffrage, Tennessee, U.S. Constitution on August 18 | 1 Comment »
Today marks the anniversary of one of the most important events in U.S. History. On August 18, 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, which finally allowed women in America to vote. As you know, once an Amendment passes the House and Senate (which happened in June of 1919 for the 19th Amendment), [...]
Gates Defeated at Camden…In About an Hour
Posted in The Revolution (1775-1783), United States, tagged 1780, Camden, General Charles Cornwallis, General Horatio Gates, South Carolina on August 16 | Leave a Comment »
Camden, South Carolina may not be a place that’s familiar to you, and that’s ok, because I’ve never been there, either. But, like nearly every other town in existance, the World Wide Web provides us with an instant connection. Displaying typical southern charm and called home by roughly 7,000 people, Camden is one of South [...]
The Skies Over England Turn Black
Posted in Europe, World War II (1939-1945), tagged 1940, Battle of Britain, Black Thursday, Hawker Hurricane, Luftwaffe, Royal Air Force, Supermarine Spitfire on August 15 | Leave a Comment »
I needed to give a quick shout-out of congratulations to Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Jeremy Hellickson. Called up from the Rays’ AAA affiliate to spot-start a couple of weeks ago, Jeremy did just more than just give the regular starters a night off…the 23-year-old’s first major-league start was a 7-inning thing of beauty, resulting in [...]
Justice Catches up to The Jackal
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged 1994, Carlos the Jackal, Cedar Rapids, Illich Ramirez Sanchez, Iowa, Jason Bourne, Robert Ludlum, Sudan on August 14 | Leave a Comment »
I’m a fan of Robert Ludlum’s writing. But that’s not a huge surprise, as I’ve mentioned it before. I’m also confident that the Jason Bourne trilogy he penned sits pretty highly on my list of favorite Ludlum readings. Now if you’ve seen the movies starring Matt Damon but haven’t read the books, don’t worry. The theater renditions on [...]
Take Me Out to the Brawl Game
Posted in Later twentieth century (1961-2000), United States, tagged 1984, Atlanta Braves, Baseball, Brawl, Dale Murphy, Ed Whitson, Pascual Perez, San Diego Padres on August 12 | 1 Comment »
The game played between the Atlanta Braves and the San Diego Padres on August 12, 1984 began like many games do…with the Braves taking the field in the top half of the 1st inning. It ended three hours later (as I recall) with a spectacular diving catch by center-fielder Dale Murphy in the top of [...]
Japanese Rout Opponents at Savo Island
Posted in Pacific, World War II (1939-1945), tagged 1942, Admiral Gunichi Mikawa, Admiral Victor Crutchley, Battle of Savo Island, Guadalcanal, Savo Island, Solomon Islands on August 9 | Leave a Comment »
The Marine landings on Guadalcanal may have caught the Japanese military by surprise, but it shouldn’t surprise us in the least that they, at this stage of the Pacific War, responded rather quickly. We’ve already talked a bit about the Japanese “response from the air”, but their surface vessels weren’t far behind. In addition to all [...]
Saburo Sakai Flights for his Life
Posted in Pacific, World War II (1939-1945), tagged 1942, Guadalcanal, Mitsubishi A6M Zero, Saburo Sakai, Solomon Islands, Tulagi on August 7 | 1 Comment »
It’s been a few days since anything has come from this keyboard. For some odd reason, there’s a “topic gap” in the first week of August. I’m sure that historical things have happened during those days, but nothing that grabbed my attention. So either I need to read some more, or widen my circle of [...]
Eric Sevareid Gets Crash Course in Parachuting
Posted in China/Burma/India, World War II (1939-1945), tagged 1943, C-46 Dakota, Chabua, China, Eric Sevareid, India, Kunming, The Hump on August 2 | 1 Comment »
As the early morning darkness gave way to sunrise, Eric Sevareid found himself sitting in the belly of a plane…he was not alone. The 30-year-old correspondent was one of 20 passengers and crew aboard the new C-46. Their location?…Chabua, India. Their destination?…Kunming China. The date?…August 2, 1943. Sevareid was smack dab in the middle of [...]
