Well, here we are in beautiful Estes Park, Colorado again. We drove out on Tuesday (which was a gorgeous day), then enjoyed our first day here yesterday, which was even better. Bright sunshine, skies as blue as azure, and temps around 80. Dad and I tackled the Estes Cone hike in the afternoon. The 3.2-mile [...]
Archive for September, 2010
Looking Forward to Total Annihilation
Posted in Later twentieth century (1961-2000), United States, tagged 1997, Cavedog, Chris Taylor, Supreme Commander, Total Annihilation on September 30 | 1 Comment »
World War II Navy Pilots Get Zero Help
Posted in North America, World War II (1939-1945), tagged 1942, Akutan Island, Battle of Dutch Harbor, Lt. Cmdr. Eddie Sanders, Mitsubishi A6M Zero, Tadayoshi Koga on September 25 | Leave a Comment »
The loss of a Mitsubishi Zero was, for the Japanese, not all that uncommon an occurance during the Second World War. After all, the Zero was their primary fighter throughout the conflict, and they lost plenty during the War’s duration. But one of those losses was especially painful, not just for the pilot who was [...]
Famous Last Words From Nathan Hale
Posted in The Revolution (1775-1783), United States, tagged 1776, Hanging, Major John Andre, Nathan Hale, New York City on September 22 | Leave a Comment »
“I regret that I have but one life to live for my country.” When I was in grade school, the extent of my knowledge about Nathan Hale was limited to just three things. That he was captured by the British during the American Revolution, that he was hanged, and the words above were the last [...]
Chester Arthur: Presidential Stalwart
Posted in Late nineteenth century (1865-1900), United States, tagged 1881, Charles Guiteau, Half-Breed, President Chester Arthur, President James Garfield, Republican Party, Stalwart on September 20 | Leave a Comment »
In the last couple of years, the Republican Party seems to have fractured a bit. Of course, there have always been “wings” to the party…a more conservative wing and and one with a more liberal bent. The same holds true for the Democratic Party. And I suppose there are more subgroups than just the liberals and conservatives. I [...]
Mukden Incident Creates Manchurian Mandate
Posted in Period between World Wars (1919-1939), tagged 1931, Manchuria, Mukden Incident on September 18 | Leave a Comment »
It’s a Saturday evening, and it’s probably not a good idea to be spending a bunch of time behind the keyboard, so I’ll keep this one brief. Sometimes, when you want something to get done, you can’t wait for things to happen. You have to take matters into your own hands and make them happen. It [...]
The Constitutional Convention Draws to a Close
Posted in The Confederation (1783-1789), United States, tagged 1787, Constitutional Convention, Daniel Carroll, Federal Convention, George Mason, James Madison, Philadelphia on September 15 | 2 Comments »
I don’t know about you, but when I come to the end of a project, I like that last day to be a relaxed one. Maybe I tie up a loose end here or there. Tweak a piece of code or a PowerPoint slide. Some final edits on a document for the big presentation. Maybe [...]
The Annapolis Convention: A Most Successful Failure
Posted in The Confederation (1783-1789), United States, tagged 1786, Alexander Hamilton, Annapolis, Annapolis Convention, Constitutional Convention, Edmund Randolph, James Madison, Maryland, The Federalist Papers on September 14 | Leave a Comment »
On September 14, 1786, the Annapolis Convention came to a close. Well, sort of. The reality is that it never really got started. Only five of the states were represented by just a dozen delegates. And that wasn’t nearly enough representation to really get any business done. But that’s not to say nothing was accomplished [...]
Mussolini’s Prison Sentence Ends Early
Posted in Mediterranean, World War II (1939-1945), tagged 1943, Apennine Mountains, Benito Mussolini, Fieseler Fi 156 Storch, Gran Sasso, Hotel Albergo-Rifugio, Otto Skorzeny on September 12 | Leave a Comment »
Since being removed from power, Benito Mussolini had been spending quite a bit of time reading Ricciotti’s Life of Jesus. Well, reading and being transferred from prison cell to prison cell. There was little doubt in the mind of Pietro Badoglio, the new Italian leader, that the Germans would be searching long and hard for the [...]
President Jackson Banks on his Own Authority
Posted in Early nineteenth century (1810-1850), United States, tagged 1833, First Bank of the United States, President Andrew Jackson, Second Bank of the United States, William Duane on September 10 | Leave a Comment »
President Andrew Jackson didn’t hate all banks, just one of them. The problem was that the one bank he hated was the Second Bank of the United States, which was essentially the country’s Central Bank. Of course, “Second” Bank implies there was a “First” Bank. If you figured as much, you’re spot-on right. The First [...]
A Touch of Style at the Federal Convention
Posted in The Confederation (1783-1789), United States, tagged 1787, Alexander Hamilton, Committe of Style and Arrangement, Constitutional Convention, Federal Convention, Gouverneur Morris, James Madison, Rufus King, William Samuel Johnson on September 8 | 1 Comment »
There has been some significant debate recently over the idea of “American Exceptionalism”. Some argue that it’s reality, while others say it’s a bunch of hooey. What is it? Well, I’m probably the wrong guy to be defining obtuse nine-syllable phrases, but here goes my best attempt. American Exceptionalism is the idea that the United [...]
Big MiG-25 Reveal Fails to Impress
Posted in Later twentieth century (1961-2000), United States, tagged 1976, Aircraft, McDonnell-Douglas F-15 Eagle, MiG-25 Foxbat, North American XB-70 Valkyrie, Viktor Belenko on September 6 | Leave a Comment »
The MiG-25 Foxbat was the Soviet Union’s response to the North American XB-70 Valkyrie. The Valkyrie, an awesome, super-sized, six-engined beauty, was designed as a high-altitude Mach-3 bomber that could carry a large payload deep into enemy territory. Unfortunately, North American’s masterpiece also came with a super-sized price tag, one that the U.S. military was [...]
Convention-Time Approaches in Annapolis
Posted in The Confederation (1783-1789), United States, tagged 1786, Alexander Hamilton, Annapolis, Annapolis Convention, James Madison, Maryland on September 4 | 3 Comments »
If Annapolis, Maryland was a person and not a city, I’m guessing it would feel kind of left out and ignored. And that’s not to say it’s not important…a thousand times no. It’s just that when you’re located in a relatively small state, the rest of the country probably sees only Baltimore, your much bigger brother. [...]
VJ Day: Peace…For the Time Being…
Posted in Pacific, World War II (1939-1945), tagged 1945, Mamoru Shigemitsu, Surrender, Tokyo Bay, USS Missouri, VJ-Day on September 2 | Leave a Comment »
It’s another brief one this evening. On this day in 1789, the U.S. Department of the Treasury was created. But we’ve already talked about that, and no fair repeating topics. So let’s tackle something else. Just minutes after 9:00am on September 2, 1945, the Japanese foreign minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender. [...]
The Blackbird: Faster Than a Speeding Bullet
Posted in Later twentieth century (1961-2000), United States, tagged 1974, Aircraft, Canadair CRJ900, Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, Major James Sullivan, Sky Harbor Airport on September 1 | 2 Comments »
When we took off from Sky Harbor Airport last Sunday to return home from Phoenix, our airplane got delayed a bit. An airplane in front of us had a mechanical issue and had to stop, turn around, and return to its gate. This meant that every plane behind it (of which ours was one) got held up. We [...]
