As I type, the end of another year is just a few hours away. I’ve managed to do a small piece each December 31st, so it only seems appropriate to continue the tradition. And since the previous two “year-enders” had to do with endings (the breakup of AT & T and Thomas Jefferson’s resignation as [...]
Archive for December, 2010
The USS Monitor’s Year-End Sail
Posted in Civil War period (1861-1865), Naval history, United States, tagged 1862, Battle of Hampton Roads, CSS Virginia, ironclads, USS Monitor on December 31 | 1 Comment »
Christmas Eve a Hit in Algiers
Posted in Africa, World War II (1939-1945), tagged 1942, Admiral Francois Darlan, Assassination, Fernand Bonnier de la Chapelle, Mers-el-Kebir, Toulon on December 24 | Leave a Comment »
I’m not sure if I’ve been dreaming of a white Christmas, but we’re going to get one regardless. It started snowing early this morning and it has been floating down most of the day. It’s not been blizzard-like or anything, but we’ve probably got…I don’t know…five inches or so. But everyone has their lights on [...]
The Lincoln Tunnel Opens for Business
Posted in Twentieth century (1901-1960), United States, tagged 1937, Hudson River, Lincoln Tunnel, New Deal, President Franklin Roosevelt, Public Works Administration on December 22 | 1 Comment »
The PWA (Public Works Administration) was formed in 1933. Like all the other programs that comprised President Roosevelt’s New Deal, the PWA was designed to help kick-start an economy devastated by depression. The focus of the PWA was public works projects (bridges, dams, roads, schools, etc.), which would create thousands of jobs. The people hired [...]
Secretary’s Night Moves Reach the Light of Day
Posted in Constitutional period (1789-1809), United States, tagged 1792, Abraham Venable, Alexander Hamilton, Frederick Muhlenberg, James Monroe, James Reynolds, Maria Reynolds on December 15 | Leave a Comment »
I was doing some digging on the Internet the last week and came across an article that referenced the following verses from the Bible…“But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. Accordingly, whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, [...]
Hamilton’s Excise Program Has Distillers Out of Shape
Posted in Constitutional period (1789-1809), United States, tagged 1790, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Revenue-Marine, Whiskey Tax on December 13 | Leave a Comment »
Nowadays, the government has all sorts of ways to generate revenue. When you get your paycheck, part of it goes to the government. When you buy something, there’s almost always a tax on it. Still have a land line at your house? Guess what?…you probably pay a tax to Washington each month. Win the lottery?…you [...]
Bombs at Dueren Fire up More Than a City
Posted in Europe, World War II (1939-1945), tagged 1944, Battle of the Bulge, Dueren, Germany, Joachim Peiper, Kampfgruppe Peiper, Malmedy on December 12 | Leave a Comment »
Though he was just 29 years old, Joachim Peiper had lived a lifetime. A Colonel in the SS Sixth Panzer Army, he had served with distinction on the Russian Front, which meant he had witnessed (and been a part of) scenes of violence rarely surpassed in a war full of terrible deeds. Max Hastings, who [...]
European War Comes to America
Posted in North America, World War II (1939-1945), tagged 1941, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Adolf Hitler, Pearl Harbor, Tripartite Pact on December 11 | Leave a Comment »
Well, winter has come to Iowa with a gale. Yesterday, it was 53°F and gorgeous. Today, it’s about 15 with 45mph wind gusts, blowing snow, and super-icy streets. I’m glad I got a good bike ride in yesterday…it’ll be a few days before I get another opportunity. It’s a quickie this evening. On December 11, [...]
Fighting at Tikhvin Gives Soviets Food for Thought
Posted in Russia, World War II (1939-1945), tagged 1941, Dmitry Pavlov, Field Marshal Ritter von Leeb, Lake Ladoga, Leningrad, Siege of Leningrad, Tikhvin on December 9 | Leave a Comment »
I’ve been away from the keyboard for a couple of days…not lost in the Bermuda Triangle or anything, but just busy with “life” kind of things. I feel like the last couple months have been rather scatter-shot around here, but the good news is the calendar has lots of stuff coming up. In fact, between [...]
The Bermuda Triangle: Not Stranger Than Fiction
Posted in Twentieth century (1901-1960), United States, tagged 1945, Bermuda Triangle, Flight 19, Grumman TBM Avenger on December 5 | Leave a Comment »
In my opinion, there are topics that make good conversation starters at parties. Asking a person what his or her interests are is good. Maybe asking someone to describe a favorite vacation spot is also good. Subjects that are non-controversial and non-goofy are usually preferred. Talking about “Area 51″ and the government coverup of alien [...]
“Climb Mount Niitaka”
Posted in Pacific, World War II (1939-1945), tagged 1941, Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, Kido Butai, Mount Niitaka, Pearl Harbor on December 2 | Leave a Comment »
Niitakayama Nobore. I don’t really know how to pronounce it properly, but the English translation is one of the more famous coded messages in American history…and the subject of this evening’s very brief lesson. When Admiral Nagumo left Kyushu in late November of 1941, he did so with what was, at that time, the largest [...]
