August 27
 

[I'm the worst at this game... :(]

This Day in History

History's shortest war began and ended on this date in 1896. British ships began bombing the island of Zanzibar at 9 a.m., and Zanzibar surrendered at about 9:45 a.m., that same morning. The battle was prompted by the ascension to Zanzibar's throne of Khalid bin Barghash, second son to Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini, who had died two days before. The British, who had sovereignty over the island, opposed the new sultan. When he refused to step down, the British fired upon the island, quickly bringing the insurrection to an end.

"War, he sung, is toil and trouble; honour but an empty bubble." — John Dryden

On August 28, 1811, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Harriet Westbrook eloped...

On August 28th, 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., gave his "I Have a Dream" speech at a civil rights rally in Washington, D.C.

On August 29, 1533, Atahualpa, the last Incan King of Peru, was murdered on orders from Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro. The Inca Empire died with him...

On August 30, 1146, European leaders outlawed the crossbow...

On August 31, 1881, the first tennis championships in the U.S. were played...

On September 1, 1887, Emile Berliner filed for a patent for his invention of the lateral-cut, flat-disk gramophone. It is a device that is better known as a record player. Thomas Edison made the idea work...

On September 2, 0490, Phidippides of Athens was sent to seek help against the invading Persian Army. The runner was the inspiration for the 26-mile marathon of the Olympic Games in Athens in 1896...

On September 3, 1935, Sir Malcolm Campbell became the first person to drive an automobile over 300 miles an hour. He reached 304.331 MPH on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah...

On September, 4th, 2008 Tully beat Uncle Phil to this thread.

Also on this day..

On September, 4th, 1781 the Spanish settled Los Angles.

son of a gun, so he did...

to extrapolate:

On September 4, 1781, Los Angeles, CA, was founded by Spanish settlers. The original name was "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora La Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula," which translates as "The Town of the Queen of Angels..."

On September 5th, 1698 Russia's Peter the Great imposed a tax on beards.

September 5th marks the 338th anniversary of when jurors refused to convict William Penn of violating England's Conventicle Acts, despite clear evidence that he acted illegally by preaching a Quaker sermon. In refusing to convict Penn, the jurors ignored what they knew to be an unjust law. This is known as jury nullification.

By refusing to enforce what they knew was an unjust law, the Penn jurors served justice, and provided a basis for our First Amendment rights to freedom of speech, religion, and peaceable assembly. For refusing to find Penn guilty, the judge sent four of Penn's jurors to prison. Their exoneration fixed forever the English and American doctrine that jurors have the responsibility to decide both matters of law and fact in any case before them. Individual jurors are last line of defense for people who are prosecuted under bad laws by overzealous prosecutors and court officials.

The Founders intended that jurors would use their rights and responsibilities to judge the law and the facts in every trial, and do justice. The Sixth and Seventh Amendments were included in the Bill of Rights to guarantee that every person brought to trial has Juror Protection.

Juror nullification is integral to our judicial system. It is one of the "checks and balances" of justice required by a free society. An individual juror has the authority to stop an unjust prosecution by refusing to convict. No reason for the verdict is required. Most Grand and Petit Jurors do not know about their authority. This authority must be restored to protect us.

Our Founders embraced juror nullification as necessary to a free society. Nullification is the test that all laws must pass. Juror nullification has been used by jurors throughout our history to "nullify" unpopular and unjust laws, ranging from laws against witches, publishing the truth, free speech, religion, hiding slaves, and Prohibition.

The Fully Informed Jury Association (Fully Informed Jury Association) is dedicated to educating all Americans about the authority of the Juror. FIJA publishes and distributes educational material but depends upon grassroots activists to inform jurors of their rights and to undertake state-level lobbying or ballot-issue efforts.

On September 6, 1837, the Oberlin Collegiate Institute of Ohio went co-educational...

On September 7, 1822, Brazil declared its independence from Portugal...

On September 8, 1893, in New Zealand, the Electoral Act 1893 was passed by the Legislative Council. It was consented by the governor on September 19 giving all women in New Zealand the right to vote...

On September 9, 490 B.C., the Battle of Marathon took place between the invading Persian army and the Athenian Army. The marathon race was derived from the events that occurred surrounding this battle...

On September 10th, 1935 Sen. Huey P. Long died two days after being shot in Baton Rouge.

Also, on September 10, 1845, King Willem II opened the Amsterdam Stock exchange...

On September 11th, 1941 Charles A. Lindbergh sparked charges of anti-Semitism with a speech in which he blamed "the British, the Jewish and the Roosevelt administration" for trying to draw the United States into World War II.

Also, on September 11, 1609, explorer Henry Hudson sailed into New York harbor and discovered Manhattan Island and the Hudson River...

^ I wonder if that's the day they named the stinky cheese after him?

On September 12th, 1944 U.S. Army ground troops entered Germany for the first time during World War II.

lindbergher? :)

Also, on September 12, 1916, Adelina and August Van Buren finished the first successful transcontinental motorcycle tour to be attempted by two women. They started in New York City on July 5, 1916...

poetic license...or poetic justice? I get those mixed up today.

On September 13, 1907, the RMS Lusitania arrived in New York, completing its maiden voyage from England...

On September 13th in 1814, Francis Scott Key pens a poem, Star-Spangled Banner, which is later set to music and in 1931 becomes America's national anthem

Also, on September 14, 1847, U.S. forces took control of Mexico City under the leadership of General Winfield Scott...

On September 15th, 1935 The Nuremberg Laws were enacted in German- stripping Jews of their citizenship and made the swastika the official symbol of Nazi Germany.

And before that, on September 15, 1821, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador proclaimed independence...

On September 16, 1630, the village of Shawmut changed its name to Boston...

Today is a big day in Apple history.

Sept. 16, 1985: Steve Jobs Quits Apple

Sept. 16, 1997: Steve Jobs Rejoins Apple

Bewitch premiered on ABC-TV (1964), Hogan's Heroes debuted on CBS-TV (1965) and Mission Impossible premiered on CBS-TV (1966)

On September 17, 1872, Phillip W. Pratt patented a version of the sprinkler system...

On Septemebr. 17, 1862, Union forces held back the Confederate invasion of Maryland at Antietam. The battle left 23,100 killed, wounded or captured. The was not only the bloodiest of the Civil War, it is, to this day, the bloodiest day in US military history.

On September 18, 1759, the French formally surrendered Quebec to the British...

On September 19, 1876, Melville R. Bissell patented the carpet sweeper...

On September 20, 1946, the first Cannes Film Festival premiered. The original premier was delayed in 1939 due to World War II...

On September 21, 1937, J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" was first published...

On September 22, 1656, an all-female jury heard the case of a woman murdering her child. The jury in Patuxent, MD, voted for acquittal...

On September 23, 1780, John Andre, a British spy, was captured with papers revealing that Benedict Arnold was going to surrender West Point, NY, to the British...

On September 23, 1806- The Lewis and Clark expedition returned to St. Louis from their cross country travels (where they wintered about 15 miles from my house in Oregon.)

On Septenber, 24th, 1960 The USS Enterprise, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was launched at Newport News, Va.

Also on September 24, 1869, thousands of businessmen were financially ruined after a panic on Wall Street. The panic was caused by an attempt to corner the gold market by Jay Gould and James Fisk...

On September 25, 1513, the Pacific Ocean was discovered by Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa when he crossed the Isthmus of Panama. He named the body of water the South Sea. He was truly just the first European to see the Pacific Ocean...

Also on this day... On September 23, 1981 Sandra Day O'Connor was sworn in as the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

On September 26, 1955, the New York Stock Exchange suffered its worst decline since 1929 when the word was released concerning U.S. President Eisenhower's heart attack...

Also on this date, to help celebrate the Bi-Centennial on September 26, 1976 the Phillies clinch their 1st NL East Division title.

On September 27, 1840, Thomas Nast was born. He was a political cartoonist that created the Republican elephant and the Democrat donkey...

On September 28, 1850, the U.S. Navy abolished flogging as a form of punishment...

On September 29, 1951, the first network football game was televised by CBS-TV in color. The game was between the University of California and the University of Pennsylvania...

On September 29, 1789 The U.S. War Department established a regular army with a strength of several hundred men.

On September 30, 1630, John Billington was hanged for murder. He was the first criminal to be executed in the American colonies...

On October 1st, 1896 The U.S. Post Office established Rural Free Delivery.

So, for any of you out there watching TV Land and wondering what the R.F.D. in "Mayberry, R.F.D." stood for, now you know.

Also on October 1, 1903, the first modern World Series took place between the Boston Pilgrims and the Pittsburgh Pirates...

On October 2, 1452, Richard III was born. He married the widow of the Prince of Wales and then imprisoned his mother-in-law for life...

Also On October 2, 1967 Thurgood Marshall was sworn in on the SCOTUS as it's first black justice.

On October 3, 1893, the motor-driven vacuum cleaner was patented by J.S. Thurman...

On Oct. 4, 1957, the Space Age began as the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, into orbit.

Also on October 4, 1895, the first U.S. Open golf tournament took place in Newport, RI. Horace Rawlins, 19 years old, won the tournament...

On October 5, 1902, Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald's, was born...

On October 6, 1536, Anglican priest William Tyndale was captured at Antwerp where he was strangled and burnt. He is credited with making the first English translation of the Bible...

On October 7, 1868, Cornell University was inaugurated in Ithaca, NY...

On October 8, 1919, the first transcontinental air race in the U.S. began...

On October 8, 1871The Great Chicago Fire occurred. The blaze destroyed four square miles of the city, it killed nearly 250 people and left some 90,000 homeless.

*missed it by that much this morning

On October 9, 1930 Laura Ingalls became the first woman to fly across the United States as she completed a nine-stop journey from Roosevelt Field in New York to Glendale, Calif.

Also on October 9, 1701, The Collegiate School of Connecticut was chartered in New Haven. The name was later changed to Yale...

On October 10, 1865, the billiard ball was patented by John Wesley Hyatt...

On October 10, 1973 Vice President Spiro T. Agnew resigned his office after pleading no contest to one count of federal income tax evasion.

On October 11, 1759, Parson Mason Weems was born. He is remembered for his fictitious stories that he presented as fact. He was responsible for the story about George Washington cutting down his father's cherry tree...

On October 12, 1792, the first monument honoring Christopher Columbus was dedicated in Baltimore, MD...

On October 13, 1775, the U.S. Continental Congress ordered the construction of a naval fleet...

Also on October 13, 1943, Italy declared war on Germany, its one-time Axis partner.

On October 14, 1890, Dwight David Eisenhower, American general who lead the allied forces during D-Day who later became the 34th United States president, was born.

Also, on October 14, 1879, Thomas Edison signed an agreement with Jose D. Husbands for the sale of Edison telephones in Chile...

On October 15, 1914, the Clayton Antitrust Act was passed by the U.S. Congress...

Also on October 15, 1860 Eleven-year-old Grace Bedell of Westfield, N.Y., wrote a letter to presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln, suggesting he could improve his appearance by growing a beard.

On October 16, 1758, author Noah Webster was born. He was a teacher and journalist whose name is associated with the word "dictionary..."

On October 17, 1918, Rita Hayworth, the legendary Hollywood beauty

On October 17, 1867 The United States took possession of Alaska from Russia.

On October 18, 1969 Vice President Spiro T. Agnew referred to anti-Vietnam War protesters "an effete corps of impudent snobs."

On October 20, 1973, in the so-called Saturday Night Massacre, President Nixon abolished the office of special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox, accepted the resignation of Attorney General Elliot L. Richardson and fired Deputy Attorney General William B. Ruckelshaus.

On October 21, 1805, the Battle of Trafalgar occurred off the coast of Spain. The British defeated the French and Spanish fleet...

Also on October 21, 1797 The U.S. Navy frigate Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, was launched in Boston Harbor.

On October 22, 1962, President John F. Kennedy announced an air and naval blockade of Cuba, following the discovery of Soviet missile bases on the island.

Also on October 22, 1797, Andre-Jacques Garnerin made the first recorded parachute jump. He made the jump from about 3,000 feet...

On October 23, 1993 Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Joe Carter became the second player to end a World Series with a home run - a three-run shot that gave Toronto an 8-6 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 6.

Also on October 23, 1869, John (William) Heisman was born. He is recognized as one of the greatest innovators of the game of football...

On October 24, 1788, poet Sarah Joseph Hale was born. She wrote the poem "Mary Had A Little Lamb..."

Also on October 24th, 1861 The first transcontinental telegraph message was sent from California to President Abraham Lincoln.

On October 25, 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer died at the age of 57. He was the first poet to be buried in Westminster Abbey...

Also on October 25, 1983 U.S. forces invaded Grenada at the order of President Ronald Reagan, who said the action was needed to protect U.S. citizens there.

I clearly remember this event as I was in the Navy at the time. Our ship went on a heightened state of alert and there were rumors of us steaming over to provide support. By the time I walked down to the ships library and found an atlas. The "Old Man" (the Captain) announced "Operations on the island of Grenada have been successful, return to normal operating procedures." I found it odd that we went to high alert for an event in the Caribbean since at the time we were floating around off the east coast of Africa some 14,000 miles away.

That is all, carry on. We now return you to your normal thread operating procedures.

"The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne, the assay so hard, so sharp the conqueryinge."
— Geoffrey Chaucer, the father of English poetry (c. 1340 - 1400)

On October 26, 1858, H.E. Smith patented the rotary-motion washing machine...

On October 27, 1880, Theodore Roosevelt married Alice Lee...

On October 28, 1904, the St. Louis Police Department became the first to use fingerprinting...

On October 29, 1901, Leon Czolgosz, the assassin of U.S. President McKinley, was electrocuted...

On October 30, 1894, the time clock was patented by Daniel M. Cooper of Rochester, NY...

On October 31, 1941, the U.S. Navy destroyer Reuben James was torpedoed by a German submarine near Iceland. The U.S. had not yet entered World War II. More than 100 men were killed...

On November 1, 1755, at least 60,000 people were killed in Lisbon, Portugal by an earthquake, its aftershocks and the ensuing tsunami...