Today in History...

[Menehune Man]

Re: Today in History...

They had a double-headed Bush coin though. Geez!

[Menehune Man]

Re: Today in History...

Dec,13th, 1577

Sir Francis Drake sets out from Plymouth, England, on his round-the-world voyage.

What an adventure that was!

[Menehune Man]

Re: Today in History...

Dec.15th, 1791

The United States Bill of Rights becomes law when ratified by the Virginia Legislature.

And to think... We're still trying to decide on whether or not they got it right?

[Menehune Man]

Re: Today in History...

Dec.16th, 1773

The Boston Tea Party: a crowd of colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians dumps 342 crates of tea into Boston harbor as a protest against the British Tea Act.

[alohabear]

Re: Today in History...

Dec.16th, 1773

The Boston Tea Party: a crowd of colonists disguised as Mohawk Indians dumps 342 crates of tea into Boston harbor as a protest against the British Tea Act.

The Tale of Peter Rabbit, by Beatrix Potter, was printed for the first time in 1901.

[jdub]

Re: Today in History...

December 16, 1653 Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland.

Also, Beethoven was born in 1770 and ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons was born in 1949. Coincidence? I think not.

[Menehune Man]

Re: Today in History...

Dec.18th, 1966

Epimetheus , one of Saturn's natural satellites, was discovered, but was mistaken as "Janus". It took 12 years to determine that they are two distinct objects sharing virtually the same orbit.

I hope this Link works. Read about their interchangeable orbits. It's really fascinating!

[Menehune Man]

Re: Today in History...

Dec.18th, 1966

Epimetheus , one of Saturn's natural satellites, was discovered, but was mistaken as "Janus". It took 12 years to determine that they are two distinct objects sharing virtually the same orbit.

I hope this Link works. Read about their interchangeable orbits. It's really fascinating!

They're due to switch orbits again in Jan.,2006!

[Menehune Man]

Re: Today in History...

Dec.19th, 1974

An early personal computer, the Altair 8800 , went on sale.

And look how far we've gone in the past 32 years. Wow!

[Menehune Man]

Re: Today in History...

Dec.21st, 1913

Arthur Wynne published the first crossword puzzle in the "New York World".

Also December 21st is the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the Summer Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere.

[Kalalau]

Re: Today in History...Dec. 21

Today marks the 126th anniversary of the birth of Josef Stalin, one of the very few tyrants to die a natural death at an advanced age. He stood only 5'4", always had himself photographed from below to create the illusion of size, and wore elevator shoes secretly bought in Berlin. He studied for the priesthood as a youth. He suffered small pox as a child and had terribly pock marked skin, but had photographs of himself doctored to eliminate the ugly marks. He may have been the only person in the world who expected Hitler not to attack Russia after the Non-Aggression Pact, and had his intelligence agents who reported German buildups, and indeed the first German incursions across the Russian border, shot! When he at last accepted the reality of the German invasion he retreated to his dacha east of Moscow and stayed stone drunk for a week, until the Politburo arrived en masse and commanded him to take command. During WW2 he was successfully able to control his paranoia, his ego, his drunkenness enough to out-play the methedrine befuddled Hitler. The country Stalin commanded, the USSR, broke apart peacefully with the signing of a simple piece of paper on Dec. 25, 1991. The tyrant and his creation have vanished from the face of the Earth.

[alohabear]

Re: Today in History...

1937 Walt Disney debuted the first, full-length, animated feature in Hollywood, CA. The movie was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Too bad they don't make them like that anymore.

[Menehune Man]

Re: Today in History...

Dec.24th, 1777

Christmas Island, the oldest atoll in the world, was discovered by Captain James Cook.

Dec.24th, 1914

British and German soldiers interupted World War 1 to celebrate Christmas, beginning the "Christmas Truce". AWESOME!

[Menehune Man]

Re: Today in History...

Dec. 25th, 1223

Saint Francis of Assisi assembles the first Nativity scene.
That's a pretty neat fact, I had wondered where and when they first started.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[Kauaibound]

Re: Today in History...

Wow that is a neat fact! Thanks for sharing and Mele Kalikimaka!