Friday, March 9, 2012

Friday! History, Space, Music, Cinema, Quotes, More!

On This Date In 1513 Pope Leo X (December 11, 1475 – December 1, 1521) was elected Pope, and served from 1513 to his death. He was the last non-priest to be elected Pope. He is known primarily for the sale of indulgences to reconstruct St. Peter's Basilica and his challenging of Martin Luther's 95 theses. He was the second son of Lorenzo de' Medici, the most famous ruler of the Florentine Republic, and Clarice Orsini.
On This Date In 1781 During the American Revolutionary War, Spanish General Bernardo de Galvez, with a fleet of some 30 ships, arrived opposite Pensacola Bay in Florida and within a day took Santa Rosa Island. This action contributed to British General John Campbell's capitulation and surrender of British West Florida. Although Spain was not a formal ally of the United States, the Siege of Pensacola, and her victory there, made a significant contribution to the success of the American Revolution.
On This Date In 1841 The United States Supreme Court issued a ruling freeing the remaining thirty-five survivors of the Amistad mutiny. Although seven of the nine justices on the court hailed from Southern states, only one dissented from Justice Joseph Story's majority opinion. Private donations ensured the Africans' safe return to Sierra Leone in January 1842. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar09.html
On This Date In 1847 During the Mexican-American War, U.S. forces under General Winfield Scott invaded Mexico three miles south of Vera Cruz. Encountering little resistance from the Mexicans massed in the fortified city of Vera Cruz, by nightfall the last of Scott's 10,000 men came ashore without the loss of a single life. It was the largest amphibious landing in U.S. history and not surpassed until World War II.
On This Date In 1847 The Battle of Veracruz was a 20-day siege of the key Mexican seaport of Veracruz, during the Mexican-American War. Lasting from March 9 to March 29, 1847, it began with the first large-scale amphibious assault conducted by United States military forces, and ended with the surrender and occupation of the city. U.S. forces then marched inland to Mexico City.
On This Date In 1862 During the American Civil War, one of the most famous naval battles in American history occured as two ironclads, the U.S.S. Monitor and the C.S.S. Virginia (a captured and rebuilt Union steam frigate formerly known as the Merrimac) fight to a draw off Hampton Roads, Virginia. The ships pounded each other all morning but their armor plates easily deflected the cannon shots, signaling a new era of steam-powered iron ships.
On This Date In 1913 Thirty-one-year-old writer Virginia Woolf delivered the manuscript of her first novel, The Voyage Out, to her publisher. Coincidentally, this date was also the 21st birthday of Woolf's future lover, Vita Sackville-West, who Woolf would not meet until 1925.
On This Date In 1914 “Tango Tangles”, a American-made motion picture starring Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle, was released. Chaplin appears with no moustache. The action takes place in a dance hall, with a drunken Chaplin, Ford Sterling, and the huge, menacing, and acrobatic Arbuckle fighting over a girl.
On This Date In 1916 Several hundred Mexican guerrillas under the command of Francisco “Pancho” Villa crossed the U.S.-Mexican border and attacked the small border town of Columbus, New Mexico. Seventeen Americans were killed in the raid, and the center of town was burned. Though unclear whether Villa personally participated in the attack, President Woodrow Wilson ordered the U.S. Army into Mexico to capture the rebel leader dead or alive.
On This Date In 1916 During World War I, the Fifth Battle of the Isonzo (eventually, there would be twelve) was fought from March 9-15 between the armies of the Kingdom of Italy and those of Austria-Hungary. The Italians, under immense pressure from the French commanders, had decided to launch another offensive on the Isonzo River, even after four previous defeats. This battle resulted in defeat as well.
On This Date In 1916 During World War I, Germany declared war on Portugal, who earlier that year honored its alliance with Great Britain by seizing German ships anchored in Lisbon's harbor. This forced Portugal's hand in entering the war, ending its neutrality to that point.
On This Date In 1943 Robert James “Bobby” Fischer (March 9, 1943 – January 17, 2008), American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion, was born. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author. After ending his competitive career, he proposed a new variant of chess and a modified chess timing system: His idea of adding a time increment after each move is now standard, and his variant Chess960 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess960 - is gaining in popularity.
On This Date In 1945 During World War II, U.S. warplanes launched a new bombing offensive against Japan, dropping 2,000 tons of incendiary bombs on Tokyo over the course of the next 48 hours. Almost 16 square miles in and around the Japanese capital were incinerated, and between 80,000 and 130,000 Japanese civilians were killed in the worst single firestorm in recorded history.
On This Date In 1945 During World War II, fearing an Allied offensive in French Indochina, the Japanese army took direct control of the land by the French authorities by delivering an ultimatum for the French troops to disarm, without warning. Those that refused during this coup were usually massacred.
On This Date In 1945 “Les Enfants du Paradis”, a film by French director Marcel Carné, made during the Nazi occupation of France, was released as Children of Paradise in North America. A 3 hour film divided into two halves, it was described in the original American trailer as the French answer to Gone with the Wind. The film was voted “Best French Film Ever” in a poll of 600 French critics and professionals in 1995.
On This Date In 1954 An episode of the television documentary series See It Now, hosted by journalist Edward R. Murrow, was broadcast on CBS TV. One of the most prominent attacks on anti-communist Senator Joseph McCarthy's methods as chairman of the Subcommittee of Investigations, titled “A Report on Senator Joseph R. McCarthy”, the episode consisted largely of clips of McCarthy speaking. In these clips, McCarthy accuses the Democratic party of “twenty years of treason”, describes the American Civil Liberties Union as “listed as 'a front for, and doing the work of', the Communist Party”, and berates and harangues various witnesses, including General Zwicker. That same day, Republican Senator Ralph Flanders (Vermont) verbally blasted McCarthy, charging that he was a “one-man party” intent on “doing his best to shatter that party whose label he wears.” In addition to Flanders' speech, Senate Republicans acted to limit McCarthy's ability to conduct hearings and to derail his investigation of the U.S. Army.
On This Date In 1955 “East of Eden”, an American film directed by Elia Kazan, and loosely based on part of the 1952 novel of the same name by US author John Steinbeck, was released. Adapted by Paul Osborn and John Steinbeck, it stars Julie Harris, James Dean (in his first major screen role), and Raymond Massey; it also features Burl Ives, Richard Davalos and Jo Van Fleet.
On This Date In 1959 The first Barbie doll went on display at the American Toy Fair in New York City. Eleven inches tall, with a waterfall of blond hair, Barbie was the first mass-produced toy doll in the United States with adult features. The woman behind Barbie was Ruth Handler, who co-founded Mattel, Inc. with her husband in 1945.
On This Date In 1964 Initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car, the Ford Mustang, manufactured by the Ford Motor Company, began production in Dearborn, Michigan. The car was introduced to the public on April 17, 1964 at the New York World's Fair. It is Ford's second oldest nameplate currently in production next to the F-Series pickup truck line. The Mustang was also Ford's most successful launch since the Model A.
On This Date In 1965 During the Vietnam War, 3,500 Marines of the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade under Brig. Gen. Frederick J. Karch continued to land at Da Nang. The Marines had begun disembarking from the USS Henrico, Union, and Vancouver on March 8 and were the first U.S. combat troops in South Vietnam. Among the arrivals on this day were the first U.S. armor in Vietnam - a tank of the 3rd Marine Tank Battalion. More tanks, including those with flame-throwing capability, followed in a few days. There was scattered firing from Viet Cong soldiers hidden ashore as the Marines landed, but no Marines were hit.
On This Date In 1965 Immediately after “Bloody Sunday”, the first of three American Civil Rights Movement events marked by 600 activists marching from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama being attacked by state and local police with billy clubs and tear gas, a second march took place. The following Tuesday, on March 9, 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led about 2,500 marchers in a second march out to the Edmund Pettus Bridge and held a short prayer session before turning the marchers back around, thereby not breaking a court order in place reviewing the prior event.
On This Date In 1966 During the Vietnam War, The Battle of A Shau was waged between the Viet Cong and the forces of the United States and South Vietnam. The battle began on March 9 and lasted until March 10 with the fall of the special forces camp of the same name. The battle was an outright victory for the North Vietnamese; it was nevertheless a costly battle that U.S. estimates suggest cost the attackers almost half of their force, or about 800.
On This Date In 1970 During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Marines turned over control of the five northernmost provinces in South Vietnam to the U.S. Army. The Marines had been responsible for this area since they first arrived in South Vietnam in 1965. The change in responsibility for this area was part of President Richard Nixon's initiative to reduce U.S. troop levels as the South Vietnamese accepted more responsibility for the fighting. After the departure of the 3rd Marine Division from Vietnam in late 1969, the 1st Marine Division was the only marine division left operating in South Vietnam.
On This Date In 1981 A nuclear accident at a Japan Atomic Power Company plant in Tsuruga, Japan, exposed 59 workers to radiation when a worker forgot to shut a critical valve, causing a radioactive sludge tank to overflow. Fifty-six workers were sent in to mop up the radioactive sludge before the leak could escape the disposal building, but the plan was not successful and 16 tons of waste spilled into Wakasa Bay.
On This Date In 1984 “Splash”, an American fantasy romantic comedy film directed by Ron Howard and written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, was released. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The original music score was composed by Lee Holdridge. It was the very first film released by Touchstone Pictures (then called Touchstone Films).
On This Date In 1985 The first-ever Adopt-a-Highway sign was erected on Texas' Highway 69. The highway was adopted by the Tyler Civitan Club, which committed to picking up trash along a designated two-mile stretch of the road.
On This Date In 1987 “The Joshua Tree”, the fifth studio album by Irish rock band U2, was released on Island Records. Recording took place from July to November 1986 at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin. The album features the band's exploration of roots rock, with their music exhibiting influences from blues-rock, folk rock, country music, and gospel music. Lyrically, The Joshua Tree depicts the band's fascination with America. The album was produced and engineered by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, and won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Album of the Year in the Grammy Awards of 1988.
On This Date In 1993 “I Hear Black”, the sixth studio album by thrash metal band Overkill, was releassed on Atlantic Records. It was the band's first to feature drummer Tim Mallare. Produced by Alex Perialas (Anthrax, Testament), I Hear Black was the first Overkill album released directly through Atlantic Records.
On This Date In 1996 George Burns (January 20, 1896 – March 9, 1996), born Nathan Birnbaum, an American comedian, actor, and writer, died from cardiac arrest at his home in Beverly Hills, California, just weeks after celebrating his 100th birthday. He was one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, film, radio, television and movies. His arched eyebrow and cigar smoke punctuation became familiar trademarks for over three quarters of a century. Beginning at the age of 79, Burns' career was resurrected as an amiable, beloved and unusually active old comedian, continuing to work until shortly before his death.
On This Date In 1997 American rapper Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), popularly known as Biggie Smalls (after a fictional gangster in the 1975 film Let's Do It Again), Frank White (based on a fictional drug baron from the 1990 film King of New York), and by his primary stage name The Notorious B.I.G., was killed by an unknown assailant in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles.
On This Date In 1999 “Eye II Eye”, the fourteenth studio album by German heavy metal band Scorpions, was released. It is a radical departure in that Eye II Eye is much more pop-oriented than their previous work, which alienated some fans, despite lead single “Mysterious” reaching number 26 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. For the first (and, thus far, only) time, Scorpions released a song recorded in their native language, namely “Du bist so schmutzig”.
On This Date In 2000 Nupedia, an English-language Web-based encyclopedia whose articles were written by experts and licensed as free content, was founded by Jimmy Wales and underwritten by Bomis, with Larry Sanger as editor-in-chief. Nupedia lasted from March 2000 until September 2003, and is mostly known now as the predecessor of the free wiki encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
On This Date In 2011 Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker's bill to end collective bargaining for public employees passed the state senate. All 14 Democrats in the state Senate fled to Illinois to keep the measure from getting to the Senate floor, but the Republican-controlled Legislature passed a modified bill after finding a parliamentary way to get around the boycott. http://www.newser.com/story/113779/wisconsin-gop-passes-anti-union-measure.html
On This Date In 2011 Doctors from the scene of violent anti-government protests in Yemen's capital reported what was originally thought to be tear gas fired by government forces on demonstrators might instead have been a form of nerve gas, which is forbidden under international law. http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/110309/yemen-violence-protests-sanaa-nerve-gas

Hat tip to any included contributing sources, along with:


Happy Birthday Joyce Van Patten (1934), Trish Van Devere (1943), Robin Trower (1945), Jeffrey Osborne (1948), Danny Sullivan (1950), Michele Marsh (1954), Linda Fiorentino (1960), Finn Carter (1960), Juliette Binoche (1964), Brian Bosworth (1965), Antonio Saca (1965), Kimberly Guilfoyle (1969), Kerr Smith (1972), Matthew Gray Gubler (1980), and Brittany Snow (1986).

RIP Amerigo Vespucci (1454 – 1512), Franz Joseph Gall (1758 – 1828), William Cobbett (1763 – 1835), Leland Stanford (1824 1893), Will Geer (1902 – 1978), Marguerite Chapman (1918 – 1999), Mickey Spillane (1918 – 2006), Yuri Gagarin (1934 – 1968), Raul Julia (1940 – 1994), Ernesto Miranda (1941 – 1976), Bobby Fischer (1943 – 2008), and Bobby Sands (1954 – 1981).


Quotes

I don't believe in dying. It's been done. I'm working on a new exit. Besides, I can't die now - I'm booked. George Burns

If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and tension. And if you didn't ask me, I'd still have to say it. George Burns

A masterpiece is something said once and for all, stated, finished, so that it's there complete in the mind, if only at the back. Virginia Wolf

The man who is aware of himself is henceforward independent; and he is never bored, and life is only too short, and he is steeped through and through with a profound yet temperate happiness. Virginia Wolf

Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent. Martin Luther King, Jr.

It’s not the critic that counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena. Theodore Roosevelt


Courtesy YouTube et al

Live intimate piano performance of "Everlasting rose". Lyrics below.
Everlasting rose is on the debut album "Where do we go from here?UP".
Album available at the official site: http://www.richardhodgekins.com.
Everlasting rose (words and music written by Richard Hodgekins)
Lyrics: …

Major X 5.4 Solar Flare !!
The second strongest solar flare of Solar Cycle 24 and the Second X-Flare from Active Region 11429. This major event measured X 5.4 at 00:24 UTC and triggered a strong R3 Level Radio Blackout. A coronal mass ejection was captured shortly after and is likely to be headed earths way. more information shortly. The expected CME from March 4 has impacted the earths magnetic field …
Music used is Swords And Claws by Soundcritters

Solar Flare Eruption on March 7, 2012 expected to hit earth on March 8th & 9th!
X5.4 CLASS CME GEOMAGNETIC STORM APPROACHING EARTH!
Large Enough to knock out our power grid. Hopefully they will shut down the grid before the storm hits earth but I guess we will see! I'm ready either way...
To find out more information Visit - http://www.spaceweather.com/

Taps Buglers, past and present, at Arlington National Cemetery who sound the twenty four notes of Taps in all types of weather paying tribute to those who have served. Music is Amazing Grace arranged by Jari Villanueva and performed by the USAF Band. Taps is sounded on an original Civil War clairon. For more information on Taps visit www.tapsbugler.com Also check out our other videos under "More Videos from: Tapsbugler" Thanks for looking! Jari Villanueva, the Taps Bugler.


To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best day and night to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle any human being can fight; and never stop fighting. E. E. Cummings



No comments:

Post a Comment