Friday, April 6, 2012

Friday! Easter! History, Sports, Cinema, Quotes, More!

On This Date In 1776 The Continental Congress took the first step toward American independence by announcing their decision to open all American ports to international trade with any part of the world that is not under British rule.
On This Date In 1793 The French Committee of Public Safety was formally created by the National Convention and then restructured in July 1793, forming the de facto executive government in France during the Reign of Terror (1793–1794), a stage of the French Revolution.
On This Date In 1830 In Fayette Township, New York, Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon religion, founded the Church of Christ, later known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, during a meeting with a small group of believers. In the same year, The Book of Mormon was published.
On This Date In 1841 John Tyler is sworn in as the 10th President of the United States. Tyler was elected as President William Harrison's vice president earlier in 1841 and was suddenly thrust into the role of president when Harrison died one month into office. He was the first vice president to immediately assume the role of president after a sitting president's untimely exit and set the precedent for succession thereafter.
On This Date In 1853 Emil Jellinek, an entrepreneur who commissioned engineer Wilhelm Maybach to design the first Mercedes automobile, named after Jellinek's daughter, is born in Leipzig, Germany.
On This Date In 1862 The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, fought April 6 – 7, 1862, in southwestern Tennessee. A Union army under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had moved via the Tennessee River deep into Tennessee and was encamped principally at Pittsburg Landing on the west bank of the river. Confederate forces under Generals Albert Sidney Johnston and P. G. T. Beauregard launched a surprise attack on Grant there. The Confederates achieved considerable success on the first day, but were ultimately defeated on the second day.
On This Date In 1865 The Battle of High Bridge in Virginia was fought on April 6–7, 1865, near the end of the Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War. On April 6, the Confederate cavalry fought stubbornly to secure the Appomattox River bridges. On April 7, elements of the Union II Corps came up against Lt. Gen. James Longstreet's rear guard attempting to fire the High Bridge and wagon bridge. Union forces were able to save the wagon bridge over which the II Corps crossed in pursuit of Gen. Robert E. Lee's army. Failure to destroy this bridge enabled Union forces to catch up with the Confederates at Farmville.
On This Date In 1865 The Battle of Rice's Station was a minor engagement in Appomattox Campaign of the American Civil War that was the immediate prelude to the Battle of Sayler's Creek. Confederate Lt. Gen. James Longstreet's command reached Rice's Station, only to discover that it was blocked by Union troops led by Maj. Gen. John Gibbon. After a minor confrontation and very few casualties, Longstreet withdrew during the night towards Farmville.
On This Date In 1865 The Battle of Sayler's Creek was fought southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, as part of the Appomattox Campaign, in the final days of the American Civil War. It was the last major engagement between the armies of Gen. Robert E. Lee and Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant before the capitulation of Lee's Confederate army at Appomattox Court House three days later.
On This Date In 1896 The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Athens, Greece, from April 6 to April 15, 1896. It was the first Olympic Games held in the Modern era. Ancient Greece was the birthplace of the Olympic Games, consequently Athens was perceived to be an appropriate choice to stage the inaugural modern Games. It was unanimously chosen as the host city during a congress organized by Pierre de Coubertin, a French pedagogue and historian, in Paris, on June 23, 1894.
On This Date In 1909 American explorer Robert Peary accomplished a long elusive dream, when he, assistant Matthew Henson, and four Eskimos - Ootah, Egigingwah, Seegloo and Ooqueah - reached what they determined to be the North Pole. Decades after Peary's death, however, navigational errors in his travel log surfaced, placing the expedition in all probability a few miles short of its goal.
On This Date In 1917 After the sinking of seven U.S. merchant ships by German submarines and the publication of the Zimmerman telegram http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimmermann_Telegram, President Woodrow Wilson called a special joint session of Congress for war on Germany on April 2, 1917, which the U.S. Congress declared on April 6, 1917, after the U.S. Senate voted 82 to 6 in favor, and the U.S. House of Representatives endorsed by a vote of 373 to 50.
On This Date In 1926 The 1926 Stanley Cup Final saw the National Hockey League (NHL) champion Montreal Maroons, in their first Final series appearance, defeat the Western Hockey League (WHL) and defending Stanley Cup champion Victoria Cougars three games to one in the best-of-five game series. This was the last Stanley Cup playoffs before the WHL folded, and the last time any non-NHL team would contest for the Cup, leaving the Cup entirely to the NHL.
On This Date In 1941 The Invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or the Balkan campaign, was the Axis Powers' attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia which began on April 6, 1941 during World War II. The German air force launched Operation Castigo, the bombing of Belgrade, as 24 divisions and 1,200 tanks drove into Greece. The invasion ended with the unconditional surrender of the Royal Yugoslav Army on April 17, 1941, annexation and occupation of the region by the Axis powers and the creation of the Independent State of Croatia.
On This Date In 1941 The Battle of Metaxas Line, also known as Battle of the Forts, was the first battle during the Greek campaign of World War II. The Germans succeeded in breaching the Greek fortified Metaxas Line on the western flank and forced the Greek forces east of the Axios river to surrender after four days of combat (April 6–9, 1941). It is one of the most glorious moments of Modern Greek history, as it caused the largest number of casualties for the Germans during the “Marita” operation. http://www.elia.org.gr/pages.fds?pagecode=08.03.04&langid=2
On This Date In 1950 Twenty-two cars made up the Leopoldina Railways train that departed Rio de Janeiro for Victoria, Espirito Santo, five of those passenger cars carrying 200 people vacationing over the Easter holidays, which, 60 miles into its trip, dropped off a bridge over the Indios River in Tangua, Brazil, killing 110 people.
On This Date In 1950 Through April 9, the 14th Masters Golf Tournament was contested. With his victory, Jimmy Demaret became the first three-time winner at the Masters. The flashily attired, quick-with-a-quip Texan also won the 1940 and 1947 Masters tournaments, and his three Masters victories make up Demaret's full complement of wins in majors. Demaret won the 1950 Masters by overcoming a 4-stroke deficit to Jim Ferrier at the start of the final round. Demaret shot 69 in the final round to Ferrier's 75, a six-shot swing. Ferrier finished second.
On This Date In 1959 The 31st Academy Awards ceremony was held. The film Gigi won nine Oscars, breaking Gone with the Wind's record of eight. It only lasted for one year, however, as Ben-Hur broke the record with eleven Oscars the following year. Two notable omissions from the Best Picture nominees included Orson Welles' film noir Touch of Evil and Alfred Hitchcock's romantic mystery Vertigo. Gigi was also the last film until The Last Emperor to win best picture without an acting nomination. It also had the biggest clean sweep that would be met by The Last Emperor, winning all 9 of its nominations. The record was broken in 2003 by The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
On This Date In 1961 Through April 10, the 25th Masters Golf Tournament was contested. Gary Player won and became the first non-American to win the Masters. Arnold Palmer was going for his third win at The Masters, and Player for his first. Getting the ball up and down from the bunker at hole No. 18 for a par, Gary Player held off Arnold Palmer, who double-bogied for a six, and fell one stroke behind, and amateur Charles Coe to become the Masters' first international champion.
On This Date In 1965 National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy drafted and signed National Security Action Memorandum 328 on behalf of President Lyndon B. Johnson. This document came out of National Security Council meetings that were held on April 1 and April 2. The memorandum authorized U.S. personnel to take the offensive in South Vietnam to secure “enclaves” and to support South Vietnamese operations. The so-called “enclave strategy” called for the U.S. forces to control the densely-populated coastal areas while the South Vietnamese forces moved inland to fight the communists. This memorandum represented a major mission change for the American soldiers and Marines who had recently arrived in Vietnam. American forces had been limited to strictly defensive operations around the U.S. air bases, but the memorandum authorized them to go on the offensive to secure large areas of terrain, an escalation of U.S. involvement in the war.
On This Date In 1967 The 31st Masters Golf Tournament was contested from April 6 - 9 at Augusta National Golf Club. 83 players entered the tournament and 55 of them made the cut at six-over-par. Rebounding from a playoff loss the previous year, Gay Brewer birdied hole Nos. 13, 14 and 15 Sunday to defeat Bobby Nichols by one stroke after a final-round 67. This was Brewer's second win in 1967, and the 10th win of his PGA Tour career. He would win only one more time on the PGA Tour, and not for another five years.
On This Date In 1967 “The City on the Edge of Forever” is the penultimate episode of the first season of the television series Star Trek. It is episode #28, production #28, first broadcast on April 6, 1967. It was repeated on August 31, 1967 and marked the last time that NBC telecast an episode of the series on Thursday nights. It was one of the most critically acclaimed episodes of the series and was awarded the 1968 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. The only other episode with such an honor is the two-part episode “The Menagerie.” The teleplay is credited to Harlan Ellison, but was also largely rewritten by several authors before filming. The filming was directed by Joseph Pevney. Joan Collins guest starred as Edith Keeler.
On This Date In 1968 The Richmond, Indiana explosion was a double explosion which occurred in downtown Richmond, Indiana. The explosions killed 41 people and injured more than 150. The primary explosion was due to natural gas leaking from one or more faulty transmission lines under the Marting Arms sporting goods store, located at the intersection of 6th and Main streets. A secondary explosion was caused by gunpowder stored inside the building.
On This Date In 1968 “2001: A Space Odyssey,” a science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, was released nationally in the United States by American studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, and was partially inspired by Clarke's short story “The Sentinel”. Clarke later adapted the script into an eponymous novel. Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood star, with Douglas Rain as the voice of the sentient computer HAL 9000 who has full control over their spaceship. The film is frequently described as an “epic film”, both for its length and scope, and for its affinity with classical epics.
On This Date In 1970 Sam Sheppard, an American physician and neurosurgeon convicted of murdering his pregnant wife in a trial that caused a media frenzy in the 1950s, died of liver failure. After a decade in prison, Sheppard was released following a re-trial. His story is rumored to have loosely inspired the television series and movie “The Fugitive.”
On This Date In 1972 During the Vietnam War, Clear weather for the first time in three days allowed U.S. planes and Navy warships to begin the sustained air strikes and naval bombardments ordered by President Richard Nixon in response to the massive North Vietnamese Nguyen Hue Offensive (later known as the “Easter Offensive”) launched on March 30. This massive invasion by North Vietnamese forces designed to strike the blow that would win the war for the communists proved unsuccessful. Ultimately, the South Vietnamese forces prevailed against the invaders, but only after six months of desperate fighting that raged across South Vietnam. U.S. airpower proved to be the difference between victory and defeat for the South Vietnamese. With the communist invasion blunted, President Nixon declared that the South Vietnamese victory proved the viability of his “Vietnamization” program, instituted in 1969 to increase the combat capability of the South Vietnamese armed forces.
On This Date In 1972 The 36th Masters Golf Tournament was held at Augusta National Golf Club from April 6 - 9, 1972. Jack Nicklaus won his fourth Masters title, joining Arnold Palmer as the Masters' only four-time winner, scoring 286 over 72 holes. Nicklaus's score was the only sub-par four-day total, and he became the Tournament's third wire-to-wire champion.
On This Date In 1974 In Brighton, England, the judges of the 19th Eurovision Song Contest crushed the hopes of tiny Luxembourg by denying that nation in its bid for a historic third straight victory at the pan-European musical event. Those judges did the rest of the world a favor, however, by selecting the Swedish entry as the winner instead. Which is not to say anything against the song "Bye Bye I Love You" as performed by Luxembourg's Irene Sheer. It's just that Sweden's entry was a song called "Waterloo," performed by a group called ABBA, which went on to become something of a sensation. ABBA's win at the annual Eurovision Song Contest launched the group on its monumental international career, marking the first and still only time that the Eurovision Song Contest crowned a previously unknown winner destined for legitimate superstardom.
On This Date In 1978 The 42nd Masters Golf Tournament was held April 6 - 9 at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Gary Player overcame a 7-shot deficit going into the final round to win his third Masters and ninth major championship. Player, age 42, shot a final round of 64 (-8) to win by one stroke over Rod Funseth, Tom Watson, and 54-hole leader Hubert Green, who shot an even par 72.
On This Date In 1989 The 53rd Masters Golf Tournament was held April 6 - 9, 1989 at Augusta National Golf Club. Nick Faldo won his first Masters championship and second major title with a birdie on the second sudden-death playoff hole over Scott Hoch. This tournament is well known for Hoch missing a two-foot putt on the first playoff hole that would have won him the tournament.
On This Date In 1992 The 1992 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 19, 1992, and ended with the championship game on April 6 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A total of 63 games were played. Duke, coached by Mike Krzyzewski, defeated the Michigan Wolverines, coached by Steve Fisher, 71–51 to claim their second consecutive national championship. Bobby Hurley of Duke was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
On This Date In 1995 The 59th Masters Golf Tournament was held from April 6 - 9 at Augusta National Golf Club. Ben Crenshaw won his second Masters championship by one stroke over Davis Love III. This was an emotional victory for Crenshaw as it came just days after the death of his mentor, Harvey Penick.
On This Date In 2000 The 64th Masters Golf Tournament was held from April 6 - 9 at Augusta National Golf Club. Vijay Singh won his second major championship and first Masters by three strokes over Ernie Els.
On This Date In 2006 The al-Baraqua II capsized in the Gulf of Tadjoura off the coast of Djibouti's capital of Djibouti City. The ferry was carrying passengers from the capital to a religious festival in Tadjoura when the accident occurred, shortly after departure. Known deaths were at 113 a few days after the accident, but it is believed that there were about 200 passengers onboard.
On This Date In 2006 The 70th Masters Tournament was played April 6 - 9 at Augusta National Golf Club. The course was lengthened significantly before the tournament, making the course play 7,445 yards (up from 7,290 in 2005). Phil Mickelson won his second Masters and second consecutive major, winning by two with a score of seven under 281, with a final round 69 for a two stroke victory over Tim Clark. The purse was $7.0 million and Mickelson earned $1.26 million.
On This Date In 2007 The christening of the Amelia Earhart took place, with the honors of breaking the traditional bottle of champagne given to Amelia Earhart's closest living relative, niece Amy Kleppner. USNS Amelia Earhart (T-AKE-6), a Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship, is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for noted American aviation pioneer and women's rights advocate Amelia Earhart (1897–1937).
On This Date In 2009 The L'Aquila earthquake occurred in the region of Abruzzo, in central Italy. The main shock was rated 5.8 on the Richter scale and 6.3 on the moment magnitude scale; its epicentre was near L'Aquila, the capital of Abruzzo, which together with surrounding villages suffered most damage. There have been several thousand foreshocks and aftershocks since December 2008, more than thirty of which had a Richter magnitude greater than 3.5. The earthquake was felt throughout central Italy; 307 people are known to have died, making this the deadliest earthquake to hit Italy since the 1980 Irpinia earthquake.

Hat tip to any included contributing sources, along with:


Happy Birthday Andre Previn (1929), Billy Dee Williams (1937), Merle Haggard (1937), Phil Regan (1937), Roy Thinnes (1938), John Sculley (1939), John Ratzenberger (1947), Marilu Henner (1952), Michael Rooker (1955), Ken Hudson Campbell (1963), Vince Flynn (1966), Paul Rudd (1969), Zach Braff (1975), Candace Cameron (1976), Kendra Todd (1978), Tim Hasselbeck (1978), Bret Harrison (1982), Diora Baird (1983), and Charlie McDermott (1990).

RIPJohn William Waterhouse (1849 – 1917), Lowell Thomas (1892 – 1981), Virginia Hall (1906 – 1982), Richard Murdoch (1909 – 1990), Leonora Carrington (1917 – 2011), Kaaren Verne (1918 – 1967), Charlie Rouse (1924 – 1988), Joi Lansing (1928 – 1972), and Carl Lockhart (1943 – 1986).

Quotes

I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world. Albert Einstein

The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. Albert Einstein

Blessed are those to whom Easter is not a hunt...but a find; not a greeting...but a proclamation; not an outward fashion...but inward grace; not a day...but an eternity. Anderson

The great gift of Easter is hope – Christian hope which makes us have that confidence in God, in his ultimate triumph, and in his goodness and love, which nothing can shake. Basil C. Hume

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Ecclesiastes, 3. 1

The joyful news that He is risen does not change the contemporary world. Still before us lie work, discipline, sacrifice. But the fact of Easter gives us the spiritual power to do the work, accept the discipline, and make the sacrifice. Henry Knox Sherrill


Courtesy YouTube et al

Paratroopers in Afghanistan
Do you have what it takes to be an Army paratrooper? Watch this video to get an idea of the kinds of thigs paratroopers are doing in Afghanistan today.

Taps Trumpet Solo
A girl performs a solo at a Symphony concert. Very good at playing this trumpet.

Taps Buglers at Arlington National Cemetery
www.taps150.org
www.tapsbugler.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.

1st Marine Division (Forward) Band plays 'Taps'
Footage of 1st Marine Division Forward band members playing "Taps". Provided by 1st Marine Division.


He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.
Ephesians, 4. 11


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