History, War & On This Day

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Dedicated on 13 November 1982

I cannot in good conscience say that I like this memorial in any way. It always felt way too small to me. I think Vietnam vets deserved a massive memorial (and even more so for the WWII vets), but instead they got what they got. I know public opinion changed over the years with the designs, but I will always be in the school that believes that if you're going to build a memorial - go big or go home. Sorry, I won't apologize for always wanting so much more for our veterans!

Near the end of a weeklong national salute to Americans who served in the Vietnam War, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington after a march to its site by thousands of veterans of the conflict. The long-awaited memorial was a simple V-shaped black-granite wall inscribed with the names of the 57,939 Americans who died in the conflict, arranged in order of death, not rank, as was common in other memorials.

The designer of the memorial was Maya Lin, a Yale University architecture student who entered a nationwide competition to create a design for the monument. Lin, born in Ohio in 1959, was the daughter of Chinese immigrants. Many veterans’ groups were opposed to Lin’s winning design, which lacked a standard memorial’s heroic statues and stirring words. However, a remarkable shift in public opinion occurred in the months after the memorial’s dedication. Veterans and families of the dead walked the black reflective wall, seeking the names of their loved ones killed in the conflict. Once the name was located, visitors often made an etching or left a private offering, from notes and flowers to dog tags and cans of beer.

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial soon became one of the most visited memorials in the nation’s capital. A Smithsonian Institution director called it “a community of feelings, almost a sacred precinct,” and a veteran declared that “it’s the parade we never got.” “The Wall” drew together both those who fought and those who marched against the war and served to promote national healing a decade after the divisive conflict’s end.

#veterans   #vietnam   #memorial   #vietnamwar   #soldiers   #thewall  

via/ history.com

Photo: A man places his hand against the wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 11, 1986, on Veterans Day.

AP Photo by Frederick McDonald.

Election 2016

When it comes to things like elections, I have an elephant's memory about things said, lies spewed, half and un-truths shared like gospel, and EXACTLY how people purported themselves HERE, and on Facebook, and in the on-line world.

Even within my own family. Yes, I will still love them unconditionally, but I will NOT forgive them for jeopardizing multiple future generations of America, and I will fucking never forget. They took a stand, and it was contrary to all this country was founded on, and NO, this is no different than how it was for families that split during the Civil War.

Make no mistake - this was a Second Civil War this year, but it should have been labeled The Uncivil War because it was like watching a room of second grader's let loose in an auditorium and all of them we're hopped up on massive quantities of sugar. This election was embarrassing to me and the world, and I put the blame solely on all of us, but most importantly on GOP leaders who let this Shit-Storm happen.

Shame on you. Don't cry to us decades into the future when you lament the dissolution of the GOP. YOU allowed this; YOU allowed this to happen, on your watch. And YOU were willing to allow the future of America to fall into the hands of a neo-Hitler.

My elephant memory will NEVER forget all the posts here on G+ (good, bad, nasty) and I hold YOU responsible for your own actions as adults. By the way, this record on G+ is PERMANENT, and when you want to try and LIE and say you never said those things, years down the road, the record will be intact. Good luck trying to tell your grand kids and great grand kids that you weren't a racist POS back in 2016.

We ALL will be able to see the record, and we ALL will be here to SHAME YOU when you try to lie all over again...

#election2016   #elephantmemory   #GOPlies   #deathofgop  

German Scientist Discovers X-rays On 8 November 1895

On this day in 1895, physicist Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen (1845-1923) becomes the first person to observe X-rays, a significant scientific advancement that would ultimately benefit a variety of fields, most of all medicine, by making the invisible visible.

Rontgen’s discovery occurred accidentally in his Wurzburg, Germany, lab, where he was testing whether cathode rays could pass through glass when he noticed a glow coming from a nearby chemically coated screen. He dubbed the rays that caused this glow X-rays because of their unknown nature.

X-rays are electromagnetic energy waves that act similarly to light rays, but at wavelengths approximately 1,000 times shorter than those of light. Rontgen holed up in his lab and conducted a series of experiments to better understand his discovery. He learned that X-rays penetrate human flesh but not higher-density substances such as bone or lead and that they can be photographed.

Rontgen’s discovery was labeled a medical miracle and X-rays soon became an important diagnostic tool in medicine, allowing doctors to see inside the human body for the first time without surgery. In 1897, X-rays were first used on a military battlefield, during the Balkan War, to find bullets and broken bones inside patients.

Scientists were quick to realize the benefits of X-rays, but slower to comprehend the harmful effects of radiation. Initially, it was believed X-rays passed through flesh as harmlessly as light. However, within several years, researchers began to report cases of burns and skin damage after exposure to X-rays, and in 1904, Thomas Edison’s assistant, Clarence Dally, who had worked extensively with X-rays, died of skin cancer. Dally’s death caused some scientists to begin taking the risks of radiation more seriously, but they still weren’t fully understood.

During the 1930s, 40s and 50s, in fact, many American shoe stores featured shoe-fitting fluoroscopes that used to X-rays to enable customers to see the bones in their feet; it wasn’t until the 1950s that this practice was determined to be risky business. Wilhelm Rontgen received numerous accolades for his work, including the first Nobel Prize in physics in 1901, yet he remained modest and never tried to patent his discovery. Today, X-ray technology is widely used in medicine, material analysis and devices such as airport security scanners.

#xray   #medecine   #history   #onthisday   #physics   #nobelprize  

via/ history.com

The Swedish Kräftskiva

The Swedish Kräftskiva is, next to Midsummer, the national holiday most closely associated with Swedish identity.

While Swedes are well known for their reserved and civilized demeanor, for a few weeks in August they let their hair down and partake of an annual late-summer bacchanalian rite. Much like Midsummer, the crayfish season is a time for Swedish restraint to be shed with a vengeance.

This centuries-old tradition, celebrated in song and literature by the likes of August Strindberg, derives from a time when freshwater crayfish were almost exclusively consumed by the ruling elite. In fact, the first time crayfish are mentioned in relation to Swedish gastronomy is in a communication from King Erik XIV to the bailiff of Nyköping Castle dated 1562. In the letter, the king commands the harvesting of large amounts of crayfish for his sister Anna’s wedding.

Crayfish Premiere at restaurant Sturehof in Stockholm. Photo: K W Gullers, Nordiska museet.

#crayfish   #sweden   #kraftskiva   #food   #gastronomy   #bwphotography   #crayfishparty  

via/ http://www.nordstjernan.com/news/pacific_states/6501/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crayfish_party

Washington Learns of Conway Cabal on 3 November 1777

Even though many people believe Geo. Washington to be one of the most beloved figures in American history, there was always plenty of political and wartime intrigue behind the scenes...

The Conway Cabal was a group of senior Continental Army officers in late 1777 and early 1778 who aimed to have George Washington replaced as commander-in-chief of the Army during the American Revolutionary War. It was named after Brigadier General Thomas Conway, whose letters criticizing Washington were forwarded to the Second Continental Congress.

When these suggestions (which were often little more than criticisms and expressions of discontent with either Washington or the general course of the war) were made public, supporters of Washington mobilized to assist him politically. Conway ended up resigning from the army, and General Horatio Gates, a leading candidate to replace Washington, issued an apology for his role in events.

No formal requests were ever made asking for Washington's removal as commander in chief. There was no sign of any formal conspiracy amongst the various malcontents, although Washington was concerned that there might be one. It was the only major political threat to Washington's command during the war.

Background

In the fall of 1777 forces of the British Army successfully captured Philadelphia, the seat of the Second Continental Congress, which was forced to relocate to York, Pennsylvania. The series of military setbacks (principally the losses at Brandywine in September and Germantown in October) caused many in the Continental Army and Congress to question George Washington's leadership of the war effort.

In contrast, the northern army of General Horatio Gates had won a signal victory over John Burgoyne's forces, compelling Burgoyne to surrender his entire army after the Battles of Saratoga. In addition to claiming credit for the victory at Saratoga (which some historians feel was due more to the actions of Benedict Arnold), Gates was politically well connected to Congress.

"Conspiracy" is perhaps too strong a term to use in describing varied actions taken by disaffected officers and Congressional delegates unhappy with the course of the war. Most of those involved shared the view only that Washington was a less than perfect commander in chief, and very few of their activities were coordinated. General Gates was used as a stalking horse to replace Washington, and had himself also engaged in some lobbying for the command, but he was not responsible for the strong response within the Congress.

Opposition to Washington's command in Pennsylvania was anchored by Thomas Mifflin, a former Congressional delegate, and also the former quartermaster of the Continental Army who had previously worked closely with Washington. His view of Washington as a rank amateur was supported by Richard Henry Lee, Benjamin Rush, and probably others. A number of French officers who had been commissioned into the Continental Army were also critical of Washington. These notably included Johann de Kalb, Louis Lebègue Duportail, and Thomas Conway.

Conway's Letter

Thomas Conway was an Irishman who was educated in France and had served in its military. He joined the Continental Army as a brigadier general, and served with some distinction under Washington during the Philadelphia campaign, although he and Washington did not get along, and his condescending attitude annoyed other American officers as well. General Conway had been appointed as Inspector General of the Army. In October 1777 Conway began lobbying Congress for a promotion to major general, including in his writings criticisms of Washington. Washington opposed Conway's promotion, as he felt there were many American-born officers more deserving of promotion who would be upset by such a move.

As part of Conway's efforts, he wrote a letter to Gates in which he was reported to have said, "Heaven has been determined to save your Country; or a weak General and bad Counsellors would have ruind [sic] it."

General William Alexander (Lord Stirling) received a letter from Gates' adjutant, James Wilkinson, that contained this quotation. He forwarded the letter to Washington, who received it on November 8, 1777. This led Washington to consider the possibility that his subordinates were scheming behind his back to replace him. He was already aware that Gates in particular was politically well connected and popular due to his success at Saratoga.

Washington wrote Conway a brief letter: "Sir, a letter which I received last Night contained the following paragraph. In a letter from Genl Conway to Genl Gates he says", and then quotes the above passage. Conway immediately acknowledged having written to Gates, but denied having written the quoted passage. Conway also again criticized Washington in this letter, writing that "although your advice in council is commonly sound and proper, you have often been influenc'd by men who Were not equal to you in point of experience, Knowledge, or judgement."

*Washington never saw the actual letter Conway sent to Gates. Henry Laurens did however, and sent Washington an excerpt: "What pity there is but one General Gates! but the more I see of this Army the less I think it fit for general Action under its actual Chiefs [...] I speak [to] you sincerely & wish I could serve under you."

General Mifflin, a man Washington also distrusted, and to whom Conway had also expressed concerns over the army's leadership, informed Gates of what had transpired. Gates wrote a letter to Washington complaining that "[t]hese letters have been stealingly copied" by persons unknown to him, and that he was sending the letter to Laurens, not Washington. This attitude did nothing to placate Washington, and his relationship with Gates deteriorated.

#revolutionarywar #georgewashington #conwaycabal #ushistory #americanhistory #cabal

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway_Cabal

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/washington-learns-of-conway-cabal

Veterans Day

To all who have served in the Armed Forces for our great nation, thank you, thank you for your service. Today we honor your for your service and sacrifices, and we appreciate all that you have done for our country.

Veterans Day is an official United States public holiday, observed annually on November 11, that honors military veterans; that is, persons who served in the United States Armed Forces. It coincides with other holidays, including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, celebrated in other countries that mark the anniversary of the end of World War I; major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect.

The United States previously observed Armistice Day. The U.S. holiday was renamed Veterans Day in 1954.

Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day; Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans, while Memorial Day honors those who died while in military service.

#veteransday2016   #veteransday   #armedforces   #veterans   #soldiers   #army   #navy   #airforce   #marinecorp   #coastguard  

via/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_Day

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Armed_Forces

East Germany Opens the Berlin Wall on 9 November 1989

I was there five short years later, walking through Berlin, and you could EASILY tell when you were in the former Eastern or Western Berlin. The differences were striking, but even those years later, you could feel hope happening, as you'd look towards the city center and see HUNDREDS of cranes dotting the landscape. It was remarkable being there so close to the wall coming down...

East German officials today opened the Berlin Wall, allowing travel from East to West Berlin. The following day, celebrating Germans began to tear the wall down. One of the ugliest and most infamous symbols of the Cold War was soon reduced to rubble that was quickly snatched up by souvenir hunters.

The East German action followed a decision by Hungarian officials a few weeks earlier to open the border between Hungary and Austria. This effectively ended the purpose of the Berlin Wall, since East German citizens could now circumvent it by going through Hungary, into Austria, and thence into West Germany. The decision to open the wall was also a reflection of the immense political changes taking place in East Germany, where the old communist leadership was rapidly losing power and the populace was demanding free elections and movement toward a free market system.

The action also had an impact on President George Bush and his advisors. After watching television coverage of the delirious German crowds demolishing the wall, many in the Bush administration became more convinced than ever that Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev’s statements about desiring a new relationship with the West must be taken more seriously.

Unlike 1956 and 1968, when Soviet forces ruthlessly crushed protests in Hungary and Czechoslovakia, respectively, Gorbachev actually encouraged the East German action. As such, the destruction of the Berlin Wall was one of the most significant actions leading to the end of the Cold War.

The Berlin Wall was officially referred to as the "Anti-Fascist Protective Wall" (German: Antifaschistischer Schutzwall) by GDR authorities, implying that the NATO countries and West Germany in particular were considered equal to "fascists" by GDR propaganda. The West Berlin city government sometimes referred to it as the "Wall of Shame"—a term coined by mayor Willy Brandt—while condemning the Wall's restriction on freedom of movement. Along with the separate and much longer Inner German border (IGB), which demarcated the border between East and West Germany, it came to symbolize a physical marker of the "Iron Curtain" that separated Western Europe and the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War.

Before the Wall's erection, 3.5 million East Germans circumvented Eastern Bloc emigration restrictions and defected from the GDR, many by crossing over the border from East Berlin into West Berlin; from which they could then travel to West Germany and other Western European countries. Between 1961 and 1989, the Wall prevented almost all such emigration. During this period, around 5,000 people attempted to escape over the Wall, with an estimated death toll ranging from 136 to more than 200 in and around Berlin.

In 1989, a series of radical political changes occurred in the Eastern Bloc, associated with the liberalization of the Eastern Bloc's authoritarian systems and the erosion of political power in the pro-Soviet governments in nearby Poland and Hungary. After several weeks of civil unrest, the East German government announced on 9 November 1989 that all GDR citizens could visit West Germany and West Berlin. Crowds of East Germans crossed and climbed onto the Wall, joined by West Germans on the other side in a celebratory atmosphere.

Over the next few weeks, euphoric people and souvenir hunters chipped away parts of the Wall; the governments later used industrial equipment to remove most of what was left. Contrary to popular belief the Wall's actual demolition did not begin until the summer of 1990 and was not completed until 1992. The fall of the Berlin Wall paved the way for German reunification, which was formally concluded on 3 October 1990.

#berlinwall   #communism   #berlin   #germany   #GDR   #history   #worldhistory   #EastGermany   #thisdayinhistory   #ironcurtain   #gorbachev   #coldwar   #easternbloc  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Wall

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/east-germany-opens-the-berlin-wall

Back To The 70s

This has the 70s written all over it, from the fashion, to the roller skates, to hitting up the pinball arcade in the afternoons. Radically, outlandishly, amazingly different times....

Vicki Witt, 1978

#nostalgia   #pinball   #arcade   #rollerskates   #the70s  

image | https://wilwheaton.tumblr.com/post/40191025010/endlessme-vicki-witt-1978-via-rrrick-i-love

The Cubs. At Last. And It Only Took 108 Years!

The drought and the Curse of the Billy Goat has ended. Rejoice!

The team has appeared in a total of eleven World Series, most recently in 2016. The Cubs have not won the World Series in 108 years, and they had not won the National League pennant in 71 years until finally winning it in 2016, both of which are record "droughts" in Major League Baseball.

The Curse of the Billy Goat is the name of a sports-related curse that was supposedly placed on the Chicago Cubs Major League Baseball franchise in 1945 by Billy Goat Tavern owner William Sianis. Because the odor of his pet goat, Murphy, was bothering other fans, Sianis was asked to leave Wrigley Field, the Cubs home ballpark, during game four of the 1945 World Series.

Outraged, Sianis allegedly declared, "Them Cubs, they ain't gonna win no more," which has been interpreted to mean that either the Cubs would never win another National League pennant or that they would never again win a World Series.

He was wrong!

#worldseries   #chicagocubs   #nationalleague   #baseball   #MLB   #billmurray   #chicago  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Cubs

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_the_Billy_Goat

The Tsar

It contained the power of all the explosives used in WWII, MULTIPLIED BY TEN!. Is this the leader who you really want to have access to nuclear codes to launch something like this ... on a whim? Because someone picked on him or pissed him off one day?

Please do me a favor. If you honestly don't give a crap about your kids, or this world, then by all means, let the Madman win with your vote.

But if you do - know that this is absolutely in his wheelhouse, and he won't hesitate, because he's never going to be a loser. He'll tell you this is "amazing" and we're all buffoons and clowns if we don't agree. He'll tell you about all the "great guys" who will support this. It will be "huge" and it will help defeat the terrorists and Muslims trying to destroy our country.

And heck, it was built by the Russians, so everything's okay since , you know, Putin and him are besties, and Lil' Vlad would never do something like this now. Putin is "classy" in his book. Of course he is, since he's been the Puppet Master all along this last year.

Yeah, we're all "losers" and that's exactly how Little Lord Fauntleroy sees this country. The Nuclear Football is just another Richie Rich toy to him; having access to the nuclear launch codes is simply what this narcissist believes is due to him. And he'll "mean Tweet" you if you say otherwise...

If you don't see that, you truly are naive. Uncircle me now, please, because I don't even want to know you if you allow THIS for future generations.