On this day in history.

[scifan57]

I would think that that executive order must have been unconstitutional in that it deprived US citizens of their rights without due process. It's important to note that there was no corresponding internment of German Americans.

 

[giradman]

I would think that that executive order must have been unconstitutional in that it deprived US citizens of their rights without due process. It's important to note that there was no corresponding internment of German Americans.

Hi SciFan.. - after doing some googling, the Executive Order 9066 was challenged in the Supreme Court in 1944, and by a 6–3 decision, the ruling declared the exclusion order constitutional (Source). As to German Americans (and Italian Americans), I suspect that the unprovoked surprise attack of Pearl Harbor and the ethnic appearance of the Japanese Americans were likely factors in that executive order, but just my thoughts.

Some interesting facts quoted below from the first link in my previous post - plenty of Germans were arrested (and movies from the period made) and one of the only persons to make some sense was Eleanor Roosevelt (second quote) - my favorite First Lady - Dave

But few people know that Executive Order 9066, signed by President Roosevelt, which permitted the roundup of Japanese and their American-born children, also paved the way for the arrest of Germans and Italians whom the FBI considered security risks and labeled as "enemy aliens." Indeed, the day before Roosevelt signed the order FBI agents had arrested 264 Italians, 1,296 Germans, and 2,209 on the East and West Coast. The hunt for perceived enemies was on.

The entire political and military establishment applied pressure on Roosevelt to pursue a vigorous internment policy. The only person close to him who opposed it was Eleanor Roosevelt, who believed the case against immigrants was driven by wartime hysteria. "These people were not convicted of any crime but emotions ran too high, too many people wanted to wreak vengeance on Oriental looking people," she wrote of the evacuation order for the Japanese.

 

[giradman]

USA Defeats Russians in Olympic Hockey in 1980!

The so-called Miracle on Ice, a Cinderella story in which a bunch of mainly American college players defeated a seasoned Russian "pro' team that had captured the previous 4 Olympic gold medals - I did watch that game on TV - Dave

In one of the most dramatic upsets in Olympic history, the underdog U.S. hockey team, made up of college players, defeats the four-time defending gold-medal winning Soviet team at the XIII Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York. The Soviet squad, previously regarded as the finest in the world, fell to the youthful American team 4-3 before a frenzied crowd of 10,000 spectators. Two days later, the Americans defeated Finland 4-2 to clinch the hockey gold (Source).

The Soviet team had captured the previous four Olympic hockey golds, going back to 1964, and had not lost an Olympic hockey game since 1968. Three days before the Lake Placid Games began, the Soviets routed the U.S. team 10-3 in an exhibition game at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Americans looked scrappy, but few blamed them for it–their average age, after all, was only 22, and their team captain, Mike Eruzione, was recruited from the obscurity of the Toledo Blades of the International League (Source).

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[scifan57]

One of the reasons for the dominance of the Russian/Soviet hockey team until this game is that it was composed of professionals long before the Olympic rules allowed it. They got around the rule by having the players enlisted in the Red Army, where all they did was play hockey all year.

 

[giradman]

One of the reasons for the dominance of the Russian/Soviet hockey team until this game is that it was composed of professionals long before the Olympic rules allowed it. They got around the rule by having the players enlisted in the Red Army, where all they did was play hockey all year.

Agree - thus, the reason I described the Soviet players as a 'seasoned Russian "pro" team' - Dave

 

[giradman]

Ulysses S. Grant Nominated by Lincoln to the Rank of Lieutenant General this day in 1864

Today in 1864, Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) was nominated by Abraham Lincoln to the rank of Lieutenant General (3 stars), newly revived and previously held by George Washington (also Winfield Scott but by brevet only) - several quotes below. Although Grant was a West Point graduate and served well in the Mexican War, he was unhappy by himself in the 1850s west and quit the Army; after, he failed in many endeavors and was a lowly clerk in his father's store in Galena, Illinois at the start of the Civil War.

The War made Grant a new man - he and Robert E. Lee emerged as the greatest generals of that horrible conflict. In 1868, Grant was elected the 18th President of the United States and served two terms, however, despite good intentions his presidency was inflicted by graft and corruption, ranking him as one of the 'worst' presidents (Source). He was a heavy cigar smoker and developed throat cancer, the cause of his death; to help restore his reputation and leave his family w/ sufficient money, he wrote his popular memoirs which are still in print (have a copy on my iPad - recommended!). Also, there is an excellent 4-hour PBS documentary for those interested (see pics below). Dave

On this day in 1864, President Abraham Lincoln nominates Ulysses S. Grant for the newly revived rank of lieutenant general. At the time, George Washington was the only other man to have held that rank. The promotion carried Grant to the supreme command of Union forces and capped one of the most remarkable success stories of the war. Born in Ohio in 1822, Grant attended West Point and graduated in 1843. He served in the Mexican War in 1847 to 1848 and on the American frontier in the 1850s. During this time, Grant acquired experience in logistics and the supply of troops, developing skills that later made him a success during the Civil War (Source).

When the Civil War erupted, Grant was not in the service and was working as a clerk in his father’s store in Galena, Illinois. Grant re-enlisted after Fort Sumter fell in April 1861; his first assignment was to raise troops in Illinois. In June, the governor appointed him colonel of the 21st Illinois. After leading his regiment to protect a railroad in Missouri, Grant was promoted to brigadier general in July 1861. In early 1862, Grant won the first major Union victories of the war when he captured Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in Tennessee. For the next two years, he was the most successful general in the Army. His campaign to capture Vicksburg, Mississippi,was one of the most efficient offensives of the war, and the Yankees captured the Mississippi River and most of Tennessee under his leadership (Source).

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[giradman]

U.S.S. Monitor Battles C.S.S. Virginia in Hampton Roads Bay This Day in 1862!

On this day in 1862, Union and Confederate ironclads battled each other to a draw and made obsolete naval warfare using wooden ships. Maps below of the battle location and a general one of the area - this is a great place to visit - some of the attractions are listed on the map - still an important naval military city w/ Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach (w/ the VA Aquarium) - the restored colonial capital, Williamsburg is a must; Mt. Vernon and the LONG Chesapeake Bay Bridge & Tunnel are nearby, the latter to the Virginia East Coast w/ wineries & Chincoteague (wild horses) - I've put together a number of travelogues on these areas, so check the travel forum, if interested.

Below just a few pics from the web - plenty others are available - over the years, we've taken several boat tours that visit the bay waters where the battle took place and exciting w/ the right narrator. The last pic is a full-scale reproduction of the Monitor at the Mariners' Museum & Park in Newport News, VA - I've never been there, so among revisiting other attractions, a future trip, me thinks! Dave

On this day in 1862, one of the most famous naval battles in American history occurs as two ironclads, the U.S.S.Monitor and the C.S.S. Virginia 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. The C.S.S. Virginia was originally the U.S.S. Merrimack, a 40-gun frigate launched in 1855. The Confederates captured it and covered it in heavy armor plating above the waterline. Outfitted with powerful guns, the Virginia was a formidable vessel when the Confederates launched her in February 1862. On March 8, the Virginia sunk two Union ships and ran one aground off Hampton Roads (Source).

The next day, the U.S.S. Monitor steamed into the Chesapeake Bay. Designed by Swedish engineer John Ericsson, the vessel had an unusually low profile, rising from the water only 18 inches. The flat iron deck had a 20-foot cylindrical turret rising from the middle of the ship; the turret housed two 11-inch Dahlgren guns. TheMonitor had a draft of less than 11 feet so it could operate in the shallow harbors and rivers of the South. It was commissioned on February 25, 1862, and arrived at Chesapeake Bay just in time to engage the Virginia (Source).

The battle between the Virginia and the Monitor began on the morning of March 9 and continued for four hours. The ships circled one another, jockeying for position as they fired their guns. The cannon balls simply deflected off the iron ships. In the early afternoon, the Virginia pulled back to Norfolk. Neither ship was seriously damaged, but the Monitor effectively ended the short reign of terror that the Confederate ironclad had brought to the Union navy (Source).

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[scifan57]

U.S.S. Monitor Battles C.S.S. Virginia in Hampton Roads Bay This Day in 1862!

On this day in 1862, Union and Confederate ironclads battled each other to a draw and made obsolete naval warfare using wooden ships. Maps below of the battle location and a general one of the area - this is a great place to visit - some of the attractions are listed on the map - still an important naval military city w/ Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach (w/ the VA Aquarium) - the restored colonial capital, Williamsburg is a must; Mt. Vernon and the LONG Chesapeake Bay Bridge & Tunnel are nearby, the latter to the Virginia East Coast w/ wineries & Chincoteague (wild horses) - I've put together a number of travelogues on these areas, so check the travel forum, if interested.

Below just a few pics from the web - plenty others are available - over the years, we've taken several boat tours that visit the bay waters where the battle took place and exciting w/ the right narrator. The last pic is a full-scale reproduction of the Monitor at the Mariners' Museum & Park in Newport News, VA - I've never been there, so among revisiting other attractions, a future trip, me thinks! Dave






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I believe that the USS Monitor was the first vessel to use turret mounted guns in battle.
Although frequently described as an ironclad, the hull of the Monitor was in fact iron plates fastened to iron frames. The CSS Virginia was a true ironclad, with iron armour over a wooden structure.

 

[scifan57]

March 13, 1781;

William Herschel discovers the planet Uranus. This was the first planet discovered in modern times and the first discovered with a telescope. William Herschel - Wikipedia
Uranus - Wikipedia

 

[giradman]

March 13, 1781;

William Herschel discovers the planet Uranus. This was the first planet discovered in modern times and the first discovered with a telescope. William Herschel - Wikipedia
Uranus - Wikipedia
View attachment 76364

William Herschel (1738-1822) was a versatile English personage - he was also a musician and composer - there is even a William Herschel Society devoted to his musical career (see first pic below) - I own one CD of his symphonies (contains 6 of 24 written) - have not heard any other works by him. Dave
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[scifan57]

William Herschel (1738-1822) was a versatile English personage - he was also a musician and composer - there is even a William Herschel Society devoted to his musical career (see first pic below) - I own one CD of his symphonies (contains 6 of 24 written) - have not heard any other works by him. Dave
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View attachment 76367 View attachment 76368

This and 3 other albums with Herschel's music are available in iTunes.

 

[giradman]

This and 3 other albums with Herschel's music are available in iTunes.

Well, tonight for our 'dinner music', I put on the CD of Herschel's Symphonies - as expected from his dates, this is typical of the early 'classical era', a la Haydn (good but second tier - however, recommended) - now I was looking on Amazon and several of those iTunes recordings were available - only the Keyboard Sonatas are of interest to me, but need to check for reviews - he was an oboist (I'm a 'wind guy') and need to see if he wrote for the oboe; also played other instruments - Dave
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[scifan57]

March 17, 461 A.D.;
St. Patrick dies at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland. Saint Patrick - Wikipedia

 

[giradman]

Seward's Folly (a.k.a. Purchase of Alaska) This Day in 1867!

Today in 1867, the United States purchased the Alaska Territory from Russia for $7 million dollars - its current area is 663,268 sq mi in size (Source), about 17% of the total area of the United States. Alaska was admitted to the Union in 1959 as the 49th state and becoming the largest state in the country (over twice the size of Texas). Below some pics that are self-explanatory - William Seward was the Secretary of State (hence the nickname) under Andrew Johnson, the President then.

Back in the 1990s, Susan & I took a 2-week trip to Alaska, first week on land and second week on a cruise ship from Seward to Vancouver along the 'inner passage' - visits to Glacier Bay, Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan; on the land part, Fairbanks, Nome, Kotzebue (above the Arctic Circle), Denali day trip (Mt. Denali shown below - tallest peak in North America, and formerly known as Mt. McKinley), and Anchorage. Dave

U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward signs a treaty with Russia for the purchase of Alaska for $7 million. Despite the bargain price of roughly two cents an acre, the Alaskan purchase was ridiculed in Congress and in the press as “Seward’s folly,” “Seward’s icebox,” and President Andrew Johnson’s “polar bear garden.” (Source)

The czarist government of Russia, which had established a presence in Alaska in the mid-18th century, first approached the United States about selling the territory during the administration of President James Buchanan, but negotiations were stalled by the outbreak of the Civil War. After 1865, Seward, a supporter of territorial expansion, was eager to acquire the tremendous landmass of Alaska, an area roughly one-fifth the size of the rest of the United States. He had some difficulty, however, making the case for the purchase of Alaska before the Senate, which ratified the treaty by a margin of just one vote on April 9, 1867. (Source)

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[giradman]

Pony Express Debuts Today in 1860!

The Pony Express debuted this day in 1860 w/ mail delivery reduced to only 10 days - the service was expensive and short- lived w/ the completion of the trans-continental telegraph at the end of 1861. However, its memory lives on in western films of yesteryear, novels, and statues (several shown below), and in the minds of grown-up kids who loved the stories and films (like myself). Dave

On this day in 1860, the first Pony Express mail, traveling by horse and rider relay teams, simultaneously leaves St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California. Ten days later, on April 13, the westbound rider and mail packet completed the approximately 1,800-mile journey and arrived in Sacramento, beating the eastbound packet’s arrival in St. Joseph by two days and setting a new standard for speedy mail delivery. Although ultimately short-lived and unprofitable, the Pony Express captivated America’s imagination and helped win federal aid for a more economical overland postal system. It also contributed to the economy of the towns on its route and served the mail-service needs of the American West in the days before the telegraph or an efficient transcontinental railroad (Source).

The Pony Express debuted at a time before radios and telephones, when California, which achieved statehood in 1850, was still largely cut off from the eastern part of the country. Letters sent from New York to the West Coast traveled by ship, which typically took at least a month, or by stagecoach on the recently established Butterfield Express overland route, which could take from three weeks to many months to arrive. Compared to the snail’s pace of the existing delivery methods, the Pony Express’ average delivery time of 10 days seemed like lightning speed (Source).

The Pony Express Company, the brainchild of William H. Russell, William Bradford Waddell and Alexander Majors was set up over 150 relay stations along a pioneer trail across the states of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California. Riders (paid about $25/week), carried up to 20 pounds of mail; riders changed every 75 to 100 miles, with horses switched out every 10 to 15 miles. Among the riders was the legendary William “Buffalo Bill” Cody (1846-1917). The riders set their fastest time with Lincoln’s inaugural address, which was delivered in just less than eight days. The initial cost of Pony Express delivery was $5 for every half-ounce of mail. With the advent of the first transcontinental telegraph line in October 1861, the Pony Express ceased operations. However, the legend of the lone Pony Express rider galloping across the Old West frontier lives on today (Source).

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