On this day in history.

[giradman]

Modern Summer Olympics Started This Day in 1896 in Athens!

The first 'modern' Summer Olympiad started on April 6 in 1986 and was held in Athens, Greece (some Wiki quotes below) - just a few pics from the web, including the medal count w/ the host country winning the most medals (46 overall - in the last 3 Summer Olympic Games, Greece has won a total of 12 medals, 3 Gold - Source) - note the text in bold, first quote and reason for the table listing of medals. Dave

The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, was the first international Olympic Games held in modern history. Organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which had been created by Pierre de Coubertin, it was held in Athens, Greece, from 6 to 15 April 1896. Winners were given a silver medal, while runners-up received a copper medal. Retroactively, the IOC has converted these to gold and silver, and awarded bronze medals to third placed athletes. Ten of the 14 participating nations earned medals. The United States won the most gold medals, 11; host nation Greece won the most medals overall, 46. Athens had been unanimously chosen to stage the inaugural modern Games during a congress organized by Coubertin in Paris on 23 June 1894, during which the IOC was also created, because Greece was the birthplace of the Ancient Olympic Games. (Source)

The 1896 Olympics were regarded as a great success. The Games had the largest international participation of any sporting event to that date. The Panathenaic Stadium, the only Olympic stadium used in the 1800s, overflowed with the largest crowd ever to watch a sporting event.[3] After the Games, Coubertin and the IOC were petitioned by several prominent figures, including Greece's King George and some of the American competitors in Athens, to hold all the following Games in Athens. However, the 1900 Summer Olympics were already planned for Paris and, except for the Intercalated Games of 1906, the Olympics did not return to Greece until the 2004 Summer Olympics, 108 years later. (Source)

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[giradman]

United States Enters the Great War (WW I) this day in 1917 - 100th Anniversary

Despite Woodrow Wilson's pledge of neutrality, Germany's resumption of submarine warfare in war-zone areas in early 1917 and the sinking of a number of US ships prompted Congress to declare war. The Great War was a terrible conflict - "the total number of military and civilian casualties in World War I was more than 38 million: there were over 17 million deaths and 20 million wounded, ranking it among the deadliest conflicts in human history (Source)." THEN - the start of the 1918 Flu Pandemic caused another 50-100 million deaths worldwide (Source).

First pics below of the Lusitania (see quotes), troops in the trenches, and Gen. John Pershing (in charge of the American forces); the last four images of videos/movies that are my favorites concerning this war - the documentary is superb; the 3 films are highly recommended, if interested. Dave

ADDENDUM: Today is the 100th Anniversary of this event, so one reason for posting, i.e. has been on NPR a number of times.

On April 6, 1917, two days after the U.S. Senate votes 82 to 6 to declare war against Germany, the U.S. House of Representatives endorses the decision by a vote of 373 to 50, and the United States formally enters the First World War. When World War I erupted in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson pledged neutrality for the United States, a position favored by the vast majority of Americans. Britain, however, was one of America’s closest trading partners, and tension soon arose between the United States and Germany over the latter’s attempted quarantine of the British Isles. Several U.S. ships traveling to Britain were damaged or sunk by German mines, and, in February 1915, Germany announced unrestricted warfare against all ships, neutral or otherwise, that entered the war zone around Britain. (Source)

On May 7, 1915, the British-owned ocean liner Lusitania was torpedoed without warning just off the coast of Ireland. Of the nearly 2,000 passengers aboard, 1,201 were killed, including 128 Americans. The German government maintained, correctly, that the Lusitania was carrying munitions, but the U.S. demanded reparations and an end to German attacks on unarmed passenger and merchant ships. In August, Germany pledged to see to the safety of passengers before sinking unarmed vessels, but in November a U-boat sank an Italian liner without warning, killing 272 people, including 27 Americans. With these attacks, public opinion in the United States began to turn irrevocably against Germany. (Source)

In February 1917, Germany, determined to win its war of attrition against the Allies, resumed its policy of unrestricted submarine warfare in war-zone waters. Three days later, the United States broke diplomatic relations with Germany; the same day, the American liner Housatonic was sunk by a German U-boat. On February 22, Congress passed a $250 million arms-appropriations bill intended to ready the United States for war. In late March, Germany sank four more U.S. merchant ships, and on April 2, President Wilson went before Congress to deliver his famous war message. Within four days, both houses of Congress had voted in favor of a declaration of war. (Source)

Wilson was unable to offer much immediate help in the form of troops; the army was only able to muster about 100,000 men at the American entrance into the war. Wilson immediately adopted a policy of conscription. By the time the war ended on November 11, 1918, more than 2 million American soldiers had served on the battlefields of Western Europe, and some 50,000 of them had lost their lives. Still, the most important effect of the U.S. entrance into the war was economic - the American entry into the war saved Great Britain, and by extension the rest of the Entente, from bankruptcy. The United States also crucially reinforced the strength of the Allied naval blockade of Germany, in effect from the end of 1914 and aimed at crushing Germany economically. American naval forces reached Britain on April 9, 1917, just three days after the declaration of war. By contrast, General John J. Pershing, the man appointed to command the U.S. Army in Europe, did not arrive until June 14; roughly a week later, the first 14,000 U.S. infantry troops landed in France to begin training for combat. (Source)

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[scifan57]

Here's a memorial to those who lost their lives on the Lusitania.

 

[giradman]

Jackie Robinson Breaks the Color Barrier in Baseball this day in 1947!

On this day in 1947, Jackie Robinson (No. 42) broke the color barrier in Professional 'White' Baseball by competing in his first game w/ the then Brooklyn Dodgers. If interested, second composite pic below includes a 1950 bioptic on his life staring himself (I own the film on DVD-R and recommended); more recently in the last few years a Ken Burns production and a new movie have been released - I've seen both but do not own either. Dave

P.S. On the evening of April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater; the next morning, April 15, he died across the street - Lee had surrendered to Grant at Appomattox, Virginia nearly a week earlier (more at the same link above).

P.S.S. At 2:20 a.m. on April 15, 1912, the British ocean liner RMS Titanic sinks into the North Atlantic Ocean about 400 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada. The massive ship, which carried 2,200 passengers and crew, had struck an iceberg two and half hours before. Because of a shortage of lifeboats and the lack of satisfactory emergency procedures, more than 1,500 people went down in the sinking ship or froze to death in the icy North Atlantic waters. Most of the 700 or so survivors were women and children. A number of notable American and British citizens died in the tragedy, including the noted British journalist William Thomas Stead and heirs to the Straus, Astor, and Guggenheim fortunes (same source as previous link).

On this day in 1947, Jackie Robinson, age 28, becomes the first African-American player in Major League Baseball when he steps onto Ebbets Field in Brooklyn to compete for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson broke the color barrier in a sport that had been segregated for more than 50 years. Exactly 50 years later, on April 15, 1997, Robinson’s groundbreaking career was honored and his uniform number, 42, was retired from Major League Baseball by Commissioner Bud Selig in a ceremony attended by over 50,000 fans at New York City’s Shea Stadium. Robinson’s was the first-ever number retired by all teams in the league (Source[/url}).

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[giradman]

San Francisco Earthquake April 18,1906 Kills 3000 People!

On April 18, 1906, a nearly 8.0 Richter earthquake and subsequent uncontrollable fires destroys much of San Francisco and kills about 3000 people. The modern city likely would look different if this natural catastrophe had not happen, just postulating. Pics below in both B&W and some colorized.

The 1936 movie San Francisco w/ Clark Gable & Jeanette MacDonald is worth a watch, especially for the excellent special effects for its time - no Oscar existed then for that category (established at the end of that decade) but I'm sure that the film would have been the winner - Dave

At 5:13 a.m., an earthquake estimated at close to 8.0 on the Richter scale strikes San Francisco, California, killing hundreds of people as it topples numerous buildings. The quake was caused by a slip of the San Andreas Fault over a segment about 275 miles long, and shock waves could be felt from southern Oregon down to Los Angeles. San Francisco’s brick buildings and wooden Victorian structures were especially devastated. Fires immediately broke out and–because broken water mains prevented firefighters from stopping them–firestorms soon developed citywide (Source).

Meanwhile, in the face of significant aftershocks, firefighters and U.S. troops fought desperately to control the ongoing fire, often dynamiting whole city blocks to create firewalls. By April 23, most fires were extinguished, and authorities commenced the task of rebuilding the devastated metropolis. It was estimated that some 3,000 people died as a result of the Great San Francisco Earthquake and the devastating fires it inflicted upon the city. Almost 30,000 buildings were destroyed, including most of the city’s homes and nearly all the central business district (Source).

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[giradman]

Doolittle Raid on Japan today in 1942 - Daring and Dramatic Impact on Japanese Prestige

On April 18, 1942, just 4 months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle took off from the USS Hornet in altered long-range B-25 bombers and bombed Tokyo and other cities on the island. The damage was minimal but the 'shock effect' must have been an eye-opener for the Japanese military and people (the latter not knowing what was to come in 1945). In 1944, a movie Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo was made during war-time (so the usual expectations) w/ Spencer Tracy as Doolittle - own on DVD-R and worth seeing. Dave

On April 18, 1942, 80 men led by United States Army Air Corps Lt. Col. James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle climbed into 16 B-25B Mitchell bombers aboard aircraft carrier USS Hornet in the western Pacific for a daring, top-secret mission to boost American morale after Pearl Harbor and prove to the Japanese their home islands were not untouchable; it was the first time that long-range bombers took off from the deck of an aircraft carrier for a strategic attack. The modified B-25s had the ability to take off from the Hornet but could not safely land on the carrier (Source).

Six hours after taking off, the crews bombed 10 military and industrial targets in Tokyo, as well as others in Kobe, Nagoya, Osaka and Yokohama. Because the crews couldn’t return to the Hornet, the plan was to set down in China. Low fuel and poor weather forced crew members to ditch, crash land or bail out. Fifteen of the planes made it to China. Of the initial 80 crewmen, 69 survived and evaded enemy capture, three were killed during the mission and eight were captured by the Japanese. While the damage to the targets was in no way crippling to the Japanese, the raid forced the Japanese to reposition forces and planes due to the new threat to its cities (Source).

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[giradman]

Robert E. Lee Resigns from US Army on this day in 1861 - What if he had not?

General Winfield Scott felt that Lee was the best soldier in the nation and advised Lincoln to offer Lee the command of the Union Army, but w/ the seccesion of his native state, Virginia, he resigned and was then offered the command of Confederate Virginia forces (see quotes below). Being a BIG Civil War buff, I've often wondered what may have happened if Lee accepted the Union command, likely a shorter, less destructive, and much less loss of life in my mind, but who knows?

Just received the book below on Robert E. Lee by Jonathan Horn that addresses this question and also looks at Lee and George Washington (Lee married Mary Anna Custis, great grand-daughter of Martha Washington). Pics below of Lee, the book that I'm about to start, and also an Amazon LINK - scroll down to the video shown - just a few minutes of the author discussing the book - worth a watch, if interested. Dave

Colonel Robert E. Lee resigns from the United States army two days after he was offered command of the Union army and three days after his native state, Virginia, seceded from the Union. Lee opposed secession, but he was a loyal son of Virginia. His official resignation was only one sentence, but he wrote a longer explanation to his friend and mentor, General Winfield Scott, later that day. Lee had fought under Scott during the Mexican War (1846-48). Lee spoke with Scott on April 18, and explained that he would have resigned then “but for the struggle it has cost me to separate myself from a service to which I have devoted the best years of my life and all the ability I possess.” Lee expressed gratitude for the kindness shown him during his 25-year service, but Lee was most grateful to Scott. “To no one, general, have I been as much indebted as to yourself for uniform kindness and consideration…” He concluded with this poignant sentiment: “Save in the defense of my native State, I never desire again to draw my sword.” (Source)

But draw it he would. Two days later, Lee was appointed commander of Virginia’s forces with the rank of major general. He spent the next few months raising troops in Virginia, and in July he was sent to western Virginia to advise Confederate commanders struggling to maintain control over the mountainous region. Lee did little to build his reputation there as the Confederates experienced a series of setbacks, and he returned to Richmond when the Union gained control of the area. The next year, Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia after General Joseph Johnston was wounded in battle. Lee quickly turned the tables on Union General George B. McClellan, as he would several other commanders of the Army of the Potomac. His brilliance as a battlefield tactician earned him a place among the great military leaders of all time (Source).

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[scifan57]

One thing that would definitely be different if Lee had not resigned would be that there would be no Arlington National Cemetery, which was built on the grounds of Arlington House, the estate inherited from his wife's family.

 

[giradman]

One thing that would definitely be different if Lee had not resigned would be that there would be no Arlington National Cemetery, which was built on the grounds of Arlington House, the estate inherited from his wife's family.

Good point - I've been to the Arlington House a couple of times - highly recommended - now known as The Robert E. Lee Memorial (see quote) - the Lees were married there in 1831, and Mary gave brith to 6 of their 7 children in her family mansion. Pics below show various views of the house plus a great panorama from the house w/ the Lincoln & Washington Memorials in view across the Potomac River. Dave

Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial, formerly named the Custis-Lee Mansion, is a Greek revival style mansion located in Arlington, Virginia, United States that was once the home of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. It overlooks the Potomac River and the National Mall in Washington, D.C. During the American Civil War, the grounds of the mansion were selected as the site of Arlington National Cemetery, in part to ensure that Lee would never again be able to return to his home. However, the United States has since designated the mansion as a National Memorial to Lee. Arlington Woods, located behind Arlington House, contains the oldest and largest tract of climax eastern hardwood forest that still exists in Arlington County (Source).

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[scifan57]

April 21, 1918;
Baron Manfred von Richthofen, "The Red Baron", is shot down and dies in action over enemy territory near Amiens, France. Manfred von Richthofen - Wikipedia

The last picture shows the wreckage of his plane after it was stripped by souvenir hunters.

 

[giradman]

April 21, 1918;
Baron Manfred von Richthofen, "The Red Baron", is shot down and dies in action over enemy territory near Amiens, France. Manfred von Richthofen - Wikipedia
View attachment 77060 View attachment 77061 View attachment 77062 The last picture shows the wreckage of his plane after it was stripped by souvenir hunters.

Boy the Red Baron dead! What amazed me about air plane battles in WWI was that these planes evolved w/i just a dozen or so years after the Wright Brothers flight on the Outer Banks of North Carolina - I recently streamed Wings, a silent movie from 1927 which has just come out on BD, and was awarded the first Oscar for 'Best Picture' - the air combat scenes were special for the times - a film worth watching (see quotes below) - Dave

Wings is a 1927 American silent war film set during the First World War produced by Lucien Hubbard, directed by William A. Wellman. It stars Clara Bow, Charles "Buddy" Rogers, and Richard Arlen, and Gary Cooper appears in a role which helped launch his career in Hollywood. Wellman was hired as he was the only director in Hollywood at the time who had World War I combat pilot experience, although Richard Arlen and John Monk Saunders had also served in the war as military aviators. The film was shot on location on a budget of $2 million at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas. Hundreds of extras and some 300 pilots were involved in the filming, including pilots and planes of the United States Army Air Corps which were brought in for the filming and to provide assistance and supervision. Wellman extensively rehearsed the scenes for the Battle of Saint-Mihiel over ten days with some 3500 infantrymen on a battlefield made for the production on location (Source).

Acclaimed for its technical prowess and realism upon release, the film became the yardstick against which future aviation films were measured, mainly because of its realistic air-combat sequences. It went on to win the first Academy Award for Best Picture at the first annual Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award ceremony in 1929, the only fully silent film to do so. It also won the Academy Award for Best Engineering Effects (Roy Pomeroy). Wings was one of the first to show two men kissing (in a fraternal moment between Rogers and Arlen during the deathbed finale). In 1997, Wings was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant", and the film was re-released to Cinemark theaters to coincide with the 85th Anniversary for a limited run in May 2012 (Source).

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[giradman]

Ella Fitzgerald Born Today 100 years ago in Newport News, Virginia

The American jazz singer, Ella Fitzgerald, was born 100 years ago in Newport News, Virginia (about a 5-hour drive for me; and on the waters where the ironclads battled in the Civil War) - she is my favorite 20th century popular/jazz female singer (have a handful in the top 5 - and a similar amount for the men) - below some Wiki comments.

My musical listening is mainly in the classical and jazz genres so own a lot of CDs in those categories - for Ella, I have nearly two dozen discs, but 16 of those are in The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Songbooks, a project w/ Norman Granz on Verve Records - just brought out the box set and tonight starting w/ Johnny Mercer & Irving Berlin (see image below for other songbooks) - if unfamiliar w/ this jazz legend, then try to get a compilation from this collection; her recordings w/ Louis Armstrong are also recommended. Dave

Ella Jane Fitzgerald (1917–1996) was an American jazz singer often referred to as the First Lady of Song, Queen of Jazz and Lady Ella. She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing and intonation, and a "horn-like" improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing. Fitzgerald found stability in musical success with the Chick Webb Orchestra, most often associated with the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem. Taking over the band after Webb died, Fitzgerald left it behind in 1942 to start a solo career that would last effectively the rest of her life. Signed with manager and Savoy co-founder Moe Gale from early in her career, she eventually gave managerial control and recording career to Norman Granz, who built up the label Verve Records based in part on Fitzgerald's vocal abilities. With Verve she recorded some of her more widely noted works, particularly her interpretation of the Great American Songbook (Source).

While Fitzgerald appeared in movies and as a guest on popular television shows in the second half of the twentieth century, her musical collaborations with Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and The Ink Spots were some of her most notable acts outside of her solo career. These partnerships produced recognizable songs like "Dream a Little Dream of Me", "Cheek to Cheek", "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall", and "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)". In 1993, Fitzgerald capped off her sixty-year career with her last public performance. Three years later, she died at the age of 79, following years of decline in her health. After her passing, Fitzgerald's influence lived on through her fourteen Grammy Awards, National Medal of Arts, Presidential Medal of Freedom, and tributes in the form of stamps, music festivals, and theater namesakes (Source).

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[giradman]

World War II Memorial Opened Today in Washington, D.C in 2004

In Washington, D.C. there are numerous memorials and monuments dedicated to American Wars and individuals related to these wars and new ones seem to appear regularly - one of the new ones just opened a dozen+ years ago, i.e. World War II Memorial - I've been there a couple of times - located between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument (see aerial map - also near the Jefferson & FDR Memorials) - other pics of the structure. Dave

On April 29, 2004, the National World War II Memorial opens in Washington, D.C., to thousands of visitors, providing overdue recognition for the 16 million U.S. men and women who served in the war. The memorial is located on 7.4 acres on the former site of the Rainbow Pool at the National Mall between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. The Capitol dome is seen to the east, and Arlington Cemetery is just across the Potomac River to the west (Source).

The granite and bronze monument features fountains between arches symbolizing hostilities in Europe and the Far East. The arches are flanked by semicircles of pillars, one each for the states, territories and the District of Columbia. Beyond the pool is a curved wall of 4,000 gold stars, one for every 100 Americans killed in the war.An Announcement Stone proclaims that the memorial honors those “Americans who took up the struggle during the Second World War and made the sacrifices to perpetuate the gift our forefathers entrusted to us: A nation conceived in liberty and justice (Source).”

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[giradman]

George Washington Inaugurated as First President of the United States This Day in 1789!

On April 30, 1789, George Washington was inaugurated as the First President of the 'new' United States at Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, the first Capitol of the country - the building was demolished in 1812, and replaced in 1842 on the same spot w/ the structure which is now known as the Federal Hall National Memorial (see pics below).

Washington refused a third term and in 1797, he retired to Mt. Vernon, his beloved estate in Virginia - he died there in 1799 and is entombed on the property with his wife Martha - the site can be visited (last pic). Henry 'Lighthorse Harry' Lee (one of Washington's young calvary officers in the Revolutionary War) gave the famous eulogy (end of second quote below) - of course, Henry Lee was the father of Robert E. Lee of Civil War fame, and married to Mary Anna Custis, the great-granddaughter of Martha Washington. Dave

In New York City, George Washington, the great military leader of the American Revolution, is inaugurated as the first president of the United States. In February 1789, all 69 presidential electors unanimously chose Washington to be the first U.S. president. In March, the new U.S. constitution officially took effect, and in April Congress formally sent word to Washington that he had won the presidency. On April 30, he came across the Hudson River in a specially built and decorated barge. The inaugural ceremony was performed on the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street, and a large crowd cheered after he took the oath of office. The president then retired indoors to read Congress his inaugural address. The evening celebration was opened and closed by 13 skyrockets and 13 cannons (Source).

As president, Washington sought to unite the nation and protect the interests of the new republic at home and abroad. Of his presidency, he said, “I walk on untrodden ground. There is scarcely any part of my conduct which may not hereafter be drawn in precedent.” He successfully implemented executive authority, made good use of brilliant politicians such as Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson in his cabinet, and quieted fears of presidential tyranny. In 1792, he was unanimously re-elected but four years later refused a third term. In 1797, he finally began a long-awaited retirement at his estate in Virginia. He died two years later. His friend Henry Lee provided a famous eulogy for the father of the United States: “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen (Source).”

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[scifan57]

May 4, 1979;

Margaret Thatcher is sworn in as Britain's first female Prime Minister.
Margaret Thatcher - Wikipedia