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Author Topic: This Day in History  (Read 270708 times)

bob48

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Reply #1230 on: August 12, 2024, 02:51:22 PM
Interesting snippets, as ever  :bigthumb:

“O Lord God, let me not be disgraced in my old days.”

'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'


besilarius

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Reply #1231 on: August 19, 2024, 06:36:10 PM
522   BC   the annual recitation of the Iliad & Odyssey began at the Great Panathenaea Festival at Athens, initiating the codification of the Homeric epics

1702. Start of 6 day engagement between a British squadron under Vice Ad. John Benbow and a French squadron under Jean du Casse along the coast of Colombia, off Santa Marta. Benbow vigorously attacked the French squadron, but the refusal of most of his captains to support the action allowed du Casse to escape. Two of the captains, Richard Kirby, HMS Defiance (64), and Cooper Wade, HMS Greenwich (54),  were convicted of cowardice and shot.

1854. The Grattan 'Massacre': Lt. John Grattan gets himself and 30 US troops killed attempting to bully some peaceful Sioux

1921. Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry, sometime B-17 pilot and creator of "Star Trek", d. 1991

1942. Canadians take heavy casualties raiding Dieppe
     German Sixth Army ordered to capture Stalingrad

1944. Generalfeldmarschall Günther "Clever Hans" von Kluge, 61, suicide rather than surrender

1943. Catholic Church excommunicates Belgian Nazi leader Leon Degrelle

1981. The First Gulf of Sidra Incident: USS 'Nimitz' (CVN 68) aircraft down Libyan a/c that attacked over international waters  Flying off USS Nimitz (CVA(N) 68), the Tomcats are on a reconnaissance mission for a missile-firing exercise being conducted by U.S. ships from two carrier battle groups when they are fired on by the Libyan planes.
« Last Edit: August 19, 2024, 06:41:08 PM by besilarius »

"These things must be done delicately-- or you hurt the spell."  - The Wicked Witch of the West.
"We've got the torpedo damage temporarily shored up, the fires out and soon will have the ship back on an even keel. But I would suggest, sir, that if you have to take any more torpedoes, you take 'em on the starboard side."   Pops Healy, DCA USS Lexington.


bob48

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Reply #1232 on: August 20, 2024, 06:36:02 AM
 :bigthumb:

“O Lord God, let me not be disgraced in my old days.”

'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'


besilarius

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Reply #1233 on: August 23, 2024, 09:32:49 AM
1896. The Army and Navy Journal Report on the 25th Infantry Regiment’s "Bicycle Corps"

Bicycles were an innovative technology in the late nineteenth century, and a number of armies experimented with their use. The first important American experiments in the use of bikes were conducted by a detail of the 25th Infantry, one of the Army’s four “Colored” regiments.

In 1896 the regiment’s “Bicycle Corps” conducted what was the longest field test of the tactical uses of bicycles by any American troops to that time, as told in the pages of the Army and Navy Journal,

BICYCLE “CORPS,” 25TH Inf
2d Lieut. James A. Moss, U.S.A., Commanding

The Bicycle Corps of. the 25th. U.S. Inf., under the command of 2d Lieut. James. A. Moss, appears to have had a very successful, but very fatiguing, trial in their recent expedition from Fort Missoula, Mont., to test the bicycle for military purposes. . . .

The corps left Fort Missoula Aug. 15 with rations, rifles, cooking utensils, shelter tents, ammunition, extra bicycle parts, repair material, etc., etc. They reached Fort Harrison on the 17th, having covered 132 miles in 22 hours of actual travel. They got new rations at Harrison and left for Yellowstone at noon Aug. 19, reaching Mammoth Springs, Wyo., at 1:30 Aug. 23. The distance of 101 miles was made in 31 hours of actual traveling. So far they had traveled in 53 hours of actual traveling, 323 miles of the hilliest and rockiest roads in the United States, fording streams, going through sand, mud, over road ruts, etc. Every day, except only one, they had wind against them. Aug. 25 the corps left for a days’ trip through the park.

When they left Fort Missoula, their 1ightest wheel [i.e., bicycle] packed, weighed 64 pounds, the heaviest 84 pounds, an average of 77½ pounds; the lightest wheel with rider, weighed 205 pounds, the heaviest, 272 pounds. The wheel used was the 26-pound Spalding bicycle, geared to 66½. The weights of the members of Bicycle Corps were as follows: Lieut. Moss, 135 pounds; Corp. Williams, 153½; Musician Brown, 145½; Pvt. Proctor, 152; Pvt. Findley, 183½; Pvt. Foreman, 160; Pvt. Haynes, 160; Pvt. Johnson, 151½.

Previous to making this trip, Lieut. Moss made a preliminary excursion to Lake McDonald, leaving Fort Missoula at 6:20 A.M., Aug. 6 and reaching there on return at 1:30 P.M., Aug. 9, having ridden and walked 126 miles in 24 hours of actual traveling under most adverse circumstances. They were delayed quite a number of times in tightening nuts, adjusting handle bars, etc. The wheels were not spared in the least, and did the work extraordinarily well. On their trip the men found the roads muddy from recent rain, and were impeded by the clay-mud sticking to the tires of their bicycles. They had to dismount frequently to scale heights, and over six miles of road they dismounted twenty times on account of mud puddles and fallen trees. While crossing Finley Creek on wheels two men fell in the stream. Part of the journey was made in a driving rain, which covered the wheels with mud and filled the shoes of the riders with water, making it difficult for them to keep their feet. on the muddy pedals. [Another creek] was forded through three feet of swift water, each wheel being carried across on a pole suspended from the shoulders of two soldiers. "Had the devil himself," says Lieut. Moss, “conspired against us, we would have had little more to contend with.”

The party attracted great. attention along the way from the inhabitants, and their dogs and cattle. Dogs ran after them, cattle away from. them, and residents stopped work and stood in open-mouthed wonder as they passed. Every once in a while they would strike an Indian cabin and the dogs barking would announce their approach, while the occupants would stand in the door and gaze at them. Every other soldier carried a complete Spalding repair kit. The large tin [water] case (carrying about 11 gallons) was attached to the front of bicycles on a frame and strapped to the handle bars. The men wore the heavy marching uniform, and every other soldier was armed with a rifle and 30 rounds ammunition. The rifles were strapped horizontally on the top side of the side of the bicycles with the bolt on top. Those not so armed carried revolvers on belt with 30 cartridges.

Although arguably the experiment, and subsequent ones, were a success, Uncle Sam never got ‘round to mounting large numbers of troops on bicycles, such as was done by most European armies at various time

"These things must be done delicately-- or you hurt the spell."  - The Wicked Witch of the West.
"We've got the torpedo damage temporarily shored up, the fires out and soon will have the ship back on an even keel. But I would suggest, sir, that if you have to take any more torpedoes, you take 'em on the starboard side."   Pops Healy, DCA USS Lexington.


besilarius

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Reply #1234 on: August 26, 2024, 09:05:28 AM
53 BC. To finance his invasion of Parthia the Roman Triumvir Marcus Licinius Crassus plundered the temple of the Syrian goddess Atargatis in Heiropolis, as well as that of the Jewish God in Jerusalem, which may help explain why he lost big time.

"These things must be done delicately-- or you hurt the spell."  - The Wicked Witch of the West.
"We've got the torpedo damage temporarily shored up, the fires out and soon will have the ship back on an even keel. But I would suggest, sir, that if you have to take any more torpedoes, you take 'em on the starboard side."   Pops Healy, DCA USS Lexington.


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Reply #1235 on: August 26, 2024, 09:13:59 AM
53 BC. To finance his invasion of Parthia the Roman Triumvir Marcus Licinius Crassus plundered the temple of the Syrian goddess Atargatis in Heiropolis, as well as that of the Jewish God in Jerusalem, which may help explain why he lost big time.

Atargatis don't f&%$ around!

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bob48

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Reply #1236 on: August 26, 2024, 09:26:44 AM
Serves him right  >:(

“O Lord God, let me not be disgraced in my old days.”

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besilarius

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Reply #1237 on: August 27, 2024, 09:19:10 AM
1813         Napoleon defeated the Allies on the second day of the Battle of Dresden.

Napoleon was careless about food.   He disliked regular meals, so much so that even formal dinners rarely lasted more then 45 minutes, from first course to rising, and he never dawdled over coffee or drinks afterwards, such occasions apparently taking up too much of his time, and thus wasting energy.  Much preferring to eat whenever he felt hungry, Napoleon’s entourage always included a cook, culinary equipment, and foodstuffs, with standing orders to be ready to supply roast chicken, cutlets, coffee, and so forth at any time of the day or night to satisfy the imperial appetite.  Even so, when on campaign, Napoleon would often go many hours without eating, and then over-eat or eat poorly, which often led to indigestion.  In fact, some have suggested that Napoleon’s characteristic “hand in vest” pose was an indication of chronic indigestion.

There is some evidence that Napoleon’s casual attitude toward food may have had an adverse effect on some of his campaigns, particularly as he grew older and stouter, and suffered from ulcers and constipation.  At Borodino (Sept. 7, 1812) and Leipzig (October 16-18, 1813) he was definitely suffering from indigestion, which certainly could not have improved his ability to think clearly and act decisively.  His failure to undertake an effective pursuit on August 27, 1813, after the Battle of Dresden was apparently the result of an acute attack of indigestion brought about by a hasty meal of mutton with onions and garlic, though the meat may have been tainted, as several people reported he suffered from vomiting and chills that night after returning from the field.  There are other occasions when he was known to have had severe indigestion, such as the night of April 12-13, 1814, when his discomfort was such that his valet summoned a physician.

Napoleon died of a stomach cancer – repeated charges of arsenic poisoning have been just as repeatedly proven wrong – and it is possible that his bouts of indigestion, and his ulcers, may have been a contributing factor.

 

"These things must be done delicately-- or you hurt the spell."  - The Wicked Witch of the West.
"We've got the torpedo damage temporarily shored up, the fires out and soon will have the ship back on an even keel. But I would suggest, sir, that if you have to take any more torpedoes, you take 'em on the starboard side."   Pops Healy, DCA USS Lexington.


bob48

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Reply #1238 on: August 27, 2024, 10:16:45 AM
Very interesting  :bigthumb:

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bbmike

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Reply #1239 on: August 28, 2024, 08:46:56 AM
Indeed, someone should do a wargame about Napoleon's battles!  :whistle:

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bob48

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Reply #1240 on: August 28, 2024, 10:06:31 AM
nah, it would never catch on.

“O Lord God, let me not be disgraced in my old days.”

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besilarius

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Reply #1241 on: August 30, 2024, 12:01:32 AM
1786. Shay's rebellion.
During the hard winter of 1786-1787, some small holders in rural far western Massachusetts became so disaffected with the state government that they staged an impromptu insurrection, known to history as Shay's Rebellion, after Capt. Daniel Shay, a Revolutionary War veteran who was the most prominent of its leaders. The insurgency was shortly put down, with a minimum of bloodshed, but had far reaching consequences; but a few months later the Constitutional Convention would meet in Philadelphia, in no small measure as a response to the events in Massachusetts.
At one point during the outbreak, a company of the rebels under Capt. Peter Wilcox, Jr., descended on the small town of Lee, Massachusetts, intent on prevent the state court from sitting. A company of loyal militiamen 300 strong under Brig. Gen. John Paterson advanced to intercept them. The rebels retired to a hill on a farm owned by the Perry family. Being outnumbered, and poorly armed, the rebels resorted to a ruse.
They borrowed Mrs. Perry's yarn-beam and mounted it between two wheels, so that from a distance it looked like a cannon. They positioned this "cannon" so that it was partially concealed behind a building on the hill. When Peterson's loyalists came into view, the rebels ostentatiously went through the motions of loading their "cannon." Men shouted appropriate orders, others made suitable motions, swabbing out the barrel, loading and then ramming the piece. Finally, one of them wielded a lighted tar-match. That was enough. Paterson's men, thoroughly intimidated, beat a hasty retreat.
And the rebels? Well, they managed to negotiate an acceptable settlement, surrendering in exchange for being tried in a local court, which promptly let them off with little or no punishment.

"These things must be done delicately-- or you hurt the spell."  - The Wicked Witch of the West.
"We've got the torpedo damage temporarily shored up, the fires out and soon will have the ship back on an even keel. But I would suggest, sir, that if you have to take any more torpedoes, you take 'em on the starboard side."   Pops Healy, DCA USS Lexington.


bob48

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Reply #1242 on: August 30, 2024, 06:21:53 AM
Another interesting snipper. I'd not heard of that before  :bigthumb:

“O Lord God, let me not be disgraced in my old days.”

'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'


besilarius

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Reply #1243 on: August 30, 2024, 10:24:20 AM
1761  One of the most notable feuds in the history of the French Army was that between M. La Fenestre and M. d'Agay, officers in the Regiment de Champagne. Their quarrel began around 1733 and lasted for 28 years. The two actually fought seven duels, all of which proved inconclusive. Their bitter feud, which ultimately involved virtually the entire army, as many other officers took sides, did not come to an end until the Battle of Vellinghuasen (July 15-16, 1761), in western Germany
Making a surprise night march, an Austro-Imperial Army under Prince Ferdinand attacked the larger French forces, under Marshals de Broglie and Soubise, and defeated them with great slaughter. During the fighting, the Regiment de Champagne was ordered to make a desperate counterattack. As he led his company into action, La Fenestre's head was smashed by a cannon ball, and he was killed instantly. However his rival, d'Agay, commanding an adjacent company, had but little time to gloat over his misfortune, for a fragment of La Fenestre's skull struck the latter in the face, blinding him in his right eye.
One presumes that this gave La Fenestre some satisfaction, wherever he was.

"These things must be done delicately-- or you hurt the spell."  - The Wicked Witch of the West.
"We've got the torpedo damage temporarily shored up, the fires out and soon will have the ship back on an even keel. But I would suggest, sir, that if you have to take any more torpedoes, you take 'em on the starboard side."   Pops Healy, DCA USS Lexington.


bob48

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Reply #1244 on: August 30, 2024, 10:30:44 AM
 ;D

“O Lord God, let me not be disgraced in my old days.”

'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'