January 27, 1939 - The prototype of the P-38 Lightning (right) first flies. Developed in response the US Army Air Force's request for a high-altitude interceptor, the P-38 became one of the most distinctive aircraft of World War II. Entering service in 1941, the Lightning was easily recognized by its twin booms and center cockpit nacelle. Flying in all theaters, the P-38 achieved its greatest successes in the skies over the Pacific and Southeast Asia. Benefiting from its long range and high speed, American P-38 pilots, such as Richard Bong and Thomas MacGuire, used the aircraft's heavy armament to down over 1,800 Japanese aircraft during the war. It was largely retired at war's end as the US Air Force moved into the jet age.
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The other most effective presidential temper seems to be the ability to channel all of the office’s inherent frustrations and aggravations into a focused, useful, limited hatred toward various persons. Just how limited of course depends on the President. For Andrew Jackson, it extended (in part) to the Bank of the United States (“The bank, Mr. Van Buren, is trying to kill me, but I will kill it!”), to Henry Clay (“the basest, meanest scoundrel that ever disgraced the image of his God”), to John C. Calhoun (“I will hang him higher than Haman!”), and to the British Empire (see “New Orleans, Battle of”).
The Civil War Trust announced that they will host a special presentation related to preservation efforts at Cedar Creek, in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.
Their website tells us:
On Thursday, February 9, 2012, officials from the Civil War Trust, the Commonwealth of Virginia, the National Park Service and national and local historic preservation groups will gather to announce a $1.3 million fundraising campaign to preserve 77 acres of hallowed battlefield land on the Cedar Creek Battlefield in Frederick County, Va.
The news conference will be held at historic Belle Grove Plantation, a key battlefield landmark, beginning at 9:30 a.m. (rain or shine). James Lighthizer, President of the Civil War Trust, will serve as the emcee for the event. He will be joined by Diann Jacox, superintendent of Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park; Kathleen Kilpatrick, Director of the Virginia Department of Historic Resources; and eminent historian and author Dr. Gary Gallagher, John L. Nau III Professor in the History of the American Civil War at the University of Virginia.
The event will be February 9, 2012 at 9:30 a.m. at Belle Grove Plantation, 336 Belle Grove Road, Middletown, Va.
Belle Grove
At the blog “National Parks Traveler,” there’s a cool article on Fort Frederica National Monument, near Brunswick, GA. It is a great site, especially for colonial military history.
Fort Frederica was established in 1736 by James Oglethorpeto protect the southern boundary of his new colony of Georgia from the Spanish in Florida. Colonists from England, Scotland, and the Germanic states came to Georgia to support this endeavor.
Named for Frederick Louis, the Prince of Wales (1702-1754), Frederica was a military outpost consisting of a fort and town. The entire area was fortified with a palisade wall and earthen rampart. The fort’s location on the Frederica River allowed it to control ship travel.
Oglethorpe’s foresight in establishing Frederica was rewarded in 1742 during the War of Jenkins’ Ear. Spanish forces from Florida and Cuba landed on St. Simons Island. Oglethorpe’s attack on a Spanish reconnaisance party at Gully Hole Creek led to the battle at “Bloody Marsh“. Despite the name, casualties were light and the Spanish continued their campaign on St. Simons. Clever deception on Oglethorpe’s part convinced the Spanish to retreat from Georgia seven days later.
This British victory not only confirmed that Georgia was British territory, but also signaled the end for Frederica. When peace was declared, Frederica’s Garrison (the original 42nd Regiment of Foot) was disbanded, and eventually the town fell into decline. Today the archeological remains of colonial Frederica are protected by the National Park Service.
Born January 26, 1944, Angela Davis was once on the FBI's most wanted list, and in 1980, ran for Vice President of the US on the Communist Party ticket. She achieved tenure at the University of California at Santa Cruz though former governor Ronald Reagan swore she would never teach again in the University of California system.
About being a radical, Angela Davis said, "Radical simply means 'grasping things at the root.'" Read more about this philosopher, activist, and educator:
Treasure, more treasure, theories on a mass grave, a research aid and a collision of the very modern with the medieval.
Today this blog received its 300,000th hit.
And there are plenty more posts to come…
January 25, 1841 - Admiral of the Fleet John "Jackie" Fisher (right) is born in Ceylon. Entering the Royal Navy in 1856, Fisher swiftly rose through the ranks of during the latter half of the 19th century. An innovator and advocate of reform, he sought to improve the service's weapons and training. An early supporter of torpedo technology, Fisher was promoted to rear admiral in 1890 and radically improved the efficiency of British dockyards. Serving in various administrative posts, he was key in the development of torpedo boat destroyers and worked to merge the command and engineering branches of the officer corps. Made First Sea Lord in 1904, Fisher famously retired ninety obsolete warships and placed an additional sixty-four into reserve. Though criticized for these actions, he pointed out that the ships in question were "too weak to fight and too slow to run away" from modern warships. Pressing forward, he advocated for the creation of "all-big gun" battleships and implemented the concept with the building of HMS Dreadnought in 1906. Over the next four years, Fisher worked tirelessly to build a modern fleet of battleships and battlecruisers as well as argued in favor of switching from coal to oil-fired boilers. Retiring in early 1911, Fisher's actions were key in building the fleet which would confront the Germans during World War I. Recalled as First Sea Lord in October 1914, Fisher only remained in the post for ten months and resigned after frequently clashing with the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, over the Gallipoli Campaign. Dying in 1920, Fisher was instrumental in creating the modern Royal Navy and is often considered the service's second-most important historical figure behind Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson.
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The receipts into the Treasury for the same year were $29,499,247.06, of which there was derived from customs $26,712,667.87, from the sales of public lands $2,694,452.48, and from incidental and miscellaneous sources $92,126.71. The expenditures for the same period were $28,031,114.20, and the balance in the Treasury on the 1st day of July last was $9,126,439. 08.
The amount of the public debt, including Treasury notes, on the 1st of the present month was $24,256,494.60, of which the sum of $17,788,799.62 was outstanding on the 4th of March, 1845, leaving the amount incurred since that time $6,467,694.98.
Considered by some to be the greatest mystic in Germany -- even in all of medieval Europe -- Meister Eckhart espoused spiritual ideas that conflicted with orthodoxy. He wrote: "He knows God rightly who knows Him everywhere," and exhorted his listeners to look within themselves to understand the divine. Find out more about Meister Eckhart in these resources:
The State of the Union is tonight and you can view an enhanced version here. I was listening to the radio and it was talking about shows being preempted due to this....my kids will have no idea what preemptions are! We DVR everything and we have satellite. I grew up with about 6 channels, no DVR, no cable/satellite.....they have it so soft!
Anyway, I decided to pick a random State of the Union to feature here, so here's part of Harding's 1921 State of the Union:
Every contemplation, it little matters in which direction one turns, magnifies the difficulty of tariff legislation, but the necessity of the revision is magnified with it. Doubtless we are justified in seeking .1 More flexible policy than we have provided heretofore. I hope a way will be found to make for flexibility and elasticity, so that rates may be adjusted to meet unusual and changing conditions which can not be accurately anticipated. There are problems incident to unfair practices, and to exchanges which madness in money have made almost unsolvable. I know of no manner in which to effect this flexibility other than the extension of the powers of the Tariff Commission so that it can adapt itself to it scientific and wholly just administration of the law. I am not unmindful of the constitutional difficulties. These can be met by giving authority to the Chief Executive, who could proclaim-additional duties to meet conditions which the Congress may designate.
At this point I must disavow any desire to enlarge the Executive's powers or add to the responsibilities of the office. They are already too large. If there were any other plan I would prefer it.
The grant of authority to proclaim would necessarily bring the Tariff Commission into new and enlarged activities, because no Executive could discharge. such a duty except upon the information acquired and recommendations made by this commission. But the plan is feasible, and the proper functioning of the board would give its it better administration of a defined policy than ever can be made possible by tariff duties prescribed without flexibility.
There is a manifest difference of opinion about the merits of American valuation. Many nations have adopted delivery valuation as the basis for collecting duties; that is, they take the cost of the imports delivered at the port of entry as the basis for levying duty. It is no radical departure, in view of varying conditions and the disordered state of money values, to provide for American valuation, but there can not be ignored the danger of such a valuation, brought to the level of our own production costs, making our tariffs prohibitive. It might do so in many instances where imports ought to be encouraged. I believe Congress ought well consider the desirability of the only promising alternative, namely, a provision authorizing proclaimed American valuation, under prescribed conditions, on any given list of articles imported.
In this proposed flexibility, authorizing increases to meet conditions so likely to change, there should also be provision for decreases. A rate may be just to-day, and entirely out of proportion six months from to-day. If our tariffs are to be made equitable, and not necessarily burden our imports and hinder our trade abroad, frequent adjustment will be necessary for years to come. Knowing the impossibility of modification by act of Congress for any one or a score of lines without involving a long array of schedules, I think we shall go a long ways toward stabilization, if there is recognition of the Tariff Commission's fitness to recommend urgent changes by proclamation.
I am sure about public opinion favoring the early determination of our tariff policy. There have been reassuring signs of a business revival from the deep slump which all the world has been experiencing. Our unemployment, which gave its deep concern only a few weeks ago, has grown encouragingly less, and new assurances and renewed confidence will attend the congressional declaration that American industry will be held secure.
Much has been said about the protective policy for ourselves making it impossible for our debtors to discharge their obligations to us. This is a contention not now pressing for decision. If we must choose between a people in idleness pressing for the payment of indebtedness, or a people resuming the normal ways of employment and carrying the credit, let us choose the latter. Sometimes we appraise largest the human ill most vivid in our minds. We have been giving, and are giving now, of our influence and appeals to minimize the likelihood of war and throw off the crushing burdens of armament. It is all very earnest, with a national soul impelling. But a people unemployed, and gaunt with hunger, face a situation quite as disheartening as war, and our greater obligation to-day is to do the Government's part toward resuming productivity and promoting fortunate and remunerative employment.
Something more than tariff protection is required by American agriculture. To the farmer has come the earlier and the heavier burdens of readjustment. There is actual depression in our agricultural industry, while agricultural prosperity is absolutely essential to the general prosperity of the country.
Congress has sought very earnestly to provide relief. It has promptly given such temporary relief as has been possible, but the call is insistent for the permanent solution. It is inevitable that large crops lower the prices and short crops advance them. No legislation can cure that fundamental law. But there must be some economic solution for the excessive variation in returns for agricultural production.
It is rather shocking to be told, and to have the statement strongly supported, that 9,000,000 bales of cotton, raised on American plantations in a given year, will actually be worth more to the producers than 13,000,000 bales would have been. Equally shocking is the statement that 700,000,000 bushels of wheat, raised by American farmers, would bring them more money than a billion bushels. Yet these are not exaggerated statements. In a world where there are tens of millions who need food and clothing which they can not get, such a condition is sure to indict the social system which makes it possible.
In the main the remedy lies in distribution and marketing. Every proper encouragement should be given to the cooperative marketing programs. These have proven very helpful to the cooperating communities in Europe. In Russia the cooperative community has become the recognized bulwark of law and order, and saved individualism from engulfment in social paralysis. Ultimately they will be accredited with the salvation of the Russian State. There is the appeal for this experiment. Why not try it? No one challenges the right of the farmer to a larger share of the consumer's pay for his product, no one disputes that we can not live without the farmer. Ile is justified in rebelling against the transportation cost. (liven a fair return for his labor, he will have less occasion to appeal for financial aid; and given assurance that his labors shall not be in vain, we reassure all the people of a production sufficient to meet our National requirement and guard against disaster.
The base of the pyramid of civilization which rests upon the soil is shrinking through the drift of population from farm to city. For a generation we have been expressing more or less concern about this tendency. Economists have warned and statesmen have deplored. We thought for at time that modern conveniences and the more intimate contact would halt the movement, but it has gone steadily on. Perhaps only grim necessity will correct it, but we ought to find a less drastic remedy.
The existing scheme of adjusting freight rates hits been favoring the basing points, until industries are attracted to some centers and repelled from others. A great volume of uneconomic and wasteful transportation has attended, and the cost increased accordingly. The grain-milling and meat-packing industries afford ample illustration, and the attending concentration is readily apparent. The menaces in concentration are not limited to the retardingly influences on agriculture. Manifestly the. conditions and terms of railway transportation ought not be permitted to increase this undesirable tendency. We have a just pride in our great cities, but we shall find a greater pride in the Nation, which has it larger distribution of its population into the country, where comparatively self-sufficient smaller communities may blend agricultural and manufacturing interests in harmonious helpfulness and enhanced good fortune. Such a movement contemplates no destruction of things wrought, of investments made, or wealth involved. It only looks to a general policy of transportation of distributed industry, and of highway construction, to encourage the spread of our population and restore the proper balance between city and country. The problem may well have your earnest attention.
It has been perhaps the proudest claim of our American civilization that in dealing with human relationships it has constantly moved toward such justice in distributing the product of human energy that it has improved continuously the economic status of the mass of people. Ours has been a highly productive social organization. On the way up from the elemental stages of society we have eliminated slavery and serfdom and are now far on the way to the elimination of poverty.
Through the eradication of illiteracy and the diffussion of education mankind has reached a stage where we may fairly say that in the United States equality of opportunity has been attained, though all are not prepared to embrace it. There is, indeed, a too great divergence between the economic conditions of the most and the least favored classes in the community. But even that divergence has now come to the point where we bracket the very poor and the very rich together as the least fortunate classes. Our efforts may well be directed to improving the status of both.
While this set of problems is commonly comprehended under the general phrase "Capital and labor," it is really vastly broader. It is a question of social and economic organization. Labor has become a large contributor, through its savings, to the stock of capital; while the people who own the largest individual aggregates of capital are themselves often hard and earnest laborers. Very often it is extremely difficult to draw the line of demarcation between the two groups; to determine whether a particular individual is entitled to be set down as laborer or as capitalist. In a very large proportion of cases lie is both, and when lie is both lie is the most useful citizen.
Want a different State of the Union? You can find them all here.
This poem is often found in Great War anthologies:
Here lies a clerk who half his life had spent
Toiling at ledgers in a city grey,
Thinking that so his days would drift away
With no lance broken in life’s tournament
Yet ever ‘twixt the books and his bright eyes
The gleaming eagles of the legions came,
And horsemen, charging under phantom skies,
Went thundering past beneath the oriflamme.And now those waiting dreams are satisfied
From twilight to the halls of dawn he went;
His lance is broken; but he lies content
With that high hour, in which he lived and died.
And falling thus, he wants no recompense,
Who found his battle in the last resort
Nor needs he any hearse to bear him hence,
Who goes to join the men of Agincourt.
The poem was first published in a book of 1915, so you can see why Brian Gardner included it in Up the Line to Death, and why a student-friendly website might describe it as ‘ a recruitment poem, to try and convince men to join up and fight in the First World War.’
Update: G.M. Griffiths used to say this about the poem on his very useful site, but has now altered his comments on Asquith to take into account my suggestions in this post.
Some critics go further, like the American James Anderson Winn in his book The Poetry of War. Winn (who seems rather fond of ticking poets off) accuses Asquith of ‘deflecting the reader’s attention from the carnage of the Great War’, of ‘camouflag[ing] the bloodshed, and of denying ‘the reality of machine guns and barbed wire, with which he was surely familiar as an officer in the Royal Artillery’.
So I was surprised recently, when looking at the memoirs of Herbert’s mother, Margot Asquith, to read:
Our second son, Herbert, began his career as a lawyer. He had a sweet and gentle nature, and much originality. He was a poet, and wrote the following some years before the Great War of 1914, through which he served from the first day to the last.
The poem she refers to is, of course, ‘The Volunteer’.
From what I can gather, the poem was actually written in 1912. Asquith was not then a soldier but a lawyer, so himself presumably ‘ Toiling at ledgers in a city grey’. This is a poem about joining the newly-formed Territorials; far from deflecting the reader from the prospect of death, it faces the fact that volunteering is more than a romantic gesture, but may well lead to personal extinction (as we are told in the first two words of the poem).
I would agree that the vocabulary is rather lush, but it’s the clerk’s lush dream that Asquith is describing. I don’t think it’s fair to accuse Asquith of being unrealistic, because he is not aiming at realism, but at giving us the clerk’s vision, which is perhaps viewed with a tragic irony; the poet knows that it is unrealistic, and the clerk will find that it leads to death – yet it still has a magnificence.
And in describing war in terms of cavalry charges, Asquith was no more unrealistic than just about everyone else at the time.
In 1912 a continental war was a very hypothetical prospect. Prophets like Kipling warned against the build-up of German strength, and many were aware that Europe was becoming dangerously unstable; even the pessimists, however, did not envisage a war on the scale of what actually occurred. If one reads fictional imaginings of future wars, like Douglas Newton’s War! of 1914, they envisage fighting on the scale of the 1870 Franco-Prussian War, a cruel but short campaign with a quick, decisive end. (This, of course, is what the Kaiser was hoping for in France, before turning his attention to a long slog against Russia. ‘Over by Christmas’ was very much part of the German war plan.)
In all such fictional depictions of future war, cavalry play a major part. The cavalry charge was, after all, the deadliest and most terrifying available weapon of attack, crashing through the infantry lines and reducing the enemy to a chaotic retreating mob. Artillery could take its toll on the enemy and machine guns were effective in defence, but cavalry, it was generally assumed, was the way to win a war.
The ‘reality of machine guns and barbed wire’ kept the cavalry off the battlefield for most of the War, which is why it degenerated into the long, terrible war of attrition.
Seen as a Great War poem ‘The Volunteer’ might look like an evasion of reality; seen as a pre-war poem about the Territorials, it looks rather different, perhaps even like a warning that romantic dreams may lead to death. As so often, context matters.
January 24, 1891 - Field Marshal Walter Model (right) is born in Genthin, Saxony. Entering the German Army in 1908, Model quickly became known for his blunt personality and lack of tact. Seeing extensive service during World War I, he was retained for duty in the postwar Reichswehr. Rising through the ranks, Model was chief of staff for IV Corps at the start of World War II. Performing well, he received command of the 3rd Panzer Division prior to the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. After taking part in the victory at Kiev, Model took over XLI Panzer Corps during the Battle of Moscow. During the latter stages of the campaign, he demonstrated a mastery of defensive warfare. After a superb show around Rzhev in 1942, Model played a key role in the German defeat at Kursk the following year. In 1944, now a field marshal, Model became known as "Hitler's Fireman" for his ability to rescue bad situations. Through the first half of the year, he commanded various German army groups on the Eastern Front and worked to stabilize the lines. Brought west in August, it was hoped that he could do the same in France. Forced out of France by Allied forces, he was successful in containing Operation Market-Garden in September and badly bled American forces as they attempted to penetrate the Siegfried Line later that fall. In December, Model oversaw the conduct of the Battle of the Bulge, though he though the offensive had little chance of success. Pushed back in early 1945, his forces were trapped in the Ruhr in April. Unwilling to surrender, Model dissolved his army group before committing suicide on April 21.
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For this month's articles, we've gone back to Western Europe in the central middle ages. We look at the 'Angevin Empire' and two of its rulers: brothers, and Kings of England, Richard I and John. The former was famed for centuries for his martial prowess and bravery, and the latter for his failure, but the situation has changed in recent decades. We also look at one product of John's reign that still resonates: Magna Carta, or 'The Great Charter, and the brothers' mother Eleanor of Aquitaine, arguably the most powerful women in Europe during her considerable lifetime. I also wanted to flag up a biography of a far more recent English leader, Margaret Thatcher, as a film of her career has been released. We also take a brief look at Scutage, Misericordes and Free Companies.
A dozen women who wielded power and influence in the ancient world -- as rulers in their own right or indirectly as consorts. A couple of them are more ... 
The Battle of Megiddo was the culmination of a campaign that began at the Suez Canal in 1916. Pushing across the Sinai Peninsula, British forces captured Gaza and Jerusalem over the next two years. Pausing due to a need to rebuild his army after losing troops to the Western Front, Gen. Sir Edmund Allenby (right) was ready to launch his final offensive in September 1918. Attacking on September 19, Allenby broke through the Ottoman lines in Palestine. Sending through his mounted forces, they succeeded in capturing key Ottoman bases in rear and cut off the enemy's escape. Pressing the attack over the next several days, British troops were able to drive back the Ottomans and shatter their forces. As resistance melted away, Allied forces, assisted by men taking part in the Arab Revolt, pressed forward and captured Amman, Deraa, and Damascus. After securing Aleppo on October 26, British forces halted five days later when the Ottomans surrendered via the Armistice of Mudros.
...Below are four notable medieval rulers from four different centuries and four different lands. What "occupation" do they all have in common, aside from "ruler"? And which one was born earliest?
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Abraham Lincoln whittled the model for his patent application with his own hands out of wood. It is on display at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History.
What I'm about to link too probably isn't new, but I've just found it and I thought I'd share. It's a master index of the UNESCO World Heritage List. What's that? As they put it "The World Heritage List includes 936 properties forming part of the cultural and natural heritage which the World Heritage Committee considers as having outstanding universal value." I'm mentioning the list because it's divided up by country, so you can quickly see what each nation has, and then click through to an illustrated summary of each site. Obviously this isn't limited to just Europe, but it does appear regularly.
Raoul Wallenberg was a Swedish diplomat who saved over 20,000 people from persecution in Hungary during the Second World War, and prevented a massacre of tens of thousands more. When the Russian army 'liberated' the region, Wallenberg was arrested and never seen again. Officially, Russia claims he was executed in 1947, but no reason for his arrest was ever given, and some evidence suggests Wallenberg survived past this date to a fate equally unknown.
...France recently commemorated the 600th anniversary of the execution of Joan of Arc, a young woman whose self-belief allowed French forces to rally and begin to expel England during the Hundred Years War. However, a war of words broke out over politicians claiming she would be on their side. As well as current President Sarkozy, who spoke at a memorial ceremony, right wing leader Marine Le Pen also adopted Joan, as have French Socialists. AFP (via Yahoo) has quotes from all sides, perfect if you're doing a 'why history matters' essay.
The wisest of all ages have acknowledged that the most important period in human education is in childhood. This most important part of education is left entirely in the hands of the mother... With an imperfect education... can she impart a spirit of independence in her sons?... The mother must possess these high and noble qualities, or she never can impart them to her offspring.In 1860 New York State passed a law that granted women nearly everything for which they had petitioned. It recognized the right of a married woman to be sole owner of any property she had inherited prior to or during marriage; it gave women power to make investments, sign contracts, sue or be sued, and to have equal control over her children. In New York she could do almost anything - except vote.
January 19, 1862 - Brigadier General George H. Thomas (right) wins the Battle of Mill Springs. Pushing into Kentucky, the Confederate troops of Brig. Gen. Felix Zollicoffer occupied a weak position near Mill Springs. Reinforced by Maj. Gen. George Crittenden, the two moved north towards Logan's Crossroads to attack a Union force under Brig. Gen. George H. Thomas. After initially achieving some success, Zollicoffer was killed when he mistook Union troops for his own. Though he added more troops to the battle, Crittenden, who may have been intoxicated, was out-fought by Thomas and ultimately out-flanked. With Union troops turning their left flank, the Confederates broke and fled south to Tennessee. The Union victory opened a wide breach in the Confederacy's western defenses, however winter weather and a lack of supplies prevented it from being fully exploited.
...A heroine of the American revolution at the battle of Monmouth in 1778, she's known by a nickname rather than her real name. A servant, the family she worked for was active in the resistance to, and then the war against, the British.
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Huntington Bank in Ohio recently rediscovered a check Lincoln wrote the day before he was shot:One check on display was written by Abraham Lincoln on April 13, 1865 -- the day before he was shot and two days before he died. The check, for $800, was written to "self" and drawn on the First National Bank of Washington, D.C. According to Eiler, the check was reportedly used to get cash to pay debts ran up by his wife, who was known to be a big spender. An $800 tab would be the equivalent of $11,260 today.
They also found many other historic checks! This included one from Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.
January-May 18, 1944 - Allied forces fight and win the Battle of Monte Cassino. Landing in Italy in September 1943, Allied forces under Gen. Sir Harold Alexander fought their way north over rough terrain and against determined German resistance. Stopped by the Gustav Line fortifications, the Allied advance stalled in front of Cassino and its historic abbey of Monte Cassino. Beginning in January 1944, Lt. Gen. Mark Clark began assaulting the town and the hills behind the abbey. Conducting three offensives through late March, Clark's men failed to break through and took heavy losses. During the course of these operations, the historic abbey was heavily bombed (right) as Allied leaders believed it was being used by the Germans as an observation post. Reorganizing, Alexander mounted Operation Diadem in May which finally saw Allied troops shatter the German defenses. Pressing north, these operations, in conjunction with an offensive from the Anzio beachhead, culminated in the capture of Rome in early June.
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January 15, 1815 - The frigate USS President (right) is captured by a blockading squadron off New York City. One of the original six frigates built for the US Navy, USS President (44 guns) entered service in August 1800. Participating in the Quasi-War and First Barbary War, the frigate was at the center of the 1811 Little Belt Affair with Britain. With the beginning of the War of 1812, President saw extensive service under Commodore John Rodgers. Through early 1814, the ship conducted several cruises to attack British commerce before being blockaded at New York. Taking command that December, Commodore Stephen Decatur sought to slip through the blockade on January 14, 1815. Departing port in a snow storm, President ran aground outside the harbor due to pilot error or a badly marked channel. Though badly damaged, the frigate was unable to return to New York due to unfavorable winds. Discovered by the blockading squadron the next day, President was able to best HMS Endymion (40) but the damage sustained in the grounding prevented it from escaping from HMS Tenedos (38) and HMS Pomone (44). As the two British ships attacked shortly before midnight, Decatur, recognizing the situation as hopeless, surrendered. Unknown to both sides, the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the conflict, had been signed weeks earlier.
...At a time when the majority of the population was illiterate, churches used large murals and wall paintings to help put across their message. Many of these suffered in England in the aftermath of the English Civil Wars, but others survive. Now the Churches Conservation Trust has started a new gallery on their webpages to show some of the wall paintings they care for. It's here, and you can drill down through the thumbnails, to a picture, to a page with information.
We've all heard of the word outlaw, and in medieval English law it had a specific definition: to outlaw someone was to remove all legal rights and defences, both prohibiting a person from receiving any aid, and allowing anyone else to legally kill them. BBC History Magazine have recently put up a small page explaining when the outlaw laws were repealed. They state that, as the medieval world ended being made an outlaw became more of a "formality" than a practical definition, but it wasn't actually until 1879 when the law was cancelled in England, and 1949 in Scotland.
The question of how best to care for Stonehenge, one of Europe's leading prehistoric monuments, is slowly grinding on. In 2010 plans for a visitors centre (sited at a respectable distance) were approved, as well as the closure of part of the A344, a road which goes close to the stones. Now the local council have ordered another section of the A344 shut, although the closure of smaller roads was stopped.
January 14, 1969 - A MK-32 Zuni rocket explodes on the flight deck of USS Enterprise killing 27 and touching off a large fire (right). The world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise entered service in 1961. First operating in support of the Vietnam War in late 1965, the carrier became a constant in the waters off Southeast Asia. While conducting operations on January 14, 1969, tragedy struck when a MK-32 Zuni rocket exploded on the flight deck. Mounted on a parked F-4 Phantom II, the rocket detonated due being overheated by a nearby aircraft start unit. Spreading quickly, the fire destroyed 15 aircraft before the crew was able to contain the inferno. In the course of the accident, 27 were killed and 314 wounded. With the flight deck damaged, Enterprise was forced to put into Pearl Harbor for repairs. Returning to action in April 1969, Enterprise remains part of the US Navy to this day.
...In the page for January of Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, a splendid gathering of nobility in their finery celebrate a holiday -- possibly Twelfth Night. Do you know how many other month pages also feature noble men and women in their finery, and which ones they are? Browse our Image Gallery for Les Très Riches Heures and find out.
January 11, 1863 - CSS Alabama (right) sinks USS Hatteras off Galveston, TX. Built in Britain and commissioned in August 1862, Alabama enjoyed an auspicious career as a commerce raider before approaching Galveston in January 1863. Hoping to disrupt Union operations near the city, Capt. Raphael Semmes succeeded in luring the sidewheeler USS Hatteras away from its consorts. Reaching a safe distance from Union reinforcements, Alabama turned and in a 13-minute battle reduced its more lightly-armed opponent to a sinking wreck. The victory marked Alabama's sole triumph over another warship. Sailing south, the raider spent a profitable summer off South America where it captured nearly 30 Union merchant vessels. Proceeding across the Indian Ocean, Semmes took Alabama to the East Indies before pressing repairs forced him to sail for Europe. Reaching Cherbourg, France on June 11, 1864, Alabama was defeated in a battle offshore eight days later by USS Kearsarge.
...Planet History is the aggregation of weblogs' contents that gathers news, info, ideas, fact and dates regarding the vast topic of history and they are all in one place. Plus, Planet History is permanently updating, so everything you find and read on this site is new and fresh, especially since all the texts are written by people who are dedicated to History.
Updated on January 27, 2012 04:05 PM UTC. Entries are normalised to UTC time.
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