Tidbits of History, November 13

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November 13 is:

National Indian Pudding Day; Indian Pudding is made with cornmeal, milk and molasses.

World Kindness Day; to remember that little acts of kindness can have a big impact.

Sadie Hawkins Day, invented by Alfred Gerald Capp for his comic strip “Li’l Abner” on which day the spinsters of Dogpatch might pursue the unattached males. Sadie was said to be “the homeliest gal in them hills”.

Thomas_CranmerOn November 13, 1553, Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer and four others, including Lady Jane Grey, were accused of high treason and sentenced to death under Catholic Queen “Bloody” Mary I. Thomas Cranmer was the Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I. He supported the principle of royal supremacy, in which the king was considered sovereign over the Church within his realm. When Edward came to the throne, Cranmer was able to promote major reforms. He wrote and compiled the first two editions of the Book of Common Prayer, a complete liturgy for the English Church. He changed doctrine or discipline in areas such as the Eucharist, clerical celibacy, the role of images in places of worship, and the veneration of saints. After the accession of the Catholic Mary I, Cranmer was put on trial for treason and heresy. His legacy lives on within the Church of England through the Book of Common Prayer and the Thirty-Nine Articles, an Anglican statement of faith derived from his work.

November 13, 1850 birthBirthday of Robert Louis Stevenson (November 13, 1850), Scottish novelist and poet famous for writing “Treasure Island”, “A Child’s Garden of Verses”, “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and many more. Treasure Island is in the public domain and is available at our other website Nextdoorestore.com. A Child’s Garden of Verses is also available at Nextdoorestore.com.

Stevenson had always wanted his ‘Requiem’ inscribed on his tomb:

Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.

1851 – The Denny Party landed at Alki Point, the first settlers of what would become Seattle, Washington.

War on Terrorism 2001: In the first such act since World War II, US President George W. Bush signed an executive order allowing military tribunals against foreigners suspected of connections to terrorist acts or planned acts on the United States.

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Tidbits of History, November 12

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November 12 is:

Chicken Soup for the Soul Day, a celebration of who you are, where you’ve been, where you are going.

National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day

Sebastian Viscaino landed at and named San Diego, California. in 1602.

Letitia Tyler, November 12, 1790Birthday of Letitia Christian Tyler (November 12, 1790), wife of John Tyler, First Lady 1841 until her death in 1842. In 1839, she had suffered a paralytic stroke that left her an invalid. As first lady, she remained in the upstairs living quarters of the White House. She made her only public appearance in the White House at the wedding of her daughter, Elizabeth. Letitia and John Tyler had eight children. Two years following her death of another stroke, John Tyler married Julia Gardiner and had an additional seven children.

Jules Leotard perfomed the first flying trapeze circus act in Paris in 1859. He also popularised the one-piece gym wear that now bears his name and inspired the 1867 song “The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze”

Leon TrotskyLeon Trotsky expelled from Soviet CP in 1927; Joseph Stalin became undisputed dictator. Lev Davidovich Bronstein, better known as Leon Trotsky, was a Soviet revolutionary, Marxist theorist and politician whose particular strain of Marxist thought is known as Trotskyism. Trotsky joined the Bolshevik Party a few weeks before the October Revolution, thus immediately becoming a leader within the party, and was one of the leaders of the October Revolution of 1917.

In California, the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge opened to traffic in 1936.

1946 – Walt Disney’s “Song Of South” released in 1946. It was based on the Uncle Remus stories. Introduced the song “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” as well as characters Br’er Rabbit, Br’er Fox, and Br’er Bear. The film received much critical attention for its handling of race. According to Wikipedia:

At the same time, however, some black press had mixed reactions on what they thought of Song of the South. While Richard B. Dier in The Afro-American was “thoroughly disgusted” by the film for being “as vicious a piece of propaganda for white supremacy as Hollywood ever produced,” Herman Hill in The Pittsburgh Courier felt that Song of the South would “prove of inestimable goodwill in the furthering of interracial relations”, and considered criticisms of the film to be “unadulterated hogwash symptomatic of the unfortunate racial neurosis that seems to be gripping so many of our humorless brethren these days.”

Ellis Island closed in 1954 after processing more than 20 million immigrants since opening in New York Harbor in 1892.

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Tidbits of History, November 11

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Nov 11 is:

Young Readers Day

National Sundae Day

November 11 – At 11 am on 11 November 1918 the guns of the Western Front fell silent after more than four years of continuous warfare. The Allied nations chose this day and time for the commemoration of their war dead and continue to do so by marking a 1–2 minute silence at 11 am on November 11 each year. The time of the remembrance is also known as the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

End of World War I related observances:

Armistice Day (New Zealand, France, Belgium and Serbia)
Independence Day, commemorates the anniversary of Poland’s assumption of independent statehood in 1918 (Poland)
Remembrance Day (United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations, including Australia and Canada)
Veterans Day, called Armistice Day until 1954, when the holiday was rededicated to be in honor of American military, naval, and Air Force, veterans. (United States)

Forty-one Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower, anchored off Massachusetts, signed a compact calling for a “body politick” in 1620.

November 11, 1744, Abigail AdamsBirthday of Abigail Smith Adams (November 11, 1744), wife of John Adams, second President of the United States; first lady from 1797-1801. Mother of John Quincy Adams, the 6th President of the United States. John Adams was a prolific writer of letters. He exchanged more than 1100 letters with his wife, Abigail. Most have been preserved in archives.

Fyodor DostoyevskyBirthday of Fyodor Dostoyevsky (November 11, 1821) , Russian novelist famed for “The Brothers Karamazov” and “Crime and Punishment”

Former slave Nat Turner, who had led a violent insurrection, was executed in Jerusalem, Va. in 1831.

George Patton, born November 11, 1885Birthday of George Patton, (Nov. 11, 1885), the famous World War II American military officer.

Olympia WashingtonWashington State Day, 1889, forty-second state

  • Capital: Olympia
  • Nickname: Evergreen State
  • Bird: Willow goldfinch
  • Flower: Coast rhododendron
  • Tree:Western Hemlock
  • Unofficial Motto: “Al-ki”, meaning “by and by” in Chinook Jargon

See our page on Washington for more interesting facts and trivia about the state of Washington.

Tomb on the Unknown SoldierAnniversary of the burial of the Unknown Soldier at the Tomb of the Unknowns in 1921 at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The tomb is guarded by soldiers of the United States Army’s 3rd Infantry Regiment. The first 24-hour guard was posted on midnight, July 2, 1937. The Tomb of the Unknowns has been guarded continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, since that time. Inclement weather, terrorist attacks, etc, do not cause the watch to cease.
Everything the guards do is a series of 21, which alludes to the 21-gun salute.
The Sentinel does not execute an about face, rather they stop on the 21st step, then turn and face the Tomb for 21 seconds. They then turn to face back down the mat, change the weapon to the outside shoulder, mentally count off 21 seconds, then step off for another 21 step walk down the mat. They face the Tomb at each end of the 21 step walk for 21 seconds. The Sentinel then repeats this over and over until the Guard Change ceremony begins.

The U.S. Army turned over its base at Long Binh to the South Vietnamese army, symbolizing the end of direct U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War in 1972.

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Tidbits of History, November 10

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November 10 is:

State Flower of Alaska: Alpine forget-me-notForget-Me-Not Day, get in touch with family and friends that you haven’t seen in awhile. The Forget-Me-Not is the state flower of Alaska.

National Vanilla Cupcake Day

Martin Luther, born Nov 10, 1483Birthday of Martin Luther (November 10, 1483), German religious reformer, born in Eisleben, Germany, beginner of the Protestant Reformation.

Oliver GoldsmithBirthday of Oliver Goldsmith (November 10, 1730), Irish author of “She Stoops to Conquer” and “The Vicar of Wakefield”.

United States Marine Corps Birthday, founded in 1775.

John Jay, author of Federalist Paper #5Publication of Federalist Paper #5: Concerning Dangers From Foreign Force and Influence, written by John Jay. In this article Jay uses examples from European countries to emphasize the importance of a unified nation.

Marine Corp MemorialThe U.S. Marine Corps Memorial, depicting the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima in 1945, was dedicated in Arlington, Virginia in 1954.

The Marine Corp Hymn from: benneynlinda.com

From the Halls of Montezuma
To the Shores of Tripoli;
We will fight our country’s battles
In the air, on land and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
Of United States Marine.

Our flag’s unfurled to every breeze
From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in ev’ry clime and place
Where we could take a gun;
In the snow of far-off Northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes;
You will find us always on the job–
The United States Marines.

Here’s health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve
In many a strife we’ve fought for life
And never lost our nerve;
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven’s scenes;
They will find the streets are guarded
By United States Marines.

In 1871, journalist-explorer Henry M. Stanley found missing Scottish missionary David Livingstone in central Africa and delivered his famous greeting:

“Dr. Livingstone, I presume?”

From Today in Science
In 1885, the world’s first motorcycle, designed by Gottlieb Daimler, made its first significant test-run. Daimler’s 17-year-old son, Paul, travelled from Cannstatt to Unterturkheim and back. Their “Reitwagen” had a wooden frame and wheels. A leather drive belt ran between the engine and large brass gears on the rear wheel. With no suspension on the wheels, the leather saddle gave a very uncomfortable ride, at a speed up to 12 km/hr. The single cylinder engine had a bore of 58mm, stroke of 100mm and a displacement of 264cc’s. The engine gave 0.5hp at 700 rpm. Two very much smaller, spring-mounted outrigger wheels provided some stability. This was built as an experimental vehicle to test the new Daimler engine in a proof of concept, which was to power Daimler’s first motorized carriage the following year.

Kate Smith first sang Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” on network radio in 1938.

1942 British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, discussing the recent victory over Rommel at El Alamein, Egypt, said “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

“Sesame Street” debuted on PBS in 1969.

Tidbits of History, November 9

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November 9 is: .

Schicksalstag (Day of Fate) commemorates 5 events in German history: the execution of Robert Blum in 1848; the end of the monarchies in 1918 and the start of the Weimar Republic; the Hitler putsch attempt in 1923; the Nazi antisemitic pogroms in 1938; and the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989.

Crystal Night, the anniversary of the street riots of Nov 9 and 10, 1938 when Nazi storm troopers raided Jewish homes and synagogues. Called Kristallnacht in German (the “night of broken glass”). Per Wikipedia , “Kristallnacht or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November Pogrom(s), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by SA paramilitary forces and civilians throughout Nazi Germany on 9–10 November 1938. The German authorities looked on without intervening. The name Kristallnacht (“Crystal Night”) comes from the shards of broken glass that littered the streets after the windows of Jewish-owned stores, buildings and synagogues were smashed. The pretext for the attacks was the assassination of the German diplomat Ernst vom Rath by Herschel Grynszpan, a 17-year-old German-born Polish Jew living in Paris.”

“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

From Today in Science
In 1825, Thomas Drummond made the first practical use of limelight while surveying in Ireland to enable work through misty days and night. He created an intense light from a lump of lime (calcium oxide) heated to incandescent by an oxygenated alcohol flame in front of a reflector. He attempted to adapt it for lighthouses, but found operation too costly. The bright light given off by heated metal oxides was first investigated in the 1820s by Goldsworthy Gurney who created the oxyhydrogen blowpipe. Limelight was first used for indoor stage illumination in the Covent Garden Theatre in London in 1837 and enjoyed widespread use in theatres around the world in the 1860s and 1870s. Limelight was also used for microscope illumination.

Carl Sagan, born November 9, 1934Birthday of Carl Sagan, (November 9, 1934,), the astronomer whose books and television show informed millions of Americans.

The Berlin Wall fell in 1989, in a significant event towards the end of the Cold War. East Germany lifted restrictions on emigration or travel to the West, and within hours tens of thousands of East and West Berliners swarmed across the infamous Berlin Wall for a boisterous celebration.

In 1998, brokerage houses were ordered to pay 1.03 billion USD to cheated NASDAQ investors to compensate for their price-fixing. This was the largest civil settlement in United States history.

Tidbits of History, November 8

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November 8 is:

Mid-term Election Day in 2022.

National Cappuccino Day

International Day of Radiology

Book Lovers Day. Put aside your Kindle or Nook…read a real book!

Dunce Day, the anniversary of the November 8, 1308 death of Duns Scotus, medieval scholar. He is generally considered to be one of the three most important philosopher-theologians of the High Middle Ages; the others being Thomas Aquinas and William of Ockham. Later philosophers in the sixteenth century were less complimentary about his work, and accused him of sophistry. This led to his name, “dunce” (which developed from the name “Dunse” given to his followers in the 1500s) to become synonymous for “somebody who is incapable of scholarship”.

Birthday of Edmund Halley (November 8, 1656), English astronomer for whom Halley’s comet is named.

Doc Holliday1887 –John Henry “Doc” Holliday, who fought on the side of the Earp brothers during the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral 6 years earlier, died of tuberculosis in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

Montana Glacier Montana Admission Day, 1889 forty-first state

  • Capital: Helena
  • Nickname: Treasure State
  • Bird: Western meadowlark
  • Flower: Bitterroot
  • Animal: Grizzly Bear
  • Tree: Ponderosa Pine
  • Motto: Gold and silver

See our page Montana for more interesting facts and trivia about Montana.

1892Grover Cleveland Former President Grover Cleveland beat incumbent Benjamin Harrison, becoming the first president to win non-consecutive terms. The second was Donald Trump just a few days ago. Grover Cleveland was President #22 and #24. Donald Trump is #45 and #47.

While experimenting with electricity, Wilhelm Röntgen discovered the X-ray in 1895.

Birthday of Margaret Mitchell (November 8 1900), American novelist, author of “Gone With the Wind”. She died at age 49 after being stuck by a drunk driver while crossing Peachtree Street in Atlanta.

Tidbits of History, November 7

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November 7 is:

This day marks the approximate midpoint of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere and of spring in the Southern Hemisphere (starting the season at the September equinox).

National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day

John Jay, author of Federalist Paper #Publication of Federalist Paper #4: Concerning Dangers From Foreign Force and Influence written by John Jay. He argues the necessity of maintaining one nation rather than breaking the union into small confederacies. Jay addresses the issue from the point of view of Safety. In the previous article he examined “Just” causes of war. In this paper he looks at “Pretended” causes of war.

But whatever may be our situation, whether firmly united under one national government, or split into a number of confederacies, certain it is, that foreign nations will know and view it exactly as it is; and they will act toward us accordingly. If they see that our national government is efficient and well administered, our trade prudently regulated, our militia properly organized and disciplined, our resources and finances discreetly managed, our credit re-established, our people free, contented, and united, they will be much more disposed to cultivate our friendship than provoke our resentment. If, on the other hand, they find us either destitute of an effectual government (each State doing right or wrong, as to its rulers may seem convenient), or split into three or four independent and probably discordant republics or confederacies, one inclining to Britain, another to France, and a third to Spain, and perhaps played off against each other by the three, what a poor, pitiful figure will America make in their eyes! How liable would she become not only to their contempt but to their outrage, and how soon would dear-bought experience proclaim that when a people or family so divide, it never fails to be against themselves.

President William Henry Harrison, April 4, 1841 Battle of Tippecanoe (November 7, 1811): was fought on November 7, 1811 in Battle Ground, Indiana between American forces led by Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and Indian forces associated with Shawnee leader Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa, leaders of a confederacy of various tribes who opposed European settlement of the American West. Harrison accomplished his goal of destroying Prophetstown and proclaimed that he had won a decisive victory. He gained the nickname “Tippecanoe”, which was popularized in the campaign song “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too” during the presidential election of 1840 which Harrison won, defeating incumbent President Martin Van Buren.

Madame Marie Curie, born November 7, 1867Birthday of Madame Marie Sklodowska Curie (November 7, 1867), Polish-French chemist and physicist, wife of Pierre Curie, both famous for their study of radioactivity.

A ship named Amazon was launched in 1860. Refitted and renamed Mary Celeste, the ship left NY on Nov 7, 1872. It was discovered adrift and deserted in the Atlantic Ocean, off the Azores Islands, on December 5, 1872.

A cartoon by Thomas Nast in Harper’s Weekly in 1874, is considered the first important use of an elephant as a symbol for the United States Republican Party.

Women’s Suffrage: Women in the U.S. state of Colorado were granted the right to vote in 1893, the second state to do so. (Wyoming was first in 1869.)

Fort Worth FiveButch Cassidy (Robert Leroy Parker) and the Sundance Kid (Harry Alonzo Longabaugh) were reportedly killed in San Vicente, Bolivia in 1908. They were bank robbers and train robbers fleeing the Pinkerton Detective Agency. The picture to the left is referred to as the “Fort Worth Five”, all men from Fort Worth, all outlaws. The two men standing are William “News” Carver and Harvey “Kid Curry” Logan. The three sitting are Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, aka “Sundance Kid”; Ben Kilpatrick, aka “Tall Texan”; and Robert Leroy Parker, aka “Butch Cassidy”.

The 1969 movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” starred Paul Newman and Robert Redford.

On Nov. 7, 1917, Russia’s Bolshevik Revolution took place as forces led by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin overthrew the provisional government of Alexander Kerensky.

FDR elected fourth term Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected for a record fourth term as President of the United States of America in 1944.

Eleanor RooseveltFormer first lady Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of Franklin D Roosevelt, died at age 78 on November 7, 1962.

Tidbits of History, November 6

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November 6 is:

National Nachos Day

President Donald J. TrumpToday we can celebrate the re-election of President Donald J. Trump as the 47th President of the United States. Celebrate freedom and liberty and the American dream. Long live America!

Birthday of John Philip Sousa, (November 6, 1854), the American band conductor and composer primarily of American military and patriotic marches. Wrote “The Stars and Stripes Forever”, and “Semper Fidelis” .

Nov 6, 1860 – Nov 6, 1860Abraham Lincoln was elected 16th American President;

Nov 6, 1860 – Jefferson DavisJefferson Davis was elected president of the Confederacy.

Birthday of James Naismith (November 6, 1861), Canadian-American educator who invented the game of basketball. Looking for a way to keep young athletes active indoors during the long New England winters, Naismith developed a game then called “Basket Ball”.

1865-11-06 – CSS Shenandoah was the last Confederate combat unit to surrender after circumnavigating the globe on its cruise that sank or captured 37 vessels. CSS Shenandoah had remained at sea for 12 months and 17 days, traversed 58,000 miles (carrying the Confederate flag around the globe for the only time) and sank or captured 38 ships, mostly whalers, all of them American civilian merchant vessels.

Bolshevik Revolution, also known as the October Revolution and commonly referred to as Red October begins with capture of Winter Palace on November 6, 1917. Bolsheviks led their forces in the uprising in Petrograd (modern day Saint Petersburg), the capital of Russia, against the Kerensky Provisional Government. For the most part, the revolt in Petrograd was bloodless, with the Red Guards led by Bolsheviks taking over major government facilities with little opposition before finally launching an assault on the poorly defended Winter Palace.

Reagan signed landmark immigration reform bill in 1986. The law aimed to secure the U.S.-Mexico border against illegal crossings with new surveillance technology and a bigger staff. The bill also, for the first time in history, imposed penalties on businesses that knowingly hired or employed unauthorized immigrants. It provided amnesty for immigrants who could prove they had been living in the country without legal approval continuously since January 1, 1982. The final version of the bill was approved in the House of Representatives by a vote of 238 to 173, and in the Senate by a vote of 63 to 24. Representative Charles E. Schumer, a Brooklyn Democrat emerged as one of the bill’s staunchest supporters in Congress.

The number of unauthorized immigrants living in the USA in 1986 was an estimated 5 million; in 2020 it was estimated to be 11.1 million. Also called illegal immigrants, undocumented, illegal aliens. No telling what it is now.

Tidbits of History, November 5

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November 5 is

National Doughnut Day

Guy Fawkes Day, the anniversary of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot” to blow up Parliament and the king.

On this date in 1781 John Hanson was elected first “President of US in Congress assembled”. See Presidents before Washington

Susan B AnthonySuffragist Susan B. Anthony was fined $100 for attempting to vote in the presidential election of 1872. She tried to vote for Ulysses S Grant.

Parker Brothers began marketing the board game “Monopoly”in 1935.

From Today in Science
In 1963, archaeologists found Viking ruins in Newfoundland predating Columbus by 500 years. Leif Ericson, Icelandic explorer, second son of Eric the Red, is believed by most historians to have been the first European to reach the North American mainland. About the year 1000 he landed at a place that he called Vinland. Vinland was identified as Newfoundland in 1963 when archaeologists uncovered the remains of a Viking-type settlement at L’Anse-aux-Meadows at the extreme northern tip of the island. His countryman, Bjarni Herjólfsson, had earlier sighted North America and reported that the land was rich in timber. Thus, Ericson had a clear economic motive for his journey. Icelanders needed wood for houses and ships, but their country is entirely treeless.

The 1968 United States presidential election was the 46th quadrennial U.S. presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 5, 1968. The Republican nominee, former Vice President Richard Nixon, defeated the Democratic nominee, incumbent Vice President Hubert Humphrey.

November 5, 2009 A shooting rampage at the Fort Hood Army post in Texas left 13 people dead and more than 30 injured; Maj. Nidal Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, was charged in the worst mass killing on a U.S. military base. A jury panel of 13 officers in August, 2013 convicted him of 13 counts of premeditated murder, 32 counts of attempted murder, and unanimously recommended he be dismissed from the service and sentenced to death. Hasan is incarcerated at the United States Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas awaiting execution while his case is reviewed by appellate courts. It is estimated the appeals process will take 10-15 years and will then require authorization from the President.

Hasan’s former defense lawyer, retired Col. John P. Galligan, told Army Times that they spoke last week (July 19, 2019) on the day in which the new DOJ guidance was announced.

“[Hasan’s] case hasn’t even really gotten through the initial stages of the appeal,” Galligan said. “The case is still being litigated on post-trial discovery issues … I think it’d be a long time before that [the death penalty] becomes one of the pertinent issues to be addressed on appeal.”

Hasan congratulated the Taliban for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in August, 2021.

Tidbits of History, November 4

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November 4 is:

King Tut Day, short for King Tutankhamun of Egypt. On November 4, 1922 – Howard Carter discovered the entrance to Tutankhamun’s tomb.

National Candy Day

Abraham and Mary Lincoln wed November 4, 1842Abraham Lincoln married Mary Todd in Springfield, Illinois on November 4, 1842.

Birthday of James Fraser (November 4, 1876), American sculptor who designed the Indian head and buffalo on the pre-1938 U.S. nickle and whose sculpture includes statues of Hamilton, General George Patton and others. See Wikipedia for samples of his works.
Pre 1938 nickel

Will RogersBirthday of Will Penn Adair Rogers (1879), American humorist, cowboy, vaudeville performer, and author. In 1926 he said:

“America has a unique record. We never lost a war and we never won a conference in our lives. I believe that we could without any degree of egotism, single-handed lick any nation in the world. But we can’t confer with Costa Rica and come home with our shirts on.”

Laura Bush, Nov 4, 1946Birthday of former First Lady, Laura Bush (November 4, 1946), wife of George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the U.S.; first lady 2001-2009.

Americans taken hostage at US Embassy (Teheran, Iran). Fifty-two American diplomats and citizens were held hostage for 444 days (November 4, 1979, to January 20, 1981). They were released the day President Reagan was inaugurated.

From Today in Science
In 1939, the first air-conditioned automobile was exhibited by its manufacturer, Packard Motor Co. of Detroit Michigan. The public exhibition at the 40th Automobile Show in Chicago, Illinois ran between 4-12 Nov. Air in the car was cooled, dehumidified, filtered and circulated. Heat was provided for use in the winter. The refrigerating coils were located behind the rear seat in an air duct, with heating coils in another compartment of the same duct. The capacity of the unit was equivalent to 1.5 tons of ice in 24 hours when the car was driven at 60 mph. Cadillac followed in 1941. The huge evaporator left little room for luggage in the trunk, and the only way to shut it off was to stop, raise the hood, and remove the compressor belt.

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