This Was February 4th (A Tribute to a Fellow Blogging Birthday Boy)
A lot of things happened on this particularily important date in history:
February 4th, 1903: During the Stanley Cup playoffs, Montréal AAA beat the Winnipeg Victorias, 2 games to 1 & 1 tie.
February 4th, 1920: Someone had stolen 21 barrels of whiskey which was held at a Pennsylvania brewery. The person who had taken this liquor was sentenced a fine of $7,000. This particular crime had taken place during the Prohibition Era, during a time when the sale of alcohol was not allowed.
February 4th, 1930: 1st tieless, soundless, shockless streetcar tracks appear in New Orleans.
February 4th, 1931: As banks continue to close across the US when depositors ask for their deposits back, the problems continue to escalate as most small banks had large amounts invested in the stock market and with the crash of wall street in late 1929 many banks do not have sufficient funds left to meet current members deposits. Many are going into receivership with little help for investors. The government is looking at schemes to bail the banks out and help consumer confidence.
February 4th, 1936: 1st radioactive substance produced synthetically (radium E).
February 4th, 1938: Hitler seizes control of German army & puts Nazi in key posts.
February 4th, 1945: Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin meet at the Yalta conference.
February 4th, 1949: Failed assassination attempt on Shah of Persia. (Let that be a lesson to ya, Pahlavi!)
February 4th, 1957: This was the first day of the sale of Smith-Corona portable typewriters. This company had been producing typewriters since 1886, when it created the first upper and lower-case typing model. (This was the original mobile blogging!)
February 4th, 1965: US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
February 4th, 1969: The Palestine Liberation Organization was founded on this day. It was an organization that was established to represent the Palestinian people while Yassir Arafat was in office.
February 4th, 1971: British car maker Rolls Royce declared itself bankrupt.
February 4th, 1974: A bomb believed to have been set by the IRA kills 11 including soldiers and children when the coach they were travelling in is blown up by a bomb. Also, Newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst is kidnapped in Berkeley, California by the Symbionese Liberation Army. And our pals at OPEC raise the price per barrel of oil for those countries who supported Israel in the Yom Kippur War.
February 4th, 1980: The ill-fated Bani Sadr sworn in as premier of Iran.
February 4th, 1985: 20 countries (but not the US) sign UN treaty outlawing torture. (Twenty-something years later the US would redefine the definition of "torture" as it relates to enemy combatants...)
February 4th, 1993: Russian space agency tests a 82' wide space mirror. (I wonder who the "ants" were...?)
February 4th, 1998: Bill Gates gets a pie thrown in his face in Brussels, Belgium. (Conceited Jerk laughed for a week.)
February 4th, 2003: Lawmakers formally dissolve Yugoslavia and replace it with a loose union of Serbia and Montenegro.
February 4th, 2004: Facebook, a mainstream online social network is founded by Mark Zuckerberg, making physical face-to-face get-togethers a thing of the past.
February 4th, 2006: Following the publishing of caricatures of the prophet Muhammad Muslim protestors torched and destroyed the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus. And in Gaza, Palestinians marched through the streets, storming European buildings and burning German and Danish flags. (Good thing they didn't overreact.)
/end tribute
This date in history is also important for another reason: It's also my birthday, as well as that of a certain local historian who shall remain nameless (Happy Birthday, matey)!
It's funny, looking at all these events and seeing not only how they are relevant to my interests, but how they echo current events as well... alcohol, war, financial/government collusion, failing auto industries, mobile blogging, the Middle East, Military-industrial complex, radiation/nuclear power, rapid transit, terrorists/freedom fighters/liberators, European politics, religious/sectarian violence, and online social networking.
This got me thinking, was my destiny foreordained, or is this all just an interesting coincidence?
February 4th, 1903: During the Stanley Cup playoffs, Montréal AAA beat the Winnipeg Victorias, 2 games to 1 & 1 tie.
February 4th, 1920: Someone had stolen 21 barrels of whiskey which was held at a Pennsylvania brewery. The person who had taken this liquor was sentenced a fine of $7,000. This particular crime had taken place during the Prohibition Era, during a time when the sale of alcohol was not allowed.
February 4th, 1930: 1st tieless, soundless, shockless streetcar tracks appear in New Orleans.
February 4th, 1931: As banks continue to close across the US when depositors ask for their deposits back, the problems continue to escalate as most small banks had large amounts invested in the stock market and with the crash of wall street in late 1929 many banks do not have sufficient funds left to meet current members deposits. Many are going into receivership with little help for investors. The government is looking at schemes to bail the banks out and help consumer confidence.
February 4th, 1936: 1st radioactive substance produced synthetically (radium E).
February 4th, 1938: Hitler seizes control of German army & puts Nazi in key posts.
February 4th, 1945: Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin meet at the Yalta conference.
February 4th, 1949: Failed assassination attempt on Shah of Persia. (Let that be a lesson to ya, Pahlavi!)
February 4th, 1957: This was the first day of the sale of Smith-Corona portable typewriters. This company had been producing typewriters since 1886, when it created the first upper and lower-case typing model. (This was the original mobile blogging!)
February 4th, 1965: US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
February 4th, 1969: The Palestine Liberation Organization was founded on this day. It was an organization that was established to represent the Palestinian people while Yassir Arafat was in office.
February 4th, 1971: British car maker Rolls Royce declared itself bankrupt.
February 4th, 1974: A bomb believed to have been set by the IRA kills 11 including soldiers and children when the coach they were travelling in is blown up by a bomb. Also, Newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst is kidnapped in Berkeley, California by the Symbionese Liberation Army. And our pals at OPEC raise the price per barrel of oil for those countries who supported Israel in the Yom Kippur War.
February 4th, 1980: The ill-fated Bani Sadr sworn in as premier of Iran.
February 4th, 1985: 20 countries (but not the US) sign UN treaty outlawing torture. (Twenty-something years later the US would redefine the definition of "torture" as it relates to enemy combatants...)
February 4th, 1993: Russian space agency tests a 82' wide space mirror. (I wonder who the "ants" were...?)
February 4th, 1998: Bill Gates gets a pie thrown in his face in Brussels, Belgium. (Conceited Jerk laughed for a week.)
February 4th, 2003: Lawmakers formally dissolve Yugoslavia and replace it with a loose union of Serbia and Montenegro.
February 4th, 2004: Facebook, a mainstream online social network is founded by Mark Zuckerberg, making physical face-to-face get-togethers a thing of the past.
February 4th, 2006: Following the publishing of caricatures of the prophet Muhammad Muslim protestors torched and destroyed the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus. And in Gaza, Palestinians marched through the streets, storming European buildings and burning German and Danish flags. (Good thing they didn't overreact.)
/end tribute
This date in history is also important for another reason: It's also my birthday, as well as that of a certain local historian who shall remain nameless (Happy Birthday, matey)!
It's funny, looking at all these events and seeing not only how they are relevant to my interests, but how they echo current events as well... alcohol, war, financial/government collusion, failing auto industries, mobile blogging, the Middle East, Military-industrial complex, radiation/nuclear power, rapid transit, terrorists/freedom fighters/liberators, European politics, religious/sectarian violence, and online social networking.
This got me thinking, was my destiny foreordained, or is this all just an interesting coincidence?
Happy birthday, monsieur.
ReplyDeleteHey CJ,
ReplyDeleteHappy B-Day, good to see your back!
Why thank you, gentlemen!
ReplyDeleteIt's good to be back. I've cooled off a bit, as has our pal Jimmy Cotton.
All is right in the universe.
Why, thank you CJ ! Great list !
ReplyDelete