Category: History

First Jet on Jet Combat


Today in History, November 8: 1950- 

The first Jet vs Jet fighter dogfight takes place in the skies over Korea known as “Mig Alley”. USAF Lt. Russell Brown tangled with two Mig 15 fighters and shot one down in his P-80 Shooting Star. The P-80 was soon replaced with the F-86 Sabre, a far superior aircraft more comparable to the Migs. 

In April 1951 a Marine pilot flying a WWII era piston engine F4U Corsair fighter aircraft being used for ground attack during the Korean War, also shot down a Mig 15 jet. 

Sixty-Seven years after the first jet to jet combat over the Korean Peninsula, the Korean War, in effect, continues.  There was a “cease-fire” in July of 1953. The same maniacal family still rules North Korea…for them, the war continues. 

Senate Bombing…Not as Rare as You’d Think


Today in History, November 7: 1983 – A bombing in the US Senate. 

The Senate was expected to be in session late, but managed to finish early, around 7 PM. A few hours later a bomb which had been placed beneath a bench outside the Republican cloakroom exploded. The device blew the doors off of the office of Democrat leader Robert Byrd and nearly destroyed the painting of Senate legend Daniel Webster. 

A five year investigation led to the arrest of six members of the “resistance conspiracy” for the Senate bombing, and bombings at Ft. McNair and the historic Washington Navy Yard. 

Shocking, but not as unusual as one might think. 

In 1971 a bomb was set off in the Senate by the “weather underground”, another radical group. 

In 1915, a German Harvard University professor planted 3 sticks of dynamite in the Senate building in protest of American financiers who we assisting Great Britain in WWI.  He then attempted to assassinate JP Morgan. After being arrested, he committed suicide. 

Senate Bombing…Not as Rare as You’d Think


Today in History, November 7: 1983 – A bombing in the US Senate. 

The Senate was expected to be in session late, but managed to finish early, around 7 PM. A few hours later a bomb which had been placed beneath a bench outside the Republican cloakroom exploded. The device blew the doors off of the office of Democrat leader Robert Byrd and nearly destroyed the painting of Senate legend Daniel Webster. 

A five year investigation led to the arrest of six members of the “resistance conspiracy” for the Senate bombing, and bombings at Ft. McNair and the historic Washington Navy Yard. 

Shocking, but not as unusual as one might think. 

In 1971 a bomb was set off in the Senate by the “weather underground”, another radical group. 

In 1915, a German Harvard University professor planted 3 sticks of dynamite in the Senate building in protest of American financiers who we assisting Great Britain in WWI.  He then attempted to assassinate JP Morgan. After being arrested, he committed suicide. 

Senate Bombing…Not as Rare as You’d Think


Today in History, November 7: 1983 – A bombing in the US Senate. 

The Senate was expected to be in session late, but managed to finish early, around 7 PM. A few hours later a bomb which had been placed beneath a bench outside the Republican cloakroom exploded. The device blew the doors off of the office of Democrat leader Robert Byrd and nearly destroyed the painting of Senate legend Daniel Webster. 

A five year investigation led to the arrest of six members of the “resistance conspiracy” for the Senate bombing, and bombings at Ft. McNair and the historic Washington Navy Yard. 

Shocking, but not as unusual as one might think. 

In 1971 a bomb was set off in the Senate by the “weather underground”, another radical group. 

In 1915, a German Harvard University professor planted 3 sticks of dynamite in the Senate building in protest of American financiers who we assisting Great Britain in WWI.  He then attempted to assassinate JP Morgan. After being arrested, he committed suicide. 

Little Mac


Today in History, November 5: 1862 – President Abraham Lincoln relieves Gen. George B. McClellan of the command of the Army of the Potomac for the second and last time. “Little Mac” was a great organizer, and drilled the army into a very competent force…but refused to use it. On numerous occasions Lincoln suggested, cajoled, asked, and ordered McClellan to take offensive action. Gen. McClellan always assumed his enemy had many more soldiers than they actually had and found excuses not to advance. Finally Lincoln had enough. McClellan, who referred to Lincoln as a well meaning gorilla, would run against his boss for President as an anti-war Democrat. I read and listen to a lot of history. It always bothers me when an author judges a leader rather than just reporting the facts…we weren’t there, and I’ve been “second guessed” myself. Gen. McClellan is my exception. I’ve read too many historical accounts, too many biographies in which he was mentioned. I don’t believe he was a coward. I don’t necessarily believe he was a traitor. But he repeatedly and adamantly acted against the interest of his government. I would love to know what was in his mind.

Air conditioning!


Today in History, November 4: 1939 – The first car with built in air conditioning is introduced at the 40th annual Automobile Show. While some after market companies had offered A/C for limousines earlier in the thirties, Packard was the first to offer the option of a “Weather Conditioner” to the average motorist. The unit took up nearly half of the car’s trunk space.

Yesterday’s Enemies


Today in History, November 3: 1941 – A Japanese military council makes the decision that Pearl Harbor should be bombed, and in 2 days time issues the order to the Imperial Combined Fleet to prepare for the attack on December 8th. Secret Order #1 also included plans for the bombing of the Philippines and Malaysia, amongst other Pacific installations. 

 The Japanese had been preparing for this assault for sometime…IJN pilots had been training since the spring for the special tactics needed to bomb in the shallow harbor in Hawaii. “Negotiations” continued with the American government, even as the Japanese fleet moved and prepared for the attack.

Yesterday’s enemies are often today’s strongest allies. 

Hero John C. Freemont…Gets Himself Fired


Today in History, November 2: 1861 – President Lincoln relieves Gen. John C. Fremont of the command of the Western Department of the Union Army. 

 In his younger years Fremont had married Jessie Hart Benton, daughter of a successful US Senator. In the 1840’s he became an American hero exploring and mapping portions of the western US.  

His popularity led him to become the first presidential candidate of the fledgling Republican Party, although he lost. While he and the second Republican candidate for president, Lincoln, may have shared political views, they didn’t share timing. 

 Fremont didn’t prove to be successful as a military commander in Missouri. As commander in the Western Department, he ordered all slaves in Missouri emancipated. Lincoln, who eventually would sign the Emancipation Proclamation, was not ready to do so in 1861 for fear that he would alienate the border states of Missouri, Kentucky, Delaware and Maryland, potentially losing their soldiers and resources to the Confederacy. Fremont refused an order to rescind his orders, and Lincoln fired him, a risky political move in itself due to Freemont’s popularity and connections. 

Fremont was given a Mountain command in the east, but quit that when he became subordinate to Gen. Pope, who he felt he outranked. That ended his Civil War career, but he would eventually become Governor of Arizona territory. He passed away in New York in 1890.

Sherlock Holmes


Today in History, October 31: 1892 – “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes”, the first of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novels featuring the super sleuth, is published. Doyle based Holmes’ character on one of his professors from the University of Edinburgh, Dr. Joseph Bell, who displayed remarkable deductive abilities. Doyle had been publishing stories about Sherlock Holmes in “The Strand” magazine since 1887.

“that grinning, glowing, globular invader of your living room is an inhabitant of the pumpkin patch”… Still true


Today in History, October 30: 1938 – “The War of the Worlds”. For Halloween, Orson Welles had produced a radio show based on a nineteenth century novel by H.G. Wells. After a disclaimer preceding the show, it was designed as if the events were actually occurring, as if newsmen were reporting an actual invasion of the Earth by Martians….

Unfortunately, most Americans were listening to another popular radio show as The War of the Worlds began, and tuned in AFTER the disclaimer. As many as a million people thought they had actually tuned into coverage of aliens landing and assaulting the planet. The show described people all over the country fleeing in terror; which actually did occur since so many thought it was real. Part way through the show, Welles was informed of the mass panic and interrupted the show with another disclaimer….”This is Orson Welles, ladies and gentlemen, out of character to assure you that The War of The Worlds has no further significance than as the holiday offering it was intended to be: the Mercury Theatre’s own radio version of dressing up in a sheet and jumping out of a bush and saying “Boo!” Starting now, we couldn’t soap all your windows and steal all your garden gates by tomorrow night, so we did the best next thing. We annihilated the world before your very ears, and utterly destroyed the C. B. S. You will be relieved, I hope, to learn that we didn’t mean it, and that both institutions are still open for business. So goodbye everybody, and remember, please, for the next day or so the terrible lesson you learned tonight: that grinning, glowing, globular invader of your living room is an inhabitant of the pumpkin patch, and if your doorbell rings and nobody’s there, that was no Martian — it’s Halloween.”

It was 1938. Unfortunately, within a year, the world would find the horrors they imagined were all too real; but they didn’t need aliens in WWII.