Today in History, June 3: 1937 – British Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII marries American double divorcee Wallis Simpson Warfield in France. In what is usually described as the ultimate romantic tale, the King had abdicated the throne in 1936 so that he could marry the American woman. However…the rest of the story. She had already married and divorced an American Naval pilot, and carried on her affair with Edward during her second marriage. Once she obtained her divorce and married the now former king (his family wanted nothing to do with her), they settled in France. The only Parliament member that had supported Edward, Winston Churchill, soon became Prime Minister. Now he had to “handle” the problem of the Duke and his spouse, who had, in the interim, become Nazi sympathizers. In the mixed up politics of Europe in thirties, this was not necessarily as odd as it seems. Nonetheless, the Duke and his wife were now a dangerous embarrassment to the crown. A saddened Churchill convinced Edward to sneak out of Spain and accept a post as Governor of the Bahamas…what amounted to banishment. He accepted and spent the war years talking badly about his own country from a distance. Not quite the romantic figure portayed.
A Deadly Game
Today in History, June 2: 1763 – During Pontiac’s Rebellion against the British, a group of Ojibwe staged a game of baaga’adowe (a forerunner of modern lacrosse) outside Fort Michilimackinac as a ruse to gain entrance. After entering the fort, they killed most of the British inhabitants. They held the fort for a year before the British regained control, promising to offer more and better gifts to the native inhabitants of the area, around current Mackinaw City, Michigan.
Scarlett’s Ashley is killed….by the Nazis
Today in History, June 1: 1943 – BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) Flight 777, en route from Lisbon, Spain to England is shot down over the Bay of Biscay. The pilot of the DC-3 transmitted, “I am being followed by strange aircraft. Putting on best speed. …we are being attacked. Cannon shells and tracers are going through the fuselage. Wave-hopping and doing my best.” Eight German Junkers JU-88 fighters were attacking the civilian aircraft.
Among the 17 passengers and crew were British actor Leslie Howard, famous for his role in “Gone with the Wind” and several other films. After his death, rumors circulated that he was a spy and the attack targeted him. The German pilots, interviewed years later, said their mission that day was to escort a U-Boat, and they mistook the DC-3 for a military aircraft…having no knowledge of it’s passengers.
Howard joined other celebrities who lost their lives while serving during the war; Glenn Miller, Carole Lombard, Joe Kennedy, Jr and others.
Horror in Johnstown
Today in History, May 31: 1889 – The Johnstown Flood. The area east of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania had received record rainfall; it was already a miserable day. But it would get increasing worse. 14 miles above Johnstown was an earthen dam which had come into disrepair. With the heavy rainfall, the South Fork Dam collapsed and 3.8 BILLION gallons of water rushed down the valley. Amongst all of the debris gathered by the torrent were 33 train engines. The 30,000 people of Johnstown had no warning when the water and debris reached them. Over 2200 men, women and children perished as the town was virtually washed away. The combination of trains, trees, houses and steel from a factory slammed into a bridge and a temporary dam was created….which caught fire. Many who had survived the raging waters burned to death before the bridge finally broke.
A Hero Honoring Heroes
Today in History, May 30: 1958 – At the Tomb of the Unknowns, Arlington National Cemetery, President Dwight Eisenhower awards the Medal of Honor to 3 unknown servicemen selected to lie beside the Unknown from WWI. The three, one from the Pacific Theater of WWII, one from the European Theater of WWII, and one from Korea, would eventually be joined by one from Vietnam.
And who better to bestow the Honor to these Heroes than General of the Army Dwight David Eisenhower, who had led the war effort in Europe during World War II? “Ike” had not wanted the Presidency…he was literally drafted into it…initially very much against his will. If we could only have such an “adult” to lead us in modern times.
A Brilliant and Rebellious Orator
Today in History, May 29: 1736/1765 – Founding father Patrick Henry is born in Studley, Virginia (you can’t make this stuff up) in 1736.
On his 29th birthday, as a Representative in the Virginia House of Burgesses, he presented the Virginia Resolves on the Stamp Act…a response to British taxation without representation of the colonies. The next day he gave a speech which riled his contemporaries. Remember that at this time he and all colonists were proudly British subjects:
“Caesar had his Brutus, Charles the First his Cromwell, and George the Third—” when, it is reported, voices cried out, “Treason! treason!” “—and George the Third may profit by their example! If this be treason…make the most of it.”
This brought a backlash for which he apologized. He was not calling for the King’s assassination, but saying he should pay heed to history.
His most famous speech, of course, came during the second Continental Congress:
“Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace —
but there is no peace. The war is actually begun!
The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms!
Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have?
Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?
Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take but as for me,
Give me liberty or give me death!”
The Treaty of Perpetual Peace of 1503
Today in History, May 28: 1503 – King James IV of Scotland and Margaret Tudor of England marry, fulfilling an international agreement which had been sanctioned by the Pope, The Treaty of Perpetual Peace between England and Scotland. As it turns out, “perpetual” peace is good for about 10 years. In 1513 James declares war on England in support of France, who Scotland had a previous treaty with…and England had declared war on France. The Pope would excommunicate James IV for going back on his word, and he would soon die during the Battle of Flodden Field, becoming the very last Monarch of the British Empire to die in battle.
The Battle of the Eclipse
Today in History, May 28: 585 BC – “In the sixth year a battle took place in which it happened, when the fight had begun, that suddenly the day became night. And this change of the day Thales the Milesian had foretold to the Ionians laying down as a limit this very year in which the change took place. The Lydians however and the Medes, when they saw that it had become night instead of day, ceased from their fighting and were much more eager both of them that peace should be made between them.” –Herodotus (Greek historian, author of “The Histories”. After a five year war between two factions in what is now Turkey, the Battle of the Halys River, or The Battle of the Eclipse, was being fought when a solar eclipse suddenly turned day to night. Both sides took this as an omen, ended the battle, and subsequently the war. More importantly to history over all is the fact that astronomers are able to set the exact dates of past eclipses. As a result, this battle is the earliest historical event which historians are able to determine the specific date on which it occurred. How cool is that? As in all things, there is a proviso. While most historians agree on this, some say that it is possible the battle could have been ceased by a lunar, rather than solar eclipse, which would change the date.
The Legendary Phantom
Today in History, May 27: 1958 – The MacDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II makes it’s first flight. The Phantom had a payload of 18,000 lbs (the WWII B-17 had a payload of 2,000 lbs). The fighter bomber would serve well into the 90’s. Initially, no guns were included, as the .50 caliber was overshot by the Mach 2.2 speed of the Phantom. Once the fighter entered combat, it was soon discovered that the guns were still needed, so a 20mm cannon was added.
Dracula
Today in History, May 26: 1897 – Bram Stoker’s Dracula is first published in London. It was not the first vampire novel, but it is recognized as popularizing the genre which has become almost a cult today. Although his novel won him high praise from his contemporaries, including book reviewers and the likes of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, it did not initially experience commercial success. Stoker died broke and his widow had to sell off his notes for the book at auction…for two pounds. It wasn’t until movie makers in the 1920’s and 30’s began making movies based on the novel that the novel reached it’s due popularity, and it hasn’t been out of print since. Stoker’s widow had to sue in order to get her family’s part of the profits, but she did succeed.
Mark Loves History! 