Well we start off with a bit of news from Sicily. On this date in 878, the Sultan of Sicily captured Syracuse. It was payback for the Crusades, which of course hadn't happened yet. But that's unimportant, as we know that everything is payback for the Crusades and Christian aggression against Islam, which would never dream of invading another country and forcing them to convert.
And speaking of Muslim wars, on this date in 1674, John (or Jan) Sobieski is elected King of Poland. It's important and contextual because in 1683, he defeated the Turks at the Battle of Vienna. Had he lost... well, there's a good chance that this blog would be written in Arabic. And wouldn't exist, since I would probably have never learned anything about history. So good for John/Jan! Of course, this attack on Christendom was also prompted by the Crusades- just like every attack up to the current time.
As a minor point of interest, apparently actress Leelee Sobieski is a descendant of John/Jan. Not sure if it's direct or not, and since king of Poland was an elective office, I doubt she could claim the throne. Grand Duke of Lithuania? Perhaps. (John/Jan was elected to that office at the same time).
In Civil War news, we start in 1856. The town of Lawrence, Kansas gets captured and burned by raiders who dislike the anti-slavery tendencies of the locals. You've heard of "Bleeding Kansas"? Well this is a good chunk of why it got that nickname. This raid will beget retaliation. Which leads to... you know the drill. As Gandhi supposedly said, "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind". Which is a misunderstanding of the point, but it works here.
Jumping ahead to 1863, we know that Vicksburg is under siege by Union forces commanded by Grant. Meanwhile, slightly south of there, the only other Rebel force along the river is in Port Hudson. On this date, the Union forces from New Orleans encircle the town, putting it also under siege. It lasts slightly longer than Vicksburg, but the result will be the same. And thus the River gets opened to the Union, and the western states are cut off from the Confederacy. But while we know it's coming, it hasn't happened yet. Stay tuned.
In 1881, the American Red Cross is founded by Clara Barton. Nothing snark-worthy here, so we'll just salute her and move on.
Yesterday we noted that Lindbergh had left Long Island enroute for Europe. Well today, he makes it! All the way to Gay Paree, where he touches down at Le Bourget Field. In celebration, go listen to "When Lindy Comes to Town" by Al Stewart. Everything will be fantastic now! It's 1927- go invest in the markets, and do it all on credit! Oh boy!
On the distaff side, Amelia Earhart runs into bad weather five years later, and she has to land in Ireland. ////Makes giant "L" with hand and holds up to forehead///// She might be the first woman to make the trip solo, but she didn't fly as far as Lindy. Probably loaded down with luggage or something. Either that or she couldn't read a map.
And that's about it, other than the moronic Taubira Law which we snarked on earlier today.
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