Sorry for the long absence. Really trying to post more regularly. But I've been a little under the weather and my computer has had issues blah blah blah.
Anyhow, on we go. Did you ever wonder where the word "vandalism" comes from? Well I'd say we have a good explanation today, dating back to 455. On this date, the Vandals, led by Genseric, entered the city of Rome. And spent the next two weeks taking away pretty much anything that wasn't nailed down. And a number of things that were. And while there was supposedly an agreement between Big G and the pope not to take prisoners or burn anything, well, it certainly appears the Vandals weren't aware of that agreement. So I guess the lesson here is that if an emperor is killed, his successor should make a point of not breaking any agreements the dead guy had to marry his daughter to some other king's son. By the way, this is considered to be the end of the Roman Empire, unless you count the Byzantine one as also being "Roman".
As a Michigander, I'm well acquainted with this next story from 1763. The troops at Fort Michilimackinac were watching the local Indians play lacrosse on this date. So they opened the gates, to get closer or something. The ball flew inside the fort, the players- and the non-playing Indians- rushed through, and suddenly the women whipped guns out from under their blankets, handed them to the lacrosse players, and Bob's your uncle, it turned out to be part of Pontiac's Rebellion. And it was off to a darned good start! I guess the lesson here is that you probably ought not to let a bunch of people who don't really like you to run unmolested into your fort, even if they are playing a game. Or I suppose "playing a game" is more
like it.
On the other hand, if the Indians had waited another hundred and fifty or so years, then the US would have been founded, and they would eventually have become, on this date, US citizens. Provided of course they were born in Michigan and not Ontario. I guess the lesson here is that patience is a virtue.
On this date in 1925, Wally Pipp gets well, Wally Pipped. The manager of the Yankees sits him down for the day, and Pipp never gets back up, in a sense. The guy who replaced him was of course Lou Gehrig, and missed his next game about 2000 games later. The lesson here? If the manager want to shake up the lineup, you'd best not have a headache. Or be not hitting well. Or perhaps the lesson is that the young guy you tell your manager to sign, and who you turn into your protege, is eventually gonna take your job.
In 1946, Umberto II is politely told by the Italian people that his services as king are no longer required. He's given a one way ticket to Oblivion.
On the other hand, six years later Elizabeth Windsor is given her very own TV special. It's called her coronation, and by the end of the ceremony, she queen of The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Her Other Realms and Territories, and also handed the title of Head of the Commonwealth.
I suppose the lesson here is that your family should do a good job of running things, and you probably ought not to join Germany in a war against the rest of the world. Either that, or the lesson is to never try and lead Italy, because nobody there knows what the hell they want.
In 1979, Pope John Paul II returns to his native Poland for a visit. While there, he basically killed the communists with kindness, but kill them he did. Shortly after his trip, Solidarity was born, and the Soviet Empire began its demise. Peacefully, to the surprise of most.
Given his faith, his opposition to communism, and his willingness to work against the regime, I'm pretty confident that the moron currently in the White House would have snubbed and insulted him the same way he did the man who led Solidarity to victory.
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