Browsing: December

A Brief History On December 12, 1937, the USS Panay, a gunboat afloat on the Yangtze River near the city of Nanking (now called Nanjing) was attacked by Japanese military aircraft and sunk, with the loss of three American lives.  The United States and Japan were not at war and the incident was claimed by the Japanese to be due to mistaken identity of the American ship, despite clear American flags painted on the decks.  The Panay was not the first, nor the last, American vessel to be attacked by forces of another country not at war with the United…

A Brief History On December 8, 1941, the USA formally entered World War II, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, by declaring war against Japan.  With many lives lost, people injured and family members left at a loss, the need for an emotional support animal increased. Dogs have always been a human’s best friend. They are loyal, they are caring, and they are ready to offer constant support to their owner, making them a great animal for someone in need of emotional support; however, there are certain trainings and characteristics that a dog needs to have in order to…

A Brief History On December 11, 2012, an Alawite village in Syria, Aqrab, was the scene of horrific tragedy as terrorist bombs went off and killed about 125 people and injured an additional 200.  Known as the Aqrab Massacre, this sad series of events were but a smaller part in the ongoing Syrian Civil War that began in 2011.  Other estimates of fatalities in the Massacre range up to 300 dead.  In the West, the Islamic religion is often portrayed as a monolithic entity, and when differences in Islamic theology are recognized it is usually in the context of the…

A Brief History On December 10, 1936, King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom (Britain, et al), signed the Instrument of Abdication, basically his resignation letter.  King George VI followed him onto the throne and life went on for all involved, especially for Edward who allegedly never really wanted to be King and was free to marry “the woman I love” now that he was not constrained by Royal obligations.  Today we list some national leaders that resigned, either in defeat, in protest, or in disgrace.  As hard as it must be to quit a top tier corporate job (such…

A Brief History On December 9, 1872, P. B. S. Pinchback became the first ever African American governor of Louisiana, and in fact the first ever African American governor of any US State.  Pinchback came to the governorship via the death of the serving Lieutenant Governor, a post to which he ascended from his position as President Pro Tempore of the Louisiana Senate, and then stepping up to the governorship when the elected governor, Henry Clay Warmoth was suspended from that office due to impeachment proceedings.  Pinchback served only 34 days as Governor of Louisiana. Digging Deeper Born Pinckney Benton…