A Brief History On August 2, 2022, US Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, is on a trip to Asian countries, one of which may be Taiwan, an island that officially considers itself to be the true and legitimate government of China. Digging Deeper Mainland China, the world’s most populous country, considers Taiwan to be part of China and a place with no right to independence let alone claiming sovereignty over all of China. The US back in 1979 made the choice to recognize the Communist regime of China as the sole legal government of that country, while ending diplomatic…
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A Brief History On August 2, 1990, led by dictator Saddam Hussein, the military forces of Iraq invaded and annexed their smaller neighbor, the oil rich constitutional monarchy of Kuwait. Iraq was coming off a disastrous war (1980-1988) with Iran and Hussein was looking for an easy win. Digging Deeper This naked aggression by Iraq was poorly calculated, as the rest of the world, including much of the Arab world, disapproved of the action, and many nations joined forces to create a huge and powerful military force to counter that invasion, evicting the Iraqis from Kuwait in 1991 in a…
A Brief History On July 31, 1970, the British Royal Navy experienced one of the darkest days in their long and glorious history, Black Tot Day. On that day, the RN ended its long tradition of giving each sailor at sea a drink of rum. Digging Deeper While you may not personally miss this bygone practice, we ask, “What do you miss the most?” Some possible answers could be: (for Catholics) The Latin Mass School Dress and Grooming Codes Drive-in Movies Decent Meals and Service on Airliners Polaroid Cameras Phone Booths The Milkman Vinyl Records Sears Catalog Cheap Gasoline Hot…
A Brief History On July 27, 1794, Maximilien Robespierre, a leader of the French Revolution was arrested, later to be denounced and executed by a Revolutionary Tribunal. Digging Deeper Robespierre had tried to commit suicide before being arrested by shooting himself in the head with a gun, blowing off part of his jaw. His execution came in the typical revolutionary way by beheading on the guillotine. Once heralded as “The Incorruptible,” Robespierre lost support among his fellow revolutionaries for his staunch opinions and the fact that his single-minded aims did not allow for humanity, and his actions as “Public Accuser”…
A Brief History On July 26, 1948, President Truman issued Executive Order 9981, which ordered the desegregation of the US military, a move many Americans thought was long overdue. Digging Deeper At times presidents cannot or will not wait for congress to act on a subject and they take it into their own hands by issuing an “Executive Order.” Franklin Roosevelt holds the record for the most executive orders with a whopping 3522. Second place is Woodrow Wilson with 1803 and Teddy Roosevelt is the only other president with over a thousand at 1081. Question for students (and subscribers) to…