A Brief History On December 3, 1800, the Electoral College tallied votes in the Presidential election and found the two main contenders, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, were tied. Incredible though it seems today, Burr was actually the Vice Presidential running mate of Jefferson that year, but Electoral rules at the time allowed each elector to vote for two people, the second highest vote getter becoming Vice President. Digging Deeper Jefferson and Burr beat incumbent John Adams, and a special election in the House of Representatives was held to pick a winner between Jefferson and Burr. Jefferson won that vote,…
Browsing: Politics
A Brief History On November 27, 2020, Iranian nuclear scientist and purported head of the Iranian nuclear weapons program, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh Mahabadi, was assassinated in Absard, Iran. Incredibly, the murder was carried out in a manner worthy of a Hollywood movie plot, by use of a satellite controlled autonomous gun that had been pre-staged, allegedly by Israeli operatives. Digging Deeper The Israeli and US governments both stated that neither would allow Iran to develop or control a nuclear weapon. The US is believed to have been behind a hacking attack of Iranian nuclear lab computers in 2010, as part of…
A Brief History On November 24, 1940, The First Slovak Republic signed up to become part of the Axis Powers during World War II, just one of many nations and states to join Germany, Italy, and Japan in their fight against the democratic world. Digging Deeper Some of these other Axis aligned nations included: Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Thailand. Finland became an ally of Germany when the Germans invaded the USSR, giving new life to Finland’s struggle against Soviet hegemony. Thailand started out as a neutral country, but after Japan invaded, the reality of the situation on…
A Brief History On November 23, 1921, Warren Harding signed a law to prohibit doctors from prescribing alcoholic beverages to patients, closing a loophole in the 18th Amendment, which since 1920 had outlawed alcoholic beverages in the US. Not only did Harding disappoint thousands of doctors and millions of patients, but he was also a blatant hypocrite, keeping a full bar at the White House and serving spirits during his frequent poker games. Digging Deeper Harding also had the nerve to die while in office, leaving the country to Calvin Coolidge. Harding had won the 1920 presidential election over Ohio…
A Brief History On November 22, 1975, in the wake of the death of dictator Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos I was declared King of Spain. Currently on the throne of Spain is King Felipe VI, son of Juan Carlos. In this day and age, incredibly, we still have kings! Digging Deeper Some of those current reigning monarchs in supposedly modern countries include: Carl XVI Gustaf, Sweden. Hans-Adam II, Liechtenstein. Harald V, Norway. Abdullah II, Jordan. Mohammed VI, Morocco. Henri, Luxembourg. Willem-Alexander, Netherlands. Philippe, Belgium. Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabia. Rama X, Thailand. Charles III, United Kingdom and a…