Lost and Found – January 22nd Edition

What to remember about January 22nd…

• 1740  Patriot General and spy Noah Phelps is born in Simsbury, Connecticut; infiltrated Ft. Ticonderoga alone to help plan its capture
• 1840  1st British settlers arrive in New Zealand near Auckland
• 1879  Battle of Rorke’s Drift; 139 British troops hold off over 4000 Zulu warriors
• 1890  United Mine Workers of America is founded in Ohio
• 1901  Queen Victoria of Great Britain dies ending her 63-year reign
• 1917  In his address to the U.S. Senate, President Woodrow Wilson proposes “peace without victory” in effort to end World War I
• 1957  George P. “Mad Bomber” Metesky arrested in Connecticut; planted more than 30 bombs in New York area over 16 years
• 1970  Boeing 747 “jumbo jet” makes 1st scheduled commercial flight
• 1973  Supreme Court rules to decriminalize abortion with their decision in Roe v. Wade; over 50 million abortions since this decision
• 1973  Former President Lyndon B. Johnson dies at home in Texas (b. 1908)
• 1998  Murderer and serial bomber Theodore “Ted” J. Kaczynski pleads guilty to 17 years of Unabomber attacks; sentenced to life in prison
• 2008  Australian-born, Oscar-nominated actor Heath Ledger dies abusing prescription medications
• 2009  President Barack Hussein Obama II announces he will sign an order to close Guantanamo Bay detention center for terrorist suspects within the year UPDATE At the end of Obama’s 8 years in office, Guantanamo Bay facility remains in operation.

Lost and Found – January 19th Edition

What to remember about January 19th…

• 1807  Confederate commanding general Robert E. Lee born in Virginia (d. 1870); formerly superintendent of  U.S. Military Academy
• 1809  American poet and author Edgar Allen Poe is born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1849)
• 1861  Georgia joins other Southern states in seceding from the Union
• 1915  German zeppelins bomb Britain; 1st major bombing of civilian targets kill 20 people
• 1920  Despite President Wilson’s efforts, United States Senate votes against America joining the League of Nations
• 1978  Last Volkswagen Beetle made in Germany rolls off production line; some minor production continues at South American facilities until 2003
• 1981  Agreement is signed securing release of 52 hostages taken from American Embassy in Teheran, Iran
• 1983  Klaus Barbie, “butcher of Lyon”and Former Nazi Gestapo chief, is arrested in Bolivia for crimes against humanity
• 2006  NASA launches New Horizons probe; 1st mission destined to examine Pluto

Lost and Found – December 18th Edition

What to remember about December 18th…

• 1620  After scouting a suitable location for settlement and signing Compact, Pilgrims anchor Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor
• 1777  Declared by Continental Congress after victory at Battle of Saratoga, America celebrates 1st national day of thanksgiving
• 1865   Secretary of State Seward certifies that enough states have ratified Republican proposed 13th Amendment to the Constitution; slavery is finally abolished in America
• 1915  Woodrow Wilson marries his second wife Edith Bolling Galt at her home while still serving as President; after his stroke, she will assume power and act as secret president
• 1946  American filmmaker Steven Spielberg is born in Cincinnati, Ohio; one of the most prominent directors in history
• 1973  Islamic Development Bank is established to support and promote worldwide Sharia banking standards
• 1996  Oakland, California school board officially recognizes “Ebonics” as a language
• 2011  Playwright, anti-communist dissident, and 1st President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel dies (b. 1936)

Edith Wilson poses a parylized President Wilson so public will think that the nation is still led by its elected leadership.

Lost and Found – December 13th Edition

What to remember about December 13th…

• 1577  Expedition of 5 ships led by Francis Drake sets sail from England to explore Pacific and beyond
• 1862  Confederates deal decisive blow to Army of the Potomac as well as Union morale at Battle of Fredericksburg
• 1887  Medal of Honor recipient Sergeant Alvin York is born near Pall Mall, Tennessee (d. 1964)
• 1918  Woodrow Wilson arrives in France becoming 1st sitting president to visit Europe
• 1942  Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels records his contempt for the Italians’ treatment of Jews stating “The Italians are extremely lax in their treatment of Jews.
• 1949  Israeli Knesset votes to move nation’s capital to Jerusalem
• 2000  Al Gore concedes defeat in presidential election after Supreme Court rules a 7th recount would violate Equal Protection Clause
• 2003  Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein is captured hiding in a 6’x8′ hole near his hometown of Tikrit

Lost and Found – December 4th Edition

What to remember about December 4th…

• 1780  Patriot dragoons use fake cannon to bluff British troops into surrender near Camden, South Carolina
• 1783  At a tavern in New York, General George Washington informs his officers that he is returning to civilian life
• 1872  After leaving New York a month before, British ship Mary Celeste is found abandoned at sea and under full sail
• 1912  Marine pilot, POW, and Medal of Honor winner Gregory “Pappy” Boyington is born in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho (d. 1988); commander of famous “Black Sheep Squadron” in Pacific
• 1917  Psychiatrist W.H. Rivers publishes report on psychological trauma of WWI troops; “shell shock” is the name given to what is now known at PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder
• 1918  Woodrow Wilson sets sail for Europe; 1st President to visit the continent while still in office
• 1942  Polish Christians form Zegota resistance group to aid Jews avoid or escape the Nazi’s “final solution”
• 1945  Senate votes to allow U.S. participation in the United Nations
• 1966  Viet Cong infiltrate defenses and shell Tan Son Nhut airport for over an hour damaging U.S. aircraft
• 1980  After the death of drummer John Bonham, legendary rock band Led Zeppelin announces they have disbanded
• 1992  President George H.W. bush orders U.S. troops to Somalia to secure humanitarian efforts during ongoing civil war
• 2009  American student Amanda Knox is convicted by Italian Jury in murder of her British roommate; conviction overturned 2011

Lost and Found – October 4th Edition

What to remember about October 4th…

• 1535  Coverdale Bible is published; the 1st complete and modern English-language translation of the Bible
• 1777  Though Continental forces lost, Battle of Germantown demonstrates American strategic abilities to potential allies
• 1822  President Rutherford B. Hayes is born in Delaware, Ohio (d. 1893)
• 1876  Classes begin at Texas A&M University; 1st public institution of higher education in Texas
• 1918  Germany sends telegraph a message to President Wilson requesting an armistice with the Allied powers
• 1927  Sculpting begins on the face of Mount Rushmore
• 1957  Soviet Union surprises the world by launching the world’s 1st artificial satellite – Sputnik; the “Space Race” begins
• 1970  Rock-and-roll icon Janis Joplin dies of heroin overdose
• 1997  Hundreds of thousands of Christian men gather as Promise Keepers hold their Stand in the Gap assembly in Washington, D.C.
• 2003  Palestinian Islamic Jihad suicide bombing of Maxim restaurant in Haifa, Israel kills 21 and injures 51 more
• 2004  SpaceShipOne wins the $10 million Ansari X Prise by reaching 100km in altitude twice in a two-week period

Lost and Found – October 2nd Edition

What to remember about October 2nd…

• 1780  British officer John Andre is hanged as a spy for his role on the Benedict Arnold treason plot
• 1835  1st shots are fired in the Texas Revolution when Mexican army tries to disarm settlers at Gonzales (see flag below)
• 1919  President Woodrow Wilson suffers a massive stroke; he is left nearly incapacitated for the remainder of his term
• 1950  Charles Shultz publishes the comic strip Peanuts in newspapers for the 1st time
• 1967  Thurgood Marshall is sworn in as the 1st African-American justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
• 1985  American movie star Rock Hudson dies of AIDS in Beverly Hills, California
• 2002  John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo open fire in the 1st attack of their 3-week sniper spree in the areas around Washington, D.C.
• 2006  Charles Roberts takes hostages at Amish schoolhouse in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania; he shoots 10 young girls, killing 5 before taking his own life

“Gonzales Flag” fashioned by settlers determined to resist Mexican attempts to disarm the town

Lost and Found – September 3rd Edition

What to remember about September 3rd…

• 1777  The “Stars and Stripes” American flag was flown in battle for the very 1st time; skirmish at Cooch’s Bridge, Delaware
• 1783  American Revolution officially comes to an end as the United States, Great Britain, Spain and France sign the Treaty of Paris
• 1838  Abolitionist Frederick Douglas successfully escapes from slavery by boarding train to Maryland while dressed as a sailor
• 1861  Forces under Confederate General Polk invade Kentucky causing  state legislature to request Union assistance
• 1919  President Wilson begins 8000-mile train tour across the nation to promote American membership in the League of Nations
• 1925  1st U.S. Navy airship USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) crashes in storm over Caldwell,Ohio; 14 crew killed
• 1944  Anne Frank and her family are put on a transport from Westerbork to the Auschwitz concentration camp
• 1970  American football coach Vincent Thomas “Vince” Lombardi dies of cancer
• 1976  Viking 2 Lander successfully arrives on the surface of Mars
• 2004  Beslan school hostage crisis ends on day 3 with the deaths of over 300, more than half are children

Lost and Found – June 24th Edition

What to remember about June 24th…

• 1314  Robert the Bruce leads Scottish forces to victory over Edward II at the Battle of Bannockburn
• 1779  American allies France and Spain begin almost 7 month-long Great Siege of Gibraltar; largest action of the Revolutionary War
• 1885 Future 28th President Woodrow Wilson marries Ellen Axson
• 1901  1st exhibition of works of Pablo Picasso begins in Paris
• 1941  President Franklin D. Roosevelt pledges all possible support for the Soviet Union
• 1948  Soviet Union begins blockade of all rail and road traffic to West Berlin; massive airlift will supply city until siege ends May 12, 1949
• 1953  John F. Kennedy and Jaqueline Bouvier announce their engagement
• 1957  SCOTUS rules in Roth v. United States that obscenity is not protected by the 1st Amendment
• 1987  American actor, comedian, and musician Jackie Gleason dies (b. 1916)
• 1993  Yale professor David Gelernter is 2nd injured in just two days by a mail-bombing; leads to formation of Unabomber Task Force

Lost and Found – June 9th Edition

What to remember about June 9th…

• 68      Roman Emperor Nero commits suicide (b. 37)
• 1732  James Oglethorpe granted royal charter for Province of Georgia
• 1772  Colonists angered by rising taxes capture and burn British customs vessel Gaspee that ran ashore off Rhode Island
• 1856  500 Mormon pioneers set out from Iowa for Salt Lake City carrying all they owned in handcarts; similar groups follow through 1860
• 1863  Though losing the day, Union cavalry shows that they are now a force to be reckoned with at Battle of Brandy Station
• 1891  Composer/songwriter Cole Porter born – I’ve got you under my skin, Kiss Me Kate, Anything Goes
• 1898  Britain obtains 99-year lease to Hong Kong from China
• 1915  Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan resigns over President Wilson’s aggressive handling of Lusitania sinking fearing war could result
• 1942  Nazis order the extermination of the entire town of Lidice Czechoslovakia in retaliation for death of Reinhard Heydrich
• 1954  Attorney Joseph Welch confronts Senator Joseph McCarthy at hearings investigating the Army saying “Have you no sense of decency, sir?”
• 1967  Israeli troops assault and capture Golan Heights from Syria
• 1973  Secretariat becomes 1st horse to win Triple Crown since 1948
• 1993  “Hollywood Madam” Heidi Fleiss arrested in LAPD sting