Today in History

[1mach1]

The Ford Mustang debuted today in 1964 at the Worlds Fair in New York.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Stephen Hawking supposedly left an ominous recording about today, 4-18-2018.

Both India & Vietnam have had huge hail storms in recent days, destroying property & crops ready to harvest. Today it is being reported Iran is having a huge sandstorm in the south, hail & snow in the north, heavy rains in the west.

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/19/ste...-the-universe-two-weeks-before-his-death.html

https://www.express.co.uk/news/weir...-world-cryptic-voice-alien-take-over-April-18

 

[1mach1]

Today in 1775, the American Revolution begins.

 

[Bugguy]

George Harrison and John Lennon ended their meditation lessons with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi two weeks early - 4/19/1968.

 

[SSuperDave]

I'm a bit late to the party here, but I'm surprised that the Doolittle Raid was not mentioned on April 18th. 50 years after I heard it, this bit of doggerel still comes to mind.

"T'was the 18th of April in '42, and we waited to hear what Jimmy would do. Little did Hiro think that that night, that the skies over Tokyo would be all alight,with the fire Jimmy started on Tokyo's dives, as he led to their target, the B-25's"

There is only one member of that group of brave/crazy/suicidal bunch still with us, 75 years later.

 

[GHT]

Today, April 23rd, is St. George's Day, probably the least celebrated feast day of the year. St. George is the patron saint of England.

Today is also the Anniversary of William Shakespeare, born on this day in 1564 and died on this day in 1616. He has sold more fictional books than any other, estimated to be around the four billion mark.

 

[2jakes]

Thursday April 23, 1914

The Chicago Whales beat Kansas City Packers 9-1 in the the first major
league game played in Chicago’s Weeghman Park, later renamed Wrigley Field.
The Federal league folded after 1915 season and the next year Cubs
moved in.

Bismark Garden billboard, would be changed to Marigold Garden.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Today, April 27th is National Babe Ruth Day.

 

[Frunobulax]

Today, April 27th is National Babe Ruth Day.

Someone on the radio this AM also said it's National Prime Rib Day. Seems appropriate.


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[Hurricane Jack]

Someone on the radio this AM also said it's National Prime Rib Day. Seems appropriate.


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

It was also the day in 1773 that the British Parliament passed the ‘Tea Act'. Guess we know how that worked out for them.

 

[Frunobulax]

It was also the day in 1773 that the British Parliament passed the ‘Tea Act'. Guess we know how that worked out for them.

It's what cemented America's reputation as party animals!


Sent directly from my mind to yours.

 

[1mach1]

On April 29, 2004, the National World War II Memorial opens in Washington, DC

It is a great monument, and one of my favorites.

 

[2jakes]

• 
  100-year-old US flag made for WWI soldiers returns home
• 
  
  
  
  A 100-year-old flag used in the funeral of U.S. troops on a small Scottish island during World War I is making it back to where it originated from as part of a remembrance of the Great War.
• 

 

[2jakes]

May 2, 1930

President Hoover

"I am convinced we have now passed the worst, and with continued unity of effort, we shall rapidly recover. There is one certainty of the future of a people of the resources, intelligence and character of the people of the United States - that is, prosperity."

 

[Fading Fast]

May 2, 1930

President Hoover
View attachment 117016
"I am convinced we have now passed the worst, and with continued unity of effort, we shall rapidly recover. There is one certainty of the future of a people of the resources, intelligence and character of the people of the United States - that is, prosperity."

I was thinking about Hoover the other day and don't want to discuss his politics here for all the reasons we don't discuss politics here, but based on his logistics skills - as shown in his work before, during and after our entry in WWI on world relief efforts - he might be a good man, if he wasn't dead (a big problem), running the VA today as he seemed to have tremendous skills are rationalizing massive organizations and making them efficient and successful.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I dunno as Hoover would have been quite the right guy for the VA, given that he revealed a distinct lack of interest in the well-being of vets by sending that ridiculous popinjay MacArthur out to get rid of the BEF. But I'll grant that he was certainly an able administrator -- if he's coming back, let him run the GSA.

 

[ChiTownScion]

I was thinking about Hoover the other day and don't want to discuss his politics here for all the reasons we don't discuss politics here, but based on his logistics skills - as shown in his work before, during and after our entry in WWI on world relief efforts - he might be a good man, if he wasn't dead (a big problem), running the VA today as he seemed to have tremendous skills are rationalizing massive organizations and making them efficient and successful.

He was a very skilled and able engineer, and as such, was terrific in dealing with the distribution of food logistics. During the Soviet famine of the early 20's he literally saved millions from starvation: not merely handing out bags of grain, but providing the means for future agricultural production.

Arguably, the very life experiences which made him a stellar engineer (years spent directing projects around the world) hampered his knowledge of the needs of the American people. That was a big factor also with the very Dugout Doug whom Miss Lizzie notes. Years spent overseas blinded him to what was going on within his own country, and it might be added, with members of his own Army who were not the RA/ careerist types who were so predominant during the interwar years.

 

[Fading Fast]

⇧ Both good, smart post - smarter than mine as my knowledge is "surfacey" versus the always impressively in-depth knowledge you guys have. While my post wasn't tongue-in-cheek, it also wasn't deeply serious (hard to be serious proposing a dead man for a role) as I was just thinking about what an overwhelming logistics and management issue the VA is - even to somebody whose intentions are spot on - and how Hoover seemed to have those skills.

 

[2jakes]

⇧ Both good, smart post - smarter than mine as my knowledge is "surfacey" versus the always impressively in-depth knowledge you guys have. While my post wasn't tongue-in-cheek, it also wasn't deeply serious (hard to be serious proposing a dead man for a role) as I was just thinking about what an overwhelming logistics and management issue the VA is - even to somebody whose intentions are spot on - and how Hoover seemed to have those skills.

From one “surfer” to another... You're doing just fine!
I always enjoy your honest and interesting posts.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've always had the sense that engineering types tend not to go in so heavily for the empathetic side of things: they tend to view situations more as blunt mechanical problems -- how to get from X to Y -- than as human problems demanding more complex solutions than simply X into Y equals Z. That would describe Mr. Hoover's mental processes to a T, unfortunately for a man in his particular circumstances. He was not the only man of his time to be so limited -- the whole "technocracy" movement/cult of the early 1930s sought to take the human factor out of the equation entirely -- but he was the one in the highest position of power. I don't think it's too surprising that Hoover was the only actual engineer ever to serve as president.