On this ignominious day in 1692 – Salem witch trials: In Salem, Province of Massachusetts Bay, five people, one woman and four men, including a clergyman, are executed after being convicted of witchcraft.
"I can. And there's your first marvel, that I can. You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs. Give them no tear! Tears pleasure them! Show honor now, a stony heart and sink them with it!". This signifies his choice to die with his name and honor intact, rather than live a lie. Elizabeth, his wife, acknowledges this with her own final words, stating, "He have his goodness now; God forbid I take it from him.".
Today in 1848 – California Gold Rush: The New York Herald breaks the news to the East Coast of the United States of the gold rush in California (although the rush started in January).
Oh, California!
On this day in 1153 , Baldwin III of Jerusalem takes control of the Kingdom of Jerusalem from his mother Melisende, and captures Ascalon, an important castle that was used to launch raids into the Crusader kingdom's territory. The Kingdom of Jerusalem, was a Crusader state in the Levant that lasted for almost two hundred years. Melisende was Queen of Jerusalem from 1131 to 1153.
On this day in 43 BC – Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus, later known as Augustus, compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul.
A Tale of Two "Mohammads"s
If there has been a believable spin where we come out looking morally justified, I have not read it.
If there is a version of history where this worked out well for us and for the world, I have not seen that either
On this day in 1953 – The CIA and MI6 help to overthrow the lawfully elected government of Mohammad Mosaddegh in Iran and reinstate the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi whose policies were favorable to Western oil interests.
Mossadegh was sentenced to three years' solitary confinement in a military prison.
After hearing the sentence, Mossadegh was reported to have said with a calm voice of sarcasm: "The verdict of this court has increased my historical glories. I am extremely grateful you convicted me. Truly tonight the Iranian nation understood the meaning of constitutionalism."
He died under house arrest in 1967. The government denied him a public funeral. His funeral took place in his house.
Born this day in 1921 – Gene Roddenberry, a man who took us where no one has gone before, American screenwriter and producer (d. 1991). He brought us Star Trek and I will ever be grateful for that gift.
He flew 89 combat missions as a pilot during World War II, a worked as a commercial pilot after the war, and., like his father, served with the Los Angeles Police Department. After a couple of years, he became the Chief of Police's speech writer.
Roddenberry had a love-hate relationship and fascination with religion. He was raised a Southern Baptist; however, as an adult, he rejected religion, and considered himself a humanist. At one point, he said, "I reject religion. I accept the notion of God."
Everything has a context. For the Ancient Greeks, every divine quality was embodied in a divine persona, some component of divinity defined by a god or a goddess whose limited functions became a sort of "specialty," which reflected humanity.
She is also a pretty impressive planet – stormy and hot like romance.
Quotes from Dick Gregory:"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I understand there are a good many Southerners in the room tonight. I know the South very well. I spent twenty years there one night."
"Last time I was down South I walked into this restaurant and this white waitress came up to me and said, 'We don't serve colored people here.' I said, 'That's all right. I don't eat colored people. Bring me a whole fried chicken.'"
Then these three white boys came up to me and said, 'Boy, we're giving you fair warning. Anything you do to that chicken, we're gonna do to you.' So I put down my knife and fork, I picked up that chicken and I kissed it. Then I said, 'Line up, boys!'"
"Once I accept injustice, I become injustice. For example, paper mills give off a terrible stench. But the people who work there don't smell it. Remember, Dr. King was assassinated when he went to work for garbage collectors. To help them as workers to enforce their rights. They couldn't smell the stench of the garbage all around them anymore. They were used to it. They would eat their lunch out of a brown bag sitting on the garbage truck. One day, a worker was sitting inside the back of the truck on top of the garbage, and got crushed to death because no one knew he was there."
Farewell, Dick Gregory!
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