Saturday, June 25, 2011

This Day In History

If you are ever in need of good water cooler material, I recommend a regular visit to The History Channel's This Day In History page. Today, for example, was the Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand, an enormous fiasco due chiefly to the enormity of William Armstrong Custer's ego. Mrs. Custer wrote many a book over the next thirty years in an attempt to portray her husband a hero. But honest historians have seen through to the haze and seen the arrogance that led to his destruction for what it was, an attempt to become president via the route of military heroics.

One weakness with regard to This Day In History is its tendency to feature U.S. achievements over global moments. Today, for example, is the 150th anniversary of Italian Reunification Day, also known as The Resurgence (il Resorgimento), a social movement that culminated in bringing the Italian peninsula back under the rule of a single state government.

On the other hand, any review of history will offer up varieties of focal points as to who, what, where and why certain people and events are significant. Mark Twain would add that most of history remains buried in our brains because a single day is filled with thoughts and impressions, musings and observations that may not be recorded but did indeed exist in history. Whose history ultimately matters anyways?

Well, here are the lead stories this site cites for the the week ahead. Something to talk about anyways.
Jun 25, 1876
Battle of Little Bighorn
June 26, 1948
U.S. begins Berlin Airlift
June 27, 1950
Truman orders U.S. forces to Korea
June 28, 1953
Workers assemble first Corvette in Flint, Michigan
June 29, 1995
U.S. space shuttle docks with Russian space station
June 30, 1936
Gone with the Wind published
July 01, 1997
Hong Kong returned to China
July 02, 1954
Birth of Dr. Ron Newman
(Happy birthday, bro'.)

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