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On this date in 1789 the crew of HMS Bounty decided they needed a change of leadership and sent their captain and 18 of his closest subjects adrift. One can only imagine how everyone was feeling that day.

It reminds me of the French Revolution except for the fact that it happened in the small confines of a ship and Captain Bligh was allowed to keep his head.

Everyone seemed to be saying that they were tired of being treated poorly. Look at what those colonists did in American! They told King George to stuff it and they made it stick! That was almost 15 years earlier and it was still sticking.

Just a year earlier on this date in 1788 Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the US Constitution. Not everybody was on board with that thing in the beginning! As you can see it took awhile for the colonists to agree to any kind of cooperation guaranteed by law.

My word! They were an independent bunch! I wonder where all these guys would be if they were alive today?

Wait! I know!

They would be in prison! They wouldn’t pay their taxes and they would shoot anybody who messed with them. They would drive at 100 miles per hour if it suited them and they would probably bath once a week. So they wouldn’t have a lot of friends. But their wives would make great pies and we wouldn’t have such a problem with deer running out in the road.

We could get alcohol by the bucket full too.

What a world it would be. And in 1958 on this date the US and descendants of the folks we have been talking about decided to start detonating nuclear bombs in the Pacific Proving Ground. The name of this place came from the fact that it was in the Pacific and it was proved once and for all that the human race is dominated by maniacs who will turn a peaceful place into a close relative of the sun if they get the chance. Eventually it was realized this was not a good idea and this bunch was driven underground.

This was six years to the day after the war with Japan officially ended as a treaty signed in San Fransisco the year before took effect. The war with Japan, of course, ended because two other close relatives of the sun paid a couple of visits to Japanese cities.

Many lives were saved it was noted at the time and every year thereafter. But a precedent was also set.

If you go to war and you want to end the war and defeat your enemy it’s alright to drop nuclear bombs on his cities. It will “save lives”.

Maybe all of this nuclear related activity was one of the reasons why on this date in 1958 Vice President Nixon and his wife began a goodwill tour to Latin America. “Hey! We want to be your friends! We will not send Uncle Fission to your neighborhood! Because you are going to behave! Right?”

Hostile mobs met Tricky D and Pat in Lima, Peru and Caracas, Venezuela. There were rocks thrown in their direction if I remember correctly. And I am guessing that the leaders of the mobs reasoned something like this. “Surely they will not respond to a few rocks by sending in the bombers and the nukes!”

And they were right! Thus the nature of warfare was changed forever!

But Muhammad Ali was not on board. Because on this date in 1967 he refused to be inducted into the Army. He enjoyed fighting more than most but only with his hands. Nuclear physics didn’t turn him on and fighting with peasants halfway around the world was not his cup of tea.

And so things went on and on as we all went down the road. Lots of wars. Lots of lovemaking. Until one year ago today when Tommy Newsom the assistant to Doc Severinsen on the Tonight Show died and went to heaven to be with Johny Carson, Bob Hope and the rest of the gang.

So you see that lots of things have happened on this date and probably will continue to happen. Just as long as the strange beings who run things forget about the Nuclear Precedent and try to settle things in some other way.

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On this date back in 1968 Lyndon Johnson announced at the end of one of his little television chats that he would not be seeking reelection. And you cannot imagine the sadness that gripped the college community at that moment. I know because I was one of those who had nearly been shipped off to a snake infested jungle full of pajama clad and rifle toting individuals who would be eager to shoot me if they got the chance.

And for what? I could never figure that one out. So maybe Lyndon wouldn’t look like such a loopy and depressed basket case when he got his mug on your television screen. Go to Vietnam! Make Lyndon smile!

In 1880 on this date Wabash Indiana became the first town in the world to be illuminated by electrical lighting. How nice for them! Men fell on their knees as they were totally overwhelmed when the lights were turned on and the town square blazed like the sun. Moths from the surrounding states all made a B-line for Wabash and it was soon knee deep in wings and not the edible kind.

Two steps forward and one step back. Progress is never in a straight line.

On this date in 1889 the Eiffel Tower was officially completed and its creator French engineer Gustave Eiffel unfurled the French flag on top of it. And such a wonderful day it must have been. The sky was clear and all the bugs had left for Wabash Indiana long ago. Air flight was on the horizon and everyone was optimistic because when you went to the top you couldn’t quite see into Germany.

And around this time in 1766 the Sons of Liberty gathered in Norfolk Virginia to protest the Stamp Act which was viewed as an attempt to tax the colonists without their permission.

It was much like what we call “foreign aid” or “the war in Iraq” in the present day.

And now it is time for Birthdays! Hockey great Gordy Howe is 80 today! I bet he can still put on a pair of skates and whoop up on some people. Actor Richard Chamberlain is 74 and some of us fondly remember his days as Dr Kildare. Actress Shirley Jones is also 74. Did you know they were born on the same day? I didn’t ! Actor Christopher Walken is 65 today and Gabe Kaplan is 63. Al Gore and David Eisenhower are both 60 today. Twins maybe? Nah. And finally actress Rhea Perlman is 60.

Happy Birthday to all and especially those who are beginning a new decade in their lives.

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On this date in 1876 the first successful telephone call took place as Alexander Graham Bell spoke to his assistant Mr Watson (who was in another room). He said “Elementary my dear Watson”.

Oh wait. That was Doctor Watson.

This was Mr. Watson who heard the first message over a telephone wire. He was quite surprised too. Especially when he got the bill. Monthly service wasn’t cheap even then.

On this date in 1629 England’s monarch King Charles I dissolved parliament. There was quite a bit of screaming and gnashing of teeth as each member was dumped in a vat of equal parts ammonia, bleach and acid. And dissolved they all were.

But there was quite a bit of resentment over this and eleven years later Parliament was back in session. For some reason the new members all showed up on that day dressed in rubber suits. But Charles laughed and tried to put them at ease. He said it had all been a big mistake. “I was having a bad day. Make no bones about it. Whoops. I mean I was hoping to establish the Divine Rights of Kings so I could raise more taxes.”

” I lost my head” Charles noted.

“No you didn’t” Parliament responded. “But now that you mention it that sounds like a pretty good idea!”

“Gulp” said Charles. And after awhile he wasn’t able to even do that any more!

On this day in 1980 Scarsdale Diet author Dr. Herman Tarnower was put on a very draconian diet by his former lover Jean Harris. I saw the movie they made about this and it was pretty good. She actually made certain that he would never enjoy another meal again with her or especially with someone else. She shot him.

She was upset. She was depressed. He was trading her in on a newer model and she was unwilling to let it all go without a few words on her behalf. And at that time she enjoyed letting Smith and Wesson do most of the talking.

So she went to jail for 11 years and then was pardoned by a judge whose wife made him do it (I guess). When she was released she wanted to go live in a cabin in New Hampshire. And maybe she did. If she hasn’t been eaten by a bear like that poor young man in Alaska she is 84 years old these days.

Jerry Falwell who is for sure no longer with us said on this date in 1989 to all the employess of his various ministries that they must join his church and tithe or “we will fondly, warmly bid you good-bye”.

Many of his employees thought Jerry loved them mightily and was sending them on a vacation when he said this. “Jerry wants us to go to the Bahamas and think about tithing. And then he wants us to show our gratitude for his love and this vacation when we come back.”

But it was not to be. “You mean we are going to be fired if we don’t join this church and tithe on a regular basis? How is this possible in America?”

“It’s not possible in America” Jerry said. “But it is possible in Lynchburg, Virginia which I own.”

Not any more Jerry. You don’t own it now Big Guy.

And that’s all we have from the history vault on this day dear friends. Don’t forget to grab a RSS feed so you can keep up with important events on their anniversaries. Admit it. You haven’t thought about King Charles for a long time have you?

Keep him in mind before you start mixing all those chemicals stored under the kitchen sink! We aim to keep you out of trouble here at NewsLink Briefs dot com.

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On this day in 1789 The Constitution of the United States went into effect as the First Federal Congress met in New York. They didn’t do much however because there were not enough of them for a quorum. But once the word got out that there were openings for politicians this problem was solved.

The next day. Earlier in 1681 King Charles II granted a charter to William Penn for land that later became Pennsylvania. But why did King Charles feel like he actually was in a position to give the land away? Did he OWN the land? What about the people who had been living there for centuries?

If someone gives away my one tenth acre of land I am going to be upset. Especially if they give it to my ex wife. And that could happen. Where’s my bow and arrow?

In 1858 Senator James Hammond D-SC declared “Cotton is king” in a speech to the US Senate. Senator Byrd jumped up and applauded (He was young enough in those days to jump around and do other stuff without hurting his back). Mr. Cotton was surprised but he collected himself and took a bow. He had been sitting in the gallery sleeping but was abruptly awakened when someone poked him. Later he discovered that somebody had stolen his whig which was, coincidentally, made of cotton balls.

On this day three years later (1861) Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated President. The next day King Cotton turned up at the White House and started pounding on the door. It didn’t take President Lincoln long to realize it was going to be a very long four years.

In 1925 Calvin Coolidge’s inauguration was broadcast live on 21 radio stations. Millions of people across the country suddenly realized that their radios made a loud humming noise when Silent Cal got up to make his speech.

On this day in 1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt gave a stirring speech pledging to lead the country out of the Great Depression. You had to be there to be stirred by this speech because all the radios were in a state of disrepair by then and nobody had the money to get them fixed.

And now it is time for the “Happy Birthday” wishes. Rapper Grand Puba is 42 today and we wish him all the luck in the world and many more birthdays. Chastity Bono is 39 today and it hardly seems possible. My they grow up quickly! Rock singer Evan Dando (Lemonheads) is 41 and we hope he enjoys his day. Jazz musician Jason Marsalis is 31 and please have a solo on us. And actress Andrea Bowen (Desperate Housewives) is 18 and really finding out about life at an early age.

So that’s it for now history lovers. Don’t forget to grab a RSS feed so you won’t miss any installments of our award winning News Briefs or our Date With History

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