Today in History: The Navy Again?

Two days ago, I mentioned the Battle of Valcour, one of the first battles for the United States Naval Force. Today was the true beginning of an American Naval Force. Thought not yet the United States, the United Colonies of the New World establishes its Continental Navy on this day in 1775 after approval from the Continental Congress. Months before, violence between the British and colonies broke out in the Battles of Lexington and Concord, sparking what would be the American Revolution. This navy was key in the success of the revolutionaries, as they successfully attacked British merchant ships and secured several victories for the Colonies.

An image of the White House
in 1800. The mansion was much
smaller before it was rebuilt after
it was burned down during the
War of 1812

The American Revolution was obviously a success, as seventeen years later on this day in 1792, the cornerstones of the White House were laid. Originally, the executive mansion was build it a white-grey color. Though construction started on this day in 1792, it wasn't until November 1st, 1800 that Second President John Adams welcomed his wife, Abigail, and himself into the mansion. Every president since Adams lived in the White House.

Texas is one of the largest states in the United States, both by size and by population. This day in 1845 marks their date of near statehood, as the Texan state constitution was ratified. Pending approval by Congress, this would make Texas the 28th state of the United States. On December 29, 1845, Texas was granted statehood, as set off by a chain of events during the Mexican-American War.

Nearly four years into World War II, Italy declares war on Germany, one of its former allies, and joins the side of the Allies. Italy had already entered the war in June of 1940 with an invasion of France, though Italian dictator Benito Mussolini decided to make a deal with General Dwight D. Eisenhower to surrender Italy to the Allies. Allowing the Allies to land on Salerno, Italy, they were able to push the Germans back up the peninsula.

Each miner was pulled out individually
to safety through the capsule.

In more modern news, this day in 2010 was the day the last of the 33 miners trapped half a mile underground were saved. After being trapped for over two months, they were greeted by the president of Chile, Sebastian Pinera while being hounded on by media from all over the world. Throughout their entrapment, I still remember the news coverage and the videos from inside the small, confined mines and worrying for the safety of the miners. Its amazing how fast this event has already past, as each day is another day in history.

Today in History: A True Columbus Day!

A painting of Colubus and his crew
arriving in the New World

Happy Columbus Day weekend to those in the United States, or as my history teacher puts it, "Thank Columbus for Killing Many Native Americans Day." Columbus Day this year is October 14th, but this day in 1942 marks the day Italian explorer Christopher Columbus lands on the Bahamian Island of Watling in the Bahamas. Believing that he had hit the shores of East Asia or India, he named the natives "Indians." Columbus's journey to the New World began on August 3rd, 1492 in Palos, Spain, the maiden country that supported his journey. This was the first of four expeditions to the New World by Columbus, though his whole life, even after his death, he believed that the land he had found was a passageway to East Asia. In reality, Columbus unlocked the door to Spain's riches and power.

A portrait of Lee during
the Civil War

When visiting San Diego in October, advertisements for Octoberfest are everywhere. When visiting the events of history, traces of Oktoberfest begin on October 12, 1810. This day in 1810 marks the marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Louis and Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen, where a large festival was held in front of the city gates. Horse races would always take place in front of these city gates. Many wanted to repeat this festival once a year, making Oktoberfest and annual festival known for its large alcohol consumption. More than 1 million gallons of beer are consumed annually during this festival in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.

A promotional photo
for Oktoberfest

For Civil War enthusiast, this day marks the death of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in 1870. Lee, age 63 at the time, died a peaceful death at his home in Lexington, Virginia. After the famed war general ended his military career with the end of the American Civil War, Lee served as president of Washington College in Lexington, Virginia. The school changed its name to Lee College shortly after his passing.

The Three-man crew
upon Voskhod 1

The bowels of the land outside Earth always seem to intrigue human beings in the world, though humans themselves seem to be in competition with each other to discover space. October 12th, 1964 marks the first time a multi-person crew spacecraft was sent into outer space. This two day mission abroad Voskhod 1, with the three astronauts aboard without space suits, depicted Russian's dominance in the Space Race in the 1950s and 1960s. This tide turned in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the United States began to surpass the Russians in advancements of astronomical studies.

Today in History: Inconsistency

The formation of ships in the Battle of
Valcour are depicted in the painting

My Today in History posts have been on and off in a month, inconsistency after inconsistency, even after promising to write consistent post. I truly believe this will be my last time promising that for at long time, as I start to manage my time more wisely and begin to focus blogging as more than just posting random facts of history, but also more opinionated post like my travels and thoughts on general news. Today was an interesting day to get my blog together, because it has so many events in the 20th century.

A map representing routes and general
locations of fleets in Valcour

Hold your horses! Though there was many interesting events in the 1900s, I want to pull back to the American Revolution. Today in 1776 marks what many historians may argue as the first naval battle in the American Revolution, the Battle of Valcour Island. This battle was also noted to be one of the first United States Navy battles, however resulting in large disaster in accordance to the troops sent out. Brigadier General Benedict Arnold lead a relatively small fleet of 15 ships with 500 sailors against a strong 25-ship-697-sailor-lead Sir Guy Carleton. After the Continental Army's retreat to Fort Ticonderoga and Fort Crown Point in June that same year, the British greatly increased their military force. Superior navally, the British were prepared. On this day in 1776, Arnold manipulated the British to work to a position to boost the Americans from winning. As the battle commenced, many American ships were lost, totaling 11 by the end of the day. Eighty Confederates were killed or wounded while 120 were captured as a result. Though still a lost in Arnold's part, he then commanded West Point. However, his command of West Point four years later resulted in his infamous bribery scandal labeling his name "Benedict Arnold" as a synonym of "traitor.

A big transition to the 20th century begins in World War I. October 11th, 1915 marks the date that Bulgaria announces its entry into the First World War. In a way, Bulgaria was a "swing country," being pursued by both sides of the war. Bulgaria's participation in World War I ended nearly three years after it joined on September 29, 1918, losing over 90,000 soldiers.

A Japanese warship was destroyed
as a result of the Battle of Cape Esperance

World War II no doubt laid an important scar in world history. This day in 1942 marks the beginning of  the two day Battle of Cape Esperance. It was a naval war, this one taken place on Guadalcanal Island in the Pacific, that resulted in an American victory over Japan. Cape Esperance allowed the U.S. naval forces to further analyze Japan's naval fighting skills, leading to an eventual Japanese evacuation of Guadalcanal by the end of 1942.

I've noticed that I have not talked too intensively on the Vietnam War in my posts, except the occasional fact. Today marks the day that Viet Minh formally takes control of North Vietnam in 1954. This did not mark the beginning of the war, as that occurred a year later in 1955. Viet Minh was the Vietnam Doc Lap Dong Minh, or a Vietnamese Independence League to separate itself from French colonial rule that played an important factor during the war.

The astronauts of Apollo 7.
Pictured left to right:
Eisele, Schirra, Cunningham

In astronomical news, Apollo 7 launched on October 11, 1968 into space on a mission to orbit the earth. Orbiting for 11 days, the crew of Walter Schirra Jr., Donn Eisele and Walter Cunningham transmitted the first live television broadcast from orbit on this mission.

Interestingly, October 11, 1975 was a double event day. The first was the marriage of Hilary Rodham and Bill Clinton in Little Rock, Arkansas. Meeting at Yale while studying law in 1972, the two met and married on this day in 1975. Clinton later became president from 1991 to 2000, however was generally overshadowed by his famous affair scandal and became the second president to be impeached, though he was not removed from office. Both Bill and Hilary pose a strong political significance, as Hilary also rand for president in 2008, but was appointed secretary of state by Barack Obama in 2009.

A skit in the 1975 season of SNL

The second event of the same day, October 11, 1975, was the debut of Saturday Night Live. The comedy sketch feautred Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman, and an even bigger cast. Beginning each episode with an opening sketch resulting in one actor saying, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" Still on air today and on its 39th season, SNL is known for its mocking parodies and impersonations along with acting and performances from musical icons, famed actors, and politicians. SNL is currently the longest running and highest rating show on late night television.

Today in History: Revisited!

It's been a wild year, beginning another year of high school. Though "Today in History" has been lacking for the past month, it will be posted more consistently because I slowly learn better ways to manage my time. Without further ado, I present: October 5th Today in History!

Firstly, I have to give a shout out to my friend Clara! It's her 15TH BIRTHDAY! Happy Birthday Clara! In six months you can get your permit! :) Hope your birthday is CRAZY, but not as crazy as what happened today in history!

The destruction left on the battlefield
in Allatoona in 1864

Now today was truly an eventful day in history, especially for the city of Cupertino, but the action begins with a Union win at the Battle of Allatoona in the American Civil War. Allatoona was a relatively small battle, though it produced a high percentage of casualties (approx. 35% for the Union, 27% for the Confederacy). Confederate General John Bell Hood attacks Union General William T. Sherman, after losing the city of Atlanta, on this day on October 5th, 1864. Hood had planed to draw Sherman back to northward in September 1864, but did not have enough troops to move Sherman. This battle, where divisions of the Confederacy and Union clashed near Bartow County, Georgia, only lasted a day, though forced General Hood to retreat his army back west into Alabama.

A 1947 Ferrari 125 S

When thinking of luxurious sport cars, the Ferrari S.p.A must come to mind. On this day in 1919, ten years before the founding of the Ferrari car company, founder Enzo Ferrari makes his racing debut, finishing in fourth place. Enzo was an Italian car mechanic and engineer who passionately made cars, but was not truly a magnificent race car driver. Winning only 13 of 47 races, many speculated that Ferrari retired as he was a passive driver, afraid of ruining the engine to win a race. Ferrari retired after a short racing career in the mid 1920s, eventually designing the Ferrari 125 S that debuted in 1947, creating one of the world's greatest luxury car companies.

Today in history was a peaceful and nobel day, when referring to the Nobel Prize and the Nobel Peace Prize. Isaac Bashevis Singer, author of The Family Moskat, The Manor, and The Estate, Singer won the Nobel Prize in literature, gaining popularity with the Jewish, Polish, and Americans. His stories, written in Yiddish and translated into many other languages, wrote many of his pieces about life in Poland and the United States as a Jew. The Dalai Lama is an important religious leader for those in Tibet. The current Dalai Lama, the 14th Dalai Lama, won the Nobel Peace Prize on this day in 1989 for nonviolently campaigning against Chinese domination of Tibet. The 14th Dalai Lama, religiously known as Tenzin Gyatso, has reign since November 17th, 1950 at age 15, currently serving as the longest Dalai Lama.

The 14th Dalai Lama receiving the
Nobel Peace Price in 1989 

For those living in Cupertino or adjacent areas, the day of October 5th, 2011 was a wild and crazy day. From the early morning in the Permanente Quarry in the west mountains of Cupertino, Shareff Allman, a worker at the quarry, shoots and kills 3 of his coworkers while injuring 6 others in a fit of anger. Running to the parking lot of a Hewlett Packard campus 2 miles away, Allman attempts to carjack a 60-year-old women then shoots her in the leg. Schools in the Cupertino Union School District and Fremont Union High School District were placed on Code Blue, as message to parents about the status of regular school activities were not throughly transferred to everyone until after many students were dropped off. The shooter, Allman, was caught the next morning in a Sunnyvale home adjacent to the site of the Hewlett Packard carjacking.

Steve Jobs demonstrates the iPhone in a lecture

However, the anticipations ran high on that day, as the arbitrary shootings in Cupertino coincided with the death of Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs. What does the death of Steve Jobs have to do with Cupertino? Well, Apple's headquarters is based in Cupertino, where flocks of people flooded after hearing the death of "a visionary and creative genius" (Apple's corporate website). Sitting in my math class on October 19th that same year, I remember hearing the beautiful sounds of Coldplay from Apple HQ playing at the memorial of Steve Jobs. Today in history is truly one that I personally, cannot forget.