Sam Harless

On This Day In History:

1637 - Pequot massacres begin

During the Pequot War, an allied Puritan and Mohegan force under English Captain John Mason attacks a Pequot village in Connecticut, burning or massacring some 500 Native American women, men and children.

As the Puritans of Massachusetts Bay spread further into Connecticut, they came into increasing conflict with the Pequots, a tribe centered on the Thames River in southeastern Connecticut. By the spring of 1637, 13 English colonists and traders had been killed by the Pequot, and Massachusetts Bay Governor John Endecott organized a large military force to punish the local tribe. On April 23, 200 Pequot warriors responded defiantly to the colonial mobilization by attacking a Connecticut settlement, killing six men and three women and taking two girls away.

1868 - President Johnson acquitted in Senate impeachment trial

At the end of a historic two-month trial, the U.S. Senate narrowly fails to convict President Andrew Johnson of the impeachment charges levied against him by the House of Representatives three months earlier. The senators voted 35 guilty and 19 not guilty on the second article of impeachment, a charge related to his violation of the Tenure of Office Act in the previous year. Ten days earlier, the Senate had likewise failed to convict Johnson on another article of impeachment, the 11th, voting an identical 35 for conviction and 19 for acquittal. Because both votes fell short–by one vote–of the two-thirds majority needed to convict Johnson, he was judged not guilty and remained in office.

At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Johnson, a U.S. senator from Tennessee, was the only senator from a seceding state who remained loyal to the Union. Johnson’s political career was built on his defense of the interests of poor white Southerners against the landed classes; of his decision to oppose secession, he said, “Damn the negroes; I am fighting those traitorous aristocrats, their masters.” For his loyalty, President Abraham Lincoln appointed him military governor of Tennessee in 1862, and in 1864 Johnson was elected vice president of the United States.

1907 - John Wayne is born

John Wayne, an actor who came to epitomize the American West, is born in Winterset, Iowa.

Born Marion Robert Morrison, Wayne’s family moved to Glendale, California, when he was six years old. As a teen, he rose at four in the morning to deliver newspapers, and after school he played football and made deliveries for local stores. When he graduated from high school, he hoped to attend the U.S. Naval Academy. However, after the school rejected him, he accepted a full scholarship to play football at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

In the summer of 1926, Wayne’s football coach found him a job as an assistant prop man on the set of a movie directed by John Ford. Ford started to use Wayne as an extra, and he eventually began to trust him with some larger roles. In 1930, Ford recommended Wayne for Fox’s epic Western The Big Trail. Wayne won the part, but the movie did poorly, and Fox let his contract lapse.

1927 - Last day of Model T production at Ford

On May 26, 1927, Henry Ford and his son Edsel drive the 15 millionth Model T Ford out of their factory, marking the famous automobile’s official last day of production.

More than any other vehicle, the relatively affordable and efficient Model T was responsible for accelerating the automobile’s introduction into American society during the first quarter of the 20th century. Introduced in October 1908, the Model T—also known as the “Tin Lizzie”—weighed some 1,200 pounds, with a 20-horsepower, four-cylinder engine. It got about 13 to 21 miles per gallon of gasoline and could travel up to 45 mph. Initially selling for around $850 (around $20,000 in today’s dollars), the Model T would later sell for as little as $260 (around $6,000 today) for the basic no-extras model.

1960 - United States charges Soviets with espionage

During a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Henry Cabot Lodge charges that the Soviet Union has engaged in espionage activities at the U.S. embassy in Moscow for years. The charges were obviously an attempt by the United States to deflect Soviet criticisms following the downing of an American U-2 spy plane over Russia earlier in the month.

On May 1, 1960, a highly sophisticated (and supposedly invulnerable) U.S. spy plane, the U-2, was shot down over the Soviet Union. Although U.S. officials at first denied the existence of any such spy planes, the Soviets gleefully produced both the wreckage of the plane and its pilot, Francis Gary Powers. Embarrassed U.S. officials, including President Dwight D. Eisenhower, were forced to publicly admit that the United States was indeed spying on the Soviet Union with the high altitude planes. However, the U.S. government consistently declared that it was doing nothing that the Soviets themselves were not doing. As evidence of that charge, Henry Cabot Lodge brought the issue before the U.N. Security Council. There, he produced a wooden reproduction of the Great Seal of the United States. Nestled inside was a small listening and transmitting device. Lodge claimed that the seal had been presented to the U.S. embassy in Moscow in 1945 by a group of Russian citizens. In 1952, a security sweep of the embassy discovered the listening device. Lodge went on to note that more than 100 other such devices had been found in the U.S. embassies in Russia and other communist-bloc countries during the last few years. The Soviet representative on the Security Council chuckled often during Lodge’s presentation and then asked, “From what plays were these props taken and when will it open?”

1972 - SALT agreements signed

On May 26, 1972, Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev and U.S. President Richard Nixon, meeting in Moscow, sign the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) agreements. At the time, these agreements were the most far-reaching attempts to control nuclear weapons ever.

Nixon and Brezhnev seemed unlikely candidates for the American and Soviet statesmen who would sign a groundbreaking arms limitation treaty. Both men carried reputations as hard-line Cold War warriors. Yet, by 1972, both leaders were eager for closer diplomatic relations between their respective nations. The Soviet Union was engaged in an increasingly hostile war of words with communist China; border disputes between the two nations had erupted in the past few years. The United States was looking for help in extricating itself from the unpopular and costly war in Vietnam. Nixon, in particular, wished to take the American public’s mind off the fact that during nearly four years as president, he had failed to bring an end to the conflict. The May 1972 summit meeting between Nixon and Brezhnev was an opportune moment to pursue the closer relations each desired.

(Summarized From History.com)

Today is Election Day. If you have not voted, then today is your last chance to use your vote in picking representation in local, state, and federal positions. Only those of us who vote will have that say, the rest are spectators on the sidelines. Don't let someone else have the say. Get out and vote.

On The National Day Calendar - What Is Today?

MEMORIAL DAY

Each year in the United States, Americans observe the Federal holiday, Memorial Day, the last Monday in May. It honors and remembers all men and women who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces.



Traditionally on Memorial Day, the flag of the United States of America is raised briskly to the top of the staff then solemnly lowered to the half-staff position where it remains until noon. At noon, it is then raised to full-staff for the remainder of the day.

When the flag is at half-staff, the position is in remembrance of the more than one million men and women who gave their lives for their country. Raising the flag at noon signifies the nation lives, that the country is resolved not to let their sacrifice be in vain but to rise up in their honor and continue to fight for liberty and justice for all.

In the United States, Memorial Day also traditionally marks the beginning of summer.

NATIONAL MISSING CHILDREN’S DAY | May 25

National Missing Children's Day on May 25th each year shines a spotlight on child safety. The day also honors the dedicated professionals who work tirelessly protecting children around the country.



Most children who go missing do come home. Whether they've wandered off or there was a misunderstanding, many find their way back to their family.

According to the Polly Klaas Foundation, 99.8 percent of children reported missing come home. Of those who are abducted, 9 percent are kidnapped by a family member. Only a small fraction are stranger abductions. However, the fact remains, if it happens to one child, that's one child too many.

NATIONAL WINE DAY

On May 25 each year, wine lovers everywhere pour a glass of their favorite wine to celebrate National Wine Day. Whether it is red wine, white wine, or a blush, the sound of glassing "clinking" will be heard around the world today.



Made from fermented grapes or other fruits, wine is an alcoholic beverage that is loved by millions around the world. Luckily, National Day Calendar presents opportunity to taste and learn about the differences between wine throughout the year.

People love wine for a variety of reasons. Different wines have unique flavors from fruity and sweet to complex and earthy. There is a story about the regions and vintages wine comes from, which plays a part in what kind of wine you choose for your celebration.

Wine flavor is influenced by the grape variety, where it is grown and the technique used to make wine. Different grapes produce different flavors, acidity, and aroma. Winemakers will combine different wines to create more complex flavors. Wines made from fruit or honey are often named according to the variety of fruit used.

TOWEL DAY

Towel Day on May 25 commemorates the work of the author Douglas Adams, most known for his series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.



We think we need to note, for those who are unfamiliar with Douglas Adams, what Towel Day and the author have in common. The answer is nothing more than a mention about the purpose of a towel in his The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

"A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have."

Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Even we mere Earthly hitchhikers require towels for many immensely useful purposes. We dry our furry pets and roll towels neatly into coordinated rows. On long trips, they ease the kinks in our necks. Even our tiny humans use them to dry off after taking a swim. Though, perhaps not very effectively. It can also offer shade on a sunny day.

We've found that towels in small forms are effective for sport, too. Golfers and bowlers use them. Add a small towel to a footballer's hip and call it a flag or wave a white one in a battle to surrender.

In an emergency, a towel can stop bleeding or can carry the wounded. It also can cool a fever. Wrap it around you on a cool day. Wash a car or wipe up the oil. A really large towel might suffice for a toga party. However, in reality, it probably wouldn't.

The list of options goes on both here on Earth and beyond in every galaxy. The important lesson of the day is, don't leave home without your towel.

NATIONAL TAP DANCE DAY

On May 25 during National Tap Dance Day, we pay tribute to one of America's original dancing art forms.



Tap dance is a percussive dance dating back to the early 1800s, with a combination of primarily influences of African and Irish heritage.

Incorporating complex rhythmic step combinations, tap dance performers often expressed enormous amounts of character through sound and body movement. From clogging to buck and wing styles, soft-shoe to the sand step, and a little bit of jazz, tap dancing evolved from a stiff Irish jig to the bodily Cakewalk and vocal Ring-shout.

NATIONAL BROWN-BAG-IT DAY

National Brown-Bag-It-Day on May 25 each year recognizes the benefits of packing your lunch for work or school.



Taking your lunch to work or school is an effective way to save money and to ensure you and your family are eating healthy. Brown-bagging-it allows you to make better choices and save money. For every meal you make at home, you can save several dollars a day. This is especially true if you are normally prone to eating out, ordering in from restaurants or eating out of vending machines at work. If you're time is short supply during the day, taking your lunch to work helps you limit your choice to have something unhealthy. Even though we try to control our portions while eating out, we know the serving size just keep getting bigger and bigger. When we brown-bag-it, we maintain that control.

Paper bags are 100% biodegradable, reusable, and recyclable, making them better for the environment. When we reuse the same containers and recycle, we have more control over what is wasted. We also choose where our food is sourced. Besides, paper bags can withstand more pressure or weight than plastic bags.

GEEK PRIDE DAY

Get your geek on! Let your geek flags fly on May 25! Geek Pride Day celebrates all things geeky. It is for those people who appreciate sci-fi, fantasy, board games, video games, comic books, cosplay, anime, steampunk, and zombies, and much more.



Geeks are a diverse bunch with one shared quality, passion. Especially for technology and for those things that are outside of mainstream interests, and that can make them seem eccentric. Geeks are smart, at least if collections of information measure intelligence. Geeks, collect lots of information.

Geeks invent things, too. Famous geeks include Thomas Edison, Steve Wozniak, and Benjamin Franklin. Each one was innovative, eccentric, and passionate about things outside their mainstream society.

Many tech publications and websites promote the bill of rights for geeks.