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February 12, 1809 was the birthday of both Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin (and presumably a number of other people). Each of these men has had a remarkable impact on the world we live in today.

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War, defending the nation as a constitutional union, defeating the Confederacy, playing a major role in the abolition of slavery, expanding the power of the federal government, and modernizing the U.S. economy. He was born in poverty in Kentucky and raised on the frontier. He was self-educated and became a lawyer and later a politician.

Charles Darwin was an English naturalist, geologist, and biologist,^[6] widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all species of life have descended from a common ancestor is now generally accepted and considered a fundamental scientific concept. In a joint presentation with Alfred Russel Wallace, he introduced his scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process he called natural selection, in which the struggle for existence has a similar effect to the artificial selection involved in selective breeding. Darwin has been described as one of the most influential figures in human history and was honored by burial in Westminster Abbey.

Darwin traveled on the five-year Second Voyage of the HMS Beagle, a small ship of the British navy. The voyage was intended as a voyage of exploration and lasted five years. Darwin had kept a diary of his experiences, and combined this with details from his scientific notes as the book titled Journal and Remarks, published in 1839 as the third volume of the official account of the expedition. This travelogue and scientific journal was widely popular, and was reprinted many times with various titles and a revised second edition, becoming known as The Voyage of the Beagle. His observations during the voyage led to his understanding of evolution and he published his theory of evolution with compelling evidence in his 1859 book On the Origin of Species.

The round-the-world voyage of the Beagle, 1831–1836

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Nights in the sun…

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SIGNS!

Spring Training starts today!!!!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq3hEMUeBGQ

Today is Liberation Day, a public holiday in San Marino. Its full title is the “Anniversary of the Liberation of the Republic from Alberonian occupation (1740) and the Feast of St. Agata, patron saint, along with San Marino”.

San Marino has been invaded only a few times. The first incursion came in 1503 when Cesare Borgia, known as Valentino, invaded. His plans to rule were thwarted by his death in 1507, restoring San Marino to its independent status.

Over 200 years later, it was time for an Italian cardinal called Giulio Alberoni to step up to the plate and try to subjugate San Marino. Trying to expand the Papal State’s power base in the region, Alberoni (at the ripe old age of 75) invaded San Marino on October 17th 1739. 

Unhappy with the aggressive way he was ruling the country and the whole invasion thing, the people of San Marino protested against Alberoni’s occupation and appealed to the Vatican. Messages were sent to obtain justice from Pope Clemente XII. The Pope recognized the rights of San Marino and on February 5th 1740, he restored the country’s independence.

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I prefer the square ones.

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I saw that Marianne Faithfull died a few days ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8EykQaZ8CU

On this day in 1865, the House passed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution abolishing slavery in America. The amendment read, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude…shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” The amendment passed 119 to 56, just barely above the necessary two-thirds majority. The amendment was ratified by the requisite number of states due to pressure on some of the ‘reconstructed’ states since the amendment had been rejected by New Jersey, Delaware, Kentucky and Mississippi.

The amendment contained a crucial exception: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

After the end of the Civil War, Many southern states created ‘black codes’ through creation of new types of offenses, especially attitudinal offenses—not showing proper respect, those types of things. New offenses like “malicious mischief” were vague, and could be a felony or misdemeanor depending on the supposed severity of behavior. These laws sent more Black people to prison than ever before, and by the late 19th century the country experienced its first “prison boom.”

States put prisoners to work through a practice called “convict-leasing,” whereby white planters and industrialists “leased” prisoners to work for them. States and private businesses made money doing this, but prisoners didn’t. This meant many Black prisoners found themselves living and working on plantations against their will and for no pay decades after the Civil War.

Like chattel slavery before it, convict-leasing was brutal and inhumane. Across the country, tens of thousands of people, overwhelmingly Black, were leased by the state to plantation owners, privately owned railroad yards, coal mines and road-building chain gangs and made to work under the whip from dawn till dusk—often as punishment for petty crimes such as vagrancy or theft.

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Something wrong here…

Uh Oh!!!!

Today is the birthday, in 1954, of Adrian Vandenburg, Dutch guitarist who was a member of Whitesnake who had the 1987 US No.1 & UK No.9 single ‘Here I Go Again’. Also a member of Manic Eden. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyF8RHM1OCg

[Note: some technical issues today, hope to have everything fixed tomorrow]

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On this day in 1933, President Paul von Hindeburg appointed Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany. Hitler had gained popular support by attacking the Treaty of Versailles (which ended World War I), and promoting pan-Germanism and antisemitism. He attributed economic problems in Germany to an international Jewish conspiracy.

Shortly thereafter, the Reichstag passed the Enabling Act which gave the German Cabinet – most importantly, the Chancellor – the power to make and enforce laws without the involvement of the Reichstag or President Paul von Hindenburg, leading to the rise of Nazi Germany. Critically, the Enabling Act allowed the Chancellor to bypass the system of checks and balances in the government.

With this power, Hitler adopted racist policies asserting the superiority of the putative ‘Aryan Race’ and sought to deport or kill German Jews. He also sought to annex additional territories from other countries, expanding Germany. These policies, along with the strengthening of the German armed forces led directly to World War II which was a disaster for the world and a disaster for Germany and its people.

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Yup!

Yup again…

Remember these?

Who Could Forget This Finale? It Aired 41 Years Ago, And It Was Kind Of The End Of An Era

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Today is the birthday, in 1941, of Joe Terranova, from American doo-wop and rock and roll vocal group Danny and the Juniors famous for their 1958 US No.1 & UK No.3 single ‘At The Hop’ and their follow-up single the anthemic ‘Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay’. He died on April 15, 2019, aged 78. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPV5FrydqDE

Today is Australia Day, a public holiday in…Australia! As January 26th (Australia Day) falls on a Sunday this year, Australia Day is celebrated today – Monday. It marks the arrival of the First Fleet of British Ships at Port Jackson, New South Wales on that date in 1788, and the raising of the Flag of Great Britain by Captain Arthur Phillip.

Captain Arthur Phillip became the first Governor of the colony of New South Wales and the fledgling colony soon began to celebrate the anniversary of their arrival. In the bi-centenary year, 1988, Australia Day was held around the nation on January 26th. The highlight of the many celebrations was a re-enactment of the First Fleet’s trip which departed from Portsmouth on May 13th 1987 and arrived in Australia in early January.Debate about its appropriateness as a national day of celebration stems from the landing of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788, is seen as a date that marked the beginning of British colonization of Aboriginal land.

The day usually sees protests in cities across Australia. Protests against the day date back well before the adoption of the national holiday in 1994. A Day of Mourning and Protest was held in Sydney in 1938, organized by the Aborigines Progressive Association. Indigenous groups refer to the date as Invasion Day with some Australians from various cultural backgrounds choosing to opt out of celebrating the occasion.

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Hmmm….

Top seller on Amazon…

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Saturday was Burns Day.

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Today is the birthday, in 1944, of Kevin Coyne, singer, songwriter, film-maker, and a writer of lyrics, stories and poems. In the mid-1970s, prior to the formation of The Police, Coyne’s band included guitarist Andy Summers. Coyne died on 2nd December 2004. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T1c7GkzRQQ