A publicly known and accepted line of succession is a hallmark of a stable government. As to the British monarchy, in 2013 the UK finally abolished male-preference primogeniture and also permitted those in line to marry Roman Catholics. The stricture against Roman Catholics actually being monarchs imposed by the 1701 Act of Settlement remains. As… Continue reading #OTD 9 August
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#OTD 8 August
The relationship between the United States and the United Nations has always been… dynamic. On 8 August 1945, US President Truman signed the United Nations Charter. Compare the preamble of the document upon which Truman’s presidency was founded… … with the preamble of what the president signed: Meanwhile, on 8 August 1969, another union was… Continue reading #OTD 8 August
#OTD 7 August
The expression “domestic terrorism” is a stark confrontation for those of us who live in and expect peace in our day-to-day lives, a reminder that others within our domesticity don’t live in peace and don’t expect that anything other than violence will change things. Marin County has diversity; it holds both San Quentin State Prison… Continue reading #OTD 7 August
#OTD 6 August
The centuries between Drake and Cook were the centuries from privateers to navy. Midways, William Dampier visited Australia twice, once buccanneer in the Cygnet and once commander of the HMS Roebuck, where he made landfall on 6 August 1699. Dampier made money from his travel by writing, an effort noted by Dean Swift at the… Continue reading #OTD 6 August
#OTD 5 August
Carl Benz built his business upon his wife’s money. His business was built upon her marketing. On 5 August 1885, Bertha Benz gathered her two teenage sons and took Carl’s Patent-Motorwagen for a 100-kilometre spin. The three daughters were too young and wouldn’t have fitted the three-seater anyway. Bertha bought her petrol – the petroleum… Continue reading #OTD 5 August
#OTD 4 August
On 4 August 1914, Belgium and Britain declared war on Germany after Germany’s invasion of Belgium. The front page of next day’s Washington Times recorded “President offers to act as mediator”. Wilson was dealing with international catastrophe upon the shadow of his wife’s battle with Bright’s disease, to which she succumbed on 6 August. On… Continue reading #OTD 4 August
#OTD 3 August
With President Hindenburg’s death on 2 August 1934, Herr Hitler united his chancellorship and the vacant presidency under the title of Fuhrer, or leader. The cult, and the genocide and war which followed, remains a lesson for the ages. There are two sources for the use of Fuhrer. First, Georg Ritter von Schönerer. An Austrian,… Continue reading #OTD 3 August
#OTD 2 August
Does the trope that Star Wars and Apple are a joint metaphor for the last half century have anything going for it? Mebbe. On 2 August 2018 Apple became the first American public listed company to reach a market value of $1 trillion. On 2 August 1972, George Lucas’s “American Graffiti” premiered at the Locarno… Continue reading #OTD 2 August
#OTD 30 April
30 April is Honesty Day in the US. It was chosen for two reasons. First, as a foil to the first day of the month, April Fool’s Day. Secondly, to celebrate the inauguration of President George Washington on 30 April 1789. Washington died in 1799. A year later an entrepreneur pumped out The Life and Memorable… Continue reading #OTD 30 April
#OTD 29 April
In the US, 29 April is National Zipper Day. And on National Zipper Day, why seize the day when you can seize two? One website states “On April 29, 1851, [Elias] Howe applied for a patent for the ‘Continuous Clothing Closure’.” Another states “The day commemorates the date in 1913 when the zipper was patented… Continue reading #OTD 29 April