News:

Unnecessarily argumentative

Main Menu

Re: Today in History

Started by Icarus, December 14, 2014, 06:50:36 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Icarus

Tuesday Dec. 16th will be the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of The Bulge. The Ardennes area of Belgium and Luxembourg was the scene of the bloodiest battle of WWII. The area has dense forests and narrow valleys, a wretched  place to fight a military battle. Six hundred thousand American troops took on the German armies and for six weeks of bitter cold they fought. There were 80,300 casualties on the American side and 81,800 on the German side. The Americans suffered 10,300 dead and the Germans 12,700. Thousands more, on both sides, became MIA.

The US side prevailed and immediately thereafter the allied forces attacked the Germans, from several fronts in unison, eventually leading the Nazis to surrender.

Yesterday, the 13th, a parade and other activities took place in Bastogne Belgium to commemorate the anniversary. The Belgians continue to display some gratitude for the American sacrifices there.

Wars are stupid and barbaric wherever they may be fought. The people of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, England and elsewhere lived through a few of them and they know better than we Americans how senseless, futile, and destructive the acts of war can be.


OldGit

Hitler was a silly bugger.  He knew what happened to the 1918 Spring Offensive (the Kaiserschlacht) so he had to try it again in 1944.  Most people realised it didn't have a cat's chance in hell ,which the Kaiserschlacht certainly did have.

OldGit

Today is the 600th anniversary of the battle of Poitiers, which rivals Crécy for the greatest English slaughter of Frenchmen.  Raise yout glasses, folks!

Not so happily it's also the anniversary of the Charge of the Light Brigade in 1854.

Ecurb Noselrub

On this date in 1731, where the Lampasas River meets the Leon River to form the Little River in central Texas, absolutely nothing of importance occurred.

xSilverPhinx

LOL  ;D

You don't know for sure! The inception of a chain of events leading to something could have begun then, at that moment. For example, maybe a sick fish swam right instead of left, only to be caught in a fisherman's net, to be taken to the market and sold to an unsuspecting fellow who had a bad case of food poisoning after ingesting its meat only to stay at home instead of go to work and maybe that was the last straw and the poor man lost his job as a consequence him staying home could have set into motion a series of other events that led or will lead to something cool and significant.  :badger:



I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


OldGit

I thought that was the time El Gringo Loco was captured by the Wahoote Indians and tortured to death by Marmite.

Ecurb Noselrub

Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 27, 2015, 12:29:34 AM
LOL  ;D

You don't know for sure! The inception of a chain of events leading to something could have begun then, at that moment. For example, maybe a sick fish swam right instead of left, only to be caught in a fisherman's net, to be taken to the market and sold to an unsuspecting fellow who had a bad case of food poisoning after ingesting its meat only to stay at home instead of go to work and maybe that was the last straw and the poor man lost his job as a consequence him staying home could have set into motion a series of other events that led or will lead to something cool and significant.  :badger:

I considered all those possibilities, but no, nothing happened.

Ecurb Noselrub

Quote from: OldGit on October 27, 2015, 09:51:11 AM
I thought that was the time El Gringo Loco was captured by the Wahoote Indians and tortured to death by Marmite.

That was in 1732.  It's a common mistake, however.

Icarus

xSP has been reading too much about chaos theory. Me too.

If you happen to into that sort of thing I recommend a book titled; Chaos. Sub title; Making a New Science. By James Gleick  The book has the obligatory butterfly effect chapter and it has a lot more information about complexities as in Mandelbrot sets, and wondrous fractals and the peculiarities and randomness of the Great Red Spot of Jupiter. All of which is near confirmation that the Intelligent Designer was tripping pretty heavily when he/she/it created everything.

xSilverPhinx

I read some reviews Icarus, looks like an interesting book for a mathematical  layperson such as myself. I'll definitely pick up a copy when I find one. :)
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey


Insoluble

Lou was two years dead last Tuesday.
Two years and four days gone today.
I'm happy, hope you're happy too

Icarus

1839: on this day the first Opium war between China and Britian broke out.

1911: The Chevrolet Motor Car Co. was founded in Detroit by Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant. The company was acquired by General Motors in 1918. 

OldGit

Quote from: Icarus1839: on this day the first Opium war between China and Britian broke out.

Not the most admirable episode of our history. ::)

No one

Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 31, 2015, 01:44:35 PM
I read some reviews Icarus, looks like an interesting book for a mathematical  layperson such as myself. I'll definitely pick up a copy when I find one. :)

After seeing your signature, I just could not resist.

HISTORY, n. An account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools

The Devil's Dictionary by Ambose Bierce

(I was not aware there was another that knew of its existence.)

xSilverPhinx

Quote from: No one on November 06, 2015, 06:37:29 AM
Quote from: xSilverPhinx on October 31, 2015, 01:44:35 PM
I read some reviews Icarus, looks like an interesting book for a mathematical  layperson such as myself. I'll definitely pick up a copy when I find one. :)

After seeing your signature, I just could not resist.

HISTORY, n. An account mostly false, of events mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers mostly knaves, and soldiers mostly fools

The Devil's Dictionary by Ambose Bierce

(I was not aware there was another that knew of its existence.)

8) The title caught my attention a few years ago when I was looking for free books, though I hadn't read anything else by Ambrose Bierce.   
I am what survives if it's slain - Zack Hemsey