Night of the Long Knives, today in 1934

From June 30 (the night of the Long Knives) to July 2, 1934, Hitler's opponents and potential rivals were eliminated.

Today in 1974, Isabel Peron becomes President

On June 29, 1974, Isabel Perón replaced her ailing husband Juan as president of Argentina. (She was deposed in 1976.) 

BBC: 1974: First female president for Argentina

Jayne Mansfield died today on June 29 in 1967

Actress Jayne Mansfield was killed in a car accident at age 34 on this day in 1967.

Damn bro....

Remembering Jane Mansfield

- Photos of her with her husband and five children.

The Working Man's Monroe 

On this day, June 29, 1995 ...

the space shuttle Atlantis docked with the Mir space station.

cool photo! For more information see BBC "On This Day"

June 26, 1977, Elvis' last live concert

Eisenhower takes command

This day in history: June 25, 1942.

On June 25, 1942 Eisenhower arrived in London to take command of allied forces in Europe.

Dwight David Eisenhower.

Beatles in 1961 (and 1963)

June 25 in 1961, Beatles recorded "If You Love Me Baby"



HERE IS AN INTERVIEW ON NPR RADIO ABOUT THEIR SIGNIFICANT TURNING POINT IN 1963. 

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: that recording was taken from a series of sessions that the group recorded live on the BBC in 1963, a year that author and journalist Colin Fleming argues was the group's most emblematic and Beatlesque. Now, that's even before they'd made it big here in the States. 

MARTIN: OK. So, why 1963?

FLEMING: Well, If you wanted to know what The Beatles liked, what they listened to, what they were trying to become and, in large part, who they already were and who they would be, the '63 BBC recordings would be your one-stop shopping destination.

FLEMING: When they tackled something like a crucial rock 'n' roll text like Elvis' "That's All Right, Mama," you can hear that they keep elements of the past - that burnished country tone that Elvis's band excelled at - but they've added a sort of stomping, northern soul element to it. So, they're really overhauling the past.

TO LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW, CLICK HERE.

The Beatles pose in Liverpool's Derby Square in February 1963 — the year, according to author Colin Fleming, that yielded the band's most definitive work.

June 22, 1940 France surrenders to Germany

June 22, 1940

France signed an Armistice with Germany in the exact location where Germany had been humiliated by France in 1918.

Hitler met the French in the same railway carriage in which the 1918 Armistice was signed (removed from a museum and placed in the precise spot where it was located in 1918) and sat in the same chair in which Marshal Foch had sat. Hitler left the carriage after the reading of the Preamble in a calculated gesture of disdain to the French delegates.





Above, General Charles Huntizer signs on behalf of France.

Below, actual footage of Hitler visiting Paris on the same day.

I

VERY Recent History!

Yesterday, in 2013 ... GO HEAT

The Civil Rights Bill of 1864

Today in history: The Senate passed the Civil Rights Bill of 1864 after 83 days of debate.

New York Times





THE FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT

Today in 1812

On June 18 1812, the United States Declared war on Great Britain, initiating the War of 1812.

Excuse my 'Spanish' but it must have taken some "cojones" to declare war against the world's superpower of that time!



The War of 1812


The Star Spangled Banner.

..............

"Your lives may be in danger ..."

On June 17, 1972, five burglars were arrested at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0609/23799.html … http://youtu.be/hsx7TZ-r4b4 

Like a Rolling Stone -Dylan

Bob Dylan recorded "Like a Rolling Stone", considered one of the greatest rock songs of all time, today in 1965.

the Marquis de Lafayette

Today on June 13, 1777, the Marquis de Lafayette arrived in the American colonies to help lead the Continental army. 

................................
The Marquis de Lafayette returned to France only to become swept up in the French Revolution. He played a significant role as a progressive member of the nobility in the Estates-General which later became the National Assembly. Lafayette became the head of the National Guard was involved in crowd-control. Some members of the Third Estate criticized him as the savior of constitutional Monarchy and the rights of the bourgeoisie against anarchy.

In 1791 Lafayette lost the elections for mayor of Paris but was put in charge of one of the armies to fight against Austria and Prussia. In 1792 he was arrested by French authorities and attempted to desert and was captured by the Austrians. He remained in prison until 1797, including a year of isolation. Most of his family was guillotined, imprisoned, or forced into exile by the excesses of the extreme left of the Revolution.

Declaration of Indpendence by Committe - 1776

Today in 1976, Congress appoints a committee to draft a Declaration of Independence. Adams and Franklin proof read Jesserson's draft.




The "Gang" of Five
The committee to draft the declaration of Independence was actually composed of five members. In addition to Franklin, Adams and Jefferson, there was also Roger Sherman of Connecticut and Robert Livingston of New York

The Spanish Armada - today (6-9-2013) in 1588

This is what happened after Elizabeth turned down Phillip's marriage proposal!

BBC History  - The Spanish Armada

June 6, 1944 - "See You On The Beach"

1944 D-Day: 150,000 Allied Expeditionary Force lands in Normandy, France

"No human in history..."

“No human in history has ever held the power for which you now ask. Not Caesar not Alexander--no man—ever.” ~Winston Churchill to Eisenhower, 1941.

When I teach American History, I like to use historical films to bring history alive for the students. There are two films that always grip the attention of the students; 13 Days with Kevin Costner and Roger Greenwood about the Cuban Missile Crisis, and “Ike; the Countdown to D-Day, with Tom Selleck as Eisenhower and Ian Mune as Churchill. Both movies lack action seens but rely on the drama of impending war to build the tension.

Tom Selleck does an excellent job of acting the part of Eisenhower. Selleck captures the concern for casualties and the required modesty for Eisenhower to deal with such huge egos such as Generals Montgomery and Patton, and far worse, De Gaul. As Churchill pointed out in the first minutes of the movie, “No human in history has ever held the power for which you now ask. Not Caesar not Alexander--no man—ever.” Huge stakes and thousands of lives rested on the decision of one man. Seventy years ago today, Eisenhower has to make a judgment call to invade in the face of bad weather, impatient generals and uncertain intelligence. He wrote a letter in advance to take full responsibility in the case of the failure of the invasion, and then went to smoke and chat with paratroopers who were expected to have casualty rates of as high as 75 percent.

Below is a 9 minute clip of the opening (and one of the best) scenes in the movie.

Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953

Today in 1953, the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II





She was not bad looking!

40 YEARS AGO TODAY - ♪ "LIVE AND LET DIE"

Paul McCartney & Wings released "Live and Let Die" (the theme song from the James Bond film) 40 years ago today.