If you were to look back at what happened in history every day, you could always find something interesting. Perhaps interesting enough to write a diary about, I've done it before. Some days are more fascinating than others, but I always try to look back at what happened in the past.
April 30th is one of those days in history that a lot of interesting things happened. In 1803, France sold Louisiana and adjoining lands to the U.S. as part of the Louisiana Purchase.
On April 30, 1812 Louisiana became the 18th State, cool, no? Given all that has happened to Louisiana in the recent past, I thought I might write up a little something. I'll leave it up to any commentators to discuss Katrina, and the current oil spilling.
More below the surface...
Dateline April 30... today is National Hairball Awareness Day (h/t Bill in Portland Maine, front page). This day in history...
In 1939 commercial Television made it's official debut at the New York World's Fair. The signal was transmitted from the Empire State Building, built in 1930–31. For many years it's 102 stories (1,250 ft/381 m high) made it the tallest building in the world. How cool would it be to bring back the idea of the World Fair? I understand the logistical and security nightmare that such an undertaking might present, but I'd buy a ticket.
In 1945 Adolf Hitler and his newly married mistress Eva Braun committed suicide in an underground bunker of the chancellery building. Hitler had ordered that their bodies be burned and with his death, V-E Day shortly followed on May 8, ending WWII in Europe. Has anyone contacted Mr. Beck and told him that Hitler is, indeed, dead and not reincarnated?
In 1948 the Organization of American States held it's first meeting in Bogota, Colombia. A continuing problem for the OAS has been its relationship with Cuba since the Cuban revolution (1959). In 1962, Cuba was formally expelled from the organization on charges of subversion. Two years later, a trade boycott was imposed on Cuba, but by the 1990s, practically all member nations except the United States had resumed trade and diplomatic relations with Cuba.
In 1975 the Vietnam War ended with South Vietnam's surrender to North Vietnam. I think so many of us remember the sight of the Marines evacuating the U.S. Embassy in Saigon.
In 2003 Libya accepted responsibility for the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. On Dec. 21, 1988, a New York–bound Pan Am Boeing 747 exploded in flight as the result of a terrorist bomb and crashed in and around Lockerbie. That crash killed all 259 people aboard and 11 on the ground.
Speaking of 2003 and terrorists, don't forget that tomorrow is the 7th anniversary of "Mission Accomplished". So remember to thank a "Bushie" for the end of the war in Iraq, oh, wait... see, history can be fun.
What will tomorrow bring, what will our grandchildren say about us?