Daily history

Good morning,


Quote of the day:

Even after being warned that there was an encampment of nearly 5,000 Sioux and Cheyenne ahead he said “Some of you attack from the east and I will swing around and attack from the north, we will surprise them.”

Lt. Col. George A. Custer at Little Big Horn

Here is a little something different today. I am sending y’all a biography of a very powerful woman in addition to the history lesson. Enjoy.

                                  Golda Meir

In May of 1898 a female child was born to Blume and Moshe Mabovitch in Kiev, the Russian Empire now known as Ukraine. They named her Golda. Moshe was a carpenter and in order to seek a better life he moved to the United States when Golda was five. Moshe found a job in Milwaukee and his family of his wife and three daughters joined him when Golda was eight. Golda’s two sisters were named Shenya and Tzipke. She and Shenya were very close for all of their lives. With Moshe working as a carpenter Blume opened a small market and Golda proved she could run the market even though she was only eight years old. Golda attended the Fourth Street School (Now named the Golda Meir School) and even thought she could not speak English when she started school, she graduated as valedictorian. During her school years she frequently directed fund raisers to buy text books for the school. There is no question that Golda was a gifted leader and motivator. At the age of 14 Golda’s mother want her to drop out of school and get married. Golda did not want any part of that and hopped train to Denver to be with her married sister Sheyna. While there she had many long conversations with Sheyna and her husband about many subjects like women’s suffrage, Zionism, Socialism, etc. In her autobiography Golda said it was these conversations that formed her political footing. While there she also met a sign painter named Morris Meyerson who eventually became her husband. She returned to Milwaukee and graduated from High School and entered a college named Milwaukee Normal College that eventually became the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. During this time she joined several Zionist (promoting Jewry) organizations and embraced the political dogma of Socialist Zionism. She and Morris were married in 1917. One of the organizations that she joined was Paole Zion who requested her to travel the country and raise funds for the organization. During this time she became pregnant but chose to have an abortion because she felt that there was not room for child amid her fundraising. As part of the agreement to get married, Golda insisted that she and Morris must do an “Aliyah” or a return to Palestine, the land of her ancestors. This attitude is a large part of Zionism to this day. They could not go to Palestine for a few years because Trans-Atlantic travel was restricted because of World War I but in 1921 Golda, Morris, Sheyna and her husband arrived and joined a “kibbutz” in Palestine. A kibbutz is usually a farming community that operates as a commune. While in the kibbutz Golda’s leadership was recognized and she was elected to be a representative to the General Federation of Labor. In 1924 Golda and Morris left the kibbutz and briefly moved to Tel Aviv before moving on the Jerusalem where she and Morris had two children. In 1924 Golda was elected to The Working Women’s Council. A prerequisite of this position was to spend two years (1932-34) in the United States as a fund raiser. She took her children with her but left Morris in Jerusalem this resulted in Golda and Morris being divorced. Morris died in 1951. When Golda came back to the United States she joined the General Federation of labor and took over the political arm. This move greatly enhanced her weight in the future organization of the nation of Israel. During this time the Jews in Europe were fleeing the holocaust brought on by the Nazis and Golda was made privy to many meetings with President Franklin Roosevelt as how to resolve this outrage. After the end of WWII, with Jews all over the world looking for a homeland, Palestine in particular, immense pressure was put on Great Britain who was the “military protector” of Palestine. Great Britain responded with pressure of their own against the Zionists (Jews determined to have a homeland in Palestine). There was much squabbling between and give and take during this crucial period with Golda acting as prime minister in many of the cases. Finally in 1948 Palestine was partitioned and a new nation was born named Israel thanks to many Jews, Golda Meir among them. On May 14 a Declaration of Independence was signed by officials of the new Israeli government including Golda. Golda broke down into tears because she remembered studying about the signing of the American Declaration of Independence and now she was doing the same thing herself. As you might suspect, the next day the Arab nations surrounding the new Jewish state of Israel launched an attack. Golda was one of the first people to receive a passport issued by the new state of Israel and in 1948 she went to Moscow as foreign minister. In 1949 she came home to Jerusalem and was elected as a member of the Knesset which is the equivalent of the United States Congress. She served continuously until 1974 and as Minister of Labour on one occasion. In 1956 she became Foreign Minister under Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and was requested to “Hebraize” her name so she changed her last name from Meyerson to Meir. In the early 1960’s she was diagnosed with Lymphoma and retired because of declining health. Even retired she supported Prime Minister Levi Eshkol in political arenas. Eshkol died unexpectedly in early 1969 and Golda was called out of retirement as Prime Minister. She led Israel through several attacks and the massacre of the Israeli athletes at the Olympics in Munich, Germany. When the world appeared to be less than enthusiastic about retribution for this outrage, she called in the Mossad (equivalent of our CIA) and told them to hunt down and kill every member of the Arab terrorists that did the assassinations. It took years but they were indeed killed by Mossad. Her biggest test was the so-called Yom Kippur War of 1973. The Israeli intelligence had informed Golda that the Syrians were gathering military forces on the Golan Heights and an attack was imminent. Her military advisors told her that it was just saber-rattling and to not worry. Golda wanted to launch a pre-emptive strike but held back. Two days later the Syrians and the Egyptians poured across the border in a simultaneous attack that caught the Israeli military on their heels. They finally got started and pushed the Syrians and Egyptians back across the border but they took a beating doing it. All fingers pointed to Golda for not being prepared. Following the war much political in-fighting ensued and Golda got tired of it and retired. In December 1978 Golda died of cancer in Jerusalem. She is remembered by the Israelis as a person in the exact right place at the exact right time for their survival. It sounds like that she was not there by accident.

This date in history May19

1836    In 1832 the family of Cynthia Anne Parker and family moved from Illinois to west Texas to a place that later on became known as Parkers’s Fort which was located about 40 miles east of present day Waco, Texas. The Parker’s build a substantial stockade that, “could withstand a large attack under the most vigorous circumstance.” The Parkers became lax in their security and frequently left the huge gates open. On this date a combined force of Comanche, Caddo and Kiowa descended on Parker’s Fort and killed almost everybody except Cynthia Ann, her brother and sister who were juveniles and took them into captivity. After the Indians and their captives reached safe territory, they were divided amongst the attacking tribes. Cynthia Anne went to the Comanche. About four years later (Cynthia would have been about 13) a fur trapper saw her and attempted to buy Cynthia from the Comanche. The Comanche chief allowed the trapper to speak to Cynthia and he reported that all she did was not respond and stared at the ground the whole time. Four years later she was again spotted and she ran away and hid to keep from being questioned but she did but this time she said that she was happy as a Comanche and to leave her ass alone. She was about 17 years old at the time. During the interview she admitted that she was the wife of the sub-chief Peta Nacona. By all accounts Cynthia was very happy as the wife of Peta and bore him three children. Normally Comanche warriors had more than one wife but Peta was apparently happy with Cynthia and remained monogamous. Unfortunately Peta was also a warrior against the Anglos invading his tribal lands and made several raids on white settlers. As you might suspect, the US cavalry put Peta on their most wanted list and the eventually they killed Peta and captured Cynthia and her infant child Prairie Flower. By now Cynthis Anne was 34 years old. She was returned to an Anglo society very reluctantly and never adapted. She was taken to her uncle’s farm near Birdville, Texas but tried to run away several times. However, with her husband dead and her adopted people fighting a losing battle against the whites, she resigned herself to a miserable remainder of her life. Her only connection with her people was Prairie Flower and she died of pneumonia in1863. After this Cynthia gave up the will to live and starved herself into weakness and died of influenza in 1870. She was 40 years old. This is a sad tale about a person that was not allowed to live the life that she wanted and was forced to live the life as directed by others. It bothers the hell out of me.

1715    On this date the good people of the colony of New York are the first to implement specie protection. The law they passed forbade the “taking, reaping or the harvesting or bringing to market oysters between the months of May and August.” There were several other states that governed the taking of deer and other game like raccoons not to protect the species but to protect the supply of game for the hunters. It appears that New York was the first to realize that our natural resources are not unending, especially something as tenuous and perishable as oysters. We should all be as aware.

1588    King Phillip II of Spain decided that he was fed up with Queen Elizabeth I of England backing and financing the Netherlands against Spain and constructs an enormous fleet of 130 ships including 30,000 troops and on this date the so-called “Invincible Armada” departs the Netherlands headed for England for an invasion. They would have gotten started sooner but English seadog Sir Francis Drake had found the fleet almost finished construction and sent in “fire ships” into the Spanish fleet eliminating the threat for several months. In the mean time, Drake sails back to England and warns the Queen of the threat. By the time the Spanish Armada was prepared to cross from the Netherlands to England, the English fleet was ready. The Spanish Armada arrived in the English Channel and then the English fleet sailed out of Plymouth (been there) and met the Armada in mid-channel. About the time the two fleets met, an enormous storm struck the channel and all hell broke loose. The English marine captains were very familiar with rough weather and their ships were well built to handle it. The Spanish ships were built for speed and floundered badly in the rough seas. The Spanish fleet was scattered and King Phillip’s dreams of invading England went to the bottom along with his fleet and 30,000 troops. Here is an amusing story. I was an Air Traffic Controller stationed in Pensacola, Florida. We had a break room with a few magazines and I was reading one and read a story about the discovery of the remains of a vessel off the coast of Scotland that was one of the Spanish Armada. I told one of my friends that were sitting there about it and he said “What was the Spanish Armada?” I explained it to him and he said “You mean that 30,000 Spanish soldiers drowned in the English Channel.” I told him that was correct. He then uttered the famous words “Then that explains why to this day there is a thin layer of grease on the English Channel.” I am just the messenger here.

1897    Two years before the Marquis of Queensbury in England accused the brilliant author Oscar Wilde of homosexuality with his son. It was true that Oscar and the Marquis’ son had been doing their thing for over ten years but when the Marquis brought it out into daylight, Oscar had to sue for defamation because being a fag in England at that time was a crime. Oscar was beaten in court which, in the court’s mind, he was guilty of homosexuality and he was sentenced to two years hard labor. On this date Oscar was released. He was still as brilliant and energetic as before. Oscar delivered to us one of the most inventive novels of all time in The Portrait of Dorian Grey. It was essentially a novel about a very evil man that all of his evil acts and aging went to his portrait rather than to him. It was pretty spooky.

Born today:

1861    Austrian opera singer Dame Nellie Melba. She said “A musical composition is not written in red, white and blue. It is written in the blood of the composer.”

1879    US multi-millionaire Lady Nancy Astor. She said “The reason I do not drink is because I want to remember when I have a good time.” Me too, but I drink a little also.

1930    US writer Lorraine Hansberry. She said “The thing that makes you exceptional, if you are at all, is the one that also makes your lonely.” Hey Lorraine, I don’t think I have ever heard of a lonely and depressed exceptional javelin thrower.

1953    English comic Victoria Woods. She said “I advertised for a vacation companion, capable widow, no sense of humor, some knowledge of hemorrhoids preferred. I got no responses.” What an amazing vision comes to mind.

Thanks for listening I can hardly wait until tomorrow