• Musings and History


    Quote of the day:

    “Inanimate objects are classified scientifically into three major categories—those that don't work, those that break down and those that get lost.”

                                                           Russell Baker


    Trivia question of the day:

    Who was Crispus Attucks? Answer at the end of the blog.

                                This Date in History   March 26


    1776 The Provincial Government of South Carolina declared their independence from Great Britain, adopted a new constitution and renamed itself the General Assembly of South Carolina. They elected John Rutledge as president, Henry Laurens as Vice-President and William Drayton as Chief Justice. This was four months before the Continental Congress declared independence for the entire Colonies on July 4. During the next two years John Rutledge had near dictatorial powers in South Carolina and the others decided a change was needed. In 1778 changes were proposed to the State constitution that Rutledge was opposed to and he resigned. Rawlins Lowndes took over a Governor and instituted the changes Rutledge found objectionable. The changes took veto powers from the President and made it a law that state senators were to be elected in a general election. It also changed the office of the state President to a governorship. In spite of all of this, in 1779 Rutledge was re-elected only this time he would not be President but a Governor with a lot less power than before. It was Drayton that drafted the state constitution that gave Rutledge such heart burn. Drayton went on to serve in the Continental Congress and died in Philadelphia at the age of 37 in 1779. Rutledge lost most of his wealth when the British captured Charleston earlier but lived to see a new century and died in 1800. Henry Laurens was elected to the Continental Congress and in 1780 was sent on a diplomatic mission to Holland but was captured by the British and was imprisoned in the Tower of London where he served 15 months and was released. He came back to America and spent the rest of his years on his plantation where he died in 1792.

    1987 On this date the Philadelphia police are called to a rundown house owned by one Gary Heidnik. In the basement they find a den of horrors. There were two women chained to the wall, one woman at the bottom of a deep pit. There was a fourth but she was the one that had escaped and called the cops. Hiednik had been a mental patient in the past but had made his self wealthy on the stock market. He did not pay any income tax because he had declared himself a Bishop of his own church, The Church of God’s Ministries. It was in 1986 that Heidnik had decided to have a harem and began gathering women off the streets of Philadelphia. He killed one woman by throwing her into the pit, filling it with water and then throwing in an operating electric fan. He killed another by chaining her to the wall and letting her starve to death. The grisliest of all was when he killed another woman, dismembered her and cooked and fed her to the others. Needless to say, Heidnik was tried and convicted and sentenced to death. He was executed in July of 1999. This jackass was able to live 12 years after committing these abominations. It ain’t right, y'all. It just ain’t right.

    1997 The San Diego police are called to a fancy mansion in the Rancho Santa Fe area. They find 39 corpses all in a very peaceful and serene positions. The police cannot find blood anywhere and it appears that all have committed suicide by mixing a deadly cocktail of Phenobarbital and vodka. There were 21 women and 19 men. The head of this cult was a strange looking guy named Marshall Applewhite. The basis for Heaven’s gate was to absolve yourself of all earthly possessions, give whatever money you can get for it and give it to the Heaven’s Gate organization and then hang around for God to send a space ship to take you to heaven in a spiritual form. Then the unexpected happens. The Hale-Bopp comet shows up in spectacular fashion. Applewhite takes this as a sign from God and believed the space ship is hidden in the tail of the comet. He decides that it would be prudent to assume the spiritual form when the comet makes its closest pass to earth. I am not saying that the Heaven’s Gate faithful are not sitting aboard a starship as we speak, nor am I denying the turning of the Nile River into blood, nor water into wine nor the parting of the Red Sea because all the above require a leap of faith. It just depends upon what you choose to believe, and it doesn’t have to be logical. What I don’t get is if they are in a spiritual form why do they need a piece of hardware like a space ship. Did I mention Jim Jones and David Koresh?


    1832 On this date the American Fur Company owned by John Jacob Astor launches its newest device to capture even more of the North American fur trade. It is the riverboat Yellowstone. Astor had the boat built in New Orleans to have a shallow draft but yet be maneuverable. The boat departed Saint Louis on this date and headed up the Missouri River to the American Fur Company trading post at the intersection of the Missouri and the Yellowstone rivers. The trading post was name Fort Union and was nearly the only successful fur trading fort in the American west. Astor’s fur company was so huge that they could undercut or absorb any and all of their competition. Normally, the furs were brought down river to Saint Louis by small 12 man skiffs with them fighting off the Mandan and Blackfoot Indians most of the way. The Indians would not attack a vessel the size of the Yellowstone so the American Fur Company could transport their furs carrying many times over what the competition could carry and did not have to fool with the pesky Blackfoot. After the Astor family became enormously rich, the need for furs faded and the Yellowstone faded from memory also.


    Born today:


    1874 American poet Robert Frost. He said “Home is the place where, when you go there, they must take you in.” It is a comforting thought isn’t it.


    1904 US writer Joseph Campbell. He said “Computers are like Old Testament gods: lots of rules and no mercy.” I’ve been there as most of us have.


    1911 US writer Tennessee Williams. He said of Truman Capote. “I have always said that Truman’s voice is so high it could only be heard by a bat.”


    1914 US General William Westmoreland. He said “The military doesn’t start wars, politicians start wars.”


    1942 US write Erica Jong. She said “It is often that you see a smart man with a dumb woman, but it is rare that you see a smart woman with a dumb man.” Hey my daughters, pay attention to this. Erica says this because dumb men are so rare.


    1944 US singer Dianna Ross. She said “Hair is always important.” To whom, Dianna, to whom?


    Answer to the trivia question:

    Crispus Attucks was alleged to be the first person killed in the “Boston Massacre” which was one of the major causes of the rebellion that became the American Revolutionary War. Crispus was Native-American/Black.


                Thanks for listening   I can hardly wait until tomorrow