History Notes this week of Feb 22

303 AD  —  Diocletian’s Persecution of Christians

Roman Emperor Diocletian issues the first official edict calling for the persecution of Christians, unleashing unprecedented rampages against the Christian community across the Empire.

1431  —  Trial and Execution of Joan of Arc

After defeating the French forces of Charles VII, the English begin a heresy trial of 19-year-old Joan of Arc, the peasant girl whose visions led her to command French armies to notable victories. Convicted, she is burned at the stake on May 30th.

1570  —  Pope Excommunicates Elizabeth I

Pope Pius V excommunicates Elizabeth I, Queen of England. Ironically, the political effect consolidates her position and strengthens the Protestant hold on the English crown.

1685  —  Birth of George Frederick Handel

Birth of composer George Frederick Handel (d.1759), second only to J.S. Bach in mastery of the Baroque musical form, best known for works such as his Water Music Suite and Messiah.

1723  —  Death of Christopher Wren

Death of Sir Christopher Wren (b.1632), the legendary English architect who rebuilt St. Paul’s Cathedral and much of London after the Great Fire of 1666.

1732  —  Birth of George Washington

Birth of George Washington (d.1799), Virginia planter, militia colonel, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, and first President of the United States. At his death, “Light-Horse Harry” Lee eulogized him: “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”

1732  —  Birth of Francis Marion

Birth of Francis Marion (d.1795), the South Carolina militia commander known as the “Swamp Fox,” a progenitor of modern irregular warfare who bedeviled British forces throughout the Southern Campaign.

1778  —  Baron von Steuben Arrives at Valley Forge

Prussian Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben arrives at the Continental Army’s winter encampment at Valley Forge and immediately begins training the army in professional military order and discipline. He is credited as one of the fathers of the United States Army.

1779  —  Clark Captures Fort Vincennes

Virginia Militia Colonel George Rogers Clark captures Fort Vincennes, Indiana, from the British after a dramatic 180-mile march through the flooded flatlands of Illinois.

1786  —  Birth of Wilhelm Grimm

Birth of Wilhelm Grimm (d.1859), brother of Jacob, co-compiler of the world’s most famous collection of fairy tales.

1807  —  Birth of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Birth of American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (d.1882), one of the most beloved literary figures of the 19th century.

1815  —  Napoleon Escapes from Elba

Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from his island exile on Elba near the coast of southern France, setting in motion the dramatic events of the Hundred Days that would culminate at Waterloo.

1819  —  Spain Cedes Florida Territory

Spain cedes its last territorial claim, Oregon County, on remaining Florida territory to the United States.

1836  —  Siege of the Alamo Begins

Mexican General Santa Anna’s forces fire the opening guns of the siege of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas.

1836  —  Travis Dispatches His Famous Letter

Lt. Col. William Barret Travis dispatches courier Albert Martin with a letter announcing his urgent need for reinforcements. Martin rode 70 miles to Gonzalez; Travis’ words electrified the population and seared the Alamo into Texan memory forever.

1836  —  Samuel Colt Receives Revolver Patent

Samuel Colt is granted a U.S. patent for the Colt revolver, a weapon that would transform both warfare and the American frontier.

1848  —  Marx Publishes The Communist Manifesto

German economist Karl Marx publishes The Communist Manifesto, opening with “A specter is haunting Europe — the specter of communism” and closing with “Workers of the world, unite!”

1854  —  Republican Party Holds First Meeting

The first meeting of the newly formed Republican Party takes place in Michigan.

1857  —  Birth of Robert Baden-Powell

Birth of Robert Baden-Powell (d.1941) in England, the soldier and adventurer who would go on to found the Boy Scout movement.

1860  —  Lincoln’s Cooper Union Address

Abraham Lincoln delivers a speech at the Cooper Union in New York City that is largely credited with ensuring his Republican Party nomination to the presidency.

1861  —  Lincoln Arrives in Washington in Disguise

On the advice of security chief Allan Pinkerton, President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrives in Washington under cover of darkness and disguise, skipping a planned Baltimore stop after discovery of an assassination plot by secessionists.

1868  —  Impeachment of President Andrew Johnson

The U.S. House of Representatives votes 11 Articles of Impeachment against President Andrew Johnson.

1882  —  Birth of Husband E. Kimmel

Birth of Admiral Husband E. Kimmel (d.1968), who would command the Pacific Fleet on December 7, 1941. Court-martialed after Pearl Harbor, he spent his remaining years in a fruitless attempt to rehabilitate his legacy.

1882  —  Death of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Death of the beloved American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (b.1807).

1890  —  Birth of Marjorie Main

Birth of Marjorie Main (d.1975), the character actress best known as the better half of the Ma & Pa Kettle comedy team.

1895  —  North Carolina Honors Frederick Douglass

The North Carolina legislature adjourns for a day to mark the death of Frederick Douglass, the great abolitionist, orator, and former slave.

1909  —  Great White Fleet Returns to Hampton Roads

The Navy’s Great White Fleet returns to Hampton Roads, Virginia, after its famous voyage around the world, demonstrating American naval power on the global stage.

1914  —  Death of Joshua Chamberlain

Death of Joshua Chamberlain (b.1828), Colonel of the 20th Maine at Gettysburg, hero of Little Round Top, the officer who received the Confederate surrender at Appomattox, and four-term Governor of Maine. He was the last Civil War veteran to die of his wounds, at age 85.

1914  —  Launch of HMHS Britannic

Launch of HMHS Britannic, sister ship to RMS Titanic. Despite design improvements, she struck a German mine near Greece in 1916 and sank in under an hour; 30 of the thousand aboard perished.

1916  —  Battle of Verdun Begins

The Battle of Verdun begins with a German artillery barrage on the French fortress city. Ten months later the lines are essentially unmoved, but the landscape is shattered and littered with over 300,000 dead, with total casualties approaching one million.

1917  —  The Zimmermann Telegram Exposed

The Zimmermann Telegram is made public, revealing Germany’s attempt to entice Mexico into war against the United States with promises of recovering Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. The revelation created immediate outrage and helped propel America into the Great War.

1919  —  Oregon Levies First Gas Tax

Oregon becomes the first state in the Union to levy a gasoline tax, putting a one-cent-per-gallon tax on fuel.

1922  —  Italian Airship Roma Explodes

The Italian airship Roma explodes over Hampton Roads, Virginia, killing 34.

1922  —  Birth of Clarence “Kelly” Johnson

Birth of legendary Lockheed aircraft designer Clarence “Kelly” Johnson (d.1990), creator of the P-38 Lightning, U-2, SR-71 Blackbird, F-104 Starfighter, and the Lockheed Constellation.

1932  —  Birth of Johnny Cash

Birth of “The Man in Black,” Johnny Cash (d.2003), one of the most influential musicians in American history.

1932  —  Birth of Elizabeth Taylor

Birth of Elizabeth Taylor (d.2011) in England, who would become one of the most celebrated film actresses of the twentieth century.

1933  —  USS Ranger (CV-4) Launched

USS Ranger is launched in Newport News, Virginia — the first U.S. Navy ship designed from the keel up as a dedicated aircraft carrier. Though her innovations proved problematic, the lessons learned informed the Yorktown and Essex class carriers that won the Pacific war.

1935  —  Hitler Orders Formation of the Luftwaffe

After years of covert flight training, Adolf Hitler orders Hermann Goering to formally establish the Luftwaffe in direct violation of the Treaty of Versailles. The League of Nations responds with shock but no sanctions.

1942  —  MacArthur Ordered to Evacuate the Philippines

President Roosevelt orders General Douglas MacArthur to evacuate from the collapsing defense of the Philippines. MacArthur defies the order for two weeks before turning command of Corregidor over to LTG Jonathan Wainwright.

1942  —  Japanese Submarine Shells California

A Japanese submarine shells an oil refinery in Ellwood, California, near Santa Barbara. Damage was minimal, but the attack fueled anti-Japanese panic and accelerated the internment of Japanese-Americans.

1942  —  The “Battle of Los Angeles”

Following the previous day’s submarine attack, Los Angeles anti-aircraft batteries unleash a massive fusillade at unidentified objects over the coastline, firing over 1,400 shells through the night at targets that were never identified. The incident spawned conspiracy theories for decades.

1945  —  Flag Raised on Iwo Jima

American Marines raise the U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, in one of the most iconic images of World War II.

1945  —  Turkey Declares War on Germany

Turkey, recognizing the inevitable Allied victory, belatedly declares war on Germany.

1946  —  Kennan Sends the Long Telegram

American Chargé d’Affaires George Kennan sends his famous Long Telegram from Moscow, outlining the intellectual rationale for containment of the Soviet Union — the basis of U.S. national security policy until the Soviet collapse in 1991.

1959  —  First Daytona 500

Lee Petty wins the inaugural Daytona 500, launching what would become one of America’s premier motorsport events.

1964  —  Cassius Clay Defeats Sonny Liston

Twenty-two-year-old Cassius Clay defeats Sonny Liston for the heavyweight boxing title. After Liston retired in the seventh round, Clay danced around the ring shouting, “I am the greatest!”

1968  —  Hue City Recaptured; Tet Offensive Ends

After a vicious three-week battle, South Vietnamese and U.S. Marines recapture Hue City, effectively ending the Tet Offensive — a decisive military victory that was widely misrepresented in contemporary media coverage.

1972  —  Nixon Arrives in China

President Richard Nixon arrives in China, beginning a historic diplomatic opening that reshaped the Cold War balance of power.

1974  —  Patty Hearst Kidnapped

Newspaper heiress Patty Hearst is kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army, a violent left-wing radical group, beginning one of the most bizarre sagas of the 1970s.

1980  —  The Miracle on Ice

The U.S. Olympic hockey team, composed mostly of college players averaging 22 years old, defeats the Soviet Union 4–3 in the silver medal round at Lake Placid, then goes on to beat Finland for the gold medal — one of the greatest upsets in sports history.

1984  —  Reagan Orders Withdrawal from Beirut

President Ronald Reagan orders U.S. forces to withdraw from their tenuous position at the Beirut airport, where they had been under essentially constant attack for two years.

1988  —  Jimmy Swaggart Resigns

Three months after excoriating fellow evangelist Jim Bakker for adultery, televangelist Jimmy Swaggart resigns from his ministry after his own involvement with a prostitute is revealed.

1991  —  Ground War Begins in the Gulf

American and coalition forces cross the line of departure in Saudi Arabia to begin the ground phase of the First Gulf War.

1991  —  “Kuwait Is Liberated!”

President George H.W. Bush announces on national television that Kuwait is liberated, ending the Hundred-Hour ground war.

1993  —  World Trade Center Bombing

Islamic terrorists inspired by the “blind sheikh” Omar Abdel-Rahman detonate a massive truck bomb in the parking garage of the World Trade Center’s north tower, killing seven and injuring over a thousand.

1997  —  Birth of Dolly the Sheep

Dolly the sheep is born — the world’s first cloned mammal, a landmark achievement in genetic science.

2008  —  Death of William F. Buckley, Jr.

Death of William F. Buckley, Jr. (b.1925), founder of National Review, godfather of the conservative intellectual movement, author, CIA veteran, and host of PBS’s Firing Line, the longest-running television program in the nation.

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Wayne Creed

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