Lindbergh's baby, Pink Floyd, and George Carlin: This Day in History!

[Fenris]

THIS DAY IN HISTORY FOR MAY 12TH

In 1264 CE, the Battle of Lewes, between King Henry III of England and the rebel Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, begins. The battle occurred because of the vacillation of King Henry III of England, who was refusing to honour the terms of the Provisions of Oxford, an agreement he had signed with his barons, led by de Montfort, in 1258. The king had taken refuge at a priory, but his son, Prince Edward (later King Edward I of England) held Lewes Castle. A night march enabled de Montfort's forces to surprise Edward and take the high ground of the Sussex Downs, overlooking the town of Lewes, in preparation for battle. They wore white crosses as their distinguishing emblem.

In 1328 CE, Antipope Nicholas V, claimant to the Papacy, is consecrated at Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome by the Bishop of Rome. After spending four months in Rome, he withdrew with Louis to Viterbo and then to Pisa, where he was guarded by the imperial vicar. He was excommunicated by Pope John XXII in April 1329, and sought refuge with Count Boniface of Donoratico near Piombino. Having obtained assurance of pardon, he presented a confession of his sins first to the archbishop of Pisa, and then (August 25, 1330) to the pope at Avignon. He remained in honourable imprisonment in the papal palace until his death in October 1333.

In 1588 CE, King Henry III of France flees Paris after Henry of Guise enters the city during the French Wars of Religion. In 1576, King Henri III signed the Edict of Beaulieu granting minor concessions to the Protestants. His action resulted in the Catholic extremist Henri, Duke of Guise, forming the Catholic League. After much posturing and negotiations King Henri III was forced to rescind most of the concessions made to the Protestants in the Edict of Beaulieu. In 1584 the king's brother and heir presumptive died. Under the Salic Law, the next heir to the throne was Protestant Henri of Navarre, a descendant of St. Louis. Under pressure from the Duke of Guise, head of the Catholic League, Henri III issued an edict suppressing Protestantism and annulling Henri of Navarre's right to the throne.

In 1689 CE, William III of England joins the League of Augsburg starting a war with France. The war saw attacks by France and its native allies on British frontier settlements. The British failed to seize Quebec, and the French commander there attacked the British-held coast. The Treaty of Ryswick in 1697 was supposed to end the war, but peace did not last long, and shortly the colonies were embroiled in the next of the French and Indian Wars, Queen Anne's War (1702-1713).

In 1780 CE, Charleston (then Charles Town), South Carolina, is taken by British troops during the American Revolution.

In 1797 CE, Napoleon Bonaparte of France completes his conquest of Venice.

In 1870 CE, Manitoba becomes a province of Canada.

In 1885 CE, during the North West Rebellion, the four day Battle of Batoche, pitting rebel French Canadians against the Canadian government, comes to an end with a decisive rebel defeat.

In 1926 CE, in the United Kingdom, the General Strike of 1926, a strike by British trade unions, comes to an end.

In 1932 CE, ten weeks after his abduction, the infant son of Charles Lindbergh is found dead in Hopewell, New Jersey just a few miles from the Lindbergh's home.

In 1937 CE, King George VI of England is coronated at Westminster Abbey.

In 1942 CE, the Soviet Union initiates their first offensive of the war with Germany, the Battle of Kharkov, in the western Ukraine. During the battle the Soviets take the city of Kharkov back from the German Army.

In 1949 CE, the Soviet Union lifts its Blockade of Berlin. The Soviet Union blocked Western rail and road access to Berlin from 24 June 1948 - 1 May 1949. This Berlin Blockade was one of the major crises of the Cold War. The crisis abated after the Soviet Union did not act to stop American, British and French airlifts of food and other provisions to the Western-held sectors of Berlin following the Soviet blockade.

In 1967 CE, at Queen Elizabeth Hall in England, Pink Floyd performs the first ever quadraphonic rock concert. Quadraphonic sound uses four channels in which speakers are positioned at all four corners of the listening space, reproducing signals that are independent of each other.

In 1975 CE, the Cambodian navy seizes the American merchant ship SS Mayaguez in international waters in what came to be known as the Mayaguez Incident.

In 1999 CE, David Steel becomes the first Presiding Officer (speaker) of the modern Scottish Parliament.

In 2002 CE, former President Jimmy Carter arrives in Cuba for a five-day visit with Fidel Castro becoming first President of the United States, in or out of office, to visit the island since Castro's 1959 revolution.

BORN ON MAY 12TH

1907 - Katharine Hepburn, actress

1912 - Archibald Cox, U.S. Solicitor General and Watergate special prosecutor

1925 - Yogi Berra, Baseball Hall of Famer

1928 - Burt Bacharach, composer

1935 - Felipe Alou, Major League Baseball manager

1936 - Frank Stella, painter

1936 - Tom Snyder, journalist, TV personality

1937 - George Carlin, comedian

1942 - Ian Dury, rock star

1948 - Steve Winwood, singer ("Blind Faith", "Traffic")

1962 - Emilio Estevez, actor

1968 - Tony Hawk, skateboarding legend

1971 - Sofia Coppola, director, daughter of Francis Ford Coppola

DIED ON MAY 12TH

1003 - Pope Silvester II

1012 - Pope Sergius IV

1357 - Alphonso IV of Portugal

1641 - Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford

1889 - John Cadbury, founder of chocolate company Cadbury

1935 - Jozef Pilsudski, father of modern Poland

1944 - Q, British writer

1963 - Bobby Kerr, Canadian sprinter

1985 - Jean Dubuffet, painter

1988 - Chet Baker, jazz trumpeter

1992 - Robert Reed, actor, The Brady Bunch

1994 - John Smith leader of British Labour Party.

2001 - Perry Como, singer



In honor of George Carlin's 67th birthday, please post a favorite George Carlin saying/joke. And as always, keep this thread kicked!

Have you ever wondered why Republicans are so interested in encouraging people to volunteer in their communities? It's because volunteers work for no pay. Republicans have been trying to get people to work for no pay for a long time.

I'm completely in favor of the separation of Church and State. My idea is that these two institutions screw us up enough on their own, so both of them together is certain death.

The very existence of flame-throwers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, "You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done."

I worry about my judgment when anything I believe in or do regularly begins to be accepted by the American public.

Those who dance are considered insane by those who can't hear the music.

It's a sad thing to visit Oklahoma and see Indians wearing cowboy hats.

Deep Throat: Think about it. There is actually a semi-important figure in American history who is named for a blow-job movie. How do school teachers handle this?

[KG]

1. carlin - astute observer of modern life.

'Those who dance are considered insane by those who can't hear the music.' - after to day goings on in GD, i think that would make a great new sig... :)

[Whitacre D_WI]

2. Fen. Get some sleep. This isn't healthy.

[MichaelUK]

3. Not exactly a quote

In Jay and Silent Bob strike back he plays a hitchhiker. His board says

"Will give oral sex for a ride"

[Fenris]

4. Kick

:kick: