Just finished Jon Meachem's biography on Thomas Jefferson, 'The Art of Power'. I got it as a Christmas present years ago, but didn't start reading it until a few weeks ago. Great read.
Anyways-& I knew this, but had forgotten it-I am blown away that both Jefferson & John Adams died on 7/4/1826, 50 years to the day of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence. That is fucking crazy. If you pitched that to Hollywood-that two of the men assigned to write said document, the 2nd/3rd POTUS, friends then bitter rivals then friends-died on the same day exactly 50 years after the document was ratified, you'd be laughed out of the office.
Another historical thing I find 'Wait, WTF?' is that in the late 1890s, someone-his name escapes me-wrote a book called 'Futility'. It's about a ship called the 'Titan', the most luxurious ship in the world & considered 'unsinkable'. Anyways, the ship hits an iceberg in the North Atlantic in April & sinks with a tremendous loss of life because they didn't have enough lifeboats for all aboard. Meanwhile, fast forward to April 1912 & Titanic.
Perhaps a weird topic, Haha, but as a history guy...the sort of stuff that makes me shake my head & go, 'Wow. That's crazy.'
Anyone have any adds?
Legit evidence there was an advanced technological civilization - more advanced than ours today - a long, long time ago.
Legit evidence there was an advanced technological civilization - more advanced than ours today - a long, long time ago.
There is no legit evidence of a more advanced civilization than ours having existed a long time ago.
Legit evidence there was an advanced technological civilization - more advanced than ours today - a long, long time ago.
I'd like to believe in pre-historic advanced civilizations, except where are the remains of these people? I.E, Younger Dryas impact 12k years ago....where did all these advance people go - their remains? Why is Egypt the only place it seems these advanced people lived?
Another one is the tragic assassination attempt of Archduke Ferdinand. The first attempt by the plotters failed. So what does the assassin do? Stop off at a coffee shop for a cup. Just what I’d do after attempting a major assassination! Then the archduke’s car pulls up, does an awkward slow K turn and the assassin gets a second shot at the archduke. Clownish incompetence on both sides.
in 1841.
1860: Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in
1865 (reelected for a second term in 1864).
1880: James A. Garfield was assassinated in
1881.
1900: William McKinley was assassinated in
1901 (reelected for a second term in 1900).
1920: Warren G. Harding died in office in
1923.
1940: Franklin D. Roosevelt died in office in
1945 (reelected for a third term in 1940, and
fourth term in 1944).
1960: John F. Kennedy was assassinated in
1963.
1980: Ronald Reagan was shot in the chest in
1981 and survived.
2000: George W. Bush finished his two terms
with no major injuries.
Thats nuts
Nearly 20 years to the day, his son Zak did the same thing.
Unlucky dude .
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers, cooks, stragglers and who knows what else marching thousands of miles in ice, snow, wind, and below zero temps for days and days and days on end while also being hit and run by Kossacks and fired upon by Russian artillery.
It's a miracle literally any of them survived.
I’ve seen this photo in McCullogh’s TR bio, I think it was Union Sq. Two American titans.
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kid.
Thats nuts
That happened a couple of months before the assassination too.
lol
never heard this one - that’s truly surreal
Weren't they Queen Victoria's grandchildren?
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three of the major combatants in WW1 were first cousins. Two on one side, one on the other. King and Tsar vs Kaiser.
Weren't they Queen Victoria's grandchildren?
Yup, they were.
For many Americans who were alive in 1826, the Revolutionary war was not just a historical event, it was a part of their actual experience, the same way that the Vietnam and Afghanistan conflicts are for current military veterans and their families.
In 1826, Americans were still in doubt as to the fate of the United States, and whether the separation from England was in their country's best interest.
The deaths of Adams and Jefferson was received as God's confirmation of his suport for the existence of the United States and his blessing upon its people. To Americans, the deaths were not a coincidence. It was a sign from God.
Another one is the tragic assassination attempt of Archduke Ferdinand. The first attempt by the plotters failed. So what does the assassin do? Stop off at a coffee shop for a cup. Just what I’d do after attempting a major assassination! Then the archduke’s car pulls up, does an awkward slow K turn and the assassin gets a second shot at the archduke. Clownish incompetence on both sides.
That was the first thing I thought of. The car is taking the wrong route and stops right in front of Princip to do a K turn. What does the world look like if that car doesn't stop right there? Maybe there's no WWI and then if there's no WWI, there's no WW2, and so on.
the retreat from Bunker Hill, NYC, even the crossing of the Delaware...and more
The war was practically hanging on by a thread on many occasions and expected action by the British could have easily ended it but in some cases clouds suddenly rolled in that helped influence the British not to advance, or snow fell that covered tracks or ice froze or thawed to help move artillery hundreds of miles in a period of time that didn't have trucks or vehicles.
the book Angel in the Whirlwind is great (dry - almost like reading a textbook) but does a great job recounting much of this as is the book 1776 (which is an easier read but obviously just covers that one year).
many people are convinced god had a hand in our freedom and I used to think Miracle on Ice was very possibly the biggest upset in history - ever - even more than the battle of Thermopylae - but now I am convinced the American Revolution is the biggest upset.
While no one anymore believes it was really 300 Greeks vs 1,000,000 or more Persians it was probably reliably 300 (Spartans) and more various other Greeks (but not much more than 1,000 or so) vs 150,000 Persians which, if it is maybe not the definition of surreal, it's still pretty f-ing badass (and could have even been better if not for a traitor).
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Another one is the tragic assassination attempt of Archduke Ferdinand. The first attempt by the plotters failed. So what does the assassin do? Stop off at a coffee shop for a cup. Just what I’d do after attempting a major assassination! Then the archduke’s car pulls up, does an awkward slow K turn and the assassin gets a second shot at the archduke. Clownish incompetence on both sides.
That was the first thing I thought of. The car is taking the wrong route and stops right in front of Princip to do a K turn. What does the world look like if that car doesn't stop right there? Maybe there's no WWI and then if there's no WWI, there's no WW2, and so on.
Ok, so how can we blame this on Daniel Jones ?
Tyler became President in 1841, and was born a year after George Washington became President.