Thursday, August 21, 2025

In a Strange Moment, Trump Admits He Is Not Doing Well But Still Wants To Get To Heaven

Sometimes, I wonder how we as a nation got here, where we daily hear some ridiculous and absurd things, or read the most bizarre and, frankly, horrifying headlines from Washington. Specifically, from the Oval Office, specifically because Donald Trump is our elected leader.

It's always something, isn't it? There have been headlines because he mistook the names of countries, which he has done twice now. First when he was attending a conference of African leaders and praised the healthcare system of a non-existent country. More recently - just days ago, in fact - he mistakenly claimed that Azerbaijan and Albania were at war. Those were only two of the rather major gaffes which Trump had, and which would have surely sparked endless outrage and cries of dementia and/or incompetency had they happened when Biden was president. But when it is Trump, it's radio silence regarding such incidents, quite literally as far as rightwing media echo chambers, which itself feels worthy of screaming headlines regarding their blatant hypocrisy. 

Or what about when he dismisses dozens of countries in Africa and Central America as "shithole nations" like he did during his first term? Or when he had such a difficult time condemning outright neo-Nazis and blatant white supremacists? 

How about that whole January 6th fiasco, which still feels to me like nothing less than an attempted coup? Or how about while he was not president - but still consistently dominated headlines - when he posted on his Truth Social that parts of the Constitution might need to be suspended? 

Even when it's not too serious, when it comes to made up words (covfefe) or seemingly strange and numerous nonsensical ramblings, or when he took a sharpie and drew on a map of the projected path of a destructive hurricane so that it included Alabama, because he had claimed it would hit Alabama earlier? 

Just some weird, often inexplicable headlines. Like no other president before. Frankly, I don't mean that as any kind of a compliment, either.

Recently, there were still more bizarre, inexplicable headlines. This time, they were not outrageous or maddening, like the headlines which seem to suggest that we are beginning our national descent into fascism. No, this time, it seems, at least on the surface, relatively benign, at least by Trump standards. Yet, that doesn't mean that it isn't weird. Something which you cannot imagine happening during any other presidency. 

Specifically, he spoke about his worries about whether or not he will get into heaven, and how this apparently is his main motivation for ending the war in Ukraine, taken from a recent article by Kinsey Crowley of USA Today:

"I wanna end it. You know, we're not losing American lives ... we're losing Russian and Ukrainian mostly soldiers," Trump said. 

The rest of what Trump said was where I felt it got particularly revealing:

"I wanna try and get to heaven if possible. I'm hearing I'm not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole. But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons."

He hears that he is not doing well. Really at the bottom of the totem pole. Yet, he is hanging onto the possibility that he can still get to heaven.

Now, I will admit that I personally am far from religious. So I have very serious doubts about the literal existence of a heaven and/or hell which we are sent to in the afterlife. But it does seem like this is weighing on Trump's mind. And that tells me two things. Firstly, he may be feeling his mortality, which might seem to confirm some of the recent concerns regarding his mental and physical well-being. Also, this is the first time, truly, that I have seen Trump revealing anything in the way of a conscience - and possibly even regret? - for all that he has said and done.

Just speculation. 

Below is a link to the article which I obtained the above quote from, and below that is video which includes Trump saying these things, specifically:


Trump wants to go to heaven for ending the war in Ukraine. What religion is he? by Kinsey Crowley USA TODAY, August 21, 2025:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/08/21/trump-heaven/85754921007/









Donald Trump Says He Wants 'To Get To Heaven If Possible' In New Interview

August 21st: This Day in History

 



Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!





Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:


• On this day in 959, Erachus became the Bishop of Luik. 

• In 1192 on this day, Minamoto Yoritomo became Seii Tai Shōgun and the de facto ruler of Japan. (Traditional Japanese date: July 12, 1192). 

• On this day in 1321, 160 Jews of Chincon, France, were burned at the stake. Tycho Brahe became interested in astronomy on this day in 1560. In 1598 on this day (and into the 22nd), the Deed of Transfers proclaimed the independence of Netherlands. On this day in 1673, there was a sea battle at Kijkduin, with De Ruyter defeating the English & French fleets. Pueblo Indians drove out the Spanish and took possession of Santa Fé (in present day New Mexico) on this day in 1680. The Battle of Dunkeld in Scotland took place on this day in 1689. The Ottoman army removed Sultan Mustafa II on this day in 1703. 

• In 1718 on this day, Emperor Karel VI, the Ottoman Empire, and Venice signed a peace treaty. On this day in 1760, the church (later cathedral) of "Our Lady of Candlemas of Mayagüez (Puerto Rico)" was founded, establishing the basis for the founding of the city. 

• On this day in 1772, King Gustav III completed his coup d'etat by adopting a new Constitution, ending half a century of parliamentary rule in Sweden and installing himself as an enlightened despot. 

• The Battle of Vimeiro was fought on this day in 1808, with British and Portuguese forces led by General Arthur Wellesley defeating French force under Major-General Jean-Andoche Junot near the village of Vimeiro, Portugal. It was the first Anglo-Portuguese victory of the Peninsular War. 

• On this day in 1810, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, the Marshal of France, was elected Crown Prince of Sweden by the Swedish Riksdag of the Estates.



1821 - Jarvis Island is discovered by the crew of the ship, Eliza Frances.
1831 - Nat Turner slave revolt kills 55 (Southampton County, Virginia)
 1831 Nat Turner led an insurrection of slaves in Virginia.  

1841 - John Hampton patents venetian blind



Flag of Australia

• The city of Hobart, Tasmania, was founded on this day in 1842.

1852 - Tlingit Indians destroy Fort Selkirk, Yukon Territory.

• 1856 - America's first consul to Japan, Townsend Harris, arrives in Shimoda. (Traditional Japanese date: July 21, 1856)





Lincoln Memorial Sculpture by Daniel French i Washington, D.C.

• The first of the famous debates between Senator Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln took place on this day in 1858 in Illinois.   







Monument to Johann Strauss at the Stadtpark.




•  The Vienna Stadtpark (in modern day Vienna, Austria) opened its gates on this day in 1862.



1863 - Raid at Lawrence KS by William Quantrill
1864 - BBT Charleston, SC [->DEC 31]
1864 - Battle at Globe Tavern, Virginia, ends after 2500 casualties
1864 - Battle of Grubbs Crossroads, KY
1864 - Battle of Summit Point, VA
1864 - Gen-major Nathan B Forrests assault on Memphis, Tennessee
1878 - American Bar Association organizes at Sarasota, NY
1878 - Edward Pooley completes record 8 stumpings in a cricket match
1879 - The Virgin Mary, along with St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist, reportedly appears to the people of Knock, County Mayo, Ireland.
1883 - Providence shuts out Phillies 28-0
1887 - Mighty (Dan) Casey struck-out in a game with NY Giants!
1888 - William Seward Burroughs patents adding machine
1891 - Dutch Mackay government resigns
1897 - Oldsmobile begins operation as a General Motors Corp division
1901 - 21st US Mens Tennis: William Larned beats Beals C Wright (62 68 64 64)
1901 - Joe McGinnity, suspended from NL for punching & spitting on an ump





• The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre museum in France by an Italian waiter, Vicenzo Perruggia, on this day in 1911.  


1912 - Mr Carter-Cotton chosen 1st chancellor of Univ of British Columbia
1914 - 20th US Golf Open: Walter Hagen shoots a 290 at Midlothian CC Ill
1914 - Belgium: German troops occupy Tamines


• In 1914 on this day during World War I, there was a French offensive in the Ardennen/Sambre.

• 1915 - Italy declares war on Turkey in World War I


1922 - Curly Lambeau & Green Bay Football Club granted NFL franchise
1925 - BV Emmen soccer team forms
1926 - -22] Uprising against Greek president/dictator Pangalos

1927 - 4th Pan-African Congress meets (NYC)

1930 - Prohibition of Wieringermeer finished
1931 - Babe Ruth hits his 600th HR, off George Blaeholder of Browns
1932 - Wes Ferrell is 1st to win 20 games in each of his 1st 4 seasons
1933 - Ruth's homer leads AL to a 4-2 win in 1st All Star Game

1938 - Italy bars all Jewish teachers in Public & High School


1940 Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky died in Mexico City.

1942 - Alpine hunters plant German flag on Elbroezgebergte, Kaukasus
1942 - Transport nr 22 departs with French Jews to nazi-Germany


• 1942 - World War II: a Nazi flag is installed atop the Mount Elbrus.

1943 - Gromyko named USSR-ambassador in Washington
1943 - Japan leaves Aleutian Islands
1944 - Germans storm up Hill 262 (Mont Ormel) Normandy
1944 - Grieg/Work/Forest's musical "Song of Norway," premieres in NYC
1944 - Raid on Jewish childrens house in Secrétan/St-Mandé
1944 - US 12nd Army corp occupies Sens









Bust of American President Harry Truman

• On this day in 1945, U.S. President Harry Truman ended the Lend-Lease program that had shipped about $50 billion in aid to America's Allies during World War II.   


1959 - Hawaii became the 50th state. U.S. President Eisenhower also issued the order for the 50 star flag.   1963 - In South Vietnam, martial law was declared. Army troops and police began to crackdown on the Buddhist anti-government protesters.   1971 - Laura Baugh, at the age of 16, won the United States Women's Amateur Golf tournament. She was the youngest winner in the history of the tournament.   1984 - Victoria Roche, a reserve outfielder, became the first girl to ever compete in a Little League World Series game.   1984 - Clint Eastwood was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.   1989 - Voyager 2, a U.S. space probe, got close to the Neptune moon called Triton.   










1953 - Marion Carl in Douglas Skyrocket reaches record 25,370 m
1953 - Sultan Sidi Mohammed Am Joessoef V of Morocco deposed
1956 - WTVW TV channel 7 in Evansville, IN (ABC) begins broadcasting
1957 - 1st launching in Baikonur, Kazachstan (R7 "Semiorka"-rocket)
1958 - KUT-FM in Austin Texas begins radio transmissions
1959 - Hawaii becomes 50th US state

• 1961 - Jomo Kenyatta freed from prison in Kenya


1962 - Verne Gagne beats Mister M (doctor X) in Minn, to become NWA champ
1963 - Jerry Lynch's record 15th pinch-hit HR gives Pirates a 7-6 win
1963 - Martial law declared in S Vietnam, following raids on Buddhist pagodas
1965 - Gemini 5 launched into Earth orbit (2 astronauts)
1965 - Romania adopts constitution
1965 - The Crusher beats Mad Dog Vachon in St Paul, to become NWA champ
1966 - Mickey Wright wins LPGA Women's Western Golf Open
1967 - China reports downing of 2 US bombers
1967 - Ken Harrelson becomes baseball's 1st free agent
1967 - Liquid gas tanker explodes in Martelange Belgium, 22 killed
1967 - Mikis Theodorakis arrested in Greece
1968 - After 5 years Russia once again jams Voice of America radio


• 1968 - Democratic Convention opens in Chicago

1968 - Marine James Anderson Jr is 1st black Medal of Honor winner
1968 - Radio Prague (Czech) at 12:50 AM announces a soviet led invasion




1968 - Warsaw Pact forces enter Czechoslovakia to end reform movement


1968 - William Dana reaches 80 km (last high-altitude X-15 flight)
1969 - Fire in Al-Aksa-mosque in Jerusalem
1972 - 1st hot air balloon flight over Alps
1972 - British harbor strike ends
1972 - Grace Slick maced by police when a band official called cops, pigs
1972 - Republican convention opens in Miami Beach
1972 - US orbiting astronomy observatory Copernicus launched
1975 - 3 truck pile up kills 10, injures 26 on French highway

1975 - Rick & Paul Reuschel become 1st brothers to pitch a combined shut out
1975 - US lightens trade embargo against Cuba
1976 - Al Bumbry hits 17th inside-the-park HR in Oriole history
1976 - Battle East Sussex: Mary Langdon becomes 1st British firewoman
1976 - Operation Paul Bunyan at Panmunjeom, Korea.
1977 - Debbie Austin wins LPGA Wheeling Golf Classic
1977 - Donna Patterson Brice sets high speed water skiing rec (111.11 mph)
1978 - 1st gay theme telefilm - Matlovich vs US Air Force

• 1982 - Palestinian terrorists are dispersed from Beirut
1982 - Rollie Fingers (Brewers) becomes 1st pitcher to get save #300
1983 - "La Cage aux Folles" opens at Palace Theater NYC for 1761 performances
1983 - 110°F (43°C) at Fayetteville, North Carolina (state record)


1983 Corazon Aquino's husband Benigno, who was Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos's chief political opponent, was assassinated.  

1986 - Lake Nios Volcano in Cameroon kills 1,746

1986 - Surinames Ronnie Brunswijks Jungle commandos kill 2 government officials

• 1986 - Volcanic eruption in Cameroon releases poison gas, killing 2,000

1986 - With 2 outs in 6th inning, Red Sox score 11 runs
1987 - "Mack Lobell" set harness racing's trotting mil (1:52)
1987 - Clayton Lonetree, 1st marine court-martialed for spying, convicted
1987 - Silke Horneer swims female world record 100m breaststroke (1:07.91)
1988 - Cease fire between Iran & Iraq takes effect after 8 years of war
1988 - Juli Inkster wins LPGA Atlantic City Golf Classic
1989 - Voyager 2 begins a flyby of planet Neptune

• 1991 - Communist coup is crushed in USSR in 2 days






The flag of the USSR (Soviet Union)

• 1991 - The hard-line coup against Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev ended. The uprising that led to the collapse was led by Russian federation President Boris Yeltsin.   1992 - NBC News fired Authur Kent two weeks after he refused an assignment to war-torn Croatia.   1993 - NASA lost contact with the Mars Observer spacecraft. The fate of the spacecraft was unknown. The mission cost $980 million.   1994 - Ernesto Zedillo won the Mexican presidential election.   1996 - The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 was signed by U.S. President Clinton. The act made it easier to obtain and keep health insurance.   1997 - Hudson Foods Inc. closed a plant in Nebraska after it had recalled 25 million pounds of ground beef that was potentially contaminated with E. coli 01557:H7. It was the largest food recall in U.S. history.   


• 1997 - Afghanistan suspended its embassy operations in the United States.   1997 - Cicely Tyson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.   1998 - Wesley Snipes received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.   2002 - In Pakistan, President General Pervez Musharraf unilaterally amended the Pakistani constitution. He extended his term in office and granted himself powers that included the right to dissolve parliament.   2003 - In Ghana, businessman Gyude Bryant was selected to oversee the two-year power-sharing accord between Liberia's rebels and the government. The accord was planned to guide the country out of 14 years of civil war



Flag of Latvia.


•  Latvia declared its independence from the Soviet Union on this day in 1991.


• 1993 - NASA loses contact with Mars Observer
1994 - -23] Typhoon Fred ravages Chinese county Zhejiang, 700+ killed
1994 - Ernesto Zedillo wins Mexican presidential election
1994 - Jane Geddes wins LPGA Chicago Golf Challenge
1994 - Royal Air Maroc ATR-42 crash down at Agadir, 44 killed
1995 - US marshals move in on Randy Weaver's cabin in Idaho
1996 - "Hughie," opens at Circle in Sq Theater NYC
1996 - Christie Lee Woods, 18, of Texas, crowned 14th Miss Teen USA
1996 - Netscape Browser 3.0 is released
1997 - Typhoon Winnie kills 140, injures 3,000 in East China
1997 - US government forces closure of Hudson Foods due to E Coli break out


• 2001 - NATO decides to send a peace-keeping force to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

2001 - The Red Cross announces that a famine is striking Tajikistan, and calls for international financial aid for Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
2007 - Hurricane Dean makes its first landfall in Costa Maya, Mexico with winds at 165 mph. Dean is the first storm since Hurricane Andrew to make landfall as a Category 5.
2012 - 20 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo die from the Ebola virus

• 2017 - Next total solar eclipse visible from North America




1680 - The Pueblo Indians drove the Spanish out and took possession of Santa Fe, NM.   1831 - Nat Turner, a former slave, led a violent insurrection in Virginia. He was later executed.   1841 - A patent for venetian blinds was issued to John Hampton.   1878 - The American Bar Association was formed by a group of lawyers, judges and law professors in Saratoga, NY.   1888 - The adding machine was patented by William Burroughs.   1912 - Arthur R. Eldred became the first American boy to become an Eagle Scout. It is the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America.   1923 - In Kalamazoo, Michigan, an ordinance was passed forbidding dancers from gazing into the eyes of their partner.   1943 - Japan evacuated the Aleutian island of Kiaska. Kiaska had been the last North American foothold held by the Japanese.   1945 - U.S. President Truman ended the Lend-Lease program that had shipped about $50 billion in aid to America's Allies during World War II.   1959 - Hawaii became the 50th state. U.S. President Eisenhower also issued the order for the 50 star flag.   1963 - In South Vietnam, martial law was declared. Army troops and police began to crackdown on the Buddhist anti-government protesters.   1971 - Laura Baugh, at the age of 16, won the United States Women's Amateur Golf tournament. She was the youngest winner in the history of the tournament.   1984 - Victoria Roche, a reserve outfielder, became the first girl to ever compete in a Little League World Series game.   1984 - Clint Eastwood was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.   1989 - Voyager 2, a U.S. space probe, got close to the Neptune moon called Triton.   1991 - The hard-line coup against Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev ended. The uprising that led to the collapse was led by Russian federation President Boris Yeltsin.   1992 - NBC News fired Authur Kent two weeks after he refused an assignment to war-torn Croatia.   1993 - NASA lost contact with the Mars Observer spacecraft. The fate of the spacecraft was unknown. The mission cost $980 million.   1994 - Ernesto Zedillo won the Mexican presidential election.   1996 - The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 was signed by U.S. President Clinton. The act made it easier to obtain and keep health insurance.   1997 - Hudson Foods Inc. closed a plant in Nebraska after it had recalled 25 million pounds of ground beef that was potentially contaminated with E. coli 01557:H7. It was the largest food recall in U.S. history.   1997 - Afghanistan suspended its embassy operations in the United States.   1997 - Cicely Tyson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.   1998 - Wesley Snipes received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.   2002 - In Pakistan, President General Pervez Musharraf unilaterally amended the Pakistani constitution. He extended his term in office and granted himself powers that included the right to dissolve parliament.   2003 - In Ghana, businessman Gyude Bryant was selected to oversee the two-year power-sharing accord between Liberia's rebels and the government. The accord was planned to guide the country out of 14 years of civil war



1680 Pueblo Indians drove out the Spanish and took possession of Santa Fe, N.M.  1831 Nat Turner led an insurrection of slaves in Virginia.  1858 The famous debates between Senator Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln began in Illinois.   1911 The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre museum in France by an Italian waiter, Vicenzo Perruggia.  1940 Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky died in Mexico City.  1945 Harry S. Truman announced the end of the Lend-Lease Program.   1959 Hawaii became the 50th state in the United States.  1983 Corazon Aquino's husband Benigno, who was Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos's chief political opponent, was assassinated.   1991 Latvia declared its independence from the Soviet Union.


The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:

http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/aug21.htm

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Sunday Turned Out To Be A Lousy Day On My End

So you may have noticed that I hardly wrote much of anything on this blog on either Monday or Tuesday.

Of course, I found out late on Saturday night that a close friend of mine had died. That made me feel terrible for the entire overnight shift. It drained and depressed me.

Yet, that was not all that was going on.

Turns out that Sunday was a miserable day for me for other reasons, as well. I work two jobs, and had to work both jobs on that day. That's tiring enough, frankly. But on Sunday during the overnight shift into the morning, I stayed for someone who was running late, and it wound up being 40 minutes. 

That left me with time to grab a coffee and then get to my other job. But as I was pulling into my weekend job, I realized (too late) that I had forgotten my lunch at the other job. It was too late to turn around and get it. Besides, all I have to do is get to 3 PM, and then go get it then, right? Maybe I'll be hungry, but then I'll eat once I get out. Plus, I had the rest of Sunday off, so I figured it would be a good chance to relax and unwind.

As it turns out, nobody showed up at the time when my shift normally ended. That meant that I had to stay until someone came.

It was an inconvenience at first. But then the hours went by, and I started to feel exhausted and hungry, even getting a hunger headache. 

Should I order some food? Maybe ask my supervisor if I can take fifteen or so minutes to just go to my other job and pick up the food that I left there? 

The hours just kept going on. I have my doubts that anyone was even scheduled to begin with. But he kept telling me that someone was on the way. He just needed to take care of personal business first, and then he would be on his way. That made it sound like it might just take a few minutes, that the guy might be on his way at any time. Maybe I'd be leaving within 20 or 30 minutes. So no, I didn't order food or go back to the other job.

Yet, nobody showed up, either.

After a while, it started to get dark. I got whatever snacks I could, including some popcorn in one of my bags which had likely been there for a long time. No idea if it was expired or not. But I just wanted something hot to eat, and this was about all that was available.

Long story short, I worked until 9:40 at night. Normally I get out at 3 pm, so that was over 6 1/2 hours worked, plus the forty minutes at the other job. That means that on Sunday, I worked literally more than 21 hours. Plus, I had been working since 10 pm the previous night, with only twenty minutes off between shifts. So it was almost like working 24 hours straight.

I tried to remember if I had ever done that before. Maybe. It's possible that I did during a massive snowstorm, or some such thing. But the fact that I couldn't remember it meant that it would have been many years ago, when I was a lot younger.

Also, that it happened unexpectedly on this of all days, when I was feeling down and depressed because my friend died....well, it was just an annoying day, you know? 

The death of my friend was another reminder of the shortness and fragility of life. But another reminder that I am getting older came later, when it took me most of Monday to really recover from the toll of working all of those extra hours at both jobs this weekend. The headache which I got seems to be coming back each day since, at least as I write this (early on Wednesday morning).

Anyway, I just wanted to explain the relative silence from my end over the past few days.

August 15th is Indian Independence Day

 





Earlier this month, India celebrated their Independence Day. 

Now on the 26th of January, I usually honor the official birth of the Republic of India. But it is on August 15th that India recognizes their independence day.

So having missed it on the day of, it seemed like a good idea to publish a blog entry, at least, to honor the independence of the nation with the largest population in the world.


How India's Choice Of August 15 As Independence Day Has A Japan LinkJust two years before August 15, 1947, Japan's emperor surrendered to the Allies, ending World War II. NDTV News Desk India News Aug 15, 2025:

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/how-indias-choice-of-august-15-as-independence-day-has-a-japan-link-9091998

August 20th: This Day in History

 






Once again, it should be reiterated, that this does not pretend to be a very extensive history of what happened on this day (nor is it the most original - the links can be found down below). If you know something that I am missing, by all means, shoot me an email or leave a comment, and let me know!




Here's a more detailed look at events that transpired on this date throughout history:



• On this day in year 2, Venus-Jupiter in conjunction with the Star of Bethlehem. On this day in 573, Gregory of Tours was selected Bishop of Tours. The Battle at Yarmuk was fought on this day in 636, with Muslims defeating the Byzantines [or August 15]. In 917 on this day, the Battle at Anchialus was fought, when the Bulgarian army launched a counterattacks against the Byzantines. On this day in 1000 was the foundation of the Hungarian state. Hungary was established as a Christian kingdom by Stephen I of Hungary. 

• In 1191 on this day, Crusader King Richard I killed 3,000 Muslim prisoners in Akko. On this day in 1391, Konrad von Wallenrode became the 24th Hochmeister of the Teutonic Order. In 1534 on this day, the Ottoman Admiral Chaireddin"Barbarossa" occupied Tunis, in present day Tunisia. Iconoclasm reached Antwerp, Belgium, on this day in 1566. English Queen Elizabeth I signed Treaty of Nonsuch on this day in 1585, which provided aid to Netherlands. The first Dutch East India Company ships returned from the Far East on this day in 1597. In 1604 on this day, Spanish garrison of Sluis surrendered to Count Maurice. 

• On this day in 1619, the first Black slaves were brought by the Dutch to the colony of Jamestown Virginia. 

• On this day in 1641, Scotland and Britain signed the Treaty of Pacification.   


1741 - Danish navigator Vitus Jonas Bering discovered Alaska.   1862 - Horace Greeley's "The Prayer of Twenty Millions" was published.   1866 - The National Labor Union in the U.S. advocated an eight-hour workday.   1866 - It was formally declared by U.S. President Andrew Johnson that the American Civil War was over. The fighting had stopped months earlier.   1882 - Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" debuted in Moscow.   1885 - "The Mikado", by Gilbert and Sullivan, opened at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City.   1914 - German forces occupied Brussels, Belgium, during World War I.   1918 - The British opened its Western Front offensive during World War I.   1923 - The first American dirigible, the "Shenandoah," was launched in Lakehurst, NJ. The ship began its maiden voyage from the same location on September 4.   1939 - The National Bowling Association was founded in Detroit, MI. It was the first bowling association in the U.S. for African-Americans.   


1964 As part of his Great Society policies, Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act which, among other things, established the Head Start program.  1968 The Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations invaded Czechoslovakia.  1977 The space probe Voyager 2 was launched. It continues to explore to this day, and is now more than 7 billion miles from Earth.  1980 Italian Reinhold Messner made the first successful solo ascent of Mount Everest and without oxygen.  1998 U.S. cruise missiles hit suspected terrorist bases in Afghanistan and the Sudan.  2000 Tiger Woods won the PGA Championship becoming the first player since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win three majors in one year.




1648 - Battle of Lens: French duke d'Enghien defeats Spaniards
1672 - Former Grand Pensionary Johan de Witt and his brother Cornelis are brutally murdered by an angry mob in The Hague.
1741 - Alaska discovered by Danish explorer Vitus Bering
1745 - Bonnie Prince Charlie reaches Blair Castle Scotland





Equestrian statue of George Washington near his headquarters at Morristown, New Jersey.

• 1781 - George Washington begins to move his troops south to fight Cornwallis

First US President George Washington 1794 - Gen Mad Anthony Wayne defeated the Indians at Fallen Timbers Ohio
1795 - Joseph Haydn returns to Vienna from England
1828 - Gioacchino Rossini's opera "Le Comte Ory," premieres in Paris
1852 - Steamer "Atlantic" collided with fishing boat, sinks with 250 aboard
1856 - Wilberforce University forms in Ohio
1861 - Skirmish at Jonesboro MO
1864 - 8th/last day of battle at Deep Bottom Run Va (about 3900 casualties)
1865 - Pres Johnson proclaims an end to "insurrection" in Tx
1866 - Pres Andrew Johnson formally declares Civil War over
1879 - Government Kappeijne of Coppello resigns




Bust of Russian Romantic era composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

• 1882 - Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" opens in Moscow


1888 - Longest US men's single tournament match Palmer Presbrey defeats T S Tailer, 19-21, 8-6, 6-1, 6-4, an 80-game 1st-round contest
1893 - Shechita (ritual slaughtering) prohibited in Switzerland
1895 - Start of Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of Norwood Builder" (BG)
1896 - Dial telephone patented

• 1900 - Japan's primary school law is amended to provide for four years of mandatory schooling.



The Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria, South Africa.

• 1901 - Fawcett committee visits Mafeking concentration camp in Cape Colony


1908 - Congo Free State becomes Belgian Congo
1910 - US supported opposition brings down Madriz in Nicaragua
1912 - Plant Quarantine Act goes into effect
1912 - Wash Senator Carl Cushion no-hits Cleve Indians, 2-0 in 6 innings
1913 - 1st pilot to parachute from an aircraft (Adolphe Pégoud-France)
1913 - Piotr Nesterow 1st flight (Kiev Ukraine)
1914 - German General von Bulow executes 211 Belgians
1914 - -24] Battle of Bounderies: Lorraine, Ardennen, Sambre & Meuse, Mons
1914 - Battle at Gumbinnen, East-Prussia: Russian beat Germans
1914 - Battle at Morhange: German troops chase French, killing 1000s
1914 - Bavarian troops kill 50 inhabitants of Nomeny France
1914 - German army captured Brussels as the Belgian army retreated to Antwerp
1915 - White Sox obtain Joe Jackson from Cleve in exchange for Robert Roth, Larry Chappell, Ed Klepfer, & $31,500
1918 - Britain opens offensive on Western front during WW I
1919 - Wichita outfielder Joe Wilhoit (Western League) fails to get a hit, ending a 69-game streak (155 hits in 299 at bats for a .505 avg)
1920 - 1st US commercial radio station, 8MK (WWJ), Detroit begins daily broadcasting
1920 - Allen Woodring wins Oympic 200 m dash wearing borrowed shoes
1920 - Israel publishes it's 1st medical journal "Ha-Refuah"
1920 - Preliminary meeting in Akron to form American Pro Football League
1920 - Red Sox-Indians game postponed in Boston to allow Indian players to attend Ray Chapman's funeral in Cleveland
1921 - 35th US Womens Tennis: Molla B Mallory beats M Browne (46 64 62)
1922 - 1st world championship athletics for women, held in Paris
1923 - London harbor strike ends
1925 - WJR-AM in Detroit MI begins radio transmissions
1926 - Uprising against Rezā Shāh Pahlavi in Iran
1926 - Japan's public broadcasting company, Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai(NHK) is established.
1929 - 1st airship flight around Earth flying eastward completed
1930 - Bradman scores 232 in 5th Test Cricket at The Oval
1930 - Dumont's 1st TV broadcast for home reception (NYC)
1931 - 45th US Womens Tennis: Helen Moody beats Eileen Whitingstall (64 61)
1934 - Ponsford out for 266 in his final Test Cricket match
1935 - Milt coup by General Pons & president Ibarra in Ecuador
1938 - Lou Gehrig hits record 23rd & last grand slam
1939 - 1st black bowling league formed (National Bowling Assoc)


• 1939 - Russian offensive under General Zjoekov against Japanese invasion in Mongolia


1940 - 1st Polish squadrons fight along in the Battle of Britain



Statue of soldier, author and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Parliament Square, London

• During a wartime speech on this day in 1940 during World War II, as things had been looking decidedly grim for the United Kingdom, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously said of the Royal Air Force, "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." 


1941 - Police raid 11th district of Paris, takes 4,000+ Jewish males
1942 - Dim-out regulations implemented in SF
1944 - "Anna Lucasta," opens on Broadway
1944 - 26th PGA Championship: Bob Hamilton at Manito G & CC Spokane Wash




French President Charles De Gaulle

• On this day in 1944 during World War II, Gen Charles de Gaulle returned to France.


1944 - Russian offensive at Jassy & Kisjinev
1944 - US & British forces destroy German 7th Army at Falaise-Argentan Gap
1945 - Dodgers Tommy Brown, 17, is youngest player to hit a HR



1945 - Tommy Brown (Brooklyn Dodgers) became the youngest player to hit a home run in a major league ball game. Brown was 17 years, 8 months and 14 days old.   1949 - Cleveland’s Indians and Chicago’s White Sox played at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland before the largest crowd, 78,382 people, to see a nighttime major-league baseball game.   1953 - It was announced by the Soviet Union that they had detonated a hydrogen bomb.   1955 - In Morocco and Algeria hundreds of people were killed in anti-French rioting.   1955 - Colonel Horace A. Hanes, a U.S. Air Force pilot, flew to an altitude of 40,000 feet. Hanes reached a speed of 822.135 miles per hour in a Super Sabrejet.   1964 - A $1 billion anti-poverty measure was signed by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.   1967 - The New York Times reported about a noise reduction system for album and tape recording developed by technicians R. and D.W. Dolby. Elektra Record's subsidiary, Checkmate Records became the first label to use the new Dolby process in its recordings.   1968 - The Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations began invading Czechoslovakia to crush the "Prague Spring" liberalization.   1977 - Voyager 2 was launched by the United States. The spacecraft was carrying a 12 inch copper phonograph record containing greetings in dozens of languages, samples of music and sounds of nature.   1985 - The original Xerox 914 copier was presented to the Smithsonian Institute's Museum of American History. Chester Carlson was the man who invented the machine.   1991 - A rally of more that 100,000 people occurred outside the Russian parliament building to protest the coup that removed Gorbachev from power.   1997 - NATO troops seized six police stations in Banja Luka that had been held by troops controlled by former Bosnian Serb President Radovan Karadzic.   1997 - Britain began voluntary evacuation of its Caribbean island of Montserrat due to the volcanic activity of the Soufriere Hills.   1998 - Canada's Supreme Court announced that Quebec could not secede without the federal government's consent.   1998 - U.S. military forces attacked a terrorist camp in Afghanistan and a chemical plant in Sudan. Both targets were chosen for cruise missile strikes due to their connection with Osama bin Laden.   1998 - The U.N. Security Council extended trade sanctions against Iraq for blocking arms inspections.



1945 - Robert Hamilton wins PGA golf tournament
1945 - Russian troops occupy Harbin & Mukden
1945 - Tommy Brown, Bkln Dodger becomes youngest HR hitter (17)
1947 - Boston Braves hit a million attendance for 1st time
1947 - Turner Caldwell in D-558-I sets aircraft speed record, 1131 kph
1948 - 15th NFL Chicago All-Star Game: Chi Cards 28, All-Stars 0 (101,220)
1948 - US expels Soviet Consul General in New York, Jacob Lomakin
1949 - 78,382 watch White Sox play Indians at Cleveland
1949 - Hungary (Magyar People's Republic) accepts constitution
Soviet Union Premier Joseph Stalin 1952 - Stalin meets Chou Enlai
1953 - General Fazlollah Zahedi arrests premier Mossadeq of Persia
1953 - Russia publicly acknowledges hydrogen bomb test detonation
1955 - 1st airplane to exceed 1800 mph (2897 kph)-HA Hanes, Palmdale Ca
1955 - Hundreds killed in anti-French rioting in Morocco & Algeria
1956 - Republicans convene at Cow Palace


1958 - Cubs use 1st baseman Dale Long as their 1st lefty catcher since 1906

1959 - Belgium shortens conscription to 12 months
1960 - Senegal breaks from Mali federation, declaring independence
1960 - USSR recovers 2 dogs, 1st living organisms to return from space
1961 - Phillies set then dubious record of 23 straight loses, beat Braves

• 1961 - East Germany begins erecting 5' high wall along the border with the west to replace the barbed wire put up Aug 13

1962 - USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
1964 - LBJ signs anti-poverty measure totaling nearly $1 billion



Bust of American President Lyndon B. Johnson

• On this day in 1964, as part of his Great Society policies, Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act as part of his overall Great Society programs. This helped to establish the Head Start program.  

1964 - Rex Sellers bowls 5-1-17-0 v India in only Test Cricket innings
1964 - Yankee Phil Linz plays harmonica on bus despite Yogi Berra's orders
1965 - Rolling Stones release "Satisfaction" (their 1st #1 US hit)
1965 - Eddie Mathews & Hank Aaron (1954-65) pass Babe Ruth-Lou Gehrig hitting 772 HRs while playing together on the same team
1966 - Beatles pelted with rotten fruit during Memphis concert
1967 - Alvin Dark (52-69) is fired, rehired, & fired again as manager of A's
1967 - Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Women's Western Golf Open
Baseball Player Hank Aaron 1968 - 650,000 Warsaw Pact troops invade Czechoslovakia
1968 - USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1969 - 69 cm rainfall in Nelson Co., Virginia (state record)
1970 - -21] Hurricane Dorothy, kills 42 in Martinique
1971 - FBI begins covert investigation of journalist Daniel Schorr
1972 - Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Southgate Ladies Golf Open
1972 - USSR performs underground nuclear test
1974 - Brooklyn pitcher Dan Bankhead is 1st black to homer in his 1st at bat
1974 - Nelson Rockefeller becomes VP
1974 - Nolan Ryan pitch measured at record 161.6 kph (100.4 mph)

• 1975 - Il-62 crashes south of Damascus, Syria, killing 126
1975 - Viking 1 launched to orbit around Mars, soft landing


• 1977 - NASA launches Voyager 2 towards Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus & Neptune

1978 - Gunmen open fire on an Israeli El Al Airline bus in London
37th US President Richard Nixon 1978 - Mark Vinchesi of Amherst Mass keeps a frisbee aloft 15.2 seconds
1978 - Sandra Post wins LPGA Lady Stroh's Golf Open
1978 - Tatyana Providokhina runs female world record 1k (2:30.6)
1979 - India premier Charan Singh resigns
1979 - Singer Vikki Carr & Michael Nilsson wed
1979 - The East Coast Main Line rail route between England and Scotland is restored when the Penmanshiel Diversion opens.
1980 - Mt Everest climbed by Italian Reinhold Messner, alone
1980 - NY Yankee Bob Watson hits Seattle Kingdome speaker, 2nd straight day
1980 - Pitts Omar Moreno steals record 70 bases for 3rd consecutive season
1980 - Reinhold Messner of Italy is 1st to solo ascent Mt Everest
1980 - Cleve Dan Spillner, 545 ERA, is 2 outs from a no-hitter when White Sox rookie Leo Sutherland singles
1980 - UN Security Council condemns (14-0, US abstains) Israeli declaration that all of Jersualem is it's capital
1982 - Don Lever becomes 1st captain of NJ Devils
1982 - US marines land in Beirut Lebanon
1983 - Miss National Teen-Ager
1985 - 1st NL pitcher to strike out 200+ in 1st 2 seasons (Dwight Gooden)
1985 - Israel ships 96 TOWs to Iran on behalf of US
1985 - Libya throws out 1000s Tunisian/Egyptian gas workers
1985 - Met Dwight Gooden strikes out 16 on way to his 13th consecutive win
1985 - Hanspeter Beck of South Australia, finishes a 3,875 mile, 51 day trip from Western Australia to Melbourne on a unicycle
1986 - Mail carrier Patrick Sherrill, Edmond Ok, shot 14 fellow workers dead
1986 - Phils Don Carmen perfect game bid is broken in 9th
1988 - 6.5 earthquake strikes India/Nepal, 1,000s killed
1988 - Yordanka Donkova of Bulgaria sets 100m hurdle woman's record (12.21)
1988 - "Black Saturday" of the Yellowstone fire in Yellowstone National Park
1988 - Peru becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.
1989 - Aak crashes into pleasure boat The Margin on the Thames, 51 killed
1989 - Howard Johnson joins B Bonds & W Mays to hit 30 HRs & steal 30 bases
1989 - Janet B Evans swims female world record 800m freestyle (8:16.22)
1989 - Said Aouita runs world record 3000 m (7:29.45)
1990 - Gene Michael names NY Yankee VP/GM replacing Harding Peterson
New York Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner 1990 - George Steinbrenner steps down as NY Yankee owner
1990 - Iraq moves Western hostages to military installations (human shields)
1990 - NY Yankee Kevin Mass is quickest to reach 15 HRs (approx 132 at bat)
1991 - After the attempted coup in the Soviet Union, Estonia declares
1991 - Norbert Rosza swims world record 100m breast stroke (1:01.29)
1991 - Dolphin Dan Marino surpasses Joe Montana as the highest paid NFL player with a 5-year extension for $25 million

• 1991 - Estonia declares it's independence from USSR itself independent


1992 - England get 7-363 in 55 overs vs Pakistan, then world ODI record
1993 - Colin Jackson runs world record 110m hurdles (12.91)
1993 - Howard Stern is fired from WLUP-AM, Chicago
1993 - Mother Teresa hospitalized with malaria
1993 - After rounds of secret negotiations in Norway, the Oslo Peace Accords are signed, followed by a public ceremony in Washington, D.C. the following month.
1994 - 109.8°F (43.2°C) in Cordoba Spain
1994 - Archbishop Quarracino wants all homosexuals to leave Argentina
1994 - Ferry boat sinks at Chandpur Bangladesh, 300-350 killed
Catholic Missionary Mother Teresa 1995 - "Play's the Thing" closes at Criterion Theater NYC after 75 perfs
1995 - Indians' Jose Mesa sets record with his 37th consecutive save
1995 - Kerrie Webb wins LPGA Weetabix Women's British Golf Open
1996 - India defeat Pakistan in Under-15 World Challenge Final at Lord's
1997 - Shelly Moore, 18, of Tenn, crowned 15th Miss Teen USA
1997 - Souhane massacre in Algeria; over 60 people are killed and 15 kidnapped.
1998 - The Supreme Court of Canada rules that Quebec cannot legally secede from Canada without the federal government's approval.
1998 - U.S. embassy bombings: the United States military launches cruise missile attacks against alleged al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan and a suspected chemical plant in Sudan in retaliation for the August 7 bombings of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory in Khartoum is destroyed in the attack.


2002 - A group of Iraqis opposed to the regime of Saddam Hussein take over the Iraqi Embassy in Berlin for five hours before releasing their hostages and surrendering.

2008 - Spanair Flight 5022, from Madrid to Gran Canaria, skids off the runway and crashes at Barajas Airport. 146 people are killed in the crash, 8 more die afterwards. Only 18 people survive.
2012 - 20 people are killed in a riot in Caracas, Venezuela
2012 - South Africa become the top-ranked test cricket nation after defeating England




1641 - Scotland and Britain signed the Treaty of Pacification.   1741 - Danish navigator Vitus Jonas Bering discovered Alaska.   1862 - Horace Greeley's "The Prayer of Twenty Millions" was published.   1866 - The National Labor Union in the U.S. advocated an eight-hour workday.   1866 - It was formally declared by U.S. President Andrew Johnson that the American Civil War was over. The fighting had stopped months earlier.   1882 - Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" debuted in Moscow.   1885 - "The Mikado", by Gilbert and Sullivan, opened at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City.   1914 - German forces occupied Brussels, Belgium, during World War I.   1918 - The British opened its Western Front offensive during World War I.   1923 - The first American dirigible, the "Shenandoah," was launched in Lakehurst, NJ. The ship began its maiden voyage from the same location on September 4.   1939 - The National Bowling Association was founded in Detroit, MI. It was the first bowling association in the U.S. for African-Americans.   1940 - France fell to the Germans during World War II.   1945 - Tommy Brown (Brooklyn Dodgers) became the youngest player to hit a home run in a major league ball game. Brown was 17 years, 8 months and 14 days old.   1949 - Cleveland’s Indians and Chicago’s White Sox played at Municipal Stadium in Cleveland before the largest crowd, 78,382 people, to see a nighttime major-league baseball game.   1953 - It was announced by the Soviet Union that they had detonated a hydrogen bomb.   1955 - In Morocco and Algeria hundreds of people were killed in anti-French rioting.   1955 - Colonel Horace A. Hanes, a U.S. Air Force pilot, flew to an altitude of 40,000 feet. Hanes reached a speed of 822.135 miles per hour in a Super Sabrejet.   1964 - A $1 billion anti-poverty measure was signed by U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.   1967 - The New York Times reported about a noise reduction system for album and tape recording developed by technicians R. and D.W. Dolby. Elektra Record's subsidiary, Checkmate Records became the first label to use the new Dolby process in its recordings.   1968 - The Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations began invading Czechoslovakia to crush the "Prague Spring" liberalization.   1977 - Voyager 2 was launched by the United States. The spacecraft was carrying a 12 inch copper phonograph record containing greetings in dozens of languages, samples of music and sounds of nature.   1985 - The original Xerox 914 copier was presented to the Smithsonian Institute's Museum of American History. Chester Carlson was the man who invented the machine.   1991 - A rally of more that 100,000 people occurred outside the Russian parliament building to protest the coup that removed Gorbachev from power.   1997 - NATO troops seized six police stations in Banja Luka that had been held by troops controlled by former Bosnian Serb President Radovan Karadzic.   1997 - Britain began voluntary evacuation of its Caribbean island of Montserrat due to the volcanic activity of the Soufriere Hills.   1998 - Canada's Supreme Court announced that Quebec could not secede without the federal government's consent.   1998 - U.S. military forces attacked a terrorist camp in Afghanistan and a chemical plant in Sudan. Both targets were chosen for cruise missile strikes due to their connection with Osama bin Laden.   1998 - The U.N. Security Council extended trade sanctions against Iraq for blocking arms inspections.


1964 As part of his Great Society policies, Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act which, among other things, established the Head Start program.  1968 The Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations invaded Czechoslovakia.  1977 The space probe Voyager 2 was launched. It continues to explore to this day, and is now more than 7 billion miles from Earth.  1980 Italian Reinhold Messner made the first successful solo ascent of Mount Everest and without oxygen.  1998 U.S. cruise missiles hit suspected terrorist bases in Afghanistan and the Sudan.  2000 Tiger Woods won the PGA Championship becoming the first player since Ben Hogan in 1953 to win three majors in one year.



The following links are to web sites that were used to complete this blog entry:

http://on-this-day.com/onthisday/thedays/alldays/aug20.htm