Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Zinedine Zidane Is Now Officially France's Next Coach

 

  

France wore their blue (home) jerseys for the Final, along with their traditional white shorts and red socks. Brazil wore their distinctive yellow/gold jerseys with blue shorts. 



Okay, that was weird.

Could have sworn that this became official a couple of weeks ago, when I first posted it. Yet yesterday and today, the headlines were dominating about Zidane officially becoming the coach. He said that he had turned down opportunities over the past several years so that he could become coach of France. This was the job he always wanted, and he intends to make France a winner.

Sounds good. 

Well, the rumors were going around for quite some time. Possibly since as long as Didier Deschamps announced that he would step down as France's coach following this World Cup, regardless of the results. 

Now it is official. Zinedine Zidane will be the new head coach for France now that Didier Deschamps is stepping down. The two men were both players on the 1998 team that won the first ever World Cup championship for France, as well as the Euro 2000.

Deschamps also won the 2018 World Cup as the coach for the winning French side, which also qualified for the 2016 Euro Final and the 2022 World Cup Final.

The results were a bit different this time around. France was considered by many to be the favorites in the tournament, and even looked the part for much of their run. But they ran into a Spanish wall of defense a few days ago, ending their hopes of taking home another World Cup championship.

Later today, they will face England in the consolation third place game. After that, Zidane will step in to try and bring Les Bleus back to the top.




Zidane confirmed as France head coach Zinedine Zidane looking on at a news conference Image source,Getty Images Image caption, Zinedine Zidane won the Champions League three times as Real Madrid manager  ByCharlotte Coates, BBC Sport journalist and Emma Smith, BBC Sport journalist Published 28 July 2026

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cpd741qn2y9o

Zinedine Zidane: Former Real Madrid manager appointed as France head coach - BBC Sport



France announce Zinedine Zidane as new coach, replacing Didier Deschamps by Alex Kirkland, Jul 28, 2026:

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49431120/france-announce-zinedine-zidane-new-coach-replacing-didier-deschamps

France announce Zinedine Zidane as new coach, replacing Didier Deschamps - ESPN

Video Reflects on Worldwide Perception That Americans Are Brainwashed

When I was a kid, my father was very vocal in his criticisms of what the United States was doing here and around the world. He said that American political thinking relied on a certain naivete among the populace, and outright shadiness and corruption within the marbled halls of Washington. 

Being an American, it sometimes felt embarrassing or painful to hear. Other countries never received anywhere near as much criticism as my own did. Yet, he was not wrong, and often knew more of these obscure facts and news stories than anyone I knew. 

What this did was make me think more critically about the country. It made me recognize some things which, in retrospect, probably made me very different than the vast majority of my classmates. Firstly, it stripped me of the illusion that we Americans were, as a former eighth grade history teacher taught us, "the good guys in the white hats." My understanding of the realities in this country were already far more nuanced than that while I was still a kid.

Also, it made me aware that the rest of the world often did things differently. But that did not necessarily mean worse. In fact, often quite the opposite. He kept stressing in particular how in every western European country, healthcare was taken care of, that nobody went broke because they could not afford their medical bills. Or that Europeans had far more paid vacation time guaranteed than Americans had. Or that paid maternity leave and other things that benefited average people in a real and measurable way were taken care of or much cheaper there than it was here in the United States.

In short, that the "America way" was far from the only way to do things and, frankly, sometimes was not really the best way to do things.

Yet for many Americans - and I am talking about full grown adults here - some of these things would still be harsh wakeup calls. I know some people - and this includes college educated classmates of mine - who would not take too kindly to any kind of suggestion that other parts of the world might do some things better than we do here in the United States. Literally, they believe that the United States is the best in pretty much all categories, regardless of what it is.

And that, my friends, is the result of brainwashing.

More and more Americans are coming to grips with the idea that, yes, they indeed have been brainwashed into believing certain things about their own country. That some of the stuff that we take as perfectly normal here - things like, say, the pledge of allegiance - looks downright bizarre and even creepy to the rest of the world.

In recent years, it feels like some Americans respond almost violently to any suggestions that this country is not on top of the world in every way. That in short, we are better and doing things in a superior manner that the rest of the world watches with envy, and would do well to emulate.

To me, when I learn that some people might actually do things better than we Americans tend to do here, I feel that it is worth taking a note and thinking about. Not just the things I mentioned above, like affordable and universal healthcare. When I see Japanese World Cup fans cleaning up after themselves in stadiums, it seems to me that we - not just Americans, but we westerners more generally - can learn from that. When I heard that there is a holiday in Iceland where books are exchanged, and then you spend the rest of the evening together as a family reading those books, that feels like a charming tradition that we might also have here.

Why not?

In short, I feel we should be more aware, more mindful, of the way we do things and if there are not perhaps better ways of doing things. Instead of taking offense when they seem to do some things better elsewhere, maybe we can learn. They have done half the work for us by providing a better example of what direction we can take.

Recently, I watched this video, which was very well done and made some of these points quite well and reasonably. It is thought-provoking. Frankly, I feel we might already be a better country if more Americans were exposed to this kind of questioning of their own, normally unchallenged traditions, as well as an understanding of how these things may look from an outside perspective.

Take a look. Also, please feel free to share any thoughts you may have.

Enjoy.



Why the Rest of the World Thinks Americans Are Brainwashed Holy Koolaid Holy Koolaid

https://youtu.be/x5baPn6SAQA?si=bauYvPqyPF33uAO-

Why the Rest of the World Thinks Americans Are Brainwashed

July 29th: 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!



On this day in 362, Emperor Julianus of Constantinople terminated education laws. 

In 626 on this day, Avaren/Slaves under Khagan Bajan began a siege of Constantinople. 

On this day in 904, Thessalonica was sacked by Saracen pirates led by the renegade Leo of Tripoli. 

The Battle of Strumitsa-Valley was fought on this day in 1014, when Byzantine destroyed Bulgarian armies. The Battle at Stiklestad (Trondheim) was fought on this day in 1030. 

On this day in 1179, Lando Sittino was proclaimed Antipope Innocent III. 

On this day in 1560, the Ottoman fleet recaptured Djerba on Spanjaarden. In 1563 on this day, the League of High Nobles routed King Philip II. 

On this day in 1567, James VI was crowned King of Scots at Stirling. On this day in 1579, Antwerp requested a union with Utrecht. 

In 1579 on this day, King Philip II arrested plotters Antonio Perez & Princess van Eboli. In 1585 on this day, Friese Academy opened. The English defeated the Spanish Armada in the Battle of Gravelines on this day in 1588. 

The troops of Duke Farneses were ready the for invasion of England on this day in 1588. 

A Dutch fleet under Johannes van Walbeeck landed on Curacao on this day in 1634. In 1655 on this day, the biggest town hall in the world opened in Amsterdam. 

On this day in 1676, Nathaniel Bacon was declared a rebel for assembling frontiersmen to protect settlers from Indians. 

On this day in 1693, in the War of the Grand Alliance, the Battle of Landen/Neerwinden took place on this day. France's Pyrrhic victory over the Allied forces in the Netherlands. 



Louis XIV, the "Sun King" of France







On this day in 1696, French King Louis XIV & Victor Amadeua van Savoye signed a peace treaty. 







In 1715 on this day, 10 Spanish treasure galleons were sunk off the Florida coast by a hurricane. 

In 1751 on this day came the first international world title prize fight when Jack Stack of England defeated challenger M Petit of France in 29 mins in England. 

In 1754 on this day, the first international boxing match was held. The 25-minute match was won when Jack Slack of Britain knocked out Jean Petit from France. 

On this day in 1773, the first schoolhouse to be located west of the Allegheny Mountains was built in Schoenbrunn, Ohio. 

On this day in 1783, the Skaptar Volcano in Iceland erupted and killed about 9,000 people. 

On this day in 1786,  "The Pittsburgh Gazette" became the first newspaper west of the Alleghenies to be published. The paper's name was later changed to "The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette." 

On this day in 1793, John Graves Simcoe built a fort and settlement on the site of what would later become the city of Toronto, having sailed into the bay there previously. 

The first sugar plantation in Hawaii began on this day in 1835.










Pictures taken of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris from our 2019 trip there. The Arc de Triomphe was inaugurated on this day in 1836.


The Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. came on this day in 1836.









The Cumberland School of Law was founded on this day in 1847 in Lebanon, Tennessee, USA. By the end of 1847, there were only 15 law schools which existed in the United States. 

On this day in 1848 during the Irish Potato Famine came the Tipperary Revolt. In Tipperary, there was an unsuccessful nationalist revolt against British rule that was ultimately put down by police. 

On this day in 1851, Annibale de Gasparis discovered the asteroid 15 Eunomia. On this day in 1858, the Treaty of Amity and Commerce/Harris Treaty was signed between US & Japan, which opened Japanese ports to trade. 

This day in 1864 was a busy one in the American Civil War. It marked the third & final day of the Battle at Deep Bottom Run, Virginia. Also on this day in 1864, the American Civil War Battle of Macon, GA (Stoneman's Raid). Finally on this day in 1864 on a busy day for the American Civil War, the Confederate spy Belle Boyd was arrested by Union troops and detained at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, DC. On this day in 1874 , Major Walter Copton Winfield of England received a U.S. patent for the lawn-tennis court. Artist Vincent van Gogh died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on this day in 1890 in Auvers, France.On this day in 1899, the First Hague Convention was signed. In Italy on this day in 1900, King Umberto I of Italy was assassinated by Italian-born anarchist Gaetano Bresci. The Union of Orthodox Rabbis of US & Canada formed on this day in 1902. On this ay in 1907, there was the first helicopter ascent in Douai, France. Sir Robert Baden-Powell formed the Boy Scouts in England on this day in 1907.Albania won it's sovereignty on this day in 1913 under Prince Wilhelm von Wied. 

On this day in 1914, World War I really started to get underway when Austria-Hungary bombed Belgrade, and Russia mobilized troops along the border it shared with Austria-Hungary. Also on that same day, a British fleet leaving Portland/passed the Straits of Dover. Also on this day in 1914, and separate from Worl War I, the first transcontinental telephone service started when two people held a conversation between New York City, New York, and San Francisco, California. On this day in 1920 came the first transcontinental airmail flight from New York to San Francisco. Mexican rebel leader Pancho Villa surrendered on this day in 1920. Construction of the Link River Dam began on this day in 1920 as part of the Klamath Reclamation Project. Adolf Hitler became the leader of the National Socialist German Worker's Party (Nazi Party) on this day in 1921. Albert Einstein spoke on pacifism in Berlin on this day in 1923. Also on this day in 1923, the KPD held a struggle day against fascism in Germany On this day in 1927, the first iron lung was installed (Bellevue Hospital, NY). On this day in 1932 during the Great Depression in Washington, DC, U.S. troops dispersed the last of the "Bonus Army" of World War I veterans. On this day in 1936, RCA showed the first real TV program (dancing, film on locomotives, Bonwit Teller fashion show & monologue from Tobacco Road & comedy). Japanese troops occupied Peking (present day Beijing) & Tientsin on this day in 1937. Also on this day in China in 1937 occurred the Tongzhou Mutiny, which is also known as the Tongzhou Massacre, which was an orchestrated attack on Japanese civilians and troops by the collaborationist East Hebei Army in Tongzhou, China. Olympic National Park in  the state of Washington formed on this day in 1938. 

One million residents fled Hamburg, Germany, on this day in 1943 following a massive firebombing. Also on this day in 1943, Nazi's evacuated Hollandsche Theater in Amsterdam. Allied Air Force bombed Germany for six hours on this day in 1944. 

Also on this day in 1944, the US 4th Armour Division occupied Avranches. 

After delivering the atomic bomb across the Pacific, the cruiser USS Indianapolis is torpedoed & sunk by a Japanese submarine on this day in 1945. 

The Berlin Airlift to serve as a lifeline for West Berlin ended on this day in 1948. On this day in 1952, the first nonstop Trans-Pacific flight by a jet

On this day in 1953, US bombers were shot down north of Wladiwostok (Vlodivostok), in what was then the USSR). 

Jacques Cousteau's Calypso anchored in 7,500 m of water (record) on this day in 1956. 

On this day in 1957, the International Atomic Energy Agency was established by the UN. 



General Dwight Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States

On this day in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was authorized by the U.S. Congress, and signed into law by  US President Eisenhower. 





On this day in 1959, the first United States Congress elections in Hawaii as a new state of the Union were held. In 1961 on this day, Wallis & Futuna Islands became a French Overseas Territory. 


    

The Beatles movie "Help" premiered in London on this day in 1965, with Queen Elizabeth in attendance. 











Gemini 5 returned after 12d 7h 11m 53s on this day in 1965. 

On this day in 1966, Nigeria's Chief of Staff Jakubu Gowon attempted a coup

A fire aboard the carrier USS Forrestal in the Gulf of Tonkin killed 134 on this day in 1967. 

Gram Parsons refused to play with the Byrds, who were set to play to racially segregated audiences on this day in 1968 in South Africa. He did this in protest against apartheid. Parsons would ultimately leave the band as a result of this. 

Also on this day in 1968, Mount Arenal in Costa Rica killed 80 people in a Pelee-type eruption. With the In Humanae Vitae (of Human Life), Pope Paul VI reaffirmed the Catholic Church's prohibition on artificial methods of birth control on this day in 1968. 

Mariner 6 began transmitting far-encounter photos of Mars on this day in 1969. Six days of race rioting broke out on this day in 1970 in Hartford, Connecticut. 

A Greek plebiscite held on this day in 1973 saw voters choosing a republic over monarchy. On this day in 1974 came the second impeachment vote against Nixon by House Judiciary Committee. Also on this day in 1974, the Episcopal Church ordained female priests



 

Auschwitz Concentration Camp

 

Gerald Ford became the first US president to visit the Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp on this day in 1945. 







There was a military coup in Nigeria on this day in 1975 by General Mohammed, which removed President Jakubu Gowon from office. 



The OAS (Organization of American States) members voted to lift collective sanctions against Cuba on this day in 1975. The U.S. government welcomed the action and announced it's intention to open serious discussions with Cuba on normalization. 

In 1976 on this day in New York City, the "Son of Sam" killed one person and seriously wounded another in the first of a series of attacks. 

On this day in 1978, Pioneer 11 transmitted images of Saturn & its rings. On this day in 1981, Iran's ex-President Bani Sadr fled to Paris

"Friday Night Videos" had it's premiere broadcast on NBC TV on this day in 1983. 



Flag of the Olympics

The XXIII Summer Olympics opened in Los Angeles on this day in 1984. 










The 19th Space Shuttle Mission (51-F)-Challenger 8 was launched on this day in 1985. 

General Motors announced that Spring Hill, TN, would be the home of the Saturn automobile assembly plant on this day in 1985. 

A bomb attack in West-Beirut on this day in 1986 killed 30. 


On this day in 1986, a jury in New York ruled against the NFL, finding that it had violated antitrust laws, and infamously awarded the USFL $1 in damages.  

The FDIC bailed out First Republic Bank in Dallas with $4 billion on this day in 1988. Also on this day in 1988, Soviet Premiere Mikhail Gorbachev pushed for a plan electing president & parliament in March of 1989. A judge ordered NASA to release an unedited tape from the Challenger cockpit on this day in 1988. 







Flag of South Africa during the apartheid era

Finally on this day in 1988, the white minority apartheid government of South Africa banned the anti-apartheid film "Cry Freedom." 

On this day in 1990, the South Africa Communist Party began it's first legal conference. 





The Israeli Supreme Court acquitted retired Ohio autoworker John Demjanjuk of being Nazi death camp guard "Ivan the Terrible" on this day in 1993. As a result, his death sentence was thrown out and he was set free. 200,000 Muslims demanded death to feminist Taslima Nasrin on this day in 1994. Also on this day in 1994, corrupt Italian ex-premier Craxi was given an 8½ year jail sentence. Jan Hendrik Albert "Henny" Eman and his People's Party won the parliamentary election, and he rose to become the Prime Minister of Aruba for a second time on this day in 1994. The Indian army killed 27 Muslim militants on this day in 1994. 


Jesse Timmedequas raped & murdered Megan Kanka, who was only seven years old, on this day in 1994 in Hamilton, New Jersey. This would lead to Megan's Law, which required law enforcement to disclose the location of registered sex offenders, which was designed to protect local communities. The controversial child protection portion of the Communications Decency Act (1996) was struck down  on this day in 1996, as it was deemed too broad by a U.S. federal court. On this day in 1997, Minamata Bay in Japan was declared free of mercury 40 years after contaminated food fish were blamed for deaths and birth defects. 

The United Auto Workers union ended a 54-day strike against General Motors on this day in 1998. The strike had caused $2.8 billion of lost revenues. 

Astronomers announced that they had discovered a new planet (Xena), which was larger than Pluto, orbiting around the sun on this day in 2005. 

Tropical Storm Khanun killed 88 people and left 60,000 people homeless in North Korea on this day in 2012.

Tuesday, July 28, 2026

⚽️FIFA Deserves Some Crap For Their Transparent De Facto Support of Argentina⚽️

 



Argentina was never my favorite team in international tournaments. But in 2022, I began to grow a bit tired of them. By 2024, after that stupid song they chanted after winning the Copa America, I began to actively root against them.

After this World Cup, I honestly cannot stand them anymore. They have become far and away the international side which I least respect and want to see enjoy any success.

The thing is, FIFA sure seemed to love them. The refs always seemed to side with Argentina in every major controversial call. It began to not only be obvious, but obnoxious beyond anything that I had seen before in team sports. That a high-profile team will get calls to go in their favor is to be expected. But it was so blatant, and so unfair, during this past World Cup that it got to be, frankly, disgusting. 

There should be some ramifications. I mean, serious ramifications. They thrust a frankly undeserving Argentina side on the whole world. Frankly, it felt like Argentina could and should have been eliminated against Cape Verde and then especially against Egypt, a side who truly got robbed. Still, Argentina got the calls to go their way against Switzerland and Spain.

So I am glad that they lost. So, apparently, is much of the rest of the world.

Let's get a break from Argentina for a nice, looooong time after this okay?






FIFA Faces Massive Backlash As Argentina Players Get Banned After World Cup Final by Goal Rivals 

https://youtu.be/gDtQD0xdCs4?si=1BehZkVOEzc9u5Go

FIFA Faces Massive Backlash As Argentina Players Get Banned After World Cup Final

Some Relevant & Provocative Thoughts From One of the Founding Fathers

 

Statue of Thomas Paine at Burnam Park in, Morristown, New Jersey


"Men who look upon themselves born to reign, and others to obey, soon grow insolent. Selected from the rest of mankind, their minds are early poisoned by importance; and the world they act in differs so materially from the world at large, that they have but little opportunity of knowing its true interests, and when they succeed in the government are frequently the most ignorant and unfit of any throughout the dominions." 

~ Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776     


“A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody.”  
― Thomas Paine


:The mind once enlightened cannot again become dark."
 -       Thomas Paine


“It is the duty of every man, as far as his ability extends, to detect and expose delusion and error.”  
— Thomas Paine


“One good schoolmaster is of more use than a hundred priests.”  
~ Thomas Paine     


By now, everyone knows that this year marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States. Just weeks ago as I write this, the Declaration of Independence reached a quarter of a millennia in age. Of course, this was cause for celebration.

Yet it seemed to me that the celebrations were more muted, more reserved, than they otherwise might have been under slightly different circumstances. When I was young, I remember seeing - and sometimes even hearing - things about the bicentennial celebrations in the country back in 1976. It seemed that the celebrations back then were more sincere, more heartfelt and universal. That did not mean that we did not have our share of problems back then. Of course we did. Yet as a nation, we were not nearly as polarizing as we appear to be these days.

This time around, things just felt very different. That felt fairly universal. Both around the world, as well as right here in the United States, it felt like the recognition of this landmark occasion, as well as the celebrations, were toned down, muted considerably from what you might normally expect them to have been.

Of course, there are reasons for this. Everyone has an opinion on it. I myself have discussed and elaborated on what I feel the reasons are in previously published posts here. So I will not repeat myself or get into far more details regarding my own opinions here now. 

However, the point is that it felt a lot more subdued than I had imagined it for a long time. Throughout my life, I had expected the 250th to be even bigger than the bicentennial celebrations had been back in 1976, when I was still mostly just a baby. But it felt like people were not so much in a mood to celebrate. That included me.

Still, it is a special occasion. And one where we might look towards the Founding Fathers, flawed as they all might have been, and to recognize that there is nevertheless some wisdom and guidance that they can offer us now. After all, the situation is not radically different than the one which they faced. It is just that the tyranny is much closer to home now, not across an ocean. The problems that this country is currently facing, and which are growing in severity with each passing day, are entirely home grown and self-inflicted. Nobody outside forced any of this on us. 

We seem to be learning - very, very slowly, but gradually learning - that not everything in American history was as rosy and pure and innocent as we had been taught as kids. That includes our portrayals of the Founding Fathers, who were not deities and infallible. Rather, they were flawed men who nevertheless were able to bring out the best in themselves in certain ways to lead the birth of a country that had the opportunity to grow freer over time.

One of my favorite Founding Fathers - and one who I long felt was underrated and too often overlooked - is Thomas Paine. He was one of the relatively few Founding Fathers who was opposed to slavery. And his writings truly stirred the imagination of revolutionaries at the time. He also moved to Paris and was active in the French Revolution. 

Paine seems to have been largely forgotten. Or at least relegated to secondary status. Names and stories endure with other major figures during that time, including Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Madison, Adams, and Lafayette. Yet, we rarely hear much about Paine, and I know of no towns or streets or buildings named after him. There is one Thomas Paine statue that I know of, and it is in Morristown. Some pictures are included below.

Meanwhile, here are a couple of quotes which I recently came across and felt were worth sharing here. Quite thought-provoking.

Take a look:



"He who is the author of a war, lets loose the whole contagion of hell, and opens a vein that bleeds a nation to death." 

~ Thomas Paine, The American Crisis 5, 1778 


“All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.” 

~ Thomas Paine, 1794

















July 28th: This Date 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!





The Battle at Aquileja was fought on this day in 388, when Emperor Theodosius defeated Emperor Magnus Maximis. 

On this day in 754, Pope Stephen II, [III] made Pippin de Korte the King of France. Crusaders attacked Damascus on this day in 1148.

The Battle at Ancyra/Angora/Ankara was fought on this day in 1402, when Timur Lenk defeated Sultan Bajezid I. Navigator Gil Eanes left Cape Bojador for Lisbon, Portugal, on this day in 1434. 

On this day in1540, King Henry VIII of England's chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, was executed and Henry married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard. 

Cardinal Granvelle returned to Madrid on this day in 1579. 

Sir Thomas Harriot introduced the potato to Britain and Europe from the Americas on this day in 1586. They would arguably become bigger in Europe than in the Americas, being cheap and easy to grow. The Spanish Armada sailed to overthrow England's Queen Elizabeth I on this day in 1588.

On this day in 1609, Admiral George Somers settled in Bermuda.Spanish Marshal Piccolomini conquered Schenkenschans on this day in 1635. 

On this day in 1696, De Croissy succeeded Le Plectia as French Minister of Finance. Monarch Amengkurat II [Sunan Mas] of Mataram gave himself up to VOC on this day in 1708. 

Prussian King Frederik Willem I gave compulsory education to 5-12 year olds on this day in 1717. 

Captain Bering found Mount St Elias in Alaska on this day in 1741. 

In 1742 on this day, Prussia & Austria signed a peace treaty. 




Picture of a bust of composer Johann S Bach

On this day in 1750, the great baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach died after an unsuccessful eye operation. 


Bust of the "Incorruptible" French Revolutionary Maximilien Robespierre

The Coup of Thermidor and the Fall of Robespierre in Paris came on this day in 1794. Robespierre is largely considered to have been the main architect of "The Terror" during the French Revolution. 
The Terror chapter of the French Revolution ended on this day in 1794 when Robespierre, one of the leading figures of the French Revolution and the man most credit with being behind "The Terror," was himself sent to the guillotine. There were 22 others who were labelled terrorists who also were executed to thunderous cheers. One of those executed was Louis Antoine Léon de Saint-Just, Robespierre's closest allies and enablers. 


Mahmud II succeeded Mahmud II succeeds Mustafa IV as sultan of Turkey on this day in 1808. Peru declared independence from Spain on this day in 1821 (National Day). 

On this day in 1849, the Memmon becomes the first clipper to reach San Francisco, 120 days out of New York. 

A total solar eclipse was captured on this day in 1851 on a daguerreotype photograph. On this day in 1858, the first use fingerprints as a means of identification was made by Sir William James Herschel of the Indian Civil Service in India. 

Nadar took the first airborne photo (in a balloon) on this day in 1858. 

Confederate forces were defeated at More's Hill, Missouri, on this day in 1862. 

This day in 1864 marked the second day of battle at Deep Bottom Run, Virginia. On that same day in 1864 was the Battle of Atlanta: GA (Ezra Church) - marking the second sortie US700 CS4642. On this day in 1865, the American Dental Association proposed it's first code of ethics. 

The metric system was legalized by the United States. Congress for the standardization of weights and measures throughout the United States on this day in 1866. 

The 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which established the citizenship of African Americans and guaranteed due process of law, was ratified on this day in 1868. 

Shocks triggered by volcano Epomeo (Isle of Ischia, Italy) on this day in 1883 destroyed 1,200 houses and killing 2,000  at Casamicciola. English Salisbury government formed on this day in 1886. 

On this day in 1896, the city of Miami was incorporated. 

Spanish troops in Ponce, Puerto Rico, surrendered on this day in 1898. 

This day in 1898 marked the start of Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of Retired Colourman."  The hamburger was created on this day in 1900 by Louis Lassing in Connecticut.

World War I officially began on this date in 1914 when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia.. At the time, that was the biggest war in human history, but on that particular date, there were celebrations on the streets from all of the major participants. Everyone expected a quick and decisive victory in their own favor. But they were in for a rude awakening, as the war quickly became a stalemate, with millions of men living under hellish conditions in the trenches on either side of the "No Man's Land" that separated the warring sides. That was surely the biggest event that occurred on this day in history, but it was far from being the only significant event. 

On this day in 1915, 10,000 blacks marched on 5th Ave (NYC) protesting lynchings. US forces invaded Haiti on this day in 1915, and stayed until 1924. On this day in 1917, there was a Silent Parade in NYC to protest murders of blacks in race riots. 

Vrije Vakbewegings Internationale (VVI) formed in Amsterdam on this day in 1919. On this day in 1926, there was would be a US & Panamanian pact about safeguarding the Panama Canal. 

This day in 1928 marked the opening of the IXth Olympic Games open in Amsterdam. 

On this day in 1932, American President Herbert Hoover ordered Douglas MacArthur to evict "Bonus Army" of unemployed World War I veterans who had gathered in Washington. They were demanding money that they were not scheduled to receive until 1945. A battle ensued between the veterans and federal troops, which four ultimately dying. 

Spain officially recognized the USSR on this day in 1933. 

Plans for the Pentagon were approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on this day in 1941..Nazis liquidated 10,000 Jews in the Minsk Ghetto in occupied Belorussia on this day in 1942. 

On that same day in 1942, Zionists partisans ZOB formed in Poland 

Italian Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini resigned on this day in 1943. 






Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C.


President FDR announced an end to coffee rationing in US on this day in 1943. Operation Gomorrah fell on this day in 1943, when the British bombed Hamburg, causing a firestorm that killed 42,000 German civilians. 

Hitler routed 4 division of South France to Normandy on this day in 1944. The US 8th Army occupied Coutances, France, on this day in 1944. 

Japanese Premier Suzuki ignored a US ultimatum to surrender on this day in 1945. On this day in 1945, the US Senate ratified the United Nations Charter by a count of 89-2. 









Some day shots of the Empire State Building in Manhattan (above) and a picture of the iconic landmark lit up at night (below).




On this day in 1945, a U.S. Army bomber crashed into the 79th floor of New York City's Empire State Building. 

14 people were killed and 26 were injured. Iuliu Maniu's Boer partywas outlawed on this day in 1947 in Romania 

On this day in 1948, an I G Farben chemical plant exploded in Ludwigshafen, Germany, killing 182. 

On this day in 1955, the Union Mundial pro Interlingua is founded at the first Interlingua congress in Tours, France. 

Heavy rains caused a mudslide on this day in 1957 in Isahaya, western Kyūshū, Japan, killing 992. 

Great-Britain started using postal codes on this day in 1959.  

Hawaii's first US election sent the first Asian-Americans to Congress on this day in 1959. 

On this day in 1962, Mariner I that had been launched to Mars fell into the Atlantic Ocean. On this day in 1964, Ranger 7 launched toward the Moon; and sent back 4308 TV pictures. 




Bust of American President Lyndon B. Johnson

American President Lyndon Johnson on this day in 1965 announced that he was increasing the number of American troops in South Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000. 


On this day in 1973, Skylab 3's astronauts (Bean, Garriott & Lousma) launched. 

69 people were killed on this day in 19674 when a packed bus struck a heavy truck in Belem, Brazil. 

On this day in 1976, 242,000 people died in Tientsin-Tangshan (China) following an 8.2 magnitude earthquake. On this day in 1978, the price of gold topped $200-an-ounce for the first time. Peru adopted a new constitution on tis day in 1980, and, Fernando Belaúnde Terry became President. The city of San Francisco became the first city in the U.S. to ban handguns on this day in 1982..NASA launched the Telstar-3A on this day in 1983. 


Flag of the Olympics
The XXIII modern Olympic games opened in Los Angeles on this day in 1984. 

On this day in 1985, Alan Garcia was sworn in as president of Peru. 

There was a bomb attack in East Beirut on this day in 1986, with 25 killed as a result.

On this day in 1986, NASA released transcripts from the doomed Challenger, pilot Michael Smith could be heard saying, "Uh-oh!" as spacecraft disintegrated. 

Israeli diplomats arrived in Moscow for their first visit in 21 years on this day in 1988.

Jordan canceled a $1.3 billion development plan in West Bank on this day in 1988. 





Also on this day in 1988, Winnie Mandella's home in Soweto, South Africa was destroyed by arson. 

On this dayin 1989, NASA's Lewis Research Center, in Cleveland, Ohio, announced new high-temperature superconductors were able to operate at 33 to 37 Gigahertz. Alberto Fujimoro was installed as President of Peru on this day in 1990. 

A blackout hit Chicao on this day in 1990. 




Cleveland - Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame



Now we're at the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, Ohio



My son rocking out in front of the Hall!







Straight up night shot of Rock Hall of Fame, Cleveland




Another angle of the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame, this one looking out to Lake Erie in the distance, stretching out behind the building.



Pretty cool pic of my son many years ago in front of the Rock Hall of Fame in Cleveland


On this day in 1994, the last steel beam was put into place on Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. 

Kennewick Man, the remains of a prehistoric man, was discovered near Kennewick, Washington, on this day in 1996. 

Bell Atlantic and GTE announced a $52 billion deal that created the second-largest phone company on this day in 1998. 

Serbian military forces seized the Kosovo town of Malisevo on this day in 1998. 

Also on this day in 1998, Monica Lewinsky received blanket immunity from prosecution to testify before a grand jury about her relationship with American President Bill Clinton. 

In 2000 on this day, ana US Federal Appeals court granted a last minute stay of an injunction that ordered Napster, Inc., to shut down. The order to stop operations came on July 26, 2000. 

On this day in 2002, nine coal miners who had been trapped in the flooded Quecreek Mine in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, are rescued after being trapped for 77 hours underground. 

The Provisional Irish Republican Army called an end to their thirty year long armed campaign in Northern Ireland on this day in 2005. 

A tornado touches down in a residential area in south Birmingham, England, on this day in 2005, and caused £4,000,000 worth of damages, injuring 39 people. 

On this day in 2006, researchers announced that two ancient reptiles had been found off Australia. The Umoonasaurus and Opallionectes were the first of their kind to be found in the period soon after the Jurassic era. The historic Weston-super-Mare Grand Pier burned down for a second time in 80 years on this day in 2008. 18 people are killed and 11 injured in ethnic clashes in Ethiopia on this day in 2012. And on this day to come in 2061, we will get the 31st recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet, assuming we are still around to see it.