The Amboy Times

70 years ago: The London Blitz

Lest we forget.

Rare color footage of the bomb damage inflicted on London during World War II has surfaced on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Blitz.

The dramatic footage shows the destruction of several London landmarks, including the flagship John Lewis store on Oxford Street. The film was released Monday by Westminster Council to mark the start of the devastating German bombing campaign that began September 7, 1940, and continued until May 1941.

The film was found in the attic by the family of an air raid warden who shot it on the home movie equipment in use in the 1940s. The footage also shows wartime leader Winston Churchill visiting bomb sites to assess the damage.

Related:

BBC-Blitz to be commemorated at London service 70 years on

Eyewitness to History-The London Blitz, 1940

Remember D-Day

Lest we forget.

20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall.

Hat tip, Big Government.

Happy Constitution Day

Why isn't this day a holiday? It seems a bit more important than most of the bank holidays.

 

Constitution Day, Sept. 17, commemorates the date in 1787 on which the United States Constitution was approved by the state delegations to the Constitutional Convention and signed by 39 of its framers.

Two hundred and twenty-two years later, many have noted an alarming lack of knowledge about the Constitution and our system of government. A recent national survey found that more American teenagers could name The Three Stooges than could name the three branches of our government.

 

That kind of ignorance can hurt more than Moe poking you in the eye. If you have kids, read some of the Constitution to them, explain it's unique historical importance and how the Founders risked thier very lives to provide us with the freedoms we so often take for granted. Ask them to imagine how cruel life must seem to those who are denied the basic freedoms we enjoy and the kinds of risks these unfree people take to obtain our freedoms.

 

Fast facts about the Constitution.

 

Nickname: Bundle of Compromises

 

Chief Draftsmen of the U S Constitution:James Madison and Gouverneur Morris

 

Ratification of the U S Constitution: 1789 with the agreement of 9 out of 13 states. Eventually all 13 would ratify the US Constitution.

 

Read more fast facts here.

 

On this Day

This the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. Sure, it was a huge cultural event and I love a lot of the musicians that were there, but I think this is a little more important.

On this day in 1945, Emperor Hirohito of Japan announces the news of his country's unconditional surrender in World War II over a radio broadcast to the Japanese people.

On the afternoon of August 14, a Japanese radio broadcaster told the public that Emperor Hirohito would soon make an Imperial Proclamation announcing the defeat. The following day at noon, Hirohito went on the radio himself, blaming Japan’s surrender on the enemies' use of "a new and most cruel bomb, the power of which is incalculable, taking the toll of many innocent lives." The emperor was not only a political leader in Japan; he was also revered as a near-god, and many Japanese did not fully accept the news of defeat until they heard him speak those unthinkable words.

As sadness and shame engulfed Japan, joy spread around the Western world. In the United States, news of Hirohito's announcement reached airwaves on August 14 (due to the time difference), and that day was declared Victory in Japan--or V-J--Day. That afternoon, President Harry S. Truman addressed a crowd that had gathered outside the White House, saying "This is the day we have been waiting for since Pearl Harbor. This is the day when Fascism finally dies, as we always knew it would." That day, photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt snapped one of the most famous photos ever published, a shot of a sailor in full uniform kissing a nurse in the middle of New York City's Times Square. The photo, published by Life magazine, became a symbol of the general atmosphere of jubilation in the United States following the end of World War II.

1968: MLK Assassinated

On this day, April 4, we remember Dr Martin Luther King.

History Channel- Martin Luther King Jr. is shot to death at a hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. A single shot fired by James Earl Ray from over 200 feet away at a nearby motel struck King in the neck. He died an hour later at St. Joseph's Hospital. The death of America's leading civil rights advocate sparked a wave of rioting in the black communities of several cities around the country.

Ray, who had escaped from a Missouri prison almost a year earlier, had used the aliases Eric Galt and John Willard to register in several motels in the Memphis area. He fired a Remington rifle from a bathroom window that looked out onto the hotel balcony where King was standing.

Ray fled to Canada, where he stayed for a month. Meanwhile, the FBI placed him on the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List. After buying a passport under the name Sneyd, Ray traveled to England on May 6. Within a week of arriving in London, he traveled to Lisbon, Portugal, for five days. Back in London, Ray moved from hotel to hotel until authorities finally caught up with him on June 8 at Heathrow Airport.

Ray was a career criminal who was in and out of prison for several small-time robberies. Since he had no known record of political hatred, many suspect that Ray was paid to assassinate King. One factor that has fueled this speculation is that Ray clearly had significant resources during the time between the assassination and his capture.

In any event, Ray pleaded guilty before his scheduled trial began in March 1969 and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Ray recanted his confession a few months later and insisted on his innocence for years. However, his efforts to secure a new trial were futile, despite the support of members of the King family who were eager to determine if others were involved. Ray died on April 23, 1998. (History Channel Video)

Lincoln Turns 200

That's right, Honest Abe was born February 12, 1809, he's held up pretty well over the years.

The History channel has a nice tribute to Lincoln.

Pearl Harbor Day

A Day that will live in infamy.

At 7:55 a.m. Hawaii time, a Japanese dive bomber bearing the red symbol of the Rising Sun of Japan on its wings appears out of the clouds above the island of Oahu. A swarm of 360 Japanese warplanes followed, descending on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in a ferocious assault. The surprise attack struck a critical blow against the U.S. Pacific fleet and drew the United States irrevocably into World War II.

With diplomatic negotiations with Japan breaking down, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his advisers knew that an imminent Japanese attack was probable, but nothing had been done to increase security at the important naval base at Pearl Harbor. It was Sunday morning, and many military personnel had been given passes to attend religious services off base. At 7:02 a.m., two radio operators spotted large groups of aircraft in flight toward the island from the north, but, with a flight of B-17s expected from the United States at the time, they were told to sound no alarm. Thus, the Japanese air assault came as a devastating surprise to the naval base.

Much of the Pacific fleet was rendered useless: Five of eight battleships, three destroyers, and seven other ships were sunk or severely damaged, and more than 200 aircraft were destroyed. A total of 2,400 Americans were killed and 1,200 were wounded, many while valiantly attempting to repulse the attack. Japan's losses were some 30 planes, five midget submarines, and fewer than 100 men. Fortunately for the United States, all three Pacific fleet carriers were out at sea on training maneuvers. These giant aircraft carriers would have their revenge against Japan six months later at the Battle of Midway, reversing the tide against the previously invincible Japanese navy in a spectacular victory.

The day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, President Roosevelt appeared before a joint session of Congress and declared, "Yesterday, December 7, 1941--a date which will live in infamy--the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan." After a brief and forceful speech, he asked Congress to approve a resolution recognizing the state of war between the United States and Japan. The Senate voted for war against Japan by 82 to 0, and the House of Representatives approved the resolution by a vote of 388 to 1. The sole dissenter was Representative Jeannette Rankin of Montana, a devout pacifist who had also cast a dissenting vote against the U.S. entrance into World War I. Three days later, Germany and Italy declared war against the United States, and the U.S. government responded in kind.

The American contribution to the successful Allied war effort spanned four long years and cost more than 400,000 American lives.

Learn more about World War II with battle maps, videos, speeches, a D-Day timeline and more.
http://www.history.com/minisites/worldwartwo/

70 years ago: War of the Worlds

With all of the scary new costumes and terrifying movies coming out recently, none compare to the reaction of horror from Orson Welles' War of the Worlds radio show 70 years ago. It was the biggest "BOO!" in history. Download the entire original broadcast for free here, or listen to it below.

 

Radio program Mercury Theater on the Air presents Orson Welles' production of H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds," a fictional drama about a Martian invasion in Grovers Mill, New Jersey. The program, which aired on Halloween, sparked a panic among listeners who believed the play was an actual news broadcast. Of the six million listeners who heard the show, more than 1.7 million reportedly believed the story was true.

Born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and raised in Chicago, Orson Welles was well versed in Shakespeare before he finished grade school. He excelled in poetry, music, cartooning, and magic. After high school, Welles-the son of an inventor and a concert pianist-chose to travel the world rather than attend college, and he launched his acting career in Ireland in 1931.

He came back to the United States in 1932 but was snubbed by Broadway, so he traveled to Spain, where he performed as a bullfighter. He returned to the United States soon thereafter and landed the role of Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet on Broadway. In 1937, he founded the Mercury Theater, home of innovative stage and radio drama, with John Houseman. Their radio anthology program, which later changed its name to The Campbell Playhouse, ran until 1941.

At age 25, Welles produced, directed, co-wrote, and starred in the Academy Award-winning Citizen Kane, his first foray into motion pictures. The film told the story of a media tycoon who muscled his way to power using unscrupulous tactics while destroying his marriage and alienating his friends. Though Citizen Kane wasn't commercially successful, the film won praise for its unique camera and sound work, which influenced filmmakers around the world. Indeed, it topped the list in the American Film Institute's 1998 poll of America's 100 Greatest Movies. After Citizen Kane, Welles' diverse works included everything from adaptations of Shakespeare to documentaries. Some of his acclaimed films included The Stranger (1946), The Lady from Shanghai (1948), and Chimes at Midnight (1966). In his later years, he narrated documentaries and appeared in commercials, and he left behind numerous unfinished films when he died in 1985. He was a recipient of the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award. See Video.

Teddy Roosevelt: Happy 150th!

BULLY!

On this day in 1858, future President Theodore Roosevelt is born in New York City to a wealthy family. Roosevelt was home-schooled and then attended Harvard University, graduating in 1880. He served in the New York state legislature from 1881 to 1884.

In 1880, Roosevelt married Alice Hathaway Lee. The couple had a daughter, Alice, on February 12, 1884. Two days after his daughter’s birth, tragedy struck: Both Roosevelt’s wife and his mother died from illness. The deaths so devastated Roosevelt that he ordered those around him not to mention his wife’s name. Burdened by grief, he abandoned politics, left the infant Alice with his sister Bamie and struck out for the Dakota territories at the end of 1884. While in the Dakotas, he raised cattle and acted as the local lawman. He also found time to indulge his passion for reading and writing history books. After a blizzard wiped out his prized herd of cattle in 1885, Roosevelt returned to eastern society and politics. In 1886, he married Edith Carow and the new couple went on to have five children.

Roosevelt served as U.S. Civil Service commissioner from 1885 to 1889 in Washington, D.C., and then as New York City’s police commissioner from 1895 to 1897. President William McKinley chose Roosevelt as assistant secretary of the Navy later that year. When the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898, Roosevelt signed up for cavalry service, leading a pivotal battle at San Juan Heights in Cuba. His exemplary leadership in the war contributed to his successful campaign to become New York’s governor in late 1898, an office he held until 1900 when the Republican Party nominated him to be William McKinley’s vice-presidential running mate. The campaign was successful, but President McKinley was shot by an assassin less than a year into this second term, on September 12, 1901. Two days later, McKinley died from his wounds and Roosevelt began the first of his two terms in the White House.

Roosevelt, the first president of the 20th century, is also seen by many as the nation’s first modern president. He was the first to recognize the potential impact of the fledgling motion picture industry on the presidency, encouraging filmmakers to document his official duties and trips to Africa and Panama. He purposely played directly to the camera with huge gestures and thundering speeches. His presidency is perhaps best known, however, for strict federal regulation of industries and his passion for environmental conservation. Roosevelt’s vigorous enforcement of the Sherman Anti-trust Act resulted in the trust-busting of powerful railroad monopolies. In foreign affairs, he pursued increased American diplomatic involvement in Latin America and the construction of the Panama Canal—all according to his trademark motto "speak softly and carry a big stick." In 1906, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for brokering a peace treaty between Russia and Japan, becoming the first American ever to win a Nobel Prize in any category.

Prior to becoming America’s first conservation-minded president, Roosevelt had indulged his passion for preservation as president of the American Historical Association and led scientific expeditions to South America and Africa. Once in the White House, he initiated more responsible federal water management and land-use policies with the 1902 Newlands Act. In 1906, Roosevelt signed the Act for the Preservation of American Antiquities, giving the president the power to officially declare natural and historic sites situated on government land as national monuments. During an age when the environment began to show strain from industrial progress and settlement, Roosevelt assigned national-monument status to a record 18 natural sites. During a visit to the Grand Canyon in 1903, Roosevelt issued this seemingly prophetic statement, "the conservation of our natural resources and their proper use constitute the fundamental problem which underlies almost every other problem of our national life."

Roosevelt reluctantly left office in 1909 after serving two terms. On October 11, 1910, he became the first (former) president to fly in an airplane. Roosevelt ran unsuccessfully for a third term as a Progressive candidate in 1912, but lost to Democrat Woodrow Wilson. During that campaign Roosevelt was shot in the chest by a would-be assassin, but recovered and returned to a life of travel and prolific writing. He published no less than 40 books in his lifetime, on subjects as varied as naval history and nature.

The larger-than-life Roosevelt died quietly in his sleep on January 6, 1919, from a coronary embolism. His popularity was so great that he was immortalized along with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln in the carvings on Mount Rushmore. Roosevelt’s face was the last to be completed, in 1939.