Gilbert M. Stack's Blog, page 107
February 8, 2019
Today in History: Mary Queen of Scots Was Executed
On this day (February 8) in 1587, Mary Queen of Scots was executed for treason. She was accused of having conspired to murder her cousin, Elizabeth I of England. Mary denied the charges and denied that the court had the right to charge her, a foreign queen, with treason against England. She also argued that the trial was further invalidated due to the facts that she was denied legal counsel, not permitted to review the evidence presented against her, and not even permitted access to her own papers to prepare her defense. Historians find it likely that she was involved in the conspiracy, even though the trial was clearly rigged against her.
Her execution was badly bungled. The first blow of the headsman’s axe struck the back of her skull, not her neck. The second blow also failed to sever her head from her body so that the headsman had to saw the last sinews of her flesh apart with his axe. He then picked up her head to display it to the gathered spectators only to discover that the queen wore a wig when her head slipped free of his grasp revealing short gray hair beneath her long brown locks. To make the disastrous execution complete, it was discovered that Mary had smuggled her small dog to the execution site by hiding him in her skirts. The faithful animal refused to be parted from Mary and had to be wrestled, blood covered, away from her corpse.
Mary’s son, James VI of Scotland did not go to war with England to avenge his mother’s death. He did not really know his mother as they had been separated since he was one year old when his mother was accused and convicted in Scotland of being involved in his father’s murder, although historians are not convinced that the evidence against her was genuine. James VI would go on to inherit the throne of England from Elizabeth I and rule there as James I. Jamestown, in the colony of Virginia, is named after him.
February 7, 2019
Today in History: The 11th Amendment
On this day (February 7) in 1795 the 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. The 11th Amendment deals with sovereign immunity—the power of the state to not be sued for monetary damages without its own consent. Specifically the 11th Amendment clarifies that the individual states possess sovereign immunity from the citizens of other states. In 1999, the Supreme Court ruled by a 5-4 margin that sovereign immunity also protects the states from suits for monetary damages from their own citizens.
Winterhaven is Available Today!
Winterhaven is available for purchase!
In the far off Duchy of Winterhaven at the edge of human civilization, a young knight investigates a most unusual murder while the Great Lords of the land scheme to expand their borders and take control of the duchy. A decade of relative peace is about to collapse and only young Dhrugal of Edgefield and his brothers and sister stand between Winterhaven and dark-spun chaos.
February 5, 2019
Today in History: A Missing Nuke
On this day (February 5) in 1958 the U.S. lost a Mark 15 Nuclear Bomb off the coast of Georgia. The bomb was jettisoned from a B-47 Bomber as a safety precaution after it collided with a F-16 Fighter during a practice exercise. Extensive searching for the bomb failed to find it. It sounds like the great starting point for a thriller.
February 4, 2019
Today in History: The 47 Ronin
On this day (February 4) in 1703, 46 of The 47 Ronin committed ritual suicide on the orders of the shogun. The Ronin’s daimyo, Asano Naganori had been forced to commit suicide for attacking a court official named Kira Yoshinaka after Kira insulted him. As penalty, the shogun required Asano to kill himself. Now leaderless, Asano’s 47 samurai became Ronin and spent two years plotting the assassination of Kira, eventually attacking him at his home but being careful not to kill women and children. When they dragged Kira out of hiding, they offered him the chance to kill himself with the knife Asano had used to commit suicide, but Kira was too frightened to take advantage of what the Ronin saw as an honorable opportunity. So they held him down and cut his head off with the knife, then carried the head ten kilometers to the tomb of their dead lord.
Having avenged the honor of Asano Naganori, the Ronin sent a young member of their company to carry news of their vengeance and the other 46 turned themselves into the authorities. This presented the Shogun with a political problem. He needed to punish the Ronin for having killed one of his officials, but their actions were scrupulously proper under the code of bushido. To make matters worse, Kira had been unpopular and the Ronin were being heaped with praise by his populace. So the Shogun gave the Ronin the honorable option that they had offered to Kira and permitted the 46 to commit seppuku—which they did. Today, the 46 are regarded as folk heroes for their intense loyalty and sense of honor.
February 3, 2019
Today in History: Tulip Mania
On this day (February 3) in 1637, Tulip Mania came to an end in the United Provinces (the modern day Netherlands). Tulip Mania is often described as the first stock bubble as the United Provinces began to speculate on tulip bulbs. Outrageous prices began to be paid. Single bulbs sold for 10 times the annual wages of a skilled craftsman. A 12 acre farm was traded for a rare bulb. The people of the United Provinces got caught up in the madness. Everyone was growing and trying to breed a rare bulb that would be worth an instant fortune. When sanity returned, the prices collapsed over night and investors were left with suddenly worthless flowers.
February 2, 2019
Today in History: Ground Hog's Day
On this day (February 2) in 1840, the first documented celebration of Groundhog’s Day was celebrated. Groundhog’s Day marks a piece of weather lore which predicts that if a groundhog comes out of its hole on February 2 on a clear day and sees its own shadow the region will endure another six weeks of winter. However, if it is a cloudy day and no nasty shadow is spied, that is a sign that winter is almost over. Some scholars believe that the custom developed as a result of changing from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar and the common person trying to figure out when Spring would start. The following old Scottish poem describes the process of determining the length of winter.
If Candle-mas Day is bright and clear,
There'll be two winters in the year.
If Candle mas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight.
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.
The custom appears to have come to the U.S. from German-speaking regions of Europe where the badger—not the groundhog—was the prophetic animal. The first recorded celebration of Groundhogs Day in North America was in 1840 when it was mentioned in the diary of James Morris.
Weather forecasts in my part of the U.S. say it will only be partly cloudy today so that suggests that there is a good chance winter is far from over.
February 1, 2019
Today in History: The Thirteenth Amendment
On this day (February 1) in 1865 Abraham Lincoln signed the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolishing slavery and involuntary servitude. His signature wasn’t technically necessary and is the only constitutional amendment bearing a president’s signature. It took ten months to gain the approval of the requisite number of state legislatures and finally banning slavery throughout the country. Lincoln, unfortunately, did not live to see that day.
The full text reads:
Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation
Try Winterhaven--the Perfect Antidote to the Cold Weather Blues
Just six days left to order Winterhaven at 25% off the cover price.
In the far off Duchy of Winterhaven at the edge of human civilization, a young knight investigates a most unusual murder while the Great Lords of the land scheme to expand their borders and take control of the duchy. A decade of relative peace is about to collapse and only young Dhrugal of Edgefield and his brothers and sister stand between Winterhaven and dark-spun chaos.
January 31, 2019
Today in History: Ham the Chimp Reaches Space
On this day (January 31) in 1961, Ham the Chimp rode Mercury—Redstone 2 into space. The short flight was riddled with problems that forced an automatic abort. The whole flight lasted 16 minutes and 39 seconds and the capsule came down out of sight of the recovery vehicles. More problems caused the capsule to flood with seawater but Ham was successfully recovered. The flight proved to NASA that they were not yet ready to send humans into space. Ham retired to the National Zoo where he lived for 17 years before being transferred to a zoo in North Carolina where he could live with other chimps. He died in 1983 at the age of 26.
