Gilbert M. Stack's Blog, page 125

Today in History: Hitler Attacks the Mentally Disabled

On this day (September 1) in 1939, Adolf Hitler authorized the systemic murder of the mentally ill and disabled in Germany, Austria, Poland and what is now the Czech Republic. Between 275,000 and 300,000 people were put to death in what the Nazis deemed “mercy killings”. Their justification for their acts remains ambiguous to this day. At the time they offered various excuses such as compassion for the disabled, reducing the strain on the welfare budget, and eugenics.

Today in History: Richard the Lionhearted Makes Peace with Saladin

On this day (August 31) in 1939, Hitler’s Germany dressed its troops in Polish military uniforms and attacked its own radio station to create an excuse to invade Poland. They murdered by lethal injection a Silesian Catholic known to have sympathies for the Poles and then shot his body so he could be found at the radio station as proof of the attack. In addition, they dressed concentration camp prisoners in Polish uniforms, murdered them, and disfigured them so they couldn’t be recognized, as yet more evidence of the Polish provocation. The next day, Hitler invaded Poland starting World War II.

Blood Ties: Five Weeks Left to Pre-Order & Save

Only 5 weeks left to take advantage of the pre-order discounted price of my new supernatural thriller, Blood Ties. 

It seemed like such an easy case. All attorney Liz Dunn had to do was escort Ryan Hart to meet his long lost uncle in the tiny country of Carpathia on the Transylvanian border. Ryan stood to gain a ten million dollar estate. Liz wanted the hefty check that would keep her law firm in the black. But Ryan’s dying uncle, the enigmatic Stefan Carpathios, planned to get something far more sinister in return. In an ancient land where legends come to life, Liz is about to discover that the world is much more complex than she believed and a blood tie can be an exceedingly dangerous thing.

Today in History: Thurgood Marshall Joined the Supreme Court

On this day (August 30) in 1967, Thurgood Marshall became the first African-American confirmed to the Supreme Court. Marshall made his reputation as a civil rights attorney. In Murray v. Pearson he turned the Separate but Equal doctrine of Plessy v. Ferguson against the state of Maryland by successfully arguing that blocking blacks from attending law school at the University of Maryland violated Plessy v. Ferguson because there was no comparable state law school available for African Americans. And in the famous Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka he successfully broke Separate but Equal as a doctrine governing education.

Today in History: Fire in Mainz Cathedral

On this day (August 29) in 1009 Mainz Cathedral was inaugurated. Unfortunately a fire broke out in the cathedral on the very same day causing extensive damage. It wasn’t until 1037 that the main portions of the cathedral were finished. Lengthy construction times were common for medieval cathedrals often taking more than a generation to build. Part of the problem was the incredible cost of these buildings and part was doubtless the technology which contemporaries had at their disposal to aid in the construction.

Today in History: Scientific American

On this day (August Twenty-Eight) in 1845 the first issue of Scientific American was published. It’s the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States and a great source for finding out what’s happening in the world of science. Isaac Asimov used to tout its usefulness to the science fiction author for keeping abreast of the major advances in the field.

Today in History: The First Modern Oil Well

On this day (August 27) in 1859, the first modern oil well was drilled in Titusville, Pennsylvania. Petroleum was already in use. James Young had patented a process for extracting light and heavy lubricants from petroleum in 1851 and Ignacy Lukasiewicz had discovered how to extract kerosene from seep oil, creating a cheap alternative to whale oil for lighting homes. (My grandmother kept kerosene lamps as decorations long after they stopped using them for light.) With commercial uses for oil becoming more plentiful, the drive was on to find better supplies, so entrepreneurs originally turned to salt miners for help. Petroleum had been a nuisance to salt miners going back at least to the Roman Empire and many refused to actually look for the petroleum, but eventually the entrepreneurs won out and a new industry transformed the modern world.

Today in History: The Battle of Crecy

On this day (August 26) in 1346, the English defeated the French at the Battle of Crecy early in the Hundred Years War. The battle came about because of tensions between France and England that resulted from the death of Charles IV of France without children. Edward III of England was his closest male relative, but the French crowned Philip VI instead. Edward reluctantly accepted this and did homage for his lands as Duke of Aquitaine but in 1337 Philip confiscated Aquitaine precipitating war between the two kingdoms.

Crecy occurred after Edward led a long plundering raid through France. Philip finally caught up to him with a significantly larger army but Edward chose his position well to lessen the effectiveness of Philip’s large cavalry. Edward also had brought a significant number of longbowmen and they were about to change the European battlefield. For his own ranged attacks, Philip depended on Genoese crossbowmen, but the crossbow was a slow and clunky weapon compared to the English longbow.

Against the advice of many of his senior nobles, Philip decided to attack late in the afternoon. A rainstorm burst over them and the English archers unstrung their bows and sheltered their bowstrings inside their shirts. The Genoese did not. Furthermore, they left their long shields behind with the baggage so they had no protection at all from the English archers and their crossbows were damaged from the rain shower. The Genoese were quickly sent running back to the rear of the French army.

This prompted the French cavalry to make the first of several charges uphill toward the English. Obstacles had been placed by the English on the slope which hampered the charges and the longbowmen proved their worth by shooting tens of thousands of arrows into the French ranks. King Philip had two horses shot out from under him and was hit by an arrow in the jaw. He finally withdrew the French forces from the field. Thousands of French nobles had been killed and many times more of their common soldiers. The English had very light casualties, perhaps as low as three hundred.

Crecy marked the beginning of a change in the way medieval armies conducted themselves, moving away from chivalry toward professional armies.

Today in History: The National Park Service

On this day (August 25) in 1916, the National Park Service was created. The podcast, American History Tellers, is doing a fascinating series on the origins of six national parks—well worth your time if you like history and love the great outdoors.

Today in History: The Pope Strikes Down Magna Carta

On this day (August 24) in 1215, Pope Innocent III, perhaps the most powerful and influential pope of the Middle Ages, declared the English Magna Carta to be invalid. He did so at the bequest of King John who had signed the Great Charter. Innocent called the agreement "not only shameful and demeaning, but illegal and unjust". He went on to excommunicate John’s rebel barons over the Magna Carta.