September 21st:
On this day in 1780, during the American Revolution, American General Benedict Arnold meets with British Major John Andre to discuss handing over West Point to the British, in return for the promise of a large sum of money and a high position in the British army. The plot was foiled and Arnold, a former American hero, became synonymous with the word "traitor."
Arnold was born into a well-respected family in... Show more
September 21st:
On this day in 1780, during the American Revolution, American General Benedict Arnold meets with British Major John Andre to discuss handing over West Point to the British, in return for the promise of a large sum of money and a high position in the British army. The plot was foiled and Arnold, a former American hero, became synonymous with the word "traitor."
Arnold was born into a well-respected family in Norwich, Connecticut, on January 14, 1741. He apprenticed with an apothecary and was a member of the militia during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). He later became a successful trader and joined the Continental Army when the Revolutionary War broke out between Great Britain and its 13 American colonies in 1775. When the war ended in 1883, the colonies had won their independence from Britain and formed a new nation, the United States.
During the war, Benedict Arnold proved himself a brave and skillful leader, helping Ethan Allen's troops capture Fort Ticonderoga in 1775 and then participating in the unsuccessful attack on British Quebec later that year, which earned him a promotion to brigadier general. Arnold distinguished himself in campaigns at Lake Champlain, Ridgefield and Saratoga, and gained the support of George Washington. However, Arnold had enemies within the military and in 1777, five men of lesser rank were promoted over him. Over the course of the next few years, Arnold married for a second time and he and his new wife lived a lavish lifestyle in Philadelphia, accumulating substantial debt. The debt and the resentment Arnold felt over not being promoted faster were motivating factors in his choice to become a turncoat.
In 1780, Arnold was given command of West Point, an American fort on the Hudson River in New York (and future home of the U.S. military academy, established in 1802). Arnold contacted Sir Henry Clinton, head of the British forces, and proposed handing over West Point and his men. On September 21 of that year, Arnold met with Major John Andre and made his traitorous pact. However, the conspiracy was uncovered and Andre was captured and executed. Arnold, the former American patriot, fled to the enemy side and went on to lead British troops in Virginia and Connecticut. He later moved to England, though he never received all of what he'd been promised by the British. He died in London on June 14, 1801.
Text copyright 2012, from the History Channel.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history
The Hobbit was first published September 21st, 1937.
It's actually featured in the BookRix blog today:
http://blog.bookrix.com/2012/09/21/there-and-back-again-the-birth-of-an-epic-classic/
(There are some great video clips also :-D )
he was born in 1947, so he's 65 today!
on this day in history, C.S. Lewis, author of "The Chronicles of Narnia" along with numerous apologetic books like 'The Scarlet Letter" converted to christianity in the sidecar of his brother's motorcycle. he had spent the previous night in a long talk with J.RR Tolkein and... Show more
on this day in history, C.S. Lewis, author of "The Chronicles of Narnia" along with numerous apologetic books like 'The Scarlet Letter" converted to christianity in the sidecar of his brother's motorcycle. he had spent the previous night in a long talk with J.RR Tolkein and another guy, who were trying to convince him of the faith. Tolkein explained how myth could be used to reflect the truth of God. eventually,a round three in the morning, he gave up and went home. the other guy stuck at it longer, but also eventually went home. on the way to the zoo with his brother, Jack, as he liked to be called back then, had time to think over the previous night's discussion, and by the time he reached the zoo, he had converted to christianity.
evne if you don't care for the faith, this was a great day, because Jack's new faith inspired him to write the Narnia series, just liek Tolkein wrote the Lord of the Rings- it was a contest between the two.
jack said that before he converted, he had felt no direction in his writings, afterwards, he wrote many books that are still in wide cicualtion today!!! :)
September 22nd:
On this day in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issues a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which sets a date for the freedom of more than 3 million black slaves in the United States and recasts the Civil War as a fight against slavery.
When the Civil War broke... Show more
September 22nd:
On this day in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issues a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which sets a date for the freedom of more than 3 million black slaves in the United States and recasts the Civil War as a fight against slavery.
When the Civil War broke out in 1861, shortly after Lincoln's inauguration as America's 16th president, he maintained that the war was about restoring the Union and not about slavery. He avoided issuing an anti-slavery proclamation immediately, despite the urgings of abolitionists and radical Republicans, as well as his personal belief that slavery was morally repugnant. Instead, Lincoln chose to move cautiously until he could gain wide support from the public for such a measure.
In July 1862, Lincoln informed his cabinet that he would issue an emancipation proclamation but that it would exempt the so-called border states, which had slaveholders but remained loyal to the Union. His cabinet persuaded him not to make the announcement until after a Union victory. Lincoln's opportunity came following the Union win at the Battle of Antietam in September 1862. On September 22, the president announced that slaves in areas still in rebellion within 100 days would be free.
On January 1, 1863, Lincoln issued the final Emancipation Proclamation, which declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebel states "are, and henceforward shall be free." The proclamation also called for the recruitment and establishment of black military units among the Union forces. An estimated 180,000 African Americans went on to serve in the army, while another 18,000 served in the navy.
After the Emancipation Proclamation, backing the Confederacy was seen as favoring slavery. It became impossible for anti-slavery nations such as Great Britain and France, who had been friendly to the Confederacy, to get involved on behalf of the South. The proclamation also unified and strengthened Lincoln's party, the Republicans, helping them stay in power for the next two decades.
The proclamation was a presidential order and not a law passed by Congress, so Lincoln then pushed for an antislavery amendment to the U.S. Constitution to ensure its permanence. With the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865, slavery was eliminated throughout America (although blacks would face another century of struggle before they truly began to gain equal rights).
Lincoln's handwritten draft of the final Emancipation Proclamation was destroyed in the Chicago Fire of 1871. Today, the original official version of the document is housed in the National Archives in Washington, D.C
Text copyright 2012, from the History Channel.
during the civil wars of britain, mainly the king against parliament, a group of individuals had the brilliant idea of blowing up both during a parliament session by placing gunpowder in the basement. they were catholic, and mad at the king for favoring the protestant... Show more
during the civil wars of britain, mainly the king against parliament, a group of individuals had the brilliant idea of blowing up both during a parliament session by placing gunpowder in the basement. they were catholic, and mad at the king for favoring the protestant parliament, evne though the king himself was privately catholic.
they believed that he should be more open about his faith, and get rid of parliament. there were thirteen men in on the plot, including the notorious Guy Fawkes. they set up 36 barrels of gunpowder, plenty enough to get the job done, in the basement.
fortuneately, some of the conspirators were getting cold feet, so parliament stopped it in time. they caught Guy Fawkes in the basement "holding the match".
on this day in history, Guy Fawkes was burned after standing trial for treason. since that time, the day has been marked with celebrations in New Zealand, Australia, and Britain. Parliament even sends a man to check for gunpowder before parliament enters the building. other celebrations have morphed from just burning an effigy of Guy Fawkes to adding in an effigy of the Pope- since Guy and his buddies were catholics, of course.
even though i live in canada, me and my grade 12 history class celebrated the day by burning two dummies made with coveralls and straw, with marshmellow bags for heads. we also had marshmellows, and fireworks. it was daylight, so the only show we got were the loud noises. still, it was great fun. :)