Tag Archive for ‘World War II’
11-11-11: Don’t Know Much About Veterans Day–The Forgotten Meaning
The date of November 11th became a national holiday of remembrance in many of the victorious allied nations –a day to commemorate the loss of so many lives in the war. And in the United States, President Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day on November 11, 1919. A few years later, in 1926, Congress passed a resolution calling on the President to observe each November 11th as a day of remembrance:
Don’t Know Much About® Internment
On Mach 23, 1942 –167 years later– the United States government began taking away the liberty of more than one hundred thousand people–the Japanese Americans viewed as a threat after Pearl Harbor. On that date, the U.S. Army began removing people of Japanese descent from Los Angeles.
Don’t Know Much About® the “Marshall Plan”
On April 3, 1948, President Truman signed into law the Foreign Assistance Act of 1948, otherwise known as The Marshall Plan, widely considered the most important foreign policy success of the postwar period. In the current climate of the GOP’s “Just Say No” deficit-cutting stance and widespread opposition to foreign aid of any kind, would [...]
Don’t Know Much About “A date which will live in infamy”
“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.”
Memorial Day and Hidden Wars
A few days ago, I saw the first article promising higher prices at the pump for Memorial Day. The traditional kickoff to the summer season always brings front-page stories about travel costs, traffic snarls, picnic tips, and what to wear at the beach. Can a bathing suit sale be far off? But this Memorial Day comes with darker news– the announcement that the United States military had surpassed more than 1,000 service members killed in Afghanistan, a war begun October 7, 2001 following the 9/11 attacks.
A Presidential Library
The recent success of such award-winning and bestselling presidential biographies as American Lion by Jon Meacham, John Adams by David McCullough as well as Doris Kearns Goodwin’s portrait of Lincoln’s Cabinet, Team of Rivals, are all excellent reminders of our fascination with the Presidency. And a tribute to the value of great historians. With Presidents [...]
A Soldier is a Terrible Thing to Waste
“The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.” That was the moment in 1918 at which they put a stop to the mindless killing of World War I with an Armistice. Back then, it was called the “Great War” or the “War to End All Wars” – because they didn’t know a [...]
TODAY IN HISTORY: V-J DAY
Yesterday, September 1st, marked the beginning of World War II in 1939. Today, September 2d, marks the end six years later. When: On this day in 1945, Japan surrendered, “formally and unconditionally,” in a ceremony aboard the U.S.S. Missouri. What: In the 20 minute ceremony, twelve signatures were required to end the bloody Pacific conflict, [...]
TODAY IN HISTORY: NAZI GERMANY INVADES POLAND
WHAT: 70 Years ago today, World War II began. Hitler’s German Army overran an almost defenseless Poland. The war that ravaged Europe and would eventually spread around the world was now underway. WHO: Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany had absorbed Austria in the Anschluss (annexation) in March 1938. Then Hitler demanded the return of the German [...]
D-Day and the Death of RFK: Two History Changing Events
Two world-altering events occurred on this date in different years. June 6, 1968 Robert F. Kennedy , Jr. died early in the morning on this date in Los Angeles. He was shot the night before, just after claiming victory in the California Democratic Presidential primary. Gunman Sirhan B. Sirhan was caught immediately after the shooting, [...]
