General Motors On This Day in History

Watch: The History of General Motors

This Day In History: General Motors becomes the first U.S. corporation to make over US$1 billion in a year on this day in 1955. GM was founded in 1908 so it took them 47 years to get to that point. It took Disney 69 years to make its first billion and IBM needed 79 years to accomplish that same goal. On the flip-side, Booking Holdings (which owns Booking.com and Kayak) were the fastest to make their first $1 billion; they did it in just in three years. It took Google and Amazon 5 years. According to Forbes, the chances of building a billion dollar business are .00006%. Oh, and General Motors is now the 32nd largest company by revenue. 

See also: Capitalism in America - 100 Books on DVDrom (Captains of Industry)

The Iroquois Theater Fire On This Day in History

This Day In History: The Iroquois Theater fire happened on this day in 1903 in Chicago, Illinois. It was the deadliest theater fire and the deadliest single-building fire in United States history, claiming at least 602 deaths. There were building codes at the time, but this was Chicago so city inspectors could be paid off...even the mayor was charged in crimes related to the fire. And much like the Titanic was billed as "unsinkable" 9 years later, the Iroquois Theater was billed as "fireproof."

The Wounded Knee Massacre On This Day in History

This Day In History: The Wounded Knee Massacre happened on this day in 1890. This was certainly a tragedy, but this added to the great legacy of Native Americans as they proved to be some of the greatest warriors in history. They were at war with the newcomers for 350 years...a hundred times longer than the USA spent fighting the Nazis. Native warriors were so revered and respected by some military men that they adopted their names (e.g. William Tecumseh Sherman)...even Hitler had great respect for them and considered them fellow Aryans. The Pueblo and later the Apaches controlled the entire South-west and they dominated the Spanish. The Iroquois conquered more territory than the Roman Empire. "They (American Indians) were the greatest warriors we ever faced. That’s how they should be remembered." ~Gavin McInnes

[Some at Wounded Knee received Medals for killing the natives, but what we don't hear about is how utterly disgusted many American soldiers were with these awards, and for decades demanded that these medals be rescinded.]

See also The History & Mythology of the American Indian, 100 Books on DVDrom

For a list of all of my books on disk and ebooks (PDF and Amazon) click here

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The Worst President, Woodrow Wilson, On This Day in History

"Recarving Rushmore: Ranking the Presidents on Peace, Prosperity and Liberty"

This Day In History: President Woodrow Wilson was born on this day in 1856. Interestingly, his second wife Edith Wilson died on this day in 1961.

While often ranked as one of the best presidents in US history, Ivan Eland's book "Recarving Rushmore: Ranking the Presidents on Peace, Prosperity and Liberty" ranked Woodrow Wilson as the worst president:

"It can be argued that Wilson screwed up the entire twentieth century and beyond. U.S. involvement in World War I was instrumental in causing a violent twentieth century for the world. As a result of the two world wars, the Russian and Chinese revolutions, and civil wars and conflicts spawned by the Cold War - most of which can be traced to U.S. entry into World War I - the twentieth century was by far the bloodiest in world history. Approximately 110 million people lost their lives in war in that century.

Even before World War I, however, Wilson had dramatically changed the Democratic Party from a Jeffersonian party of small government and military restraint overseas into a part of big government and profligate armed intervention abroad. The war also allowed Wilson to engineer an unprecedented government takeover of the domestic U.S. economy - a model that was later repeated during other crises, such as the Great Depression and World War II." Buy this book on Amazon

See also Woodrow Wilson: America’s Worst and First Fascist President

A Century Ago Woodrow Wilson Took America Into WWI: Blame Him For
Communism, Fascism And Nazism

Ether Anesthetic On This Day in History

This Day In History: Ether anesthetic is used for childbirth for the first time on this day in 1845. The following year, 1846, marked the first successful surgical procedure using anesthesia. Prior to this
surgery was absolutely hellish. In 1750, anatomist John Hunter described surgery as ‘a humiliating spectacle of the futility of science’ and the surgeon as ‘a savage armed with a knife’. The death rate after surgery was exceedingly high: 1 in 4 deaths in some of the better hospitals. If you could afford it, opium was often used to dull pain, as was rum, or mulberry and lettuce. Some people opted for a more direct approach and were knocked unconscious with a hit to the head.

Buy this published Kindle book on Amazon on the Strange History of Medicine for only 99 cents
See a local listing for it here

Kraftwerk On This Day in History

Listen to Man Machine

This Day In History: Drummer Henning Schmitz was born on this day in 1953. While I like him for having a great last name, Henning is a also member of one of the most influential bands in history: Kraftwerk. In fact, William at The Spectator, argues that the “po-faced kraut-rockers have become the most influential pop group of all time.” Widely considered as innovators and pioneers of electronic music (synth-pop, electro-pop, art pop, krautrock, avant-garde), they were among the first successful acts to popularize the genre. Kraftwerk would go on to inspire such groups as Ultravox, John Foxx, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Human League, Depeche Mode, Visage, Soft Cell, Gary Numan, Erasure, the Blue Man Group, Bjork, Kompressor, David Bowie, Joy Division, New Order, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Blondie, U2, Simple Minds and one of my favorites: Ladytron.

This Kindle book, The Dark History of Christmas, is now available on Amazon by clicking here...and it is only $1.99 and The Strange History of Easter and the Christian Cross is on Amazon for only $1.99 

Births On This Day in History (December 25)

This Kindle book, The Dark History of Christmas, is now available on Amazon by clicking here...and it is only $1.99

 Visit here for a description

This Day In History: December 25 may not be the actual birthday of Jesus Christ, but it certainly is for the following: Isaac Newton (1642), Louis Chevrolet (1878), Humphrey Bogart (1899), Rod Serling (1924), Jimmy Buffett (1946), Sissy Spacek (1949), Annie Lennox (1954), Alannah Myles (1958), and Justin (Castro) Trudeau (1971). 

Fewer babies are born on December 25 because almost no cesarean births are scheduled by doctors to happen on this day. Even in the case of vaginal births where doctors can induce labor, this typically don’t happen when doctors want to be out of the office celebrating Christmas.

See also Isaac Newton's Two Notable Corruptions of Scripture by Henry Green 1856

Some Bad Popes on This Day in History

Download: Vicars of Christ - the Dark Side of the Papacy by Peter De Rosa

This Day In History: Pope John XII was Pope on this day in 955. He gained notoriety by being bludgeoned to death while naked in bed by a jealous husband. In fact, Pope John XIII died the same way. Prior to him Pope Leo VII had a heart attack during sexual congress. Pope Paul II also had a heart attack (1471 A.D.), although in his case a page boy was involved.

See also: 200 Books on DVDrom on the Dark Side of Christianity
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2015/10/200-books-on-dvdrom-on-dark-side-of.html

The Legend of Pope Joan, 1873 Article
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2017/08/the-legend-of-pope-joan-1873-article.html

Download: The Final Conclave by Malachi Martin
https://archive.org/details/TheFinalConclave

Download: Windswept House - A Vatican Novel by Malachi Martin
http://www.conspiracycentral101.com/blog/windsept-house-by-fr-malachi-martin

The Pope who Rewrote the Bible
https://newworldtranslation.blogspot.com/2017/11/the-pope-who-rewrote-bible.html

Download: Babylon Mystery Religion - Ralph Woodrow
https://archive.org/details/Babylon-Mystery-Religion-Ralph-Woodrow

Download: The Power of the Popes by Pierre Claude François Daunou

Download: The Pocket Guide to the Popes

Martyr Johann Sylvan on This Day in History

This Kindle book, The Dark History of the Trinity, is now available on Amazon by clicking here...and it is only 99 cents

See a local listing for this book here

This Day In History: Reformed German theologian Johann Sylvan was executed on this day in 1572 for his Antitrinitarian beliefs. The negative connotations in denying the Trinity Doctrine goes back to the Arian controversy in the 4th century. This controversy carried with it such a stigma that, Protestants still clung to it while shedding itself of all other "Popish" beliefs, even while Catholics had long admitted that the Trinity is based solely on the authority of the church, not the Bible. Many after realized this and paid for this realization with their lives.

Download: When Jesus Became God by Ridhard E. Rubenstein
https://archive.org/details/pdfy-fVoMnUsaDlQlaRnI

Download: How Jesus Became God by Bart Ehrman
https://archive.org/details/HowJesusBecameGodTheExaltBartD

Download: How on Earth Did Jesus Become a God?: Historical Questions about Earliest Devotion to Jesus by Larry W. Hurtado
https://tinyurl.com/ty6n6ot

See also The Terrible Death of Michael Servetus
https://newworldtranslation.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-terrible-death-of-michael-servetus.html

Unitarian History by John Hayward 1860
https://newworldtranslation.blogspot.com/2019/03/unitarian-history-by-by-john-hayward.html

Giordano Bruno, Martyr for the Trinity
https://newworldtranslation.blogspot.com/2019/02/giordano-bruno-martyr-for-trinity.html

Johann Sylvan - Unitarian Martyr
https://newworldtranslation.blogspot.com/2018/12/johann-sylvan-unitarian-martyr.html

The Trinity NO PART of Primitive Christianity, by James Forrest A.M. 1836
https://newworldtranslation.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-trinity-no-part-of-primitive.html

The Interrogation of Unitarian Anabaptist Martyr Herman van Vlekwijk
https://newworldtranslation.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-interrogation-of-unitarian.html

Peter Gunther, Unitarian Martyr
https://newworldtranslation.blogspot.com/2018/09/peter-gunther-unitarian-martyr.html

A Catholic Priest Declares the Trinity Doctrine "Opposed to Human Reason."
https://newworldtranslation.blogspot.com/2018/07/a-catholic-priest-declares-trinity.html

Edward Wightman (Unitarian Martyr)
https://newworldtranslation.blogspot.com/2018/07/edward-wightman-unitarian-martyr.html

The Bee Gees on This Day in History

The Bee Gees Live in Vegas 1997

This Day In History: This day in history: Robin and Maurice Gibb were both born on this day in 1949. Yes, the Bee Gee brothers were fraternal twins. As a teenager in the 70's I know that the Bee Gees dominated the airwaves. While I was part of the "Disco Sucks" component of that era, in retrospect I have a lot of respect for the Brothers Gibb. With record sales estimated in excess of 200 million units, the Bee Gees became one of the most successful pop groups of all time. Only Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, Garth Brooks and Paul McCartney have outsold the Bee Gees. The Bee Gees are the third most successful band in Billboard charts history after The Beatles and The Supremes.

It is perhaps the songs they supplied for the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack that catapulted them into superstardom. With 15 million copies sold in the U.S. alone, Saturday Night Fever was the top-selling soundtrack album of all time until The Bodyguard 15 years later. It is the only disco record to win the Grammy for Album of the Year. It was the number one album on the Billboard charts for the entire first half of 1978.

Snow White on This Day in History

Watch the Movie Here

This Day In History: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the world's first full-length animated feature, premiered on this day in 1937. The film had many fans: Charlie Chaplin, Frank Capra, even Hitler loved the movie. The Disney film is a sanitized version of the story. In an older version, the Queen actually asks the Huntsman for Snow White’s liver and lungs – which were to be served for dinner that night. The Grimm version also has a wedding for Snow White where the Queen was forced to dance to her death: “They put a pair of iron shoes into burning coals. They were brought forth with tongs and placed before her. She was forced to step into the red-hot shoes and dance until she fell down dead.”

There is now a new animated feature from Korea called Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmxEEE-KRpw

See also: The Origin of Nursery Tales in Mythology by Charles De B. Mills 1889
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-origin-of-nursery-tales-in.html

The Grimmest & Darkest Original Fairy Tales - 50 Books on CDrom
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-grimmest-darkest-original-fairy.html

William Miller & the Great Disappointment on This Day in History

This Day In History: Preacher William Miller died on this day in 1849. Miller gained great notoriety with his belief that the world would end in October 1844, and he had a great many believers. When the date came and went it came to be known as the "Great Disappointment." People were so upset that churches were burned, Millerites were tarred and feathered and others were attacked by mobs wielding weapons. Miller's followers, the Millerites, were estimated to vary between 50,000, and 500,000, and eventually led to the Seventh Day Adventist movement.

I've talked to Adventists that still hold October 22 1844 as a sacred day, and even as "the beginning of the end." That's probably what Thomas Preble believed when he released his 1847 book entitled "The Voice of God, Or an Account of the Unparalleled Fires, Hurricanes, Floods and Earthquakes Commencing with 1845 with some account of Pestilence, Famine and Increase of Crime."

See also The Number 666, the Beast & the Apocalypse - Over 250 Books on DVDROM

End of the World Predictions

German serial killer Fritz Haarmann On This Day in History

The Serial Killer Files by Harold Schechter

This Day In History: German serial killer Fritz Haarmann was sentenced to death on this day in 1924. Known as the Butcher of Hanover, he committed the most horrible crimes against a minimum of 24 boys and young men between 1918 and 1924 in Hanover, Germany. He was also called the Vampire of Hanover and the Wolf-Man because he preferred biting into his victims' throats.

The most prolific serial killer in the modern era was probably Harold Shipman, an English doctor who is said to have murdered as many as 250 patients with fatal doses of painkillers.

The FBI estimates that there are between twenty-five and fifty serial killers operating throughout the U.S. at any given time. However, if you want to know the serial-killer capital of the world, you need look no further than London Ontario. (google it).

On a lark, I decided to look up serial killers in Iceland and they had one, Axlar-Björn, over 400 years ago.

See also: The Riverman - Ted Bundy and I Hunt for the Green River Killer by Robert D Keppel
http://bit.ly/2sEmMQn

The Stranger Beside Me - Ted Bundy, the Shocking True Story by Ann Rule
http://www.murders.ru/Ann_Ru_stran_vnytre.pdf

Ted Bundy on the "malignant being": An analysis of the justificatory discourse of a serial killer
http://www.sfu.ca/~palys/crim862-Pedneault-TedBundyJustificatoryDiscourse.pdf

The Representations of Serial Killers by Peter J.M. Connelly
https://tinyurl.com/ycm64c7s

David Schmidt’s Natural Born Celebrities: Serial Killers in American Culture
https://tinyurl.com/y8slcmo8

Famous Serial Killers by Borg Schroeder
https://archive.org/details/FamousSerialKillers/page/n1

Real Crime Book Of Serial Killers
https://archive.org/details/RealCrimeBookOfSerialKillers/page/n13

Inside the Mind of BTK
The True Story Behind the Thirty-Year Hunt for the Notorious Wichita Serial Killer by John Douglas
http://murders.ru/Inside_the_BTK.pdf

God Save the Tsar! on This Day in History

This Day In History: The national anthem of the Russian Empire, "God Save the Tsar!", was first performed on this day in 1833. Within 100 years, this all changes though. The new Russia, under Socialist rule, no longer believes in God, and they violently killed the last Tsar alongside his wife and children. In 1933, the Soviet famines would kill up to 12 million people via planned starvation. Meet the new boss...Worse than the old boss.

The Problem of Socialist Management By Gustave Simonson
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-problem-of-socialist-management-by.html

The Tyranny of Socialism by Henry Strickland Constable 1895
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-tyranny-of-socialism-by-henry.html

The Early Failures of Socialism
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2019/03/the-early-failures-of-socialism.html

To Be Governed Is To Be Watched (Proudhon)
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2019/01/to-be-governed-is-to-be-watched-proudhon.html

Buy: The Folly of Socialism (40 Chapters) for 99 cents on Amazon

Visit a local listing for this here

Listen to the Politically Incorrect Guide to Socialism

Katheryn Winnick (Vikings) on This Day in History

This Day In History:  Canadian actress Katheryn Winnick was born on this day in 1977. I know her best for her portrayal as the shield-maiden Lagertha in the History channel show "Vikings" (one of my favorite shows). Her husband on the Vikings, Ragnar Lothbrok (or Lodbrok in older textbooks) and his sons were actual historical persons and quite legendary (even Ivar the Boneless, who came to be the most renowned of Ragnar's sons).

Katheryn Winnick can kick ass in real life as well. She has a 3rd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and a 2nd degree black belt in Karate. She’s also a licenced bodyguard.

Oh, and that Bluetooth technology you use on your phone was named after King Harald Bluetooth, a Danish viking.

5 Most Legendary Vikings & Their True Stories

See also Norse Mythology and Viking Legends - 115 Books on DVDrom

Colonel Sanders on This Day in History

A&E Biography of Colonel Sanders

This Day In History: Colonel Sanders died on this day in 1980. He is best known for founding the fast food chicken restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (also known as KFC) and later acting as the company's brand ambassador and symbol. His name and image are still symbols of the company. However, the KFC story did not start until he retired in 1955 and received a measly pension check for $105. He knew he had to do something. Tony Robbins uses the following as a motivation: His first answer was, "Well, I have this chicken, recipe, everyone seems to love! What if I sold my chicken recipe to restaurants? Could I make money doing that?" Then he immediately thought, "That's ridiculous. Selling my recipe won't even pay the rent." And he got a new idea: "What if I not only sold them my recipe but also showed them how to cook the chicken properly? What if the chicken was so good that it increased their business? If more people come to see them and they make more chicken sales, maybe they will give me a percentage of those additional sales."

And he was persistent. In trying to sell his chicken, he was refused 1,009 times before he heard his first yes. He spent two years driving across America in his old, beat-up car, sleeping in the back seat, getting up each day eager to share his idea with someone new.

Later on, KFC was one of the first fast food chains to expand internationally, opening outlets in Canada and later in the UK, Mexico and Jamaica by the mid-1960s. Sanders obtained a patent protecting his method of pressure frying chicken in 1962, and trademarked the phrase "It's Finger Lickin' Good" in 1963.

In 1965, Sanders moved to Mississauga, Ontario to oversee his Canadian franchises.

He died at Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, and his funeral services were held at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Chapel.

Gone With The Wind on This Day in History

Behind the Scenes Photos

This Day In History: The movie Gone With The Wind was released on this day in 1939. It has a running time of 221 minutes (about 4 hours), and adjusted for inflation, it the most successful film of all time ($3.44 billion). The movie's famous line "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" almost didn't make it in, as "damn" was considered a cuss word at the time. "Gone With the Wind" broke a lot of taboos: the portrayal of a prostitute, Amputation, Battlefield violence, and Painful childbirth. In fact, they couldn't find enough extras to portray the dead and wounded Confederate soldiers toward the end of the war so they ordered 1000 dummies.

Amazingly, one of the actors in the movie, Olivia de Havilland (now DAME Olivia de Havilland) is still alive at 103 years old. She was born in Japan to British parents and is presently a citizen of three different countries: United Kingdom, United States and France.

Horror Author Shirley Jackson on This Day in History

Ruth Franklin on Shirley Jackson

This Day In History: Author Shirley Jackson was born on this day in 1916. She is best known for writing the "Haunting of Hill House" and "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" and "The Lottery" a detailed and deadpan description of a small New England town that takes part in an annual stoning of one of it's community members. She actually wrote The Lottery in a single morning, and many people wrote to her believing that the story was true.

She was raised in a family of Christian Scientists, and she would angrily recall her mother and grandmother praying over her little brother’s broken arm rather than taking him to a hospital. Her parents never attended her wedding because she married a Jew.

She had a huge library of witchcraft books, and she was fascinated by a book called "An Adventure" which details a true ghost story involving Marie Antoinette written by two academics. She was the inspiration for other writers, including Stephen King, Neil Gaiman and Joyce Carol Oates.

The Ghost of Marie Antoinette at Petit Trianon by James H. Hyslop 1911
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-ghost-of-marie-antoinette-at-petit.html

The Lottery Shirley Jackson (Full Audiobook)

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson Full Audiobook

Friday the 13th on This Day in History

This Day In History: Today is Friday the 13th, something that happens during any month that begins on a Sunday. The fear of the number 13 is called "triskaidekaphobia" and the fear of Friday the 13th is called paraskevidekatriaphobia. Most present two sources for the origin of the Friday the 13th superstition: 13 at dinner during the Last Supper (thank you Judas), and the arrest of hundreds of Knights Templars on Friday, 13 October 1307. Another origin story comes from Norse mythology, because, at a banquet in the Valhalla, Loki, the Scandinavian God of Strife and Evil, made himself the 'thirteenth' guest, where he killed Balder, the God of Peace.

Some say Heavy Metal was born on Friday the 13, 1970, with the UK release of Black Sabbath's self-titled debut album, considered the first true Metal album by many.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt avoided travel on the 13th day of any month, and would never host 13 guests at a meal.

In Paris you can hire a "Quatorzieme," or professional 14th guest for dinner.

According to Cora Linn Daniels, "The Turks dislike the number 13 to such an extent, that they have almost expunged the word from their vocabulary."

Up to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of Friday the 13th, so much so that they avoid their normal routines in doing business, taking flights or even getting out of bed. According to John Roach: "It's been estimated that $800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day"

See also Superstition of the Number Thirteen by EJ Jones 1906
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2015/10/superstition-of-number-thirteen-by-ej.html

Examples of Popular Superstition by the J. I. Mombert 1886
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2015/11/examples-of-popular-superstition-by-j-i.html

The Number 13 & Other Superstitions - 100 Books on DVDROM
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-number-13-other-superstitions-100.html

Lucky and Unlucky Numbers by Cora Linn Daniels 1903
https://thebookshelf2015.blogspot.com/2018/04/lucky-and-unlucky-numbers-by-cora-linn.html

Edvard Munch & the Scream on This Day in History

This Day In History: Artist Edvard Munch was born on this day in 1863. He is best known for his painting, "The Scream," an image that inspired the mask in the Wes Craven movie "Scream" and the poster for ‘Home Alone’ featuring Macauly Caulkin. The bridge depicted in The Scream is said to have been a popular spot for suicides, and it was within listening distance of a slaughterhouse and an insane asylum. During the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, thieves placed a ladder up to the window of the National Gallery in Oslo, made their way inside, and made off with the painting. The theft was so easily committed, they left a note that read, "Thanks for the poor security." The painting was recovered within three months. It was stolen again 10 years later. London bookies were taking bets in 2012 that the painting would be stolen again before it went to auction at 20/1 odds.

The Scream is now in the public domain. 

Art Forger Elmyr de Hory on This Day in History

Watch: F for Fake

This Day In History: Art forger Elmyr de Hory died on this day in 1976. This artist is said to have sold over 1000 forgeries to reputable art galleries all over the world. He was so good at it that he became famous to the point that people wanted to buy his known forgeries. To this day, his forgeries still sell for a lot of money. In fact, there are now forgeries of Elmyr de Hory's forgeries. Orson Welles made a documentary on Elmyr de Hory that you can watch for free on Youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIVgUjj6RxU

Elmyr de Hory was imprisoned in Hungary for political dissidence, sent to concentration camps by the Germans for being both Jewish and gay (he was not Jewish), jailed in Mexico on suspicion of murder, and jailed again in Spain for "consorting with criminals" and homosexuality...however, he never did time for forgery. He committed suicide in 1976.

It is estimated that all de Hory forgeries were sold for more than $50 million in today's value. As Pablo Picasso once said, "Good artists copy but great artists steal." There is also Charles Caleb Colton remark: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."

The Truth About Modern Art

Modern Art is Still Crap

Huckleberry Finn on This Day in History

Watch: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

This Day In History: Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published on this day in 1884. Now when Huck Finn book is mentioned, it is done so in terms of it supposed racism. Mark Twain is not alone. When judging the past in terms of modern pearl clutching morals, few older books walk away unscathed. Willy Wonka, Sherlock Holmes, To Kill a Mockingbird, Narnia, Agatha Christie, Secret Garden, Little House on the Prairie, Rudyard Kipling, Babar the Elephant, Dr Dolittle etc., are all under scrutiny with similar accusations.

There is so much in older classical literature to be offended by in our present politically correct atmosphere: the patriarchy, the lack of diversity, straight couples, Euro-centrism, gilded age capitalism, etc. Did you know that we have lost 14 IQ points since the Victorian era? Perhaps we are in a bad position to be judging our betters.

I often wonder how many of our modern books will be unable to pass some moral test in the future that we, at present cannot even perceive of, especially as the Overton Window shifts day after day.

.....................

In old American English slang. The phrase "a huckleberry over my persimmon" meant "a bit beyond my abilities." "I'm your huckleberry" (Doc Holliday, Tombstone) is another way of saying that you are the right man for the job.

Listen to the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

"Anna's Day" on This Day in History

Watch Anna Karenina

This Day In History: Today is Anna's Day which celebrates all people named Anna in Sweden and Finland. Anna is the second most popular female name in movies behind Sarah. Anna was the 22nd most popular name in 1850, but from the 1870's through to the 1890's, Anna was consistently the second most popular name behind Mary. Perhaps this has something to do with the popular novel of the time "Anna Karenina." Anna and Mary also have a religious connection. European Christians embraced the name Anna for its associations with the Virgin Mary’s mother, Saint Anna — known in English as Saint Anne. Anna is derived from the Hebrew word Hannah meaning "Grace" (Hail Mary, full of grace). The names Anna and Mary feature prominently in Downton Abbey as well, and Anna is one of the most common composite names: Pollyanna, Annabelle, Marianne, Anna-Maria, Julianne, Leanne, Roseanne etc.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_days_in_Sweden

Listen to the Anna Karenina audiobook at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kjWJjtMwuQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5o2nH027rc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJJSuwiej4Q

Metallica on This Day in History

Metallica - Freeze 'Em All: Live in Antarctica (FULL CONCERT) [HD]

This Day In History: Metallica performs a show in Antarctica on this day in 2013, making them the first band to perform on all 7 continents.

Their music is also played in Afghanistan to repel the Taliban.

Their song Creeping Death is a tale about the Egyptian Plague.

They are often praised by non-rock musicians for the sheer difficulty of playing their music. One of their most difficult songs, Master of Puppets, which is 8 straight minutes at 210 BPM, with singing at the same time. The song features time signature changes (4/4, 5/4,2/4,5/8) while most songs have a single time signature — often 4/4. The rhythm section requires traveling the fretboard in a way that a simple song doesn't.
Most who try to replicate their music complain of wrist and arm fatigue. Master of Puppets is the first metal recording to be preserved in the National Recording Registry by the United States Library of Congress.

The 11 Details of MASTER OF PUPPETS (that many guitarists miss)

The Mormon Murders on This Day in History

This Day In History: Forger and counterfeiter Mark Hofmann was born on this day in 1954. Considered as one of the most accomplished forgers in history, he often created documents relating to Mormon history that could embarrass them, and then sell those documents to the Church so that they could suppress them. Hofmann also forged and sold signatures of George Washington, John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Daniel Boone, John Brown, Andrew Jackson, Mark Twain, Nathan Hale, John Hancock, Francis Scott Key, Abraham Lincoln, John Milton, Paul Revere, Myles Standish, etc. Hofmann also forged an Emily Dickinson poem. Afraid of being discovered, he killed several people with bombs to throw suspicion away from himself. All this made for a fascinating book called The Mormon Murders: A True Story of Greed, Forgery, Deceit and Death by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith.

Download: Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith

Listen to: Who is Mark Hofmann? The Truth Behind the Salamander Letter Bombings

Listen to: The Career of a Counterfeit Artist and the World of Literary Forgery

Hugo Chávez on This Day in History

Buy: The Folly of Socialism (40 Chapters) for 99 cents on Amazon

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This Day In History: Socialist Hugo Chávez becomes victorious in the Venezuelan presidential elections on this day in 1999...a bad day for Venezuela. In 1950, Venezuela ranked among the top ten most prosperous nations in the world. In 1959, the Venezuelan GDP per capita was 10 percent higher than America’s. Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world and should be a very wealthy country. However, since Chavez (and Maduro) took power, the median monthly income is now $8. Roughly 90 percent of Venezuelans today live below the poverty line. Venezuelans have lost an average 24 pounds and have been reduced to eating pets and zoo animals. Socialism’s record has been pain, not gain, especially for the poor. Socialism has consistently produced mass starvation and it stunts growth. In most cases, socialism’s monopoly on economic control also encourages corruption by government officials, as we can see in Latin American and African.

Listen to The Politically Incorrect Guide to Socialism

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Alexandre Dumas on This Day in History

1975 Full movie

This Day In History: Alexandre Dumas died on this day in 1870. He was one of France's greatest writers, my favorite work being "The Count of Monte Cristo." "The Three Musketeers" is favored by many others. He may also be one of the earliest True Crime writers as well. He was a colorful figure in literary history. He frittered away tons of money, even buying his own castle. Described as being "the most delightfully amusing and egotistical creature on the face of the earth" he had 40 illicit affairs and dozens of illegitimate children, though he acknowledged only three.

Read his stories online at http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=alexander+dumas

Listen to The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
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The Folly of Enforced Equality by Henry S. Constable 1897

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Equality Worship By Henry Strickland Constable 1897

Equality is found nowhere except among the lowest and most brute-like savages and the lower animals., And the higher men rise above this state, the greater inequality necessarily becomes. Thus, when the envy-ridden Socialist cries out for equality, he really cries out for returning to brutality and savagery.

Worship of equality at the expense of liberty is a specially French characteristic. We may conjecture that in Great Britain equality-worship, and thence liberty-hatred, vary in proportion to the quantity of non-Teutonic blood in the veins.

After all, the poor Frenchman does not get the equality he strives after. Says Balzac: "Plus nos lois tendront a une impossible egalite, plus nous nous en ecarterons pas les moeurs." "In no country," says Karl Hildebrand, "is the line between different classes drawn so sharply as in France; in none are social prejudices more deeply rooted." "Those," says Edmund Burke, "who attempt to level never equalize." They may destroy liberty, and, therefore, prosperity; but they do not gain equality. Thus the French have neither one nor the other. "The French," says W. S. Lilly, "talk of liberty; but the only liberty that a Frenchman has is that of a ticket-of-leave man under perpetual surveillance." "In France," says Monseigneur Freppel, "there is not even a semblance of liberty." "A man is not free," he says, "who cannot leave his property according to his conscience and the interests of his family. A man is not free when the State dictates to him how he is to educate his children (probably against his own religious convictions). Government in France at the present day means tyranny." The French, said Napoleon, do not even know the meaning of the word "liberty."

Some foolish people think that equality-worshipping Radicalism means Republicanism. But Radicalism and its opposite are in the mind, and reign there just the same, whatever the outward and visible form of government. Among the Republicans of America there are all shades and degrees, from Tories—through Conservatives, Liberals, Radicals, Socialists, and Communists—and Fenians, down to Anarchists and "dynamite devils," just as in England. Human nature is human nature everywhere, for ever and ever. A Liberal (as distinguished from a Radical) is a liberal-minded man who love's liberty, and a Radical is an illiberal-minded, envious destroyer of inequality and civilization all the world over, whatever the country, whatever the age, and whatever the form of constitution.

Nature demands liberty and inequality. The poor Radical may whine like a whipped hound at the laws of nature; but this will not alter them, and the more he strives against them the harder his country, if he gets his way, will he whipped. M. de Laveleye talks of the "painful path France is treading, where coercion and revolution succeed each other, and where liberty is sacrificed."

"The French," says Karl Hildebrand, "call the liberty of the individual a German idea. But it is this very German and English idea that develops, when carried out, man's noblest capacities—manly courage, manly energy, honesty, love of country, intellectual vigor, activity, and progress in all things." "How different," he goes on to say, "from the French ideal. The lower instinct of envy has been idealized as 'love of equality,' the 'rights of man' take the place of 'the duties of man,' and the 'sovereignty of the people' comes really to mean the vanity of the people."

Character is everything. Disaster must follow its loss; and this loss must come to a nation that sacrifices liberty (the special cultivator of character) to strife for equality. "Intelligent observers," says Dr. Smiles, "all agreed that the cause of the deplorable collapse of France before the Germans was the utter absence of the feeling of duty, as well as of truthfulness, from the mind of the French people; while the German people, pervaded by an ardent sense of duty, did not think it beneath them to reverence what was noble and lofty. The French, having sneered at everything, had lost the faculty of respecting anything; and virtue, family life, patriotism, honor, and religion were considered only fitting subjects for ridicule. Of course, the inevitable Nemesis came."

The French Radical's hatred of liberty, because it cannot co-exist with equality, is connected with his hatred of Christianity. Christianity means, among other things, individuality—that is, each person being a free, responsible person: responsible to God and to conscience. Thence comes duty—that word which is such a puzzle to the mind of the genuine French Celt. Socialist-Radicalism aims at slavery—slavery to majorities and to the State. Of course, a slave is not a responsible person.

"Popular forms of government," says Froude, "are possible only when individual men can govern their own lives on moral principles, and when duty is of more importance than pleasure." If this be true—and true, of course, it is —how about popular forms of government in a race of men who, with their many charming qualities, proverbially do not, as a rule, even know the meaning of the word "duty"? Duty implies liberty to act. So, where liberty is destroyed for the sake of getting equality, by means of every kind of tyrannical, despotic, and compulsory legislation, there can be no "duty"; there can be only subjection to public opinion and mob tyranny. "Mob tyranny," said wise Edmund Burke, "means multiplied tyranny." This is, I suppose, why Radicals love it. The tyranny of one despot is not tyranny enough for them.

"One after another," says Baron Stoffel, "the fine qualities of the French nation are dying out, and the time seems coming when this noble race will be known only by its faults. And France has no idea that, while she is sinking, other nations are distancing her on the road of progress."

One result of the Englishman's love of liberty, and of his strong-charactered self-dependence, is that he makes a good colonist, while the Frenchman makes a bad one. An Englishman goes into the bush with his axe, by himself, and, with energetic self-dependence, sets to work, and keeps at work. French colonists, dependent one on (another, collect themselves into villages, and talk. A community of French emigrants once settled in Canada. Their first measure was to erect a salon de danse. But one evening, when they were all earnestly engaged upon a minuet, a party of Indians came, and scalped every one of them. Still, before the great Revolution—that is, before their insane, suicidal legislation for equality—the French increased, multiplied, and colonized. Since the Revolution—and the legislation for compulsory equality, by destroying liberty of bequest, and liberty everywhere—the multiplying has ceased, and their colonies are more and more swamped by the English and German races. How can a colony thrive if there are no colonists?

In Malthusian France nature's counteractions to deterioration of breed, such as liberty, increasing population, and thence hard competition, have not had free play, and the consequences are what we see—consequences that must take place when the laws of God are superseded by the laws of fools. If the liberty Radicals hate and nature demands has to make way for the equality Radicals demand and nature hates, punishment must follow, as in any and every other case where the laws of nature are transgressed or disregarded.

The French think they love liberty. But, as Napoleon said, they do not even know the meaning of the word. Some think it means lawlessness, whereas it means such stern enforcement of the law that everybody can go about freely without fear of being murdered, hold property without being robbed, and make contracts without being swindled.

It is wonderful how ignorant the most able writers have shown themselves, even nearly to the present day, about human nature and human character, with its enormous variety, inequality, and range from mere brute-like animalism up to men of the noblest type. The thinkers of the time of Mill and Ricardo all discussed the Malthusian population-restricting theories, and yet not one of them ever hinted at the one thing in the matter worth mentioning—namely, the effect Malthusianism would have in the long run upon human character, and thence, of course, upon human conduct and action. That all difference in action comes from difference in character, and that, therefore, character is everything, never entered into their heads. They thought —by far the stupidest thought that is possible to the human mind—that "all men are by nature equal," and that there are no inborn differences. That laws to force equality on a nation, such as artificial restriction of population, and the consequent loss of active, free, and healthy competition, must deteriorate character and faculties, and thence lead to national disaster without limit, never seems to have occurred to their sometimes very clever, but always shallow, minds. They were, in fact, dead to all considerations of character— that is, they were dead to the only questions of real importance.

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Burger King on This Day in History

This Day In History: The first Burger King opened in Miami, Florida on this day in 1954. The Whopper was developed 3 years later, and BK is now in 79 countries. Most people don't know that Burger King has a Secret Menu where you can buy the Suicide Burger which is four beef patties, four slices of cheese, bacon, and the special sauce between two sesame seed buns. There is also the mysterious Burger King Crown Card, a card that gives you anything at BK for free. However, there are only 12 in existence. Jay Leno has one of the cards and has a great story to tell about it: "So I order my food and the guy says, 'That's $11', I say, 'Fine, here you go' and hand him the card. His reaction was amazing. 'Whoa, where'd you get this?' He was not impressed that I was on The Tonight Show or even that I was driving a Porsche Carrera GT. He was more impressed with this piece of plastic."

Burger King Commercial 1978

Judas Priest on This Day in History

The Spooky Tooth Version of Better By You, Better Than Me

This Day In History: In 1986 a lawsuit was filed against Judas Priest after two fans shot themselves after listening to the band's music. The suit was dismissed in 1990. The song at the center of this "subliminal message trial" was the song "Better by You, Better than Me" written by Gary Wright (the same person that wrote Dream Weaver). The oldest song that I know of that was said to have encouraged suicides was Gloomy Sunday, otherwise known as the Hungarian Suicide Song. Written in 1932, this song is said to be linked to 18 deaths. The composer, Rezso Seress, eventually committed suicide himself.

One of the more recent deaths attributed to music was in 2012 in Florida where a 47 year old man shot a boy for playing rap music. While extreme...I completely understand.

Here is an excerpt of Gloomy Sunday:

Sunday is gloomy,
My hours are slumberless.
Dearest, the shadows
I live with are numberless.
Little white flowers
Will never awaken you.
Not where the black coach
Of sorrow has taken you.
Angels have no thought
Of ever returning you.

Sarah McLachlan - Gloomy Sunday

Herbert Hoover on This Day in History

Contrasting Views of the Great Depression with Robert P. Murphy

This Day In History: U.S. President Herbert Hoover proposed a $150 million (equivalent to $2,250,000,000 in 2018) public works program on this day in 1930 to help generate jobs and stimulate the economy. This flies in the face of the commonly accepted view that Herbert Hoover (a Republican) was a "do-nothing President." Hoover was a progressive who urged business leaders to keep wages up even while prices were falling...in other words, to give people a raise during a depression. As a result fewer people were hired. "Hoover’s policies prolonged the Great Depression. His agricultural policy was a disaster. Raising tariffs an average of 59% on more than 25,000 items hurt. Lots of tax increases crippled businesses. Hoover sought prosperity through central planning, as did his successor, FDR, who also knew nothing about how wealth was created." ~Tom Woods

"One of the most pernicious myths in the economic history of the twentieth century is the belief that what caused the Great Depression, or at least worsened it, is Herbert Hoover’s dogmatic commitment to a 'do nothing' laissez-faire policy in the aftermath of the stock market crash. This argument is part and parcel of the set of beliefs about the Great Depression that I have dubbed the 'high school history' version of that event. (It includes the claims that laissez faire caused it, Hoover’s inaction worsened it, the New Deal did wonders, and World War II got us all the way out.) This claim about Hoover’s dedication to laissez faire is, as I have suggested, utterly false." ~Steven Horwitz

Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt