Good Morning & God Bless To Every One !
Today is February 2, the 33rd day of 2014 and there are 332 days left this year where it is another Blessed Day in the pleasure of working for and praising our Lord at:
For God’s Glory Alone Ministries !!!
Happy Ground Hog Day to all! (Are there unhappy ground hog days? – I have to wonder!) On the 128th annual event, at 7:26 a.m. EST this morning, Phil saw his shadow and states there will be six more weeks of winter. I’d be more interested to see if we’re going to get any rain or snow out here in the drought ridden Southwest however! Maybe we could start a ‘Road Runner Day’, ‘Coyote Day’ or something along those lines!
In the meantime, I’m offering odds on the Super Bowl today as I have inside information on who the winner will be. But then, Pastor says I shall not gamble so I’ll go ahead and give you the spoiler – the team with the most points will take all!
So, What Happened Today In 1812 ?
Russians establish Fort Ross on west coast north of San Francisco
Staking a tenuous claim to the riches of the Far West, Russians establish Fort Ross on the coast north of San Francisco.
As a growing empire with a long Pacific coastline, Russia was in many ways well positioned to play a leading role in the settlement and development of the West. The Russians had begun their expansion into the North American continent in 1741 with a massive scientific expedition to Alaska. Returning with news of abundant sea otters, the explorers inspired Russian investment in the Alaskan fur trade and some permanent settlements. By the early 19th century, the semi-governmental Russian-American Company was actively competing with British and American fur-trading interests as far south as the shores of Spanish-controlled California.
Russia’s Alaskan colonists found it difficult to produce their own food because of the short growing season of the far north. Officials of the Russian-American Company reasoned that a permanent settlement along the more temperate shores of California could serve both as a source of food and a base for exploiting the abundant sea otters in the region. To that end, a large party of Russians and Aleuts sailed for California where they established Fort Ross (short for Russia) on the coast north of San Francisco.
Fort Ross, though, proved unable to fulfill either of its expected functions for very long. By the 1820s, the once plentiful sea otters in the region had been hunted almost to extinction. Likewise, the colonists’ attempts at farming proved disappointing, because the cool foggy summers along the coast made it difficult to grow the desired fruits and grains. Potatoes thrived, but they could be grown just as easily in Alaska.
At the same time, the Russians were increasingly coming into conflict with the Mexicans and the growing numbers of Americans settling in the region. Disappointed with the commercial potential of the Fort Ross settlement and realizing they had no realistic chance of making a political claim for the region, the Russians decided to sell out. After making unsuccessful attempts to interest both the British and Mexicans in the fort, the Russians finally found a buyer in John Sutter. An American emigrant to California, Sutter bought Fort Ross in 1841 with an unsecured note for $30,000 that he never paid. He cannibalized the fort to provide supplies for his colony in the Sacramento Valley where, seven years later, a chance discovery ignited the California Gold Rush. (See related entry below, 1847);
Other Memorable Or Interesting Events Occurring On February 2 In History:
962 – Otto I invades Italy and is crowned Holy Roman Emperor;
1536 – Present-day Buenos Aires, Argentina, was founded by Pedro de Mendoza of Spain;
1571 – All eight members of a Jesuit mission in Virginia are murdered by Indians who pretended to be their friends;
1803 – Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston is born in Washington, Kentucky. Johnston was considered one of the best Confederate commanders until he was killed at the Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee, the first major engagement in the West. Johnston and Union General James McPherson were the only two army commanders killed in action during the Civil War. Johnston’s death left a void in the leadership of the Western armies that was never effectively filled;
1847 – The first woman of a group of pioneers commonly known as the Donner Party dies during the group’s journey through a Sierra Nevada mountain pass. The disastrous trip west ended up killing 42 people and turned many of the survivors into cannibals. With starvation setting in, a group of 15 adults (known as the Forlorn Hope) attempted to get to Sutter’s Fort, formally Fort Ross, near San Francisco, 100 miles away–for help. About half of the group died in the harsh conditions and the others were forced to eat their fallen companions’ remains to survive. Finally, the seven remaining members of the expedition were able to reach a Native American village. News of their arrival spread quickly, and a rescue party was sent from Sutter’s Fort to reach the rest of the Donner Party, still stuck in the mountains. By the time the rescue was complete, nearly half of the Donner Party, including George Donner, was dead. (See related ‘feature story’ above – Fort Ross);
1848 – In the Mexican-American War, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is signed, ending the war in favor of the United States. The Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo added an additional 525,000 square miles to United States territory, including the area that would become the states of Texas, California, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona, as well as parts of Colorado and Wyoming. Controversy during and after the war pitted President James K. Polk in a political war against two future presidents: Zachary Taylor and Abraham Lincoln;
1852 – First British public men’s toilet opens in London, England on Fleet Street;
1863 – Samuel Clemens becomes ‘Mark Twain’ for the first time;
1870 – The press agencies Havas, Reuter and Wolff sign an agreement whereby between them they can cover the whole world;
1887 – Groundhog Day, featuring a rodent meteorologist, is celebrated for the first time at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. According to tradition, if a groundhog comes out of its hole on this day and sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather; no shadow means an early spring. Groundhog Day has its roots in the ancient Christian tradition of Candlemas Day, when clergy would bless and distribute candles needed for winter;
1901 – Female Army Nurse Corps is established as a permanent organization;
1914 – The musical “Shameen Dhu,” featuring the song “Too Ra Loo Ra Loo Ral,” opened on Broadway;
1914 – Charles Chaplin made his movie debut as the comedy short “Making a Living” was released by Keystone Film Co. Five days later, Keystone released “Kid Auto Races at Venice,” in which Chaplin first played his famous Tramp character;
1916 – United States Senate votes for independence for the Philippines which becomes effective in 1921;
1921 – Airmail service opens, airmail’s first day, between New York and San Francisco;
1922 – For One Second it was 2:22:22 on 2-2-22. If you were using a 12 hour clock vs. a 24 hour clock, it amazingly happened twice on the same day!;
1933 – Two days after becoming chancellor, Adolf Hitler dissolves Parliament;
1935 – First use of a ‘Lie Detector’ in court occurs in Portage, Wisconsin;
1942 – In World War II, Vidkun Quisling, a collaborator with the German occupiers of Norway, is established as prime minister of a puppet government. The commissarial counselors formed a formal government loyal to Germany, with Quisling as its prime minister. When Germany finally surrendered in May 1945, Quisling was arrested by Norway’s Allied liberators, tried for treason, and executed. His name continues to be a synonym for “traitor”;
1943 – In World War II, the last German troops in the Soviet city of Stalingrad surrender to the Red Army, ending one of the pivotal battles of World War II. The Battle of Stalingrad turned the tide in the war between Germany and the Soviet Union;
1945 – In World War II, in the night hours some 500 prisoners, mostly Soviet officers from barracks 20, known as the “death barracks” made an attempt to escape Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp. Of those 500, 419 prisoners did manage to leave the camp grounds but many were already too weakened from starvation to reach the woods and collapsed in the snow outside the camp where they were shot that night. All who failed to reach the woods and another 75 prisoners in the barracks who had remained behind because they were too sick to follow were executed that night. Over 300 prisoners did manage to reach the woods that first night. Of those 300 who did survive the escape that first night, 57 were returned to the camp. Just 11 officers are known to have survived the manhunt untill the end of the war. After three months, the war ended and the fugitives were safe;
1948 – President Truman urges congress to adopt a civil rights program;
1949 – During the Cold War, in response to Soviet leader Joseph Stalin’s proposal that President Harry S. Truman travel to Russia for a conference, Secretary of State Dean Acheson brusquely rejects the idea as a “political maneuver.” This rather curious exchange was further evidence of the diplomatic sparring between the United States and the Soviet Union that was so characteristic of the early years of the Cold War;
1962 – In the Vietnamese War, The first U.S. Air Force plane is lost in South Vietnam. The C-123 aircraft crashed while spraying defoliant on a Viet Cong ambush site. The aircraft was part of Operation Ranch Hand, a technological area-denial technique designed to expose the roads and trails used by the Viet Cong. U.S. personnel dumped an estimated 19 million gallons of defoliating herbicides over 10-20 percent of Vietnam and parts of Laos from 1962 to 1971. Agent Orange, so named from the color of its metal containers, was the most frequently used. The use of these agents was controversial, both during and after the war, because of questions about long-term ecological impacts and the effect on humans who handled or were sprayed by the chemicals. Beginning in the late 1970s, Vietnam veterans began to cite the herbicides, especially Agent Orange, as the cause of health problems ranging from skin rashes to cancer and birth defects in their children. Similar problems, including an abnormally high incidence of miscarriages and congenital malformations, have been reported among the Vietnamese people who lived in the areas where the defoliate agents were used;
1964 – GI Joe debuts as a popular American toy;
1970 – During the Vietnamese War, antiwar protestors take legal action in an attempt to prove that the Dow Chemical Company is still making napalm. Dow had claimed that it had stopped making napalm. Members of the antiwar movement filed suit against the Dow Chemical Company in a Washington, D.C. court. The plaintiffs were trying to force the company to disclose all government contracts to prove that the company was still making napalm;
1971 – One week after toppling the regime of Ugandan leader Milton Obote, Major General Idi Amin declares himself president of Uganda and chief of the armed forces. Amin, head of the Ugandan army and air force since 1966, seized power while Obote was out of the country. In 1979, Amin and his government fled the country, and Obote returned from exile to reassume the Ugandan presidency. Amin received asylum from Saudi Arabia. He is believed to have been responsible for the murder of as many as 300,000 Ugandans, though he never stood trial for his crimes. Amin died on August 16, 2003, in Saudi Arabia;
1980 – FBI releases details of Abscam, a sting operation that targeted 31 elected & public officials for bribes for political favors;
2013 – Shinzō Abe, Japan’s Prime Minister, vows to defend the Senkaku Islands from China – “at all costs”;
2013 – It was one year ago TODAY !
Now, Off To The Fun Stuff !
Today’s ‘Ricks It’s Just An Observation’:
LET’S SAVE SOME MONEY! – Let’s cut government spending immediately. Every member of Congress who stood and applauded when Obama said he can take steps without legislation should immediately step down since they agree that they, and their staffs, are irrelevant. Their constituents can then live under the rule of authoritative proclamation instead of the rule of law. That would save us a whole bunch of money, including their congressional pensions since they abandoned their duties. Think about how many more Richard Simmons videos we could make!
Today’s Quote For The Day:
“Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”
– Mark Twain
Today’s ‘Dog Thoughts’:
Today’s Thought For The Day:
“It was naive of the 19th century optimists to expect paradise from technology — and it is equally naive of the 20th century pessimists to make technology the scapegoat for such old shortcomings as man’s blindness, cruelty, immaturity, greed and sinful pride.”
– Peter F. Drucker, Austrian-born American business management consultant
Today’s ‘AWE of GOD’ Picture:
Cascata delle Marmore, Umbria, Italy
Today’s ‘Astute Visionary’:
“I’m just glad it’ll be Clark Gable who’s falling on his face and not Gary Cooper.”
– Gary Cooper on his decision not to take the leading role in “Gone With The Wind.”
Today’s ‘So Long Ago’:
Not So Long Ago – A mouse pad was where a mouse lived!
Today’s ‘Lets Be Friends’ Picture:
Today’s ‘Found on an actual product label’:
On a Sears hair dryer – Do not use while sleeping.
Today’s Proverb:
There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience.
Today’s ‘Cuddly Teddy Bear’ Picture:
I Love You ‘This Much’
Today’s Funny Cute Animal Video:
Puppy v. Kitty Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=4XwRKl5Xt6o
Today’s ‘Lets Be Friends’ Video:
Best Friends Forever – https://www.flixxy.com/friendship-has-no-boundaries.htm
Today’s ‘Oops Construction Site’ Picture:
Today’s Lexophile Word Play:
When the smog lifts in Los Angeles U – C – L – A
Today’s Word Of The Day:
caveat – a caveat is a warning or admonition. It can also mean a detail or condition to be taken into consideration while doing something.
Today’s ‘When A Soldier Comes Home’:
They have to laugh when people complain about Potholes !
Today’s Crazy ?/Thought:
When does it stop being partly cloudy and start being partly sunny?
Today’s Crazy Law:
In Alaska – It is considered an offense to push a live moose out of a moving airplane. (I would have thought that true almost anywhere!)
Today’s ‘We’re getting a little older’ Picture:
Today’s Joke Of The Day:
A police officer had just pulled over a car full of nuns for going too slow on a major highway.
Police Officer: “Why were you driving so slowly?”
Nun Driver: “I kept seeing all these signs with the number 20 on them and figured that was the speed limit.”
Police Officer: “No Sister, that is the highway number.”
Nun Driver: “Oh, I’m so sorry officer, I didn’t know that.”
Then the police officer looks into the back seat and sees that the nuns there have panic-stricken faces and white knuckles from holding on to each other too tightly.
Police Officer: “What’s wrong with the nuns in the back seat?”
Nun Driver: “Oh, we just got off Highway 166 a few miles ago.”
Today’s ‘This Is What Cameras Were Made For’ Picture:
Today’s Inspirational Quote:
Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.
– Vivian Greene
Today’s Inspirational Music Video:
Above All, Crucified – https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=BrCW3BA8TIQ
Today’s Verse & Prayer:
As it is written – “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.
– 1 Corinthians 2:9
Father GOD, thank you for knowing me before time began. Thank you for crafting me in my mother’s womb. Thank you for sending Jesus to pay the price for my sins. And thank you in advance for the day Jesus comes to take me home to be with you forever. In my Savior’s name, I pray. Amen.
Today’s Funny Church Sign:
Until Tomorrow – America, BLESS GOD !!!
