Busy Day!
Jan 22, 2018 09:30:01 #
Looking at moments of historical significance, January 22nd is chock-full of momentous occasions. For instance:
In 1689, Prince William of Orange (future King William III of Britain), summoned the Convention Parliament to discuss ruling jointly with his wife Mary (who was the daughter of the exiled King James II).
In 1879, the Battle of Rorke's Drift, when a British garrison of 150 soldiers holds off 3,000-4,000 Zulu warriors. Eleven Victoria Crosses and a large number of other decorations were awarded to the defenders.
In 1905, in St Petersburg, Russia, a large demonstration of workers led by Father Gapon, marched to the Winter Palace with a petition to the Tsar; troops fired on the protesters in what became known as 'Bloody Sunday'.
In 1946, US President Harry Truman set up the Central Intelligence Agency.
And in 1973, the Supreme Court ruling in Roe vs Wade legalized most abortions, opening the way for a company called Planned Parenthood to murder terminate in excess of 6 million unborn children fetuses.
Born on this day in Greenock, Renfrew, Scotland, the infamous pirate William (Captain) Kidd (1645-1701) was executed by hanging in London after being captured in Boston over a year earlier. He is the only pirate known to have buried treasure, and in May 2015, a 55kg (121lb) bar of silver found in shallow waters off Saint Marie island in Madagascar was attributed to Kidd. At his execution for piracy in 1701, the hangman’s rope snapped and he fell to the ground still alive. A chaplain said the prayers again, Kidd was led up the steps of the gallows for a second time and this time the rope held.
Also born on this day, Francis Bacon (1561-1626) 1st Viscount St Alban, PC KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist, orator, and author. He served both as Attorney General and as Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon played a leading role in establishing the British colonies in North America, especially in Virginia, the Carolinas and Newfoundland in northeastern Canada.
On the downside, Victoria, Queen of England (1819 - 1901) died on this day, as did US President Lyndon B. Johnson (1908 - 1973).
Now, back to that one-sided and wholly remarkable battle at Rorke's Drift in south Africa. At 4.20pm on January 22, 1879 a force of 4,000 Zulu warriors began to lay siege to the missionary station called Rorke's Drift, defended by 139 British infantry soldiers commanded by a Lieutenant of the Royal Engineers named John Chard, and Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead of the 24th Foot. Their intermittent attacks were to last for almost twelve hours. Fortunately for the British, although some of the Zulus had old muskets and antiquated rifles, most were armed only with a short spear called an assegai and a shield made of cowhide. So in weaponry they were no match for the highly trained soldiers with their (then) sophisticated rifles and firepower. But the manpower advantage lay massively in favor of the Zulus.
By 4am, after nearly 12 hours repulsing wave after wave of attacks involving hand-to-hand combat, a number of British soldiers lay dead. Most of the others were exhausted, rapidly running out of ammunition, and probably in no condition to repel another assault. They didn’t have to. As dawn broke they saw that the Zulus were gone, leaving behind a battleground littered with the dead and dying. Zulu casualties were around 500, while the British sustained 17 dead and 10 wounded. All the British casualties, few though they were, were shot rather than stabbed.
In 1689, Prince William of Orange (future King William III of Britain), summoned the Convention Parliament to discuss ruling jointly with his wife Mary (who was the daughter of the exiled King James II).
In 1879, the Battle of Rorke's Drift, when a British garrison of 150 soldiers holds off 3,000-4,000 Zulu warriors. Eleven Victoria Crosses and a large number of other decorations were awarded to the defenders.
In 1905, in St Petersburg, Russia, a large demonstration of workers led by Father Gapon, marched to the Winter Palace with a petition to the Tsar; troops fired on the protesters in what became known as 'Bloody Sunday'.
In 1946, US President Harry Truman set up the Central Intelligence Agency.
And in 1973, the Supreme Court ruling in Roe vs Wade legalized most abortions, opening the way for a company called Planned Parenthood to murder terminate in excess of 6 million unborn children fetuses.
Born on this day in Greenock, Renfrew, Scotland, the infamous pirate William (Captain) Kidd (1645-1701) was executed by hanging in London after being captured in Boston over a year earlier. He is the only pirate known to have buried treasure, and in May 2015, a 55kg (121lb) bar of silver found in shallow waters off Saint Marie island in Madagascar was attributed to Kidd. At his execution for piracy in 1701, the hangman’s rope snapped and he fell to the ground still alive. A chaplain said the prayers again, Kidd was led up the steps of the gallows for a second time and this time the rope held.
Also born on this day, Francis Bacon (1561-1626) 1st Viscount St Alban, PC KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist, orator, and author. He served both as Attorney General and as Lord Chancellor of England. Bacon played a leading role in establishing the British colonies in North America, especially in Virginia, the Carolinas and Newfoundland in northeastern Canada.
On the downside, Victoria, Queen of England (1819 - 1901) died on this day, as did US President Lyndon B. Johnson (1908 - 1973).
Now, back to that one-sided and wholly remarkable battle at Rorke's Drift in south Africa. At 4.20pm on January 22, 1879 a force of 4,000 Zulu warriors began to lay siege to the missionary station called Rorke's Drift, defended by 139 British infantry soldiers commanded by a Lieutenant of the Royal Engineers named John Chard, and Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead of the 24th Foot. Their intermittent attacks were to last for almost twelve hours. Fortunately for the British, although some of the Zulus had old muskets and antiquated rifles, most were armed only with a short spear called an assegai and a shield made of cowhide. So in weaponry they were no match for the highly trained soldiers with their (then) sophisticated rifles and firepower. But the manpower advantage lay massively in favor of the Zulus.
By 4am, after nearly 12 hours repulsing wave after wave of attacks involving hand-to-hand combat, a number of British soldiers lay dead. Most of the others were exhausted, rapidly running out of ammunition, and probably in no condition to repel another assault. They didn’t have to. As dawn broke they saw that the Zulus were gone, leaving behind a battleground littered with the dead and dying. Zulu casualties were around 500, while the British sustained 17 dead and 10 wounded. All the British casualties, few though they were, were shot rather than stabbed.
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