2nd December

'As I write,' said Henry Longfellow today in 1859, 'they are leading old John Brown to execution ... This is sowing the wind to reap the whirlwind, which will soon come.'

It did. Instead of realizing that (however loony) Brown was right and setting free the slaves there and then, the Civil War broke out leading to more American deaths than in all other wars put together.

In other news ...

Hernan Cortes, the Spanish conquistador, died today in 1547. Thousands of Incas cheered. He died from drinking, according to a poem, too much stout, although his pet peke may have been involved.

26th May

Today marks the last organized resistance in the American Civil War, back in 1865. Resistance elsewhere had finished three weeks earlier, but it wasn't until today that the forces west of the Mississippi finally surrendered. Even then, the Confederate navy still held Charleston. Wars are always like this, they end, not with a bang, but a rather drawn out and scrappy whimper. Even today, there are many people who don't know the extent of the Civil War, which left an estimated half a million dead and many more crippled for life. The films based on the conflict have often been rather frivolous - with some notable exceptions, of course. Do I have to mention Gone With the Wind again, as the worst film ever made?

Of course I do!

In other news ...
In 1940 on this day, the evacuation of the beaches of Dunkirk began with the sailing of the flotilla of 700 or so rather motley craft from the shores of England. As in the war above, this day is often quoted as the day of the Dunkirk evacuation, but it wasn't half as neat as that and you only have to think for a minute to realise that you are not going to get 400,000 men or thereabouts off a beach in five minutes. Even so, it was the most amazing undertaking and remarkably successful. It was just as well for morale that no one knew at the time that no Allied troops would land on French beaches again until D Day on 6th June 1944.

10th May

The worst blitz of World War Two on London hit tonight in 1941. Like all such disasters, figures are unreliable, but there were at least 1400 deaths and 100,000 incendiary fires all over the capital. The Houses of Parliament were hit, so was St Paul's, the British Museum, Westminster Abbey and every major railway station. The Ministry of Information announced the next day that 28 German bombers were shot down. In fact the figure was a mere eight and one of those crash landed, out of fuel, somewhere in Scotland and had nothing to do with the Blitz at all.
Or did it? The Messerschmidt in question was flown by Rudolf Hess, Hitler's deputy and if you think that's a coincidence you've been reading too much British and Nazi propaganda.

In other news ...
One of the greatest generals in the American army died today in 1863 of pneumonia and complications brought on by wounds he received soon after his brilliant victory at Chancellorsville. He was Thomas Jackson, known to all and sundry as 'Stonewall' because of his stubborn steadiness under fire. Ironically he was shot by one of his own pickets, a terrified teenager who lost his nerve and fired too soon in the darkness while on guard duty at the Confederate camp.

Personally, I wouldn't trust a teenager to point a rifle at me or anyone else for fear they would forget what they were doing and just pull the trigger to hear the bang and see the pretty bullet. It would have been better all round and certainly for Stonewall Jackson if the under twenties had been confined to pea shooters. The Sixth Form at Leighford High are certainly not allowed weaponry of any kind until they have completed at least five terms and then only if they can shoot the 'i' out of the school noticeboard at fifty paces.

25th March

Parliament abolished the slave trade on this day in 1807. The prime mover here was William Wilberforce who had been banging his head against an uncaring system for years. It would be another quarter of a century before the owning of slaves was abolished and then, the former owners were paid a fortune in compensation.

(For any Year Tens reading this, thank a teacher ... sorry, wrong slogan. I mean, should you be worrying about that essay on slavery now scarily near its deadline, there are several excellent films you can watch and pretend to your parents you are working. One is the splendid Amistad, the other Amazing Grace.)

A pity the Americans didn't follow suit however. Hanging on to the 'peculiar institution' of slavery until 1863 cost them a civil war which was the bloodiest in American history.

Next time, dudes, take a leaf out of our book.

In other news ...

You've probably seen the excellent film The Last King of Scotland in which the late and unlamented Ugandan dictator Idi Amin strides around in a kilt and glengarry. Because of what happened today in 1306 somebody should start shooting another epic called The First Australian King of Scotland.

Why?

Because today in 1306 the eighth earl of Carrick took the Scots throne. His name was Robert the Bruce.