This Week In History Volume 9!

April 5^th – 11^th

 * In 1957 the Suez Canal was reopened after tense negotiations.

 This marked the opening of the largest canal on record until January 26, 2009 when Nadya Suleman gave birth to Octuplets.

* In 1961 the Holocaust’s most famous planner, Adolph Eichmann, went on trial in Jerusalem.

Eichmann was the Nazi official known chiefly as the author of “The Final Solution”.  However he also authored the best-sellers “Genocide for Dummies” and “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Ridding Europe of the Jewish Menace”. 

* In 1992 retired Tennis Great Arthur Ashe announced he had contracted AIDS from tainted blood given to him during a heart operation.

 This taught millions of people the World over that you should never, ever receive open-heart surgery while having sex with a gay guy.

 *  In 2005 Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles. 

It was a quiet ceremony with the couple exchanging their “I do’s” at Windsor Castle with a few friends on hand.  Afterwards there were Tea and Crumpets and then the groom took the bride back to her stall after riding her in a quick game of polo.

Triva Time!

Q.  On April, 11, 1865 who gave his last public speech?

A.  Abraham Lincoln

Bonus Factoid!

Many people of course remember the Gettysburg Address for its soaring poetry but no one remembers this speech - probably because it was so short.  

Apparently earlier in the day the President had eaten some bad food and ended the talk by saying, “Sorry folks, but I gotta go ‘cause I’m  about to drop one hell of a Lincoln Log”.

This Week In History Volume 8!

March 29 – April 4

*  In 1933 Adolf Hitler got 99% of the vote in a referendum to ratify German reoccupation of the Rhineland.

Of course you know who cost him that other 1 percent -  Frickin' Nader Voters.

* In 1983 WrestleMania was attended by over 93,000 fans at the Pontiac Silverdome, setting a record for the highest attendance at an indoor sporting event in History.

This also marked the first time at a sporting event that there was more trash located in the seats than under them.

 * In 1991 the Georgian Independance Referendum passed, giving Georgia complete autonomy from the Soviet Union and establishing it as an independant country.

When Mississippi heard about it they were super pissed.

* In 1969 the US announced a change of strategy in Vietnam, saying the military would now try to begin “Vietnamizing” the war effort.

 This was considered a marked change of strategy from the preceding six years when the US had attempted to win the war by an all out strategy of “Mexicanizing” it.

 Trivia Time!!

 Q.  In 1850 what southern California town was incorporated as a city?

 A.  Los Angeles!

 Bonus Factoid!!

 In Spanish Los Angeles means “The Angels”.  This means the "Los Angeles Angels" are technically “The Angels Angels”.  Or as everyone in LA likes to call them, “Not the Dodgers”.