History
Apparently, when you get members of several hate groups together, you have no guarantee that they will get along, even if their “values” are similar, and they “hate” many of the same groups. The Greensboro massacre occurred on November 3, 1979, in Greensboro, North Carolina, when members of the 
Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and the American Nazi Party (ANP) fatally shot five participants in a “Death to the Klan” march organized by the Communist Workers Party (CWP).
Leading up to the event, tensions were high with inflammatory rhetoric, and the police were aware, through an informant, that the KKK was prepared for violence. As the two groups clashed at the start of the march, gunfire erupted. CWP members and their supporters carried handguns, while KKK and ANP members had various firearms. Among the dead were four CWP members, who had been advocating for workers’ rights among predominantly Black textile workers in the area. Nine demonstrators, two news crew members, and a Klansman were injured during the raging violence.
Following the massacre, there were three trials. The first was a state trial that saw five KKK and ANP members charged with first-degree murder and felony riot. 
Somehow, all five were acquitted. In 1980, surviving protesters filed a civil suit against 87 individuals, alleging civil rights violations and wrongful death. Of those, eight were found liable for one protester’s wrongful death. A federal trial in 1984 also acquitted nine defendants on civil rights charges, with jurors accepting claims of self-defense despite conflicting news footage. Major outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post have highlighted the controversy surrounding the case. The legal system was pretty corrupt if you ask me.
In what can only be described as a shockingly gruesome act, Norman R Morrison, an American anti-war activist doused himself in kerosene and set himself on fire below the office of Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara at the Pentagon on November 2, 1965, to protest United States involvement in the Vietnam War. This action was said to have been inspired by photographs of Vietnamese children burned by napalm bombings. Morrison wasn’t the only person to set himself on fire, and in fact, he was likely “inspired” by Thich Quang Duc and other Buddhist monks, who burned themselves to death to protest the repression committed by the South Vietnam government of Catholic President Ngo Dinh Diem.
Morrison was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, and was raised Presbyterian. At 13, his family moved to Chautauqua, New York, where he joined the Boy Scouts of America and participated in the God and Country Program, becoming the youngest member in Chautauqua County to earn the award. He graduated from the College of Wooster in 1956, developed an interest in Quaker ideals, but continued attending Presbyterian seminars in Pittsburgh and at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. In 1959, Morrison joined the Religious Society of Friends, and by 1965, he served as Executive Secretary for Stony Run Friends Meeting 
in Baltimore. A strong advocate of pacifism, he openly condemned United States military actions during the Vietnam War.
On March 9th, 1965, then President of the United States Lyndon B Johnson had authorized the use of napalm in the Vietnam War, which, by the end of the war, would end up killing at least 50,000 civilians in airstrikes. Upset over that decision had spurred fellow Quaker and peace activist Alice Herz, in an action that I will never understand, to set herself on fire in an open street in Detroit, Michigan on March 16th of the same year, in similar vein as Thich Quang Duc had done in 1963. At the time of his own fiery death, Morrison was married to Anne Welsh, also a Quaker, with whom he had two daughters and a son. In what I consider a reckless and horrific act, Morrison took his daughter Emily, then one year old, to the Pentagon, and either set her down or handed her off to someone in the crowd before setting himself ablaze. He died within two minutes of leaving 
in an ambulance for Fort Myer. I simply don’t understand placing your one-year-old daughter in harm’s way like that. Even if she didn’t remember seeing her daddy on fire, she will always know she was there. Morrison’s motives for taking Emily remain somewhat unclear, but Morrison’s wife later recalled, “Whether he thought of it that way or not, I think having Emily with him was a final and great comfort to Norman… [S]he was a powerful symbol of the children we were killing with our bombs and napalm – who didn’t have parents to hold them in their arms.”
Before his protest death, Morrison mailed a letter to his wife in which he reassured her of the faith in his act. “Know that I love thee … but I must go to help the children of the priest’s village”. McNamara described Morrison’s death as “a tragedy not only for his family but also for me and the country. It was an outcry against the killing that was destroying the lives of so many Vietnamese and American youth.” Morrison was survived by his wife, Anne and three children, Ben (who died of cancer in 1976), Christina and Emily.
These days, we expect to hear of earthquakes with relative regularity, but we seldom expect that that thousands of people will lose their lives in them, but in 1755, buildings were not built with reinforced steel and other earthquake preparedness materials or protocols. So, when a devastating earthquake hit Lisbon, Portugal, on November 1, 1755, it killed as many as 50,000 people. The city was virtually wiped off the map and had to be rebuilt from scratch following the widespread destruction. Lisbon was Portugal’s capital and largest city during the thriving 18th century. It was flourishing thanks to diamonds and gold from Brazil, a Portuguese colony, which brought wealth to many of the citizens. Around 10% of the country’s 3 million people lived in Lisbon, and as one of the biggest Atlantic ports, the city was pivotal in global trade. By 1755, Lisbon was also a significant hub for Catholicism and housed key religious authorities.
On November 1st…All Saints Day, three tremors struck Lisbon over the course of 10 minutes. The largest of the 
quakes is thought to have had a magnitude of 8.0, but this is just an estimate, because no recording equipment existed at the time. The shaking was felt as far away as Morocco. The earthquake’s devastating impact was felt throughout the city. Near the coast, a massive 20-foot tsunami surged ashore, claiming thousands of lives. Many people attending All Saints Day services in churches perished as buildings collapsed. Fires erupted across the city, and strong winds quickly spread the flames. The royal palace and thousands of homes were destroyed. A significant portion of the nation’s cultural heritage, including books, art, and architecture, was lost in mere moments. Many residents, including hundreds of escaped prisoners, fled Lisbon immediately. The death toll is estimated to be between 10,000 and 50,000, but because there was no exact way to track them, the exact 
number is not known.
The Marquis of Pombal was tasked with rebuilding the city, transforming Lisbon’s narrow, twisting streets into wide, modern avenues. The reconstruction notably included one of the earliest uses of prefabricated buildings. While the effort was largely successful, some took advantage of the tragedy. Many of the religious leaders claimed the earthquake was God’s punishment for the city’s sins. While there are many people who think things work that way, I don’t believe that to be the case. Nevertheless, thousands of people perished in the deadly quake, unfortunately.
Normally, we don’t think about the state of Idaho having big earthquakes. They do get hit on a fairly regular basis, but the quakes are usually in the 2 to 3 magnitude range. There are 2,928 earthquake incidents in Idaho on record since 1931. The state averages just 35 earthquakes per year. The 1983 Borah Peak earthquake, measured 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale, struck Idaho on Friday, October 28th. It was at a depth of 16.0 miles and caused significant damage, resulting in two fatalities. Some readings showed a magnitude of 7.3 on the Richter scale in Custer County, Idaho. That made the 1983 Borah Peak earthquake almost a one-of-a-kind event for Idaho.
The Borah Peak earthquake struck at 8:06 am MDT in Idaho’s Lost River Range, registering a magnitude of 6.9 
and becoming the state’s largest recorded quake. Triggered by a slip along the Lost River Fault, it reached a Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), causing severe shaking and damage. The towns of Challis and Mackay were hit hardest, with the property damage estimated between $12.5 million and $15 million. Tragically, two schoolchildren lost their lives, and others were injured. The quake also caused significant surface faulting and created a 22-mile-long zone of fresh scarps and ground breaks, with vertical displacements up to 2.7 meters.
The Challis-Mackay region faced significant damage, with 11 commercial buildings and 39 homes severely affected, while another 200 houses had minor to moderate damage. Mackay, located about 50 miles southeast 
of Challis, suffered the worst. Many large buildings along its Main Street were damaged, with eight of them condemned and shut down. These structures were mostly made of materials like brick, concrete block, and stone, each varying in size and type.
The earthquake led to significant geological changes, such as surface faulting with visible ruptures, ground displacement, and tilted blocks. It caused groundwater fluctuations, altering water levels in springs and wells, while temporary lakes formed due to rising water tables. Numerous aftershocks occurred, including a notable 5.8 magnitude event almost a year later, on August 22, 1984.
Japanese had a need in 1940, to create a way to support their military operations in the Burma (now Myanmar) region during World War II. It was decided that a railway was needed to fulfill that need. The Burma Railway, also known as the Death Railway, was a 258-mile railway built during World War II to connect Thailand and Burma. It was constructed under brutal conditions by forced laborers and Allied POWs. Built from 1940 to 1943, the Burma Railway, was created for that purpose. Stretching from Ban Pong in Thailand to Thanbyuzayat in Burma (now Myanmar), it was designed to transport troops and supplies while avoiding risky sea routes.
The Japanese solution to the labor question was to use approximately 60,000 Allied prisoners of war (POWs), including around 13,000 Australians, and over 200,000 Southeast Asian civilians who were forcibly recruited. The construction was marked by extreme hardship, with workers facing malnutrition, disease, and brutal punishment. The laborers laid some 258 miles of track from Ban Pong, Thailand (roughly 45 miles west of Bangkok), to Thanbyuzayat, Burma (roughly 35 miles south of Mawlamyine). laid some 258 miles (415 km) of track from Ban Pong, Thailand (roughly 45 miles [72 km] west of Bangkok), to Thanbyuzayat, Burma (roughly 35 miles [56 km] south of Mawlamyine). The Japanese aimed to finish the railway as quickly as possible, using large numbers of prisoners spread out along the entire proposed route. Construction was incredibly challenging, as the path cut through dense, mosquito-filled jungles and uneven terrain, all while enduring monsoon conditions. Workers had to build bridges over rivers and canyons and carve through mountains to create a straight and level bed for the narrow-gauge track. The most extensive and deepest cuts in the railway were made at Konyu, about 45 miles northwest of Kanchanaburi, Thailand.
During the early months of the Pacific War, Japanese forces launched widespread attacks on Allied bases across the western Pacific and Southeast Asia as part of the Southern Operation. By late spring of 1942, Allied strongholds in Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies had fallen, resulting in the capture of approximately 140,000 Allied prisoners of war. Additionally, around 130,000 civilians, including about 40,000 children, were taken by the Japanese. Although civilians were generally treated better than military 
prisoners, the conditions in Japanese captivity were notoriously harsh. Over 11% of civilian internees and 27% of Allied POWs died or were killed while under Japanese custody, compared to a 4% death rate for Allied POWs in German camps. More than 12,000 Allied prisoners of war (POWs) and tens of thousands of forced laborers died during its construction, hence the name Death Railway.
In any type of occupation of one country by another, there will exist those who will rebel, and form a resistance. On December 11, 1994, Russian troops invaded Chechnya to crush the independence movement. It would be a long occupation, not ending until 2009. During that time, the Chechen people were angry, and eventually they decided to rise up and protest. On October 23, 2002, around 50 Chechen rebels stormed a Moscow theater, taking 700 people hostage during a sold-out performance of the popular musical “Nord Ost.” As the second act began at the Moscow Ball-Bearing Plant’s Palace of Culture, an armed man walked onstage and fired a machine gun into the air. It’s possible that people initially wondered if this was part of the show, but it couldn’t be. There was no part of the show that involved a machine gun.
The terrorists, including several women, were well prepared. They were wearing explosive vests and identified themselves as members of the Chechen Army. With that, there would be little question that they meant 
business. They had just one demand, and it was intended to be non-negotiable…the immediate and complete withdrawal of Russian military forces from Chechnya, a war-torn region north of the Caucasus Mountains. Chechnya is a predominantly Muslim area and has long faced challenges in asserting its independence. A devastating two-year war ended in 1996, but that was far from the end of hostilities. Russian forces returned three years later, blaming Chechens for a series of bombings in Russia. This terrorist attack was a recipe for disaster, because of President Vladimir Putin’s rise to power in 2000, his tough stance on Chechnya, and his refusal to negotiate with terrorists. When Putin took over, the Soviet Union collapsed and Russia adopted capitalism, although its interpretation of a “free market” differs from much of the world.
The refusal of both sides to negotiate resulted in a 57-hour standoff at the Palace of Culture that resulted in the deaths of two hostages. Russian special forces raided the theater on the morning of October 26th. It was later revealed that they had used a powerful narcotic gas, which rendered nearly all the terrorists and hostages unconscious, before breaching the walls and roof and entering through underground sewage tunnels. The raid resulted in the deaths of most of the guerrillas and 120 hostages. Security forces later defended their decision to use the gas, claiming that a complete surprise attack was the only way to prevent the terrorists from detonating their explosives. In the end, the hostage situation did nothing to accomplish the demands of the 
terrorists. Following the theater crisis, Putin’s government tightened its control over Chechnya, facing accusations of kidnappings, torture, and other atrocities. In retaliation, Chechen rebels escalated their terrorist attacks on Russian soil, including a suspected suicide bombing in a Moscow subway in February 2004 and a major hostage crisis at a Beslan school that September.
Being in a hurry is never a real good idea. We see that when people have an accident blowing through a stop light and running into a car in the intersection, or when people find themselves in the midst of a road rage situation, because one driver or the other cut someone off in traffic. Sometimes running late can’t be helped. Things are not always within our control. Nevertheless, rushing to make up for lost time can have dire consequences. On October 22, 1895, at 4:00pm, the engineer of Granville–Paris Express found that out when he overshot the buffer stop at its Gare Montparnasse terminus. The engineer was, trying to make up for lost time, but when the train came into the station, the train was still at a speed that exceeded the safe stopping speed, and then to make matters worse, the railway air brake failed. As the train came into the station, it smashed through the buffer stop, crossed the station concourse, and crashed through the station wall. Then, the locomotive fell onto the Place de Rennes below, landing on its nose. While the passengers survived the crash, a woman on the street, Marie-Augustine Aguillard, was killed by falling debris. 
The train was operated by Chemins de fer de l’Ouest, and featured steam locomotive Number 721 (a type 2-4-0, French notation 120) pulling three luggage vans, a post van, and six passenger coaches. The train left Granville on time at 8:45am, but by 4:00pm, it was running late with 131 passengers onboard. As the train approached the station going 25–37 mph, the driver applied the Westinghouse air brake, but due to the excessive speed, the brake was ineffective. The locomotive brakes alone couldn’t stop the train, which plowed into the buffers, crossed the 98-foot station concourse, broke through a 24-inch-thick wall, and fell 33 feet below onto the Place de Rennes. Marie-Augustine Aguillard was filling in for her newspaper vendor husband, was hit by falling masonry and killed. Two passengers, a fireman, two guards, and a passerby were injured.
Accidents, no matter how major or minor, always have consequences. Someone is at fault, and when death or injury occur because of negligence on the part of the person at fault, someone has to pay the consequences. Of course, nothing can bring back the person killed or take away the injuring that were inflicted, but in the eyes of the law, restitution must be made somehow. In the case of the engineer of the Granville–Paris Express, that restitution came in the form of a two-month prison sentence and a fine of 50 francs for speeding into the station. One of the guards was fined 25 francs as he had been preoccupied with paperwork and failed to apply the handbrake. The railway company settled with the family of the deceased woman and arranged for the education of her two young children, as well as proposing future employment for them. I’m sure that Marie-Augustine Aguillard’s family thought the sentence was too light, but that was the sentence imposed. The reality is that the engineer most likely never really got over the fact that his negligence had caused the loss of Aguillard’s life.
The second major engagement of the Civil War, fought on October 21, 1861, resulted in a devastating defeat for the Union troops. The Battle of Ball’s Bluff in Virginia produced the war’s first martyr and led to the creation of a Congressional committee to monitor the conduct of the war.
Wars can bring changes in command when the losing side is given a new leader. It reminds me of how a losing year in sports can result in a new coach being appointed. Of course, that is very different, I suppose. Nevertheless, following the Battle of Bull Run in Virginia on July 21st, President Abraham Lincoln appointed General George McClellan to reorganize the defeated Federal Army of the Potomac. It was a huge undertaking, and throughout the fall, McClellan focused on assembling and training his troops, while still facing mounting pressure from Lincoln, the public, and Congress to act against the Confederates stationed just across the Potomac River. The army just wasn’t ready, however. Finally giving in to the pressure, McClellan directed General George McCall to 
conduct a reconnaissance mission across the river and instructed General Charles Stone to monitor the nearby town of Leesburg, Virginia, while McCall’s men were on the move.
Then, on the fateful night of October 20th, Stone sent a detachment across the river. It was a disaster. The inexperienced soldiers mistook shadows for a Rebel camp. They were literally freaked out by every shadow. Stone decided to send more men over, eventually amassing a force of 1,600 under Colonel Edward Baker, who was a close friend of Lincoln, and had even named his second son after him. Unfortunately, Baker positioned his men dangerously in a clearing at the edge of Ball’s Bluff, a 100-foot cliff above the Potomac. The men now had their backs to the drop and faced a wooded ridge filling with Confederate troops. The Confederates attacked that afternoon, and Baker’s forces quickly found themselves in trouble. Baker was killed, and many of his men either jumped to their deaths or scrambled down a narrow trail, only to find their boats swamped in the river. Less than half made it back across the Potomac.
It was a disaster. The Union suffered 49 killed, 158 wounded, and 714 missing or captured, while the 
Confederates had 33 killed, 115 wounded, and one missing. Lincoln was devastated by the loss of his friend, Baker, who became a Northern martyr despite his poor leadership in the battle. As often happens in the political arena, angry Republicans who distrusted McClellan, a Democrat, and other generals, blamed them for the loss. In December, the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War was formed, dominated by Republicans who wanted harsher measures against the South and slaveholders. The committee’s first investigation targeted the Ball’s Bluff disaster, making General Stone the scapegoat. He was arrested for treason and jailed for six months for his “crimes.”
The areas of our Earth that exist under the water often hide a treasure trove of vessels, many of which have been there for years. One such vessel has been hailed as the oldest intact shipwreck in the world. During one research expedition, archaeologists discovered the vessel at the bottom of the Black Sea, where it has remained undisturbed for over 2,400 years. Thought to be of ancient Greek origin, the 75-foot ship was found more than a mile underwater, with its mast, rudders, and rowing benches still intact. Researchers credit its remarkable preservation to the lack of oxygen at such depths. Professor Jon Adams, lead researcher for the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project, described the discovery as beyond anything he had imagined, stating it will transform our understanding of ancient shipbuilding and navigation.
The vessel is believed to be a Greek merchant ship, and displays a design previously only observed “on the side of ancient Greek pottery, like the ‘Siren Vase’ housed in the British Museum.” This vase, from a comparable era, illustrates a similar ship carrying Odysseus past the sirens, depicting the epic hero tied to the mast to withstand their enchanting songs. The team has decided to leave the vessel where it was discovered. They did, however, say that a fragment was carbon-dated by the University of Southampton, confirming it as the oldest intact shipwreck ever found. The findings will be presented at the upcoming Black Sea MAP conference at London’s Wellcome Collection. This international team of maritime archaeologists, scientists, and marine surveyors discovered over 60 shipwrecks during their three-year mission to explore the Black Sea’s depths and study the effects of prehistoric sea-level changes.
The photos of the wreck scene are incredible. It’s like taking a look into another world, and in reality, it is. The shipwreck offers fascinating insights into ancient shipbuilding and seafaring techniques, while also challenging earlier beliefs about how durable ancient vessels were and their ability to remain intact for millennia. While it is 
considered the oldest intact shipwreck, this discovery is just one of many prehistoric ruins the team has uncovered at the bottom of the Black Sea. Their findings include a 17th-century Cossack raiding fleet, Roman trading vessels complete with amphorae, and even a fully intact ship from the classical period. It’s amazing what they can find at the bottom of the sea.
As the old saying goes, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Thomas Alva Edison might just be proof of the validity of that statement. Born in Milan, Ohio, in 1847, Edison, like most people of that era, had minimal formal education. As a young boy, Edison experienced significant hearing problems, which he mistakenly attributed to an incident where he was lifted onto a moving train by his ears. While that is a shocking event, the problem most likely occurred as a result of having scarlet fever. No matter how it happened, Edison’s hearing loss inspired many of his inventions. At 16, Edison began working as a telegraph operator and soon focused his energy and creativity on improving telegraph technology. By 1869, Edison knew what his life’s work would be, and he dedicated himself entirely to invention, and in 1876, he established a lab and machine shop in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
Edison’s life work was driven by his exceptional intuition. Also, he surrounded himself with skilled assistants who brought the technical expertise he didn’t have. At Menlo Park, Edison continued refining the telegraph and, in 1877, accidentally invented the phonograph while trying to record telephone communications. Public demonstrations of the phonograph made him internationally famous, earning him the nickname “Wizard of Menlo Park.” While his ability to record and play back sound secured his place in history, it was just the beginning. Edison’s inventions weren’t totally dedicated to sound, however. He and his team created the first practical incandescent lightbulb in 1879 and a precursor to the movie camera and projector in the late 1880s. 
Then, in 1887, he founded the world’s first industrial research lab in West Orange, where teams of workers systematically explored various subjects.
One of his most significant contributions to the modern industrial world was his work in electricity. He created a comprehensive electrical distribution system for lighting and power, established the world’s first power plant in New York City, and invented the alkaline battery, the first electric railroad, and many other innovations that formed the foundation of the modern electric era. He was quite dedicated to his work, and continued inventing well into his 80s, amassing 1,093 patents in his lifetime, before passing away at his home in New Jersey on October 18, 1931, at the age of 84.
