This Day In History: The Gun

[Johnny Dollar]

June 16,1969. Field Marshall Harold Alexander,one of the finest Allied leaders of World War II, dies in Slough,U.K. at age 77.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Alexander

Field Marshal Harold Rupert Leofric George Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis KG PC GCB OM GCMG CSI DSO MC CD PC(Can) (10 December 1891 – 16 June 1969) was a British military commander and field marshal who served with distinction in both world wars and, afterwards, as Governor General of Canada, the 17th since Canadian Confederation.

Alexander was born in London, England, to parents of noble heritage, and was educated at English public schools before moving on to Sandhurst for training as an army officer. He rose to prominence through his service in the First World War, receiving numerous honours and decorations, and continued his military career through various British campaigns across Europe and Asia. In the Second World War, Alexander acted as a high ranking commander in North Africa and Italy.

He commanded 15th Army Group in Sicily and again in Italy before being made Supreme Allied Commander Mediterranean. He was in 1946 appointed as governor general by King George VI on the recommendation of Prime Minister of Canada, William Lyon Mackenzie King, to replace the Earl of Athlone as viceroy, and he occupied the post until succeeded by Vincent Massey in 1952. Alexander proved to be enthusiastic about the Canadian wilderness, as well as a popular governor general with the Canadian people, and he would be the last non-Canadian-born governor general before the appointment of Adrienne Clarkson in 1999.

After the end of his viceregal tenure, Alexander was sworn into the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and thereafter,[2] in order to serve as the British Minister of Defence in the Cabinet of Winston Churchill, into the Imperial Privy Council. Alexander retired in 1954 and died in 1969.

[Johnny Dollar]

June 16,1961. President John Kennedy agrees to send instructors to train troops in Viet-Nam.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-h...o-train-troops

Following a meeting between President John F. Kennedy and South Vietnam envoy Nguyen Dinh Thuan, an agreement is reached for direct training and combat supervision of Vietnamese troops by U.S. instructors. South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem had earlier asked Kennedy to send additional U.S. troops to train the South Vietnamese Army. U.S. advisers had been serving in Vietnam since 1955 as part of the U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group.

There would be only 900 U.S. military personnel in South Vietnam at the end of 1961, but in accordance with President Kennedy's pledge to provide American military assistance to South Vietnam, the number of U.S. personnel rose to 3,200 by the end of 1962. The number would climb until it reached 16,000 by the time of President Kennedy's assassination in November 1963.

[Johnny Dollar]

June 17,1933. The "Kansas City Massacre" occurs . 4 FBI Agents and a criminal fugitive are gunned down on a dark day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_City_Massacre

The Kansas City massacre was the shootout and murder of four law enforcement officers and a criminal fugitive at the Union Station railroad depot in Kansas City, Missouri, on the morning of June 17, 1933. It occurred as part of the attempt by a gang led by Vernon Miller to free Frank "Jelly" Nash, a federal prisoner. At the time, Nash was in the custody of several law enforcement officers who were returning him to the U.S. Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas, from which he had escaped three years earlier.

Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd, who was identified by the FBI as one of the gunmen. However, there is some evidence to suggest that Floyd wasn't actually involved.[citation needed]

[Johnny Dollar]

June 17,1876. Just days before the annihilation of Custer and his troops at the Little Bighorn,there was the Battle of the Rosebud, with the Sioux and Cheyenne, led by Crazy Horse, against the U.S.Army.

Crazy Horse got the better of it in terms of of casualties.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Rosebud

The Battle of the Rosebud (also known the Battle of the Rosebud Creek) occurred June 17, 1876, in the Montana Territory between the United States Army and a force of Lakota Native Americans during the Black Hills War. The Cheyenne called it the Battle Where the Girl Saved Her Brother, because of an incident during the fight involving Buffalo Calf Road Woman.[1]

[Johnny Dollar]

June 18,1812. The United States Congress declares war on the United Kingdom,the beginning of the War of 1812.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812

On June 1, 1812, President James Madison sent a message to the Congress recounting American grievances against Great Britain, though not specifically calling for a declaration of war. After Madison's message, the House of Representatives deliberated for four days behind closed doors before voting 79 to 49 (61% in favor) the first declaration of war, and the Senate agreed by 19 to 13 (59% in favor).

The conflict began formally on June 18, 1812, when Madison signed the measure into law. This was the first time that the United States had declared war on another nation, and the Congressional vote would prove to be the closest vote to formally declare war in American history. (The Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 1991, while not a formal declaration of war, was a closer vote.) None of the 39 Federalists in Congress voted in favor of the war; critics of war subsequently referred to it as "Mr. Madison's War." [33]

[Johnny Dollar]

June 18,1917. Richard Boone,descendent of Daniel's brother, Navy combat veteran of the Pacific Theater in WWII,veteran of countless Hollywood war and western dramas,is born in Los Angeles,California

It is in the role of the iconic Paladin in Have Gun,Will Travel,that Boone makes his lasting mark.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Boone

Boone was born in Los Angeles, California, the middle child of Cecile (née Beckerman) and Kirk E. Boone, a well-to-do corporate lawyer.[1] His father was a descendant of Squire Boone, younger brother of frontiersman Daniel Boone.[2] His mother was Jewish, the daughter of immigrants from Russia.[2][3] Contrary to popular belief Boone was not related to Pat, Randy or Debbie Boone.

Boone graduated from Hoover High School in Glendale, California. He attended Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, but left prior to graduation and tried his hand at oil-rigging, bartending, painting and writing before joining the United States Navy in 1941. He served on three ships in the Pacific during World War II, seeing combat as an aviation ordnanceman and gunner on TBM Avenger torpedo bombers.

[Johnny Dollar]

June 19,1867. Maximilian I of the Second Mexican Empire is executed by firing squad.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_I_of_Mexico

Maximilian I (Spanish: Maximiliano I; 6 July 1832 – 19 June 1867) was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.

After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on 10 April 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy. Many foreign governments, including that of the United States, refused to recognize his administration. This helped to ensure the success of republican forces led by Benito Juárez, and Maximilian was captured and executed in 1867.

Though criticised as naïve and indecisive, Maximilian is often praised by historians for his liberal reforms, his genuine desire to help the people of Mexico, his refusal to desert his loyal followers, and his personal bravery during the siege of Querétaro. He has been highly praised even by historians who believe he had no business becoming involved in Mexican affairs. In Mexico, he and his consort are known as Maximiliano and Carlota.

[Johnny Dollar]

June 19,1786.General Nathanael Greene,gifted American Revolutionary War Commander,dies in Chatham County,Georgia at age 43. He is buried in beautiful Savannah at Johnson Square.

Many place names across America are named for him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathanael_Greene

Nathanael Greene (August 7 [O.S. July 27] 1742 – June 19, 1786, frequently misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. When the war began, Greene was a militia private, the lowest rank possible; he emerged from the war with a reputation as George Washington's most gifted and dependable officer.

Many places in the United States are named for him. Greene suffered financial difficulties in the post-war years and died suddenly of sunstroke in 1786.

[Johnny Dollar]

June 20,1631. The Village of Baltimore,Ireland is attacked and pillaged by North African Pirates in one of history's stranger episodes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Baltimore

The Sack of Baltimore took place on June 20, 1631, when the village of Baltimore, West Cork, Ireland, was attacked by North African pirates from the North African Barbary Coast. The attack was the biggest single attack by the Barbary pirates on Ireland or Britain.[1] The attack was led by a Dutch captain turned pirate, Jan Janszoon van Haarlem, also known as Murad Reis the Younger.

Murad's force was led to the village by a man called Hackett, the captain of a fishing boat he had captured earlier, in exchange for his freedom. Hackett was subsequently hanged from the clifftop outside the village for his conspiracy.

Murad's crew, made up of Dutchmen, Algerians and Ottoman Turks, launched their covert attack on the remote village on June 20th 1631. They captured 108 English settlers, who worked a pilchard industry in the village, and some local Irish people. The attack was focused on the area of the village known to this day as the Cove.

The villagers were put in irons and taken to a life of slavery in North Africa. Some prisoners were destined to live out their days as galley slaves, while others would spend long years in the seclusion of the Sultan's harem or within the walls of the Sultan's palace as laborers. At most three of them ever saw Ireland again.[2]

[Johnny Dollar]

June 20,1943. The Detroit Race Riots break out. 34 are dead and 433 injured by the time of their ending, June 22nd.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit...iot_%281943%29

The Detroit Race Riot broke out in Detroit, Michigan in June 1943 and lasted for three days before Federal troops restored order. The rioting between blacks and whites began on Belle Isle on June 20, 1943 and continued until the 22nd of June , killing 34, wounding 433, and destroying property valued at $2 million.[1]

The Beginnings.

In the summer of 1943, in the midst of World War II, tensions between blacks and whites in Detroit were escalating. Detroit's population had grown by 350,000 people since the war began. The booming defense industries brought in large numbers of people with high wages and very little available housing. 50,000 blacks had recently arrived along with 300,000 whites, mostly from rural Appalachia.[2]

[Johnny Dollar]

June 20,1942. A dynamic Great Escape by 4 inmates of the Auschwitz,Poland Death Camp from the Motor Pool, in an SS Staff Car. Truth truly eclipsing fiction once again.

One of the escapees is still alive today at age 93.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazimierz_Piechowski

Kazimierz Piechowski (Polish pronunciation: [kaˈʑimjɛʂ pjɛˈxɔfskʲi]; born October 3, 1919 Rajkowy, Poland) is a retired engineer, a Boy Scout during the Second Polish Republic, a political prisoner of the Nazis at Auschwitz concentration camp, a soldier in the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa) then a prisoner for seven years of the communist government of Poland.

He is known for his famous escape from Auschwitz I along with 3 other prisoners, dressed as members of the SS-Totenkopfverbände, fully armed and in an SS staff car. They drove out the main gate in a stolen automobile, a Steyr 220 belonging to Rudolf Höss.[1]
Contents

220px-MHV_Steyr_220_1937_01.jpg

Similar to the SS escape car.

[Selena]

June 20,1942. A dynamic Great Escape by 4 inmates of the Auschwitz,Poland Death Camp from the Motor Pool, in an SS Staff Car. Truth truly eclipsing fiction once again.

A plan too desperate to succeed and too audacious to fail.

[Johnny Dollar]

A plan too desperate to succeed and too audacious to fail.

A truly great comment,Selena. Such courage is almost impossible to conceive.
Yet these 4 daring men pulled it off. A once in a century moment.

[Johnny Dollar]

June 20,1979. ABC News Foreign Correspondent Bill Stewart is killed by Nicaraguan Somoza troops on camera,which becomes a immediate international incident.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_St...8journalist%29

Bill Stewart (1941 - June 20, 1979) was a reporter for ABC news in the US who was summarily shot by Nicaraguan government National Guard ("Guardia") forces while reporting on the war as Sandinista rebel forces were closing in on the outskirts of the capital city of Managua in 1979.[1]

Stewart was originally from West Virginia, and was a 1963 graduate of Ohio State University. An experienced foreign correspondent, Stewart had been in Nicaragua for a month reporting on the civil war between the American-backed dictatorship and the leftist Sandinistas. Stewart came to ABC News from WCCO-TV Minneapolis.[2]

[Johnny Dollar]

June 21,1942. After 27 days of battle,Tobruk falls to German and Italian forces.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gazala

Tobruk falls

XIII Corps commander Gott had appointed 2nd South African Division's Klopper as commander of the Tobruk garrison. In addition to the division's two South African brigades, he also had 201st Guards (Motorised), 11th Indian Infantry Brigade, 32nd Army Tank and 4th Anti-Aircraft Brigades under command.[45] Tobruk had previously withstood a siege of nine months before being relieved by Operation Crusader in December 1941, but this time the Royal Navy could not make a commitment to keep the garrison supplied.

Allied leaders expected it to be able to hold out for two months with its supplies.[46] Auchinleck however viewed the defence of Tobruk as non-essential and had already told Neil Ritchie that he did not intend to hold it at all costs.[47] Furthermore, it was commonly known that in February 1942 the Army, Navy and Air Force Commanders-in-Chief in Cairo had agreed that Tobruk should not stand another siege. Given this and the subsequent emphasis on building strength at the Gazala position for an attack (which had been forestalled by the Axis offensive) it is likely that the defences at Tobruk had not been maintained in first rate condition.[48]

Just seven days later, on 21 June 1942, in circumstances that even with the benefit of a subsequent formal court of enquiry remain obscure and contradictory, 35,000 Allied troops (including the entire South African 2nd Division), were surrendered to General Enea Navarrini's 30,000 troops. The Axis capture of Tobruk echoed the surrender of 80,000 Commonwealth troops to three Japanese divisions following the fall of Singapore a few months earlier.

[Johnny Dollar]

June 21,1942.A Japanese submarine surfaces near the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon and fires 17 shells at nearby Fort Stevens.

It was one of the rare attacks by the Japanese on the American mainland during World War II.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombard...f_Fort_Stevens

The Bombardment of Fort Stevens occurred in June 1942, during early months of the Pacific War. An Imperial Japanese submarine fired on Fort Stevens which protected the Oregon side of the Columbia River's Pacific entrance.

The Japanese submarine I-25, under the command of Tagami Meiji, was assigned to destroy enemy ships and engage the enemy on land with their 5.5 in (140 mm) deck gun. Also transporting a Yokosuka E14Y seaplane, the submarine was manned by a crew of 94 men. On 21 June 1942, I-25 was in US coastal waters, following allied fishing boats to avoid mine fields in the area.

Late that night, Commander Meiji surfaced his submarine at the mouth of the Columbia River. His target was Fort Stevens, dating back to the American Civil War and armed with obsolete Endicott era artillery, including 12-inch coast defense mortars, and a number of 10 in (250 mm) disappearing guns

[Johnny Dollar]

June 22,1941. Germany invades Russia in Operation Barbarossa , the most massive single day invasion in the history of warfare.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Barbarossa

Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during the Second World War.[17][18] Beginning on 22 June 1941, over 3.9 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a 2,900 km (1,800 mi) front,[19] the largest invasion in the history of warfare.

In addition to troops, Barbarossa involved 600,000 motor vehicles and 750,000 horses.[20] The ambitious operation, driven by Adolf Hitler's persistent desire to conquer the Russian territories, marked the beginning of the pivotal phase in deciding the victors of the war. The German invasion of the Soviet Union ultimately resulted in 95% of all German Army casualties from 1941 to 1944 and 65% of all Allied military casualties accumulated throughout the war.

Operation Barbarossa was named after Frederick Barbarossa, the medieval German ruler who, as myth had it, would rescue Germany in her time of need. Planning started on 18 December 1940; the secret preparations and the military operation itself lasted from June to December 1941.

The Red Army repelled the Wehrmacht's strongest blow, and Adolf Hitler did not achieve the expected victory, but the Soviet Union's situation remained dire. Tactically, the Germans won resounding victories and occupied some of the most important economic areas of the Soviet Union, mainly in Ukraine.[21] Despite these successes, the Germans were pushed back from Moscow and could never again mount a simultaneous offensive along the entire strategic Soviet-German front.[22]

[Johnny Dollar]

June 22,1903. John Dillinger,America's most legendary 20th Century outlaw,is born in Indianapolis, Indiana.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dillinger

John Herbert Dillinger, Jr. (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American bank robber of German descent in the Depression-era United States. He was charged with, but never convicted of, the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana police officer during a shoot-out. This was his only alleged homicide, and was likely not his action. His gang robbed two dozen banks and four police stations. Dillinger escaped from jail twice.

In 1933–34, seen in retrospect as the heyday of the Depression-era outlaw, Dillinger was the most notorious of all, standing out even among more violent criminals such as Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Bonnie and Clyde. Media reports were spiced with exaggerated accounts of Dillinger's bravado and daring and his colorful personality.

The government demanded federal action, and J. Edgar Hoover developed a more sophisticated Federal Bureau of Investigation as a weapon against organized crime and used Dillinger and his gang as his campaign platform to launch the FBI.[1]

After evading police in four states for almost a year, Dillinger was wounded and returned to his father's home to recover.

[Selena]

June 22,1903. John Dillinger,America's most legendary 20th Century outlaw,is born in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Dillinger just had a better PR agent than the Barrow gang. After all, the man was being compared to Mayor Kelly in Chicago and was coming out about even!

[Johnny Dollar]

Dillinger had great PR. Floyd,Karpus,Clyde,the Barkers and many more were much more violent and deadly.

But even today,78 years later, JD gets the most ink.

[Johnny Dollar]

June 23,1757. 3,000 British troops under Colonel Clive,defeat 50,000 Indians at the Battle of Plassey,India.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Plassey

The Battle of Plassey (Bengali: পলাশীর যুদ্ধ, Pôlashir Juddho), 23 June 1757, was a decisive British East India Company victory over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies, establishing Company rule in South Asia which expanded over much of the Indies for the next hundred years.

The battle took place at Palashi, Bengal (Plassey is the anglicised version of Palashi), on the river banks of the Bhagirathi River, about 150 km north of Calcutta, near Murshidabad, then capital of undivided Bengal. The belligerents were Siraj-ud-daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, and the British East India Company.

[Johnny Dollar]

June 23,1776. British Commodore Parker plans an ill advised naval strike on Charleston,South Carolina,Harbor.

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-h...way-to-stardom

On this day in 1776, off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, British Commodore Sir Peter Parker notifies General Henry Clinton that he will land on the South Carolina mainland the next day on the flood tide, if the wind blows from the south.

After 10 years out of service, Parker received a knighthood in 1772 and rejoined the Royal Navy in 1773. At the outbreak of the American War for Independence, he was charged with supporting Loyalists in the southern colonies. On June 28, Parker raised the British colors above his ship, the HMS Bristol, and at around 10 a.m. his squadron opened fire on the Patriot fortification at Sullivan's Island off the coast of Charleston.

To the surprise of the British, the fort's palmetto log wall absorbed the British shot like a sponge and prevented the expected splinter injuries to the garrison lying within its walls

[Johnny Dollar]

June 24,1916. The Battle of the Somme begins with a week long bombardment.

It will mark the Beginning of the End of the British Empire.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Somme

The Battle of the Somme (French: Bataille de la Somme, German: Sommeschlacht), also known as the Somme Offensive, took place during the First World War between 1 July and 18 November 1916 on either side of the river Somme in France. The battle saw the British Army, supported by contingents from British imperial territories, including Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, Canada, India and South Africa, mount a joint offensive with the French Army against the German Army, which had occupied large areas of France since its invasion of the country in August 1914.

The Battle of the Somme was one of the largest battles of the war; by the time fighting paused in late autumn 1916, the forces involved had suffered more than 1 million casualties, making it one of the bloodiest military operations ever recorded.

[Johnny Dollar]

June 25,1906. Harry Thaw kills prominent architect Stanford White in one of the first "Crimes of the Century".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Thaw

In the spring of 1906, Harry and Evelyn decided to travel to Europe and New York. On June 25, while in New York, Evelyn and Harry saw Stanford White while dining at the Cafe Martin. After learning that White was to attend the premiere of Mam'zelle Champagne, a show the Thaws were also planning to attend, Harry took Evelyn back to their hotel and disappeared, returning just in time to pick up Evelyn and head to the show – curiously dressed in a black overcoat, though it was a hot evening. At the rooftop theatre of Madison Square Garden, the hat check girl repeatedly tried to relieve Harry of his heavy coat, but he refused. He wandered through the crowd during the show, approaching White's table several times, only to back away on each occasion. During the finale, "I Could Love A Million Girls", Thaw produced a pistol and fired three shots at close range into Stanford White's face, killing him.[2]

The crowd initially suspected the shooting might be part of the show, as elaborate practical jokes were popular in high society at the time. Soon, however, it became apparent that Stanford White was dead. Thaw, holding the gun aloft, walked through the crowd and met Evelyn at the elevator. When she asked what he'd done, Thaw said that he had "probably saved your life."

[Johnny Dollar]

June 25,1913. Civil War Veterans begin arriving at Gettysburg,Pennsylvania for the "Great Reunion of 1913".

A very emotional gathering of the Vets on both sides of the line.The 50th anniversary of the most pivotal days in our history since 1775.

To commemorate the events of June 30-July 3,1863 , which up to this very day,more than any other,IMO, defined today's (and tomorrows) America.

Next year will be the 150th. Hard to believe. Visit Gettysburg if you can. Every American should go there at least once.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Reunion_of_1913

The 1913 Gettysburg reunion was a Gettysburg Battlefield encampment of American Civil War veterans for the Battle of Gettysburg's 50th anniversary. The June 29–July 4 gathering of 53,407 veterans (~8,750 Confederate)[1] was the largest ever Civil War veteran reunion, and "never before in the world's history [had] so great a number of men so advanced in years been assembled under field conditions" (Chief Surgeon).[2]:60 All honorably discharged veterans in the Grand Army of the Republic and the United Confederate Veterans were invited, and veterans from 46 of the 48 states attended[3] (cf. Nevada).[citation needed]

Despite concerns "that there might be unpleasant differences, at least, between the blue and gray"[4] (as after England's War of the Roses and the French Revolution),[5] the peaceful reunion was repeatedly marked by events of Union–Confederate camaraderie.[6] President Woodrow Wilson's July 4 reunion address summarized the spirit: "We have found one another again as brothers and comrades in arms, enemies no longer, generous friends rather, our battles long past, the quarrel forgotten—except that we shall not forget the splendid valor."