Genghis Khan and Butch Cassidy

1227: Death of Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan—a warrior and ruler of genius who, starting from obscure and insignificant beginnings, brought all the nomadic tribes of into a rigidly disciplined military state—died this day in 1227. The grandson of Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan, would meet Marco Polo. At the time of Kublai Khan a request was made to send Christian teachers to Mongolia. Marco Polo walked all the way back to Rome to try to recruit teachers. He was not well received by people in Rome. Some thought that he was out of his mind. Marco Polo recruited two teachers who never made it to Mongolia/China. A great opportunity for Christ was lost and would not be recovered until the late 20th century. Today there is a strong church in Mongolia due in large part to the work of English Language Institute—Mongolia. This group was invited by the Mongolian government to teach English in Mongola.
1896-- According to lore, more than 200 outlaws from regional gangs gathered at Brown's Hole in the American West, where Butch Cassidy proposed to organize a Train Robbers' Syndicate, which became familiarly known as the Wild Bunch.

Life in Leadville Colorado 1950s

The other day I received an e-mail from some of my Colorado relatives. Jerry Pearson is a nephew of my grandmother Hagberg. His Mom and Dad died of acute alcoholism when Jerry was a teenage. Jerry would go on in life to work for the Colorado State Fish Hatcheries and marry the daughter of a prominent attorney in Leadville. Pat Trevathan was a beautiful young lady and continues to be a special part of Jerrry’s life.

In the e-mail I received mention was made of a grade school classmate named Doug Brown. I immediately contacted Pat and Jerry and asked if Doug had an e-mail address. He did and we have begun to correspond.

I went to school in Leadville with Doug Brown through the ninth grade. Doug was a tall good looking young man. His father ran a grocery store in town that had been started by his grandfather. Doug chose not to go into the grocery business and took up flying airplanes. It was great to make contact with one of the old gang.

The school that we attended in Leadville was a three story brick building. The floors were oil-soaked to keep the dust down. Looking back, I realize I went to school for seven years in a virtual fire trap. If the building had ever caught on fire most of us would not have gotten out. But we did get a good education and we had a good time going to school there.

In spite of what the grandchildren might believe we walked to school regardless of the weather. The concept of “snow days” was totally foreign. If we had observed “snow days” we would have gone to school all summer to make up for the school missed. When I left home in the morning with my lunchbox and a few books to take to the Carnegie Library, I walked out through a snowbank seven feet tall. My mother would not see me again until I came back through the snowbank that night. It was downhill to the school, but a long uphill trek to come home.

Often in the winter we would spend entire days out sledding. Every child had some sort of sled. The temperatures would hover around 0, but we never thought anything about it. It seemed that late in the evening as the sun was setting over the western mountains that someone would say, “I’m getting cold. I’m going home.” Everyone would grab their sleds, pulled by ropes and start for home. We didn’t have Nintendo or WII or even television. Life was lived outside in the elements and we loved every minute of it. But it was nice to go home to a nice warm house.

Sometime around 1955 the old schools were demolished and new schools, much safer, were erected. I remember coming back to Leadville in 1957 and coming to that corner where Ninth Street School stood. I was shocked to see nothing there but a playground. That building had been a major part of my life and now it was gone.

The class that I would have graduated with will have its fiftieth reunion in September. Unfortunately I will have just gotten home from my high school reunion for Central High in Grand Junction, Colorado.

This Day in History August 15

Today in History.
August 15, 1888 marks the birth of T. H. Lawrence who became the famous “Lawrence of Arabia.
Likewise, in 1769, Napoleon was born on the island of Corsica.
On the other end of the spectrum in 1935 this is the day that Wiley Post and Will Rogers were killed in a plane wreck near Pt. Barrow Alaska.
It is also the day that the Panama Canal was opened in 1914. It took ten years to build during the administration of Theodore Roosevelt.
And Macbeth, king of Scots, a real person in 1057, was killed in battle on this day by Malcolm, eldest son of Duncan I. I assumed that Macbeth was an invented person by Shakespeare.

This Day in History August 14

This day in history, August 14, 2007
In 1947 Pakistan became a sovereign state, bringing an end to British rule. This would happen throughout the British Empire and it would soon not be possible to say, “The sun never sets on the British Empire.”
In 1935 The Social Security Act was passed today.
In 1457 the first printed with a colophon bearing the name of the printer was completed in Mainz Germany.

Alfred Hitchcock

This is the day that the famed writer and film producer Alfred Hitchcock was born. His television programs along with his films are classics. He was a master at bringing an unusual twist to the ending of a program. His profile was his signature for his work.

This Day in History, August 8, 2007

On this day in history the famous Mexican general Zapata was born in 1879. He would lead a guerrilla force against the government from 1910-20.

This is also the day that Richard Nixon resigned as president of the United States as a result of the Watergate Scandal in 1974.

In 1963 the famous Great Train Robbery took place on this day in which 2.6 million English pounds were stolen from a mail train.

Finally, in 1588 the British defeated the Spanish Armada off the coast of France.

In 1946 on this day Harry Truman signed the documents that would lead to the establishment of the United Nations.

This day in History August 3

 

I have a daily program that comes from Britannica called "This Day in History." I have been a user of Encyclopedia Britannica since 1961 and one of my sons has my original set. Now Britannica can be purchased every year inexpensively on CD or DVD. I usually upgrade every two or three years.

However, today's list was interesting.

This is the day in 1492 that Columbus began his journey to discover America. Certainly, Columbus had no idea of the changes that his trip would bring to the world. Those three little boats set a course that would change the course of history for the entire world. Thousands would be displaced or killed. People who were fleeing from persecution would occupy new lands.

This is also the day that the first atomic submarine surfaced at the North Pole by breaking through the ice in 1958. I can remember how excited I was to read about that. Atomic power for ships was a new thing and to have a submarine that could break through the ice was just incredible. In later years, I would travel to visit my sister Susan and her husband Colin who lived near Groton, Connecticut. On one occasion, we went down to the submarine pens at Groton. There was a tour available in one of these early submarines. What seemed huge in my mind was quite small and crowded inside. Nevertheless, I could say I had been in an atomic submarine.

For my children this day in 1949 is important because it is the day the National Basketball Association was established.

For one of my good friends this day is important because in 1940 Lithuania was formally acknowledged as part of the USSR. I am not sure the Lithuanians were excited about this. In my visit to Estonia, I discovered that the Baltic peoples far preferred the Germans to the Russians when it came to occupation. Of course, they really would have preferred to be free.

It is on this day in 1914 that Germany declared war on France.

Finally, in 1583 on this day Sir Humphrey Gilbert arrived at St. John's, Newfoundland, and claimed it in the name of Queen Elizabeth I.