Happy First Full Day of Spring.
Today is Good Friday, Great Friday, Holy Friday or Long Friday (In China, the ever literal minded Chinese refer to the day as Jesus' Crucifixion Day)
Here is your Today in History -
March 21, 1843 -
According to Biblical crackpot William Miller, Christ would return sometime in the year following this day in 1843. After Jesus failed to appear by the next March, Miller claimed it was the result of an arithmetic error and recalculated the deadline to be October 22, 1844. The Lord was AWOL on that date also.
March 21, 1962 -
A two-year old female black bear was taken aboard a B-58 bomber out of Edwards Air Force Base in California, flown up to 35,000 feet at a supersonic speed of 850 miles per hour, and ejected from the bomber in a specially made capsule. She landed safely, and became the first living creature to survive a parachute jump from a plane flying faster than sound. Imagine what PETA would have made of this test at the time.
March 21, 1963 -
Alcatraz Prison closed. Hardened criminals would have to go elsewhere to experience the joys of prison sex.
March 21, 1970 -
Vinko Bogataj crashes during a ski-jumping championship in Germany; his image becomes that of the "agony of defeat guy" in the opening credits of ABC's Wide World of Sports.
March 21, 1976 -
David Bowie and Iggy Pop were arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession in New York. They were released on $2,000 bail. The charges were dropped. Musicians using drugs - shocking, shocking, I tell you.
March 21, 1980 -
Mobster Angelo "The Docile Don" Bruno killed with a shotgun blast to the head while he waits in his car after dinner. The order was probably ordered Anthony "Tony Bananas" Caponigro, Bruno's consigliere, so much for family loyalty. His replacement, one of Bruno's former capo Phil "Chicken Man" Testa, is short lived, as he is killed a year later by a nail bomb at his home. One must assume that their parents knew something about their future careers when giving them middle names.
March 21, 1917 -
Nicholas II and his family were arrested. It was a confused and confusing period, and the situation would only continue to deteriorate until the October Revolution (in November).
The eventual triumph of the proletariat, as everyone knows, finally put an end to all the suffering and oppression in Russia.
Since yesterday was Fred Rogers birthday, I believe an important comparison should be shown to help you better understand the Russian Imperial dynasty:
Hereditary heads of the Russian empire, 1613-1917: 19
Hosts of the long-running PBS series "Mr Rogers’ Neighborhood": 1
Russian heads of state to have died by natural causes: 10
Deaths on "Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood": 0
Average length of Russian reign, in years: 15.6
Years "Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood" has been running: 31
Russian emperors to die of dropsy: 1
Dropsy deaths in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe: 0
Russian emperors assassinated: 5
Assassination attempts on the life of King Friday XIII: 0
Bolshevik Revolutions in the Neighborhood of Make Believe: 0
Please draw your own conclusions and be prepared for a quiz tomorrow.
And so it goes.
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