On this day:

[BarnBuster]

​

On this day in 1965 in the predominantly black Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, racial tension reaches a breaking point after two white policemen scuffle with a black motorist suspected of drunken driving. A crowd of spectators gathered near the corner of Avalon Boulevard and 116th Street to watch the arrest and soon grew angry by what they believed to be yet another incident of racially motivated abuse by the police. A riot soon began, spurred on by residents of Watts who were embittered after years of economic and political isolation. The rioters eventually ranged over a 50-square-mile area of South Central Los Angeles, looting stores, torching buildings, and beating whites as snipers fired at police and firefighters. Finally, with the assistance of thousands of National Guardsmen, order was restored on August 16.

The five days of violence left 34 dead, 1,032 injured, nearly 4,000 arrested, and $40 million worth of property destroyed. The Watts riot was the worst urban riot in 20 years and foreshadowed the many rebellions to occur in ensuing years during the 1967 Detroit Riots, the Newark Riots, and other violence.

Watts Riots: Traffic stop was the spark that ignited days of destruction in L.A.

www.latimes.com

Watts Rebellion ‑ Riots, Summary & 1965 | HISTORY

The Watts Rebellion was a series of riots that stemmed from an August 1965 arrest in a mostly Black Los Angeles neighborhood before subsiding after six days.

www.history.com

 

[BarnBuster]

​

1961 – In an effort to stem the tide of refugees attempting to leave East Berlin, the communist government of East Germany begins building the Berlin Wall to divide East and West Berlin.

After World War II, defeated Germany was divided into Soviet, American, British and French zones of occupation. The city of Berlin, though technically part of the Soviet zone, was also split, with the Soviets taking the eastern part of the city. After a massive Allied airlift in June 1948 foiled a Soviet attempt to blockade West Berlin, the eastern section was drawn even more tightly into the Soviet fold. Over the next 12 years, cut off from its western counterpart and basically reduced to a Soviet satellite, East Germany saw between 2.5 million and 3 million of its citizens head to West Germany in search of better opportunities. By 1961, some 1,000 East Germans—including many skilled laborers, professionals and intellectuals—were leaving every day.

In August, Walter Ulbricht, the Communist leader of East Germany, got the go-ahead from Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev to begin the sealing off of all access between East and West Berlin. Soldiers began the work over the night of August 12-13, laying more than 100 miles of barbed wire slightly inside the East Berlin border. The wire was soon replaced by a six-foot-high, 96-mile-long wall of concrete blocks, complete with guard towers, machine gun posts and searchlights. East German officers known as Volkspolizei (“Volpos”) patrolled the Berlin Wall day and night.

Many Berlin residents on that first morning found themselves suddenly cut off from friends or family members in the other half of the city. Led by their mayor, Willi Brandt, West Berliners demonstrated against the wall, as Brandt criticized Western democracies, particularly the United States, for failing to take a stand against it. President John F. Kennedy had earlier said publicly that the United States could only really help West Berliners and West Germans, and that any kind of action on behalf of East Germans would only result in failure.

The Berlin Wall was one of the most powerful and iconic symbols of the Cold War. In June 1963, Kennedy gave his famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” (“I am a Berliner”) speech in front of the Wall, celebrating the city as a symbol of freedom and democracy in its resistance to tyranny and oppression. The height of the Wall was raised to 10 feet in 1970 in an effort to stop escape attempts, which at that time came almost daily. From 1961 to 1989, a total of 5,000 East Germans escaped; many more tried and failed. High profile shootings of some would-be defectors only intensified the Western world’s hatred of the Wall.

Finally, in the late 1980s, East Germany, fueled by the decline of the Soviet Union, began to implement a number of liberal reforms. On November 9, 1989, masses of East and West Germans alike gathered at the Berlin Wall and began to climb over and dismantle it. As this symbol of Cold War repression was destroyed, East and West Germany became one nation again, signing a formal treaty of unification on October 3, 1990."

 

[injinji]

50 years ago this week. . . .

Call it fate or an unfortunate coincidence that Dr. Seuss' The Lorax celebrates its 50th anniversary the same week the United Nations releases an urgent report on the dire consequences of human-induced climate change. The conflict between the industrious, polluting Once-ler and the feisty Lorax, who "speaks for the trees," feels more prescient than ever.

'The Lorax' Warned Us 50 Years Ago, But We Didn't Listen | Morning Edition

Call it fate or an unfortunate coincidence that Dr. Seuss' eco-parable marks its 50th anniversary just as the United Nations releases a report on the dire consequences of human-induced climate change.

www.kcrw.com

 

[BarnBuster]

​

In what later became known as Victory Day, an official announcement of Japan’s unconditional surrender to the Allies is made public to the world on August 14, 1945. Japan formally surrendered in writing two weeks later, on September 2, 1945.

Even though Japan’s War Council, urged by Emperor Hirohito, had already submitted a declaration of surrender to the Allies, via ambassadors, on August 10, fighting continued between the Japanese and the Soviets in Manchuria and between the Japanese and the United States in the South Pacific. In fact, two days after the Council agreed to surrender, a Japanese submarine attacked the Oak Hill, an American landing ship, and the Thomas F. Nickel, an American destroyer, both east of Okinawa.

On the afternoon of August 14 (August 15 in Japan, because of time-zone differences), Japanese radio announced that an Imperial Proclamation was soon to be made, accepting the terms of unconditional surrender drawn up at the Potsdam Conference. That proclamation had already been recorded by the emperor. The news did not go over well, as more than 1,000 Japanese soldiers stormed the Imperial Palace in an attempt to find the proclamation and prevent its being transmitted to the Allies. Soldiers still loyal to Emperor Hirohito repulsed the attackers.

That evening, General Anami, the member of the War Council most adamant against surrender, committed suicide. His reason: to atone for the Japanese army’s defeat, and to be spared having to hear his emperor speak the words of surrender.

At the White House, U.S. president Harry S. Truman relayed the news to the American people; celebrations broke out in Washington, D.C. and across the country.

 

[lokie]

The Mainz Psalter was the second major book printed with movable type in the West the first was the Gutenberg Bible.


Earliest dated book, "Mainz Psalter," completed

On August 14, 1457, the Mainz Psalter, the second major book printed with movable type in the West, was published according to its colophon, which was the very first to contain a date. Also it was the first important publication issued by Johann Fust and Peter Schoeffer following their split from Johannes Gutenberg.

The Case against Gutenberg
Johann Fust and Peter Schoeffer famously carried on a partnership after Fust sued and won a case against Johann Gutenberg in 1455 for the right to take back his loans that he offered Gutenberg years earlier.[2,3] Peter Schoeffer was an associate of Fust that worked as an apprentice to Gutenberg during the making of the 42-Line Bible. Schoeffer took Fust’s side when the court case was presented to Gutenberg and subsequently had his name join Fust’s on the completed copies of the Bible.

Actually, there were all but three Bibles left to be completed when Fust decided to foreclose on his loans. All in all Gutenberg ended up having to pay 1,200 guilders to Fust along with all of the completed Bibles, unfinished books, and his workshop. From that point on Gutenberg was hardly ever heard from again and Fust went into partnership with Peter Schoeffer. Schoeffer had learned all the fine skills of printing from Gutenberg. This meant that Schoeffer would be able to use the same techniques he had learned and practiced while the businessman Fust could find ways to do what he was best at, which was to sell the books that they were making.

The Mainz Psalter and Major Innovations in Printing | SciHi Blog

scihi.org

oops a day late.

 

[lokie]

More than a 3 hour tour.


The Mayflower and Speedwell ships set sail from Southampton on August 15, 1620.

The day the Mayflower left Southampton for America

Nearly 400 years ago, the Pilgrims left Southampton to embark on their historic transatlantic voyage on August 15 1620.

They were on two ships - the iconic Mayflower and the lesser known Speedwell - and boarded on the south coast of England set for a new life in America.

But they would not know just how challenging crossing the Atlantic 399 years ago would be - or that they would end up on just one ship with two more stops in England to come.




The Mayflower Memorial on Southampton's waterfront

The Southampton rendezvous
It had been arranged by the group who planned the Mayflower's voyage - known as the Separatists, at that time living in Holland - and their counterparts in the UK to meet at Southampton on two separate vessels.

Those ships were the Mayflower and the Speedwell, and the plan was to prepare for their epic journey they’d take together in the port on the south coast of England.

The Separatists, who had been living in Leiden for 12 years after escaping religious persecution in England, had bought the Speedwell by selling personal belongings.

On July 22, 1620, a group of 16 men, 11 women and 19 children left Delfshaven near Rotterdam to set sail on the Speedwell out to the North Sea and onto Southampton.

They arrived a few days later and met up with the crew and passengers of the Mayflower, which had set sail from Rotherhithe in London and brought the Separatists from England and a group known as the Strangers - people who wanted to join the voyage for a fresh start in America.

They intended to spend a few days in Southampton, preparing for the long voyage to America - stocking up on provisions and readying both ships. They would then sail together.

Southampton's docks at twilight

Shopping in Southampton
The Speedwell had leaked on her voyage from Holland, but was able to be repaired at Southampton’s extensive ship building facilities near the port’s West Quay. The town had proven to be a good choice for the Pilgrims in this respect.

Not only could the Speedwell be repaired, the fact that Southampton was a thriving seaport also meant it had everything the Pilgrims needed to buy to prepare themselves for the journey.

There were 153 merchants in the town at the time and it was these men who sold the group all the items they needed to be self-sufficient onboard the vessels. The Pilgrims slept on their ships moored at West Quay and spent the days shopping for supplies for the journey.

Southampton was also the perfect location for the Pilgrims to find a group of seamen who had previous experience of sailing across the Atlantic, so were able to offer them help and advice on what they were about to embark on. The town also had established trading links with Virginia and Newfoundland where the Mayflower and Speedwell were headed.

Stephen Hopkins joins
A Hampshire man called Stephen Hopkins joined the Mayflower in Southampton, and is known as the only passenger to have had any experience of being in America, having been shipwrecked in Bermuda in 1609.

Hopkins had gone on a voyage to Jamestown, Virginia on the vessel Sea Venture but had shipwrecked in Bermuda. He and other passengers were stranded on the island for 10 months, during which Hopkins and several others had organised a mutiny against their current governor. He was sentenced to death, but was later pardoned.

Whilst on the island of Bermuda, the castaways built a small ship and made the journey to Jamestown. Whilst Hopkins was there, his first wife Mary, who was still in England, died. Hopkins returned to England in 1617 and married second wife Elizabeth. He wanted his new wife and family to all return to Virginia so boarded the Mayflower in Southampton in 1620 with children Constance, Giles and Damaris. Elizabeth was one of 18 women onboard the Mayflower - and one of three who were at least six months pregnant. She gave birth to her and Hopkins’ son during the voyage and they named him Oceanus.

On arrival in New England, Hopkins was one of 41 signatories on the Mayflower Compact and became assistant to the governor of Plymouth Colony through to 1636. His years of experience in Jamestown meant he was familiar with the hunting techniques and lifestyle of American Indians, which was later useful to the Pilgrim leaders. Indeed the first formal meeting with the natives took place at Hopkins’ house and he was asked to take part in early Pilgrim visits with the natives’ leader Massasoit.

But in the late 1630s, Hopkins started coming up against the Plymouth authorities. He opened up a tavern and sold alcohol, but was fined for allowing drinking and shuffleboard playing on a Sunday, allowing people to drink too much at the tavern, and selling alcohol at excessive rates. He died in 1644.

So with Hopkins and his family onboard, the Mayflower and Speedwell ships set sail from Southampton on August 15, 1620.

Sailing into Dartmouth's harbour

Delayed in Dartmouth
But the Speedwell soon took on water again - thought to be either because she carried too much sail, straining her timbers, or the result of sabotage by the reluctant crew and both ships were diverted to Dartmouth, in Devon.

According to passengers, the Speedwell was leaking like a sieve and required urgent repairs - something that took place over the course of a week in Bayard’s Cove harbour, in Dartmouth.

The town’s locals were suspicious of the Pilgrims whilst the repairs took place so they set up camp outside the town boundary. The Mayflower was moored upstream on the River Dart beside Mill Creek, where it is believed the Pilgrims camped in a field. This is now called Pilgrim Hill.

Once the Speedwell was fixed, both ships set sail out into the English Channel towards the North Atlantic.

Plymouth, the final stop
But their epic voyage was scuppered again, when 300 miles off Land’s End the Speedwell leaked yet again and it was decided they couldn’t take the risk of continuing with her.

After already spending six weeks at sea since leaving London and Leiden, and wasting valuable money as well as vital supplies, both ships turned around and headed back for Plymouth.

It was there that the Speedwell was declared unfit to make the transatlantic journey. Some passengers abandoned the venture and returned to Holland, some stayed in Plymouth, and the remainder boarded the Mayflower to continue to America. It meant the Mayflower was overcrowded and cramped but the journey was to go ahead regardless.

After a few days in Plymouth, restocking for the voyage, 102 passengers and up to 30 crew boarded the Mayflower. They left what is now known as the Mayflower Steps on the city’s historic Barbican (though the Steps today is a memorial, rather than the actual site) on September 16, 1620 - the last time they were on English soil before heading to America.

 

[BarnBuster]

​

While salmon fishing near the Klondike River in Canada’s Yukon Territory on August 16, 1896, George Carmack reportedly spots nuggets of gold in a creek bed. His lucky discovery sparks the last great gold rush in the American West.

Hoping to cash in on reported gold strikes in Alaska, Carmack had traveled there from California in 1881. After running into a dead end, he headed north into the isolated Yukon Territory, just across the Canadian border. In 1896, another prospector, Robert Henderson, told Carmack of finding gold in a tributary of the Klondike River. Carmack headed to the region with two Native American companions, known as Skookum Jim and Tagish Charlie. On August 16, while camping near Rabbit Creek, Carmack reportedly spotted a nugget of gold jutting out from the creek bank. His two companions later agreed that Skookum Jim–Carmack’s brother-in-law—actually made the discovery.

Regardless of who spotted the gold first, the three men soon found that the rock near the creek bed was thick with gold deposits. They staked their claim the following day. News of the gold strike spread fast across Canada and the United States, and over the next two years, as many as 50,000 would-be miners arrived in the region. Rabbit Creek was renamed Bonanza, and even more gold was discovered in another Klondike tributary, dubbed Eldorado.

“Klondike Fever” reached its height in the United States in mid-July 1897 when two steamships arrived from the Yukon in San Francisco and Seattle, bringing a total of more than two tons of gold. Thousands of eager young men bought elaborate “Yukon outfits” (kits assembled by clever marketers containing food, clothing, tools and other necessary equipment) and set out on their way north. Few of these would find what they were looking for, as most of the land in the region had already been claimed. One of the unsuccessful gold-seekers was 21-year-old Jack London, whose short stories based on his Klondike experience became his first book, The Son of the Wolf (1900).

For his part, Carmack became rich off his discovery, leaving the Yukon with $1 million worth of gold. Many individual gold miners in the Klondike eventually sold their stakes to mining companies, who had the resources and machinery to access more gold. Large-scale gold mining in the Yukon Territory didn’t end until 1966, and by that time the region had yielded some $250 million in gold. Today, some 200 small gold mines still operate in the region.

Klondike women : true tales of the 1897-98 Gold Rush / Melanie J. Mayer
The Klondike quest : a photographic essay, 1897-1899 / written and edited by Pierre Berton ; photographic research by Barbara Sears.
The Floor of heaven : a true tale of the last frontier and the Yukon gold rush / Howard Blum.
The Klondike fever : the life and death of the last great gold rush / by Pierre Berton.

 

[lokie]

Rare Honus Wagner baseball card sells for record $6.6 million at auction
By Jordan Valinsky, CNN Business
Published 1:01 PM EDT, Mon August 16, 2021

A Honus Wagner baseball card, the most famous and among the rarest sports trading cards in the world, sold at auction Monday morning for a record $6.6 million. That blew away the previous record — a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card, which auctioned earlier this year for $5.2 million.

An unnamed East Coast collector bought the card from Robert Edward Auctions. According to the auction house’s website, the T206 baseball card was issued between 1909 and 1911 with cigarette packs. The card sold in auction was discovered in 1973 in New York and was “one of the first (if not the first) documented public auction sales of a Wagner.” It later sold for $1.2 million in 2012, with its valuation dramatically increasing since then.

From Robert Edward Auctions
This Honus Wagner baseball card sold for $6.606 million.

“The rarity and the legend of the T206 Honus Wagner, coupled with the quality of this example, excited bidders who recognized it may be a very long time before an opportunity like this came around again,” Robert Edward Auctions said in a statement.

The card was released as Wagner was on his way to winning his seventh batting title and about to lead the Pirates to their first World Series win. It’s garnered such a place in baseball history that it has its own plaque at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

Perhaps most notable about this baseball card is that it’s one of the rarest in existence. The auction house said it “would not at all be surprising if this example is the last of the high-grade Wagners to appear at auction publicly for many years to come.”

Very few cards of the Pittsburgh Pirates player were printed, although the history remains murky. There are only about 50 Honus Wagner T206 cards in existence. The card is in such short supply because Wagner made the American Tobacco Company recall it, after he discovered it had made the card without his permission. He didn’t want kids to buy cigarettes, a previous auction house said about a decade ago.

Collectibles, such as comic books and trading cards, are increasingly growing in value for investors. For example, an “exceedingly rare” copy of a comic book that introduced Superman for the first time sold in April for $3.25 million.

Rare Honus Wagner baseball card sells for record $6.6 million at auction

A Honus Wagner baseball card, the most famous and among the rarest sports trading cards in the world, sold at auction Monday morning for a record $6.6 million. That blew away the previous record — a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card, which auctioned earlier this year for $5.2 million.

www.cnn.com

 

[BarnBuster]

​

In the second day of a standoff at Randy Weaver’s remote northern Idaho cabin atop Ruby Ridge, FBI sharpshooter Lon Horiuchi wounds Randy Weaver and Kevin Harris, and then kills Weaver’s wife, Vicki.

Randy Weaver, an alleged white supremacist, had been targeted by the federal government for selling two illegal sawed-off shotguns to an undercover Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) informant. On August 21, 1992, after a period of surveillance, U.S. marshals came upon Harris, Weaver, Weaver’s 14-year-old son Sammy and the family dog on a road near the Weaver property. A marshal shot and killed the dog, prompting Sammy to fire at the marshal. In the ensuing gun battle, Sammy and U.S. Marshal Michael Degan were shot and killed. A tense standoff ensued, and on August 22 the FBI joined the marshals besieging Ruby Ridge.

Later that day, Harris, Weaver, and his daughter, Sarah, left the cabin, allegedly for the purpose of preparing Sammy’s body for burial. FBI sharpshooter Lon Horiuchi, waiting 200 yards away, opened fire, allegedly because he thought Harris was armed and intending to fire on a helicopter in the vicinity. Horiuchi wounded Weaver, and the group ran to the shed where Sammy’s body was lying. When they attempted to escape back into the cabin, Horiuchi fired again, wounding Harris as he dove through the door and killing Vicki Weaver, who was holding the door open with one hand and cradling her infant daughter with the other. Horiuchi claimed he didn’t know that Vicki Weaver was standing behind the door. Harris, Weaver and Weaver’s three daughters surrendered nine days later.

The controversial standoff spawned a nationwide debate on the use of force by federal law enforcement agencies, and a U.S. Senate panel accused the federal agencies involved of “substantial failures” in their handling of the Ruby Ridge operation.

https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/opr/legacy/2006/11/09/rubyreportcover_39.pdf

Ruby Ridge ‑ Idaho, Incident & Standoff | HISTORY

Ruby Ridge was the location of a violent 11‑day standoff between an Idaho family and federal agents in 1992 that sparked the modern American militia movement.

www.history.com

 

[raratt]

RIP Connie.

'Sweet, sweet Connie' in Grand Funk Railroad hit dies at 66

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Connie Hamzy, a rock 'n' roll groupie from Arkansas who was immortalized as “sweet, sweet Connie” in the 1973 Grand Funk Railroad hit “We're an American Band,” has died.

apnews.com

 

[BarnBuster]

​

During the Hundred Years War, King Edward III’s English army annihilates a French force under King Philip VI at the Battle of Crecy in Normandy. The battle, which saw an early use of the deadly longbow by the English, is regarded as one of the most decisive in history.

On July 12, 1346, Edward landed an invasion force of about 14,000 men on the coast of Normandy. From there, the English army marched northward, plundering the French countryside. Learning of the Englishmen’s arrival, King Philip rallied an army of 12,000 men, made up of approximately 8,000 mounted knights and 4,000 hired Genoese crossbowmen. At Crecy, Edward halted his army and prepared for the French assault. Late in the afternoon of August 26, Philip’s army attacked.

The Genoese crossbowmen led the assault, but they were soon overwhelmed by Edward’s longbowmen, who could reload faster and fire much further. The crossbowmen then retreated and the French mounted knights attempted to penetrate the English infantry lines. In charge after charge, the horses and riders were cut down in the merciless shower of arrows. At nightfall, the French finally withdrew.

The Battle of Crécy decimated the French nobility. Nearly a third of their army lay slain on the field, including Philip’s brother, Charles II of Alencon; his allies King John of Bohemia and Louis II of Nevers. English archers devastated the French who lost 11 princes, 1,200 knights and 30,000 common soldiers. The English lost just 100 men. In this particular battle, 20,000 English soldiers defeated 60,000 French soldiers. This single battle is taken as proof of how just effective the longbow was as a weapon.

The battle marked the decline of the mounted knight in European warfare and the rise of England as a world power. From Crecy, Edward marched on to Calais, which surrendered to him in 1347.

The nearly 8,000 longbowmen at Crécy probably fired 75,000-90,000 arrows in the 40-60 seconds it took the French to close the range, each arrow speeding near 140 miles per hour, each archer keeping two and some three in the air at once. An experienced archer could shoot an arrow every four or five seconds. After the battle, observers wrote that the white feathers from the flights were so thick on the ground, it looked like snow.

One story told in medieval times was that an arrow fired from a long bow could penetrate four inches into oak. Recent tests have shown that this anecdote is true when the arrow is fired close up. From 200 metres, a longbow arrow penetrated over one inch of solid oak – more than sufficient power to penetrate the armour worn by soldiers. Plate armour gave more protection but could still be penetrated from 100 metres. The maximum range of a long bow was 400 metres but at this distance, it was far less effective.
The surviving examples of longbows look unfinished and it is probable that most of the bows had this appearance: the junction of the inner and outer woods would rarely be straight but this was not important. Interestingly English yew was not considered suitable to make bows and the staves were imported, largely from Italy and Spain. To ensure a regular supply, each ton of certain imports, including wine, had to be accompanied by 10 yew staves.

The best longbows were made of yew. The staves were cut in winter when no sap was running, from the junction of the inner heartwood and the outer sapwood. The staves were seasoned and worked on gradually over a period of three to four years.

Today only six longbows survive, none from the "golden age" and sources do not agree on the dimensions. Most give the length as about 70in. with a drawing pull of 75-100lbs. The arrows were between 27-36in. long.

Battle of Crécy

The death of bind King John of Bohemia, who led the attack on the right flank of the British at Crecy 1346. John the Blind (Jan; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346) was the count of Luxembourg from 13…

weaponsandwarfare.com

Battle of Crécy

The Battle of Crécy on 26 August 1346 CE saw an English army defeat a much larger French force in the first great battle of the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453 CE). Edward III of England (r. 1327-1377...

www.worldhistory.org

The Battle of Crecy | Squaducation

26th August 1346 - A new type of warfare, that was to last until the nineteenth century, was unleashed by Edward III on the French in the fourteenth century – projectile warfare. Before gunfire the use of massed ranks of longbow men became a method of attack that was not only highly useful and...

www.squaducation.com

 

[BarnBuster]

​

"At 10:02 a.m. on August 27, 1883, the tiny volcanic island Krakatoa in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra blew itself into the history books, altering weather patterns around the world for years, killing an estimated 37,000 people, and inspiring the creation of an enduring work of art.

The eruption sent a plume of ash 27km into the air, affecting weather patterns across the globe for years, and plunging the surrounding area into darkness for days. As the ash circled the globe, blue and green sunsets were observed around the world for the next three years. Months later, gigantic chunks of pumice and ash encasing trees and other debris washed ashore as far as Mauritius and Australia. Global temperatures were lowered by more than 1 degree Celsius for the following year.

The world learned of the eruption within 24 hours with the help of a telegraph from Jakarta. It was the first natural disaster to be reported internationally at such speed.

The Krakatoa explosion estimated at 310 decibels at the source and registered 172 decibels at 100 miles from the source. This is so astonishingly loud, that it’s inching up against the limits of what we mean by sound,” science writer Aatish Bhatia wrote in a blog post. “Amazingly, for as many as five days after the explosion, weather stations in 50 cities around the globe observed this unprecedented spike in pressure re-occurring like clockwork, approximately every 34 hours. That is roughly how long it takes sound to travel around the entire planet.” . For reference, the sound from the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were 248 decibels. Experts believe anyone standing within 10 miles of the explosion would have been rendered instantly deaf. The British ship Norham Castle was 40 miles from Krakatoa at the time of the explosion. The ship’s captain wrote in his log, “So violent are the explosions that the ear-drums of over half my crew have been shattered. My last thoughts are with my dear wife. I am convinced that the Day of Judgement has come.”

Krakatoa’s eruption even inspired one of the 19th century’s most famous works of art, Edvard Munch’s painting "The Scream". Researchers from Texas State University in 2004 located the spot where Edvard Munch had been standing when he watched the spectacular sunset in far-off Oslo in November 1883. Munch reportedly “felt a great, unending scream piercing through nature,” while watching the sunset, inspiring the painting 10 years after Krakatoa’s eruption half a world away.

The energy released from the Krakatoa eruption has been estimated to be equal to about 200 megatons of TNT. The Tsar Bomba, the most powerful thermonuclear device ever detonated, only released the equivalent of about 57. The eruption has been assigned a rating of 6 on the Volcanic Explosion Index. The eruption was about ten times more explosive than the Mount St. Helens explosion of 1980.

This explosion created a deadly tsunami with waves over a hundred feet (30 meters) in height. One hundred sixty-five coastal villages and settlements were swept away and entirely destroyed. In all, the Dutch (the colonial rulers of Indonesia at the time) estimated the death toll at 36,417, while other estimates exceed 120,000.

The initial explosion ruptured the magma chamber and allowed seawater to contact the hot lava. The result is known as a phreatomagmatic event. The water flash-boiled, creating a cushion of superheated steam that carried the pyroclastic flows up to 25 miles (40 km) at speeds in excess of 62 mph (100 kph with a VEI of 5.) Giant coral blocks weighing as much as 600 tons were hurled ashore.

Rafts of floating pumice-locally thick enough to support men, trees, and no doubt other biological passengers-crossed the Indian Ocean in 10 months. Others reached Melanesia, and were still afloat two years after the eruption."

 

[lokie]

I'm not to sure about the mindset that would approve parole for this type of heinous crime. Many have been justly executed for similar and lesser crimes.

Robert F. Kennedy’s assassin Sirhan Sirhan granted parole

Sen. Robert F. Kennedy’s assassin is facing his 16th parole hearing Friday — and for the first time, prosecutors will not fight to keep him behind bars.

nypost.com

Sirhan Sirhan - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[injinji]

8-28-63. I have a dream.

Read Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech in its entirety

Americans across the U.S. are celebrating King's legacy this weekend. One way to reflect on his life and message is by revisiting his celebrated 1963 speech delivered at the Lincoln Memorial.

www.npr.org

 

[injinji]

 

[GreatwhiteNorth]

I'm not to sure about the mindset that would approve parole for this type of heinous crime. Many have been justly executed for similar and lesser crimes.

Robert F. Kennedy’s assassin Sirhan Sirhan granted parole

Sen. Robert F. Kennedy’s assassin is facing his 16th parole hearing Friday — and for the first time, prosecutors will not fight to keep him behind bars.

nypost.com

Sirhan Sirhan - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I wonder if he gets paroled if he will be placed in some sort of protection program?
I'm betting there are still many out there that might look for him if released.

 

[BarnBuster]

Hurricane Katrina makes landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana, as a Category 4 hurricane on August 29, 2005. Despite being only the third most powerful storm of the 2005 hurricane season, Katrina was among the worst natural disasters in the history of the United States. In the wake of the storm, there were over 50 failures of the levees and flood walls surrounding New Orleans and its suburbs. The levee and flood wall failures caused widespread flooding.

After briefly coming ashore in southern Florida on August 25 as a Category 1 hurricane, Katrina gained strength before slamming into the Gulf Coast on August 29. In addition to bringing devastation to the New Orleans area, the hurricane caused damage along the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, as well as other parts of Louisiana.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city on August 28, when Katrina briefly achieved Category 5 status and the National Weather Service predicted “devastating” damage to the area. But an estimated 150,000 people, who either did not want to or did not have the resources to leave, ignored the order and stayed behind. The storm brought sustained winds of 145 miles per hour, which cut power lines and destroyed homes, even turning cars into projectile missiles. Katrina caused record storm surges all along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The surges overwhelmed the levees that protected New Orleans, located at six feet below sea level, from Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River. Soon, 80 percent of the city was flooded up to the rooftops of many homes and small buildings.

Tens of thousands of people sought shelter in the New Orleans Convention Center and the Louisiana Superdome. The situation in both places quickly deteriorated, as food and water ran low and conditions became unsanitary. Frustration mounted as it took up to two days for a full-scale relief effort to begin. In the meantime, the stranded residents suffered from heat, hunger, and a lack of medical care.

Reports of looting, rape, and even murder began to surface. As news networks broadcast scenes from the devastated city to the world, it became obvious that a vast majority of the victims were African-American and poor, leading to difficult questions among the public about the state of racial equality in the United States. The federal government and President George W. Bush were roundly criticized for what was perceived as their slow response to the disaster. The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Michael Brown, resigned amid the ensuing controversy.

Finally, on September 1, the tens of thousands of people staying in the damaged Superdome and Convention Center begin to be moved to the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, and another mandatory evacuation order was issued for the city. The next day, military convoys arrived with supplies and the National Guard was brought in to bring a halt to lawlessness. Efforts began to collect and identify corpses. On September 6, eight days after the hurricane, the Army Corps of Engineers finally completed temporary repairs to the three major holes in New Orleans’ levee system and were able to begin pumping water out of the city.

In all, it is believed that the hurricane caused more than 1,300 deaths and up to $150 billion in damages to both private property and public infrastructure. It is estimated that only about $40 billion of that number will be covered by insurance. One million people were displaced by the disaster, a phenomenon unseen in the United States since the Great Depression. Four hundred thousand people lost their jobs as a result of the disaster. Offers of international aid poured in from around the world, even from poor countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Private donations from U.S. citizens alone approached $600 million.

The storm also set off 36 tornadoes in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, resulting in one death.

President Bush declared September 16 a national day of remembrance for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

In a 2006 federal report, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers admitted that the flood-control complex surrounding New Orleans had been incomplete, insufficient and improperly maintained. "The hurricane protection system in New Orleans and southeast Louisiana was a system in name only," said the report.

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRPT-109srpt322/pdf/CRPT-109srpt322.pdf

 

[injinji]

Hurricane Katrina makes landfall near New Orleans, Louisiana, as a Category 4 hurricane on August 29, 2005. Despite being only the third most powerful storm of the 2005 hurricane season, Katrina was among the worst natural disasters in the history of the United States. In the wake of the storm, there were over 50 failures of the levees and flood walls surrounding New Orleans and its suburbs. The levee and flood wall failures caused widespread flooding.

After briefly coming ashore in southern Florida on August 25 as a Category 1 hurricane, Katrina gained strength before slamming into the Gulf Coast on August 29. In addition to bringing devastation to the New Orleans area, the hurricane caused damage along the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, as well as other parts of Louisiana.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city on August 28, when Katrina briefly achieved Category 5 status and the National Weather Service predicted “devastating” damage to the area. But an estimated 150,000 people, who either did not want to or did not have the resources to leave, ignored the order and stayed behind. The storm brought sustained winds of 145 miles per hour, which cut power lines and destroyed homes, even turning cars into projectile missiles. Katrina caused record storm surges all along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The surges overwhelmed the levees that protected New Orleans, located at six feet below sea level, from Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River. Soon, 80 percent of the city was flooded up to the rooftops of many homes and small buildings.

Tens of thousands of people sought shelter in the New Orleans Convention Center and the Louisiana Superdome. The situation in both places quickly deteriorated, as food and water ran low and conditions became unsanitary. Frustration mounted as it took up to two days for a full-scale relief effort to begin. In the meantime, the stranded residents suffered from heat, hunger, and a lack of medical care.

Reports of looting, rape, and even murder began to surface. As news networks broadcast scenes from the devastated city to the world, it became obvious that a vast majority of the victims were African-American and poor, leading to difficult questions among the public about the state of racial equality in the United States. The federal government and President George W. Bush were roundly criticized for what was perceived as their slow response to the disaster. The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Michael Brown, resigned amid the ensuing controversy.

Finally, on September 1, the tens of thousands of people staying in the damaged Superdome and Convention Center begin to be moved to the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, and another mandatory evacuation order was issued for the city. The next day, military convoys arrived with supplies and the National Guard was brought in to bring a halt to lawlessness. Efforts began to collect and identify corpses. On September 6, eight days after the hurricane, the Army Corps of Engineers finally completed temporary repairs to the three major holes in New Orleans’ levee system and were able to begin pumping water out of the city.

In all, it is believed that the hurricane caused more than 1,300 deaths and up to $150 billion in damages to both private property and public infrastructure. It is estimated that only about $40 billion of that number will be covered by insurance. One million people were displaced by the disaster, a phenomenon unseen in the United States since the Great Depression. Four hundred thousand people lost their jobs as a result of the disaster. Offers of international aid poured in from around the world, even from poor countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Private donations from U.S. citizens alone approached $600 million.

The storm also set off 36 tornadoes in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, resulting in one death.

President Bush declared September 16 a national day of remembrance for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

In a 2006 federal report, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers admitted that the flood-control complex surrounding New Orleans had been incomplete, insufficient and improperly maintained. "The hurricane protection system in New Orleans and southeast Louisiana was a system in name only," said the report.

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRPT-109srpt322/pdf/CRPT-109srpt322.pdf

Testing. Cat 1, Cat 2, Cat 3. . . . . . .

 

[injinji]

Crossover. . . .

2005 - Fats Domino
77-year-old Fats Domino was rescued from the flooding in New Orleans caused by Hurricane Katrina. He had earlier told his agent that he planned to remain in his home despite the order to evacuate.

 

[doublejj]

The story of the Beatles' last official concert, which took place in San Francisco
55 years ago today, the Fab Four played Candlestick Park

The story of the Beatles' last official concert, which took place in SF

At the time, almost no one knew Candlestick Park would be their last stadium show.

www.sfgate.com