This Day in History

[not2big]

On November 13, 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C. The long row of black granite slabs, each engraved with the names of those who died as a result of the war, has become one of the best-known war memorials in the country.

6CEC37FF-35F9-48CC-85D5-1E41B1E116C3.jpg

It's not unusual for a national museum or monument to receive some federal funding, such as the federal appropriations for the Smithsonian or the Washington Monument. However, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was funded solely by donations and money obtained through fundraising. Congress did set aside land for the memorial, but no money came from the government. The original funds -- $2,800 -- came from a wounded Vietnam War veteran named Jan C. Scruggs, who after watching the move "The Deer Hunter," proposed setting up a memorial as a way to help vets heal from the trauma of war. With the help of celebrities and a couple hundred thousand Americans, the fund grew to $8.4 million.

Included in the list are at least two of my army buddies.

[not2big]

On November 14, 1851, Herman Melville published the whaling adventure Moby-Dick. While the book is considered a classic now, it wasn't always so well-received when it was published.

7DEC0D80-A471-4897-98E7-5CD79B688D8D.jpg

Melville was influenced by a lot of people and events, but two whales were particularly influential when it came to the story of Moby-Dick. One was a 70 foot white wale called Mocha Dick, which named after the Chilean island of Mocha. When Mocha Dick was killed in 1839, 19 harpoons were found lodged in his sides. For his novel, Melville would replace the word “Mocha” with “Moby” (though no one is sure why). The novel was also influenced by an event that took placed over a decade before the death of Mocha Dick. The other whale caused a boat to capsize in the southern Pacific. In 1820, a Nantucket whaling ship called the Essex was rammed and sunk by an this angry sperm whale. The 20 man crew jumped into lifeboats, and drifted over 3,000 miles for four months. Those who didn't die during that journey, had to resort to cannibalism; only five crewmen survived .

I always thought moby dick was an STD.

[not2big]

On November 15, 1777, the Second Continental Congress approved the Articles of Confederation, a precursor to the Constitution of the United States.

89CBAA10-FA07-4400-B88C-A0D3DAE5CAE2.jpg

According to Article II, Section 1: "In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, the same shall devolve on the Vice President." While this section states that the Vice President inherits the powers and duties of the presidency, it does not state that he or she should assume the office of the presidency itself. But when President William Henry Harrison became the first president to die while in office in 1841, Vice President John Tyler began referring to himself as the President, and the convention stuck. The tradition continued until 1967 when the 25th Amendment was ratified, making succession to the presidency official.

[Party]

In hindsight, it’s to bad we didn’t stick with the Articles of Confederation. It was a loose alliance between the states giving very little control to the Federal government. While the Constitution, if adhered to in its pure form would have created a forever lasting democracy, it’s constant reinterpretation, as a so called “Living Document”, has relegated this country to a slow spiral of Socialism and eventual collapse. May God forgive us for allowing it to happen for our children’s sakes.

[not2big]

On November 18, 1928, the first successful sound-synchronized animated cartoon, Walt Disney's "Steamboat Willie" starring Mickey Mouse, premiered in New York.

B4D474AC-0014-4E00-B3A1-2E245C83EB64.jpg

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was created in 1927 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks for Universal Pictures. He was a pretty popular character, so when Disney and Universal had a disagreement, Universal took control of the rabbit, and Walt Disney and Iwerks created Mickey Mouse. Disney’s Mickey Mouse bore an interesting resemblance to Oswald. In 2006, Disney reacquired the character in an odd exchange for sportscaster Al Michaels. Michaels wanted out of his ABC contract to join NBC's Sunday Night Football. Since NBC wanted Michaels, Universal—which owns NBC—offered to return Oswald to Disney in exchange for the sportscaster

[not2big]

On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of a military cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

5FB7F8F2-C2C5-4E2D-8530-5FBEA7A4BF93.jpeg

The Gettysburg ceremony was to dedicate the cemetery in honor of the Union soldiers who died there during the Civil War. Lincoln wasn’t the keynote speaker that day. Instead, a local attorney in the town had written to Lincoln asking that he come and make a few remarks. Lincoln’s statement only lasted about two minutes but lives on in history as one of the most important speeches made in the United States.

[not2big]

On November 20, 1985, the first version of Microsoft Windows, Windows 1.0, was released. Windows has gone on to become a major operating system with both fans and detractors.

A99195D5-0638-4293-8784-E171ECDBA111.jpg

People who invested in Microsoft during the mid-1980s were probably taking a big financial risk. However, those who took that risk have found that it paid in a big way. If you would have invested $1,000 in Microsoft on the day of its initial public offering in 1986, you would now have 13,714 shares after its 9 stock splits. Those shares would be worth $2.9 million at the current stock quote of $212. A $5,000 investment would have purchased 238 shares at the IPO price. After the splits, it would be worth $14.5 million. The dividends you would be earning every year are just as awesome. If you hadn't succumbed to the temptation to cash in your shares too early, you would also be earning $139,830 every year from dividends alone.

[CUSP82]

I bought Apple instead. Who knew?

[not2big]

Around 2005, I owned both Dell and Apple, but an investment adviser told me I was too heavily invested in tech so recommended selling Apple. Who knew.

[not2big]

On November 21, 1980, 350 million people around the world tuned in to television’s popular prime-time drama “Dallas” to find out who shot J.R. Ewing, the character fans loved to hate.

8013AC27-1982-4547-9623-BFEF5D0C7EB1.jpg

Believe it or not, Larry Hagman’s J.R. Ewing was never meant to the main character in Dallas. The star of the show was actually meant to be Pam, played by Victoria Principal. However, Hagman’s portrayal of J.R was so good that the producers made him the star of the show instead. In fact he appeared in every episode and was the only actor to do so – that’s 357 episodes in all!