Lex Anteinternet: Thursday, November 18, 1943. The (Airborne) Battl...

Lex Anteinternet: Thursday, November 18, 1943. The (Airborne) Battl...: Updated with a minor missed item.

Wednesday, December 2, 1942. The birth of the nuclear age.

So, even though we reported this yesterday, and used the National Archives as the source: 

Scientists working on the Manhattan Project achieved the world’s first man-made, controlled nuclear chain reaction on 12/1/1942. Afterwards, they drank a silent toast to recognize the historic moment. The Chianti bottle’s basket bears their signatures.

National Archives, with a link to the photo of the Chianti bottle, which in its original form, as here is called a fiasco.

That it was Chianti, an iconic Italian table wine, is curious.

Every other source claims this happened today. 

The December 2 date is clearly the correct one, and for that reason, every December 2 is World Nuclear Energy Day.

Tuesday, November 22, 1921. Far Eastern Diplomacy*

President Harding's 1921 Thanksgiving turkey.

Flag of the Emirate of Afghanistan, which existed from 1919 until 1926, when it was succeeded by the Kingdom of Afghanistan.

The Emirate of Afghanistan and the United Kingdom modified the 1919 Treat of Rawalpindi such that Afghanistan could import munitions through India, the border was readjusted in Afghanistan's favor at the Kyber Pass, and Afghanistan assured that no Soviet consulates would be established in the country.

Elsewhere in Far Eastern diplomacy, Japan recognized Manchuria as part of China, which it had previously resisted.

Errata:

Most of this post ran on November 21 under that date, in error.

Monday, June 16, 1921. German consulates closed, Iceland occupied, Yeomanry patrol, Washington National opened.

The United States ordered all German consulates closed by July 10, 1941, along with all German news and propaganda organs.  The order did not apply to its embassy.

Today in World War II History—June 16, 1941

The US was clearly walking closer and closer to entry into the war.

In another example of that, the US commenced occupying Iceland, a Danish possession at that time (it'd declare independence in 1944).  This ends up being contrary to an earlier entry here, but this is likely the correct date for the commencement of the U.S. occupation of Iceland.  

This was done by way of a request from the United Kingdom which had been occupying the country, much to its discontent, both with its own troops as well as with Canadian ones.

Our earlier, and I believe mistake containing entry, stated the following:

4,000 Marines, a substantial number, arrived in Iceland to replace British troops garrisoning the country.

USS New York off of Reykjavik, July 1941.

Iceland had not regarded the British invasion of their island, done to keep the Germans from seizing it, as a favor.  US forces were not invited either, but were better tolerated under the circumstances.

The occupation remains controversial in Iceland today.  It lead to Icelandic independence and had a predictable economic development aspect for the island.  It also lead to cultural connections, of all types, with a group of people who were highly self isolated and who remain so to a degree today.

In a much warmer place, the Cheshire Yeomanry, a British Army reservists unit mobilized for the war, was photographed on patrol in Syria.

Winston Church accepted an honorary degree from Rochester University in the US and delivered a speech directed at an American audience from London, by radio.

A significant American airport opened on this day in 41.

July 16, 1941. The Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport opened.

It was the Washington National Airport in 1941.

The airport opened, obviously, just before the United States' entry into the Second World War, it's 1941 opening partially explained by a prohibition in airport funding that was lifted in 1938.

Washington National in 1944.

It was built on grounds near Arlington that had been part of a large plantation, but its location very much constrains it size, so it remains a shockingly small airport in spite of its signficance.

It was renamed for President Ronald Reagan in 1998.  

I've personally never flown into it, having landed at the nearby Baltimore airport once.

Today In Wyoming's History: Oops. Errors and Omissions.

Today In Wyoming's History: Oops. Errors and Omissions.:

Oops. Errors and Omissions.

Occasionally we get things wrong.



And when we do, we appreciate corrections.



We had just such a correction come in, in a comment, which is the best way to draw things to our attention.  This came up in an entry here on the the May 16 entries, in which we had the following:



1946  USS Wyoming decomissioned. (This entry is doubly in error, check the comments below).

A Navy veteran pointed out for us:

1. I'm not sure you intended that image of the ship to be the USS Wyoming. It is not. USS Wyoming has had four incarnations. The one from 1946 was a WWI battleship that was used in WWII as a gunnery training platform. The ship shown is definitely not a battleship. I'm not positive but I think that might be a destroyer escort. Kim Viner CDR U.S. Navy (ret), Laramie, Wyoming. 

   ReplyDelete
2. 
   UnknownApril 23, 2019 at 11:36 AM

   p.s. USS Wyoming was officially decommissioned on Aug 1, 1947, according to the the U.S. Navy: https://www.navy.mil/navydata/ships/battleships/wyoming/bb32-wyo.html
   
   Kim

The weird thing about this is that I actually had the event correctly noted on the correct date, which was pointed out to us in the comment.



1947  The USS Wyoming, BB-32, is decommissioned.



Even weirder yet, the USS Wyoming, BB-32, shows up on this blog a lot, along with the other ships named Wyoming.  The USS Wyoming in question was a pretty important ship at that, playing a significant role in World War One.



I'm going to take the error down here shortly, but I'm leaving it up long enough to acknowledge the correction, which I appreciate.

Errata: National Anthem and Indian Actors

A correction of a couple of items.

Yesterday we ran an article called  Taking the Knee--Football, other sports, the National Anthem. What the heck is going on here? in which we noted that the National Anthem became routine in baseball games during World War One.

That was sort of correct, but not entirely.  It was more routinely introduced in the game during the Great War, but it didn't become standard for the game until 1942.  That is, during World War Two.

It became standard for football that same year, and at the end of the war the Commissioner of football made a statement that it should remain.  It became an NFL regulation some time later. That is, it must be played before every game.  The players didn't stand on the field for the National Anthem in football until after September 11, 2001, however.

Baseball is a much more international game than football, with players from many countries playing it, but it must be a bit awkward for players from other nations when the US National Anthem is played.  Baseball, of course, accommodates that, at least in the case of Canada, by playing the Canadian national anthem at Canadian games.

Secondly, in my review of Wind River I noted as one of my few complaints about the film that it could have had more Indian actors.  It turns out it did have more Indian actors.  So my complaint there was largely misplaced, for which I'm glad.

Oops, that movie review is still a draft

Which is why I took it down.

It'll be back up when I finish it.