May 12, 1921. Storms.

Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, Pa.

The Great Geomagnetic Storm of 1921 commenced on this day, or rather the giant sunspot that's attributed to it was observed first on this day. The actual impact would commence the following day.

So, more to come on that.

Canadian naturalist Farley Mowat was born in Bellville, Ontario.  Mowat was a controversial Canadian author and naturalist.  Born in Ontario, his family moved to Saskatchewan during the 1920s where he was exposed to the outdoors.  In 1939 he joined the Canadian Army and he served throughout the rest of the war, seeing extensive service in Italy and even seeing service in France in 1940 prior to the British evacuation of the country.   His wartime service was the source for three of his books.

A highly prolific writer who wrote both on natural topics and fiction, Mowat came to be highly criticized for several of his works which, critics have argued, were highly fictionalized.  Nonetheless, his works have their defenders who maintain that in spite of their faults, they got the feel of their topics right.

He may be best remembered for his book Never Cry Wolf, which was made into a successful movie.

Edmund Able, who invented the heating element for Mr. Coffee, was also born on this day in 1921.

A mass arrest of Romanian Communist was carried out.

Sewer line going in on this day in Pittsburgh.

 

May 2, 1941. The Anglo Iraqi War Commences

British troops wearing pith helmets and carrying SMLEs outside of Baghdad, 1941.

On this day in 1941, fighting between Iraqi insurgents who had recently staged a coup and taken over the country, and the British, started in earnest.  What is sometimes called the Anglo Iraqi War commenced on this day with British bombing raids on Iraqi air assets.  

Today in World War II History—May 2, 1941

War breaks out in Iraq

The entire Iraq episode would prove to be a sort of sideshow in the war, but perhaps one that should have gathered more attention at the time as it showed the practical limits of Axis' power.  Iraqi plotters had figured that the British were proving to be down and out.  In turn, the British would prove to have ample forces to deal with Iraq, even if those forces often looked more like they were out of World War One than World War Two.  The Axis, on the other hand, proved basically incapable of aiding their would be Iraqi allies.

The war would last until May 31, with the British, as noted, emerging victorious.

Romania formed a bureaucratic organization to expropriate Jewish property from Romanian Jews and to redistribute it to non Jewish Romanians.  Oppression of the Jews was a feature of the Romanian fascist state that ran the country until near the end of World War Two but it was home grown, rather than imported from the Nazis, as it was in some other nations. Romania, of course, was a German ally for most of the war.

German functionaries met on this day in 1941 to make economic plans for the occupation of the Soviet Union.  Those plans included seizure of food resources for importation into Germany with the resulting acknowledged starvation of large numbers of Soviet citizens.

The FCC took steps to start the licensing of the first ten commercial television stations in the U.S.

March 27, 1941. Yugoslavian Coup

In Yugoslavia a coup inspired by opposition to that country's entering the Tripartite Pact deposes the government and declares 17 year old King Peter II sovereign of the country, effectively nullifying the government's joining the Axis.

The coup was dominated by Serbian officers of a nationalistic bent, and can be regarded as a military coup.  Those who advocated the overthrow of the government, and who accomplished it, were aware that the result would surely be a German invasion.  Hitler in fact ordered it that very day.  The only senior officers in it were in the Yugoslavian air force.

The Yugoslavian military was large, numbering some 700,000 men in size, which may have caused those backing it to be able to convince themselves that Yugoslavia stood a chance against Germany, which was heavily committed as it was. Still, Germany's armed forces were comparatively enormous and combat hardened.

The coup would prove a fateful choice for the country, and indeed for the world.

On the same day Romania's military leader Ion Antonescu signed an anti Jewish law allowing for segregation of the country's Jewish population and the expropriation of its urban property.  Therefore, on the same day Yugoslavia was being taken away from the Axis by is population, Romania was running towards it through its military leader.  As we've already seen, Bulgaria had reluctantly signed the Tripartite Pact and German troops were already massing on its border with Greece.

While all of this history is well known, a person has to wonder what would have occurred if Yugoslavia, which only entered the Tripartite Pact with Germany reluctantly, had coordinated with Bulgaria and pressured Romania.  If the southern Slavic nations had refused jointly to participate in German designs on Greece, brought about only because Italy was losing in its battle with that country, it would have posed a more difficult strategic problem for Germany. They likely would have solved it by invading those nations, of course, so perhaps things would have been no different.

In the Mediterranean a major naval engagement between the British and the Italians commences at Cape Matapan.

The United States leased British military installations in the Western Hemisphere for 99 years.

More of the events of World War Two on this day be read here.

Today in World War II History—March 27, 1941

Day 574 March 27, 1941

March 10, 1921. Royalty

 Newly appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. on this day in 1921.

Theodore Roosevelt Jr., whom friend called "Ted", was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy, the same position that his father had held in the first McKinley administration and his cousin Franklin had held in the Wilson administration.

Like his father, his personal connection with the military was in the army.  His father was an officer in the New York National Guard prior to his appointment, and of course went on to become a cavalry colonel in the Spanish American War, winning a Congressional Medal of Honor, conferred very much posthumously, for his leadership of the assault on Kettle Hill.  Ted Roosevelt had served as an officer during the Great War and would go on to be a Brigadier General during World War Two, also winning a Congressional Medal of Honor, in his case for his role in Operation Overlord on June 6, 1944.

Ted Roosevelt was a rising figure in politics at the time, but after the election of his cousin Franklin, which he opposed, he retired from that pursuit seemingly with all of the remaining descendants of his famous father.

Helen of Greece and Denmark.

Princess Helen of Greece and Denmark, daughter of the deposed King of Greece, married the louse Crown Prince Carol II of Romania.  He'd ultimately abandon her some years later, renounce his thrown (he was then the king) and take up permanently with a mistress.

She went on to be the Queen Mother of Romania as her son Michael grew up.  Michael would go on to be the last King of Romania, occupying that position during World War Two and, fairly amazingly, for a time after it even as the country had Communism foisted upon it.  Helen and her son would be tragic figures, but Helen is notable for her efforts to save Romanian Jews during the Holocaust, for which she was later counted as one of the Righteous Among the Nations.

March 3, 1921. Evolutions and Changes

As France was mustering on its border with Weimar's Ruhr, the United States took a further step towards "normalcy" by repealing almost all wartime statutory measures, including the now infamous sedition act of the period.  The US Congress had made it clear that it had no intention of participating with the Allies to try to enforce the economic, and other, provisions of the Versailles Treaty and the reparations provisions were rapidly reaching a crisis stage.

First load of Harding furniture arrives at the White House.

Harding arriving at station.

The SS Hong Moh sank with the loss of 900 passengers.

Poland and Romania entered into a mutual defense treaty aimed at the USSR.  It had a term of five  years, but would be followed by successor treaties.  Of course, when war ultimately came less than twenty years later, Romania would end up siding with Germany, but not initially.  Poland declined Romanian assistance, which would have been problematic as Poland was attacked by both Germany and the USSR, but did expect to receive aid through Romania from the British.  As the war quickly went back retreating Polish units did cross into Romania to be interred.

Crown Prince Hirohito left aboard a Japanese navy vessel to visit Europe, the first member of the Japanese royal family to leave to visit foreign nations in sixteen centuries.  At the time he was also technically a serving officer in both the Japanese Army and Navy.

Departing President Wilson announced that he and Bainbridge Colby, his former Secretary of State, would open a law practice together, following Wilson's departure from office.

At the time there were no pensions for former Presidents. They were on their own economically. This had proven a problem to the following Presidents in the past, particularly in the case of U. S. Grant and Theodore Roosevelt, both of whom were still relatively young when they left office and both of whom retained significant followings as former Presidents.  It was also a problem, of course, as they needed to make a living.

Wilson's thought of reentering the practice of law after having quit it 35 years prior as he didn't like doing it, was really poorly thought out.  He didn't like it any more the second time and didn't last long as a practicing lawyer.  Colby, however, would practice until his death in 1950.

Bainbridge Colby.

February 14, 1941. Diplomatic Maneuvers.

On this day in 1941 British Commonwealth forces took Kismayo in Somalia from the Italians, who were doing badly everywhere.  German troops, however, were disembarking in  Tripoli, where Rommel had been for several days.

Kichisaburō Nomura arriving to present his credentials.

Hilter met with Dragiša Cvetković of Yugoslavia and tried to urge him to put his country in the Tripartite Pack, but Cvetković declined at the time. Kichisaburō Nomura, new ambassador from Japan, presented his credentials to Franklin Roosevelt.   The British announced that they were commencing to regard Romania as occupied by Germany and would regard all materials being sent to it as contraband starting on February 15, 1941.  Bulgaria signed a non aggression pact with Germany.

More on this day in World War Two.

Day 533 February 14, 1941

Today in World War II History—February 14, 1941

August 4, 1919. The Motor Transport Convoy goes nowhere at all, Romanians take Budapest.

For its entire journey, the Motor Transport Convoy had taken Sunday off.  It didn't due that for Sunday, August 3.

That may be because its progress had been cut in half by muddy roads.  At any rate, things caught up with it on Monday, August 4, when it was forced to take the day off due to mechanical problems that had to be addressed.

A Cheyenne newspaper noted the convoy on the front page for the first time due to the delay.

Cheyenne reported the delay was due to the need of a gasket for a Model B Liberty truck, which it also noted as being nonexistent at Ft. D. A. Russel and, moreover, being a mystery. But the convoy's diary make sit plain that the cause of the delay was more than that.

An Army that was advancing was that of Romania's, which entered Budapest.

Romania Army, wearing French Adrian helmets, entering Budapest in 1919.

People like to cynically cite the phrase about World War One being the war to end war, and then cite to World War Two, but World War One's fighting didn't even stop on November 11, 1918, like people like to imagine.  All sorts of ancillary wars sprung up or kept on.

Romanian cavalry in Budapest.  Romanian cavalry was very good.

Romania and Hungary had gone to war on November 13, 1918, just two days after the Armistice on the Western front, and the war came to a conclusion on this day in 1919.  The war had really begun in earnest, however, after a period of armistice, in April when Romania determined to strike against the Communist Hungarian government of Kun, and he determined to strike first.  The preemptive strike was a failure and Kun's government became a failure, falling under opposition on August 2.  Romania had the backing of the Allies and occupied Hungary for a time, withdrawing in 1920.

On this day a Jersey cow by the name of Oxford Mesembryanthemum sold in the east for the price of $15,000, an absolutely phenomenal price in the money of the time.

Also making money was a film entitled, Easy To Make Money, which was released on this day in 1919.

Nicolae Ceaușescu denounces the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, August 21, 2018.

The Communist leader of Romania, Nicolae Ceaușescu, delivered a speech in support of the Czech government and against the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.

We remember Ceaușescu for his bloody demise in the Romanian uprising in 1989.  Ironically, if he had been able to read the tea leaves better, he might be remembered for this, his statement in favor of Romania and against the USSR, a brave thing to do under the circumstances, in 1968.

The Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact Invade Czechoslovakia. August 20, 1968.

Czechs with their flag walking past a burning Warsaw Pact tank. 

On this day in 1968 the Warsaw Pact nations invaded Czechoslovakia.

The action commenced very late in the day, at 11:00 p.m. to be precise, and featured an armored invasion by forces from the Soviet Union, Poland, East Germany, Bulgaria and Hungary.  The total combined Warsaw Pact forces totaled 500,000 troops, the same number of men that the United States committed to Vietnam at the height of the Vietnam War.  It was not a small operation.

The Czechs had not prepared for the invasion and the government quickly called on its citizenry to not resist, a call that wasn't fully headed.  In part the Czechs were of the view that resistance was futile, which explains a lack of preparation, but they had also assumed that they would not be invaded by fellow Communist countries, a naive assumption.  Having said that, Romania, Yugoslavia an Albania refused to participate.  Indeed, the invasion was denounced by Romania on the day it occurred and Albania reacted by withdrawing from the Warsaw Pact.

Romania bows out.

The Romanians reached an accord with the Central Powers on this day in 1918.  

Maybe the Germans were winning?

The treaty had some odd results. Romania was left as a nation, but only a satellite nation of the Germans, giving up territory that it claimed, but gaining some too, resulting in a bigger Romania than there had been prior to its disastrous entry into the war, but one in which the Germans called the shots.

Romania's king refused to sign the treat it it was repudiated at the end of World War One.

Significant points were Romania returned  Southern Dobruja and ceded part of the same territory in the north to Bulgaria with the remainder of the territory in Central Power's control.  It ceded to Austria Hungaria passes in the Carpathians.  I leased its oil to Germany for ninety years (oh, the Germans and that Romanian oil).  The Central Powers recognized the union of Bessarabia with Romania, no skin off the Central Powers nose there however.  Finally, German civil servants had veto power over all decisions by Romanian cabinet ministers and to even fire Romanian civil servants.

Romania Joins The War I THE GREAT WAR Week 110

Bulgaria declares war on Romania

The war expands a bit more.  Bulgaria declared war on Romania.  Bulgaria was a German ally in the war.

Unlike Romania, however Bulgaria had been at war since October 1915.  War with Romania had not been contemplated by the Central Powers until the summer of 1915 at which time contingency plans for the same were created. By the time of the Bulgarian declaration of war the Central Powers were in fact well prepared for war in the region, a fairly amazing feat given how stretched their resources then were.

Ottoman Empire Declares War on Romania

And, following a series of other such events, the Ottoman Empire declared war on Romania.

This may not be as surprising event as the oddity of it would suggest. Romania had been part of the Ottoman Empire until 1878, when it gained independence from it during the Russo-Turkish War.  It had as sort of quasi independence prior to that since 1859, so it had a parliament within the Ottoman Empire and its own army, but had to pay tribute to Constantinople.

Germany declares war on Romania, and Italy declares war on Germany: August 28, 1916

The expansion of the Great War continues.

Romania enters World War One: August 27, 1916

Romania entered the Great War on the side of the Allies, a move that would be very costly for it.

And Coal Gassification bites the dust in Carbon County.

A memorial to the men who lost their lives in the Number One Mine at Hanna, Wyoming. The 1903 and 1908 Mine No. 1 explosions claimed 169 and 59 lives respectively, with the majority of the 59 killed in the 1908 disaster being men who were killed in an explosion that occurred after the first 1908 explosion.  The bodies of 201 men from the 1903 and 1908 disaster remain buried in the underground mine.  From earlier coal mining days in Carbon County.

 

Not that this is really news, DKRW's project to build a plant in Carbon County had been in trouble for quite some time.  The economics of it, however, just weren't working out.

That coal can be a starting point for the processing of gasoline, jet fuel and diesel fuel, is hardly news of any kind.  It's been well known for a long time. As is often pointed out in the discussion of this topic, the Germans relied extensively on synthetic, i.e., coal based, fuels during World War Two.  And they aren't the only ones to have relied upon it at one point or another either.  South Africa, in its later embargoed period, and Rhodesia (from South Africa) relied upon synthetic fuel well after the Germans had.  But that should say something about the economics of it.  The Germans relied upon it as they had to.  Outside of Romania and southern Russia, they had no other petroleum fuel sources and couldn't import anything.  Likewise, South Africa and Rhodesia, by the 1970s, were in the same situation.  In other words, economically, converting coal into motor fuel has tended to only make sense if petroleum was basically unavailable.  It has always been cheaper to simply start with petroleum oil, which of course is well on its way to being gasoline, diesel fuel, or jet fuel.  Indeed, in rare instances, such as in Indonesia, some of the stuff is so far advanced towards being fuel oil it doesn't need to be refined at all.

DKRW's problem in Wyoming was that in order for the Carbon County effort to make sense, petroleum had to be sufficiently high, while coal was sufficiently low, that they could undertake the effort and make money at it. Well, coal's pretty cheap, but the price of oil has just been too darned low. So the plans have been shelved.

It should be noted, however, that the coal isn't going anywhere and this might conceivably be the future of coal in the state, at some point.

Movies In History: The Grand Budapest Hotel

It may seem odd to some to see this film listed here, but it shouldn't.

The Grand Budapest Hotel is an Academy Award nominated film that was a bit of a surprise hit last year.  At least its a surprise to me, as it's the sort of unusual "small" story that we don't see get much attention anymore. The film itself almost recalls movies of the 1930s, during which it is set, more than contemporary movies.  And perhaps its a bit of a tribute to those films really.

It's masterfully done as well. Set in a fictional Eastern European country that we're lead to believe must have been part of the defunct Austro Hungarian Empire prior to its World War One collapse, the movies does a surprisingly good job of capturing the feel of those countries which had only lately entered into independence.  The Austro Hungarian Empire being multinational in nature, the mixed culture of those countries and those in its influence and orbit, such as Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and so on, is very well captured.  The film features a fair amount of the use of the German language. French shows up as well.  Last names are Slavic, German and perhaps Turkish.  The depiction of the cities is appropriately ornate.  The uniformed services shown in the film are also appropriately late Austrian in appearance. 

This film is in many ways truly odd, and very well done.  It is funny, but some of the humor is really off color and not appropriate for younger audiences. That comment would also apply to some of the things depicted in the film. But an American film pitched at a modern audience which features an Eastern European theme, set in the very early 1930s, is a real surprise, and that it did well is an even bigger surprise.