Sunday, September 4, 1774. Explorers.

Hudson’s Bay Company explorer Samuel Hearne and his small company of Europeans and Crees arrived at Ministikominuhikosak (Pine Island) in the Saskatchewan River Delta to search for a location to establish the company's second inland trading post, which they would call Cumberland House.

A ship captained by James Cook entered the harbor at Balade on the coast of New Caledonia.

Alexander Hamilton wrote  poignant poem.

Poem on the Death of Elias Boudinot’s Child1

[New York, September 4, 1774]2

For the sweet babe, my doating heart

Did all a Mother’s fondness feel;

Carefull to act each tender part

and guard from every threatning ill.

But what alass! availd my care?

The unrelenting hand of death,

Regardless of a parent’s prayr

Has stoped my lovely Infant’s breath—

With rapture number Oer thy Charms,

While on thy harmless sports intent,

Or pratling in my happy arms—

No More thy self Important tale

Some embryo meaning shall convey,

Which, should th’ imperfect accents fail,

Thy speaking looks would still display—

Thou’st gone, forever gone—yet where,

Ah! pleasing thought; to endless bliss.

Then, why Indulge the rising tear?

Canst thou, fond heart, lament for this?

Let reason silence nature’s strife,

And weep Maria’s fate no more;

She’s safe from all the storms of life,

And Wafted to a peacefull Shore.3

Friday, September 2, 1774. Near revolution.

Labels: 1770s, 1774, American Colonial Militia, American Revolution, Colonial North America, Massachusetts

Thursday, June 15, 1944. Saipan.

The U.S. 2nd Marine Division, 4th Marine Division, and the Army's 27th Infantry Division, commenced landing on Saipan.   The Marine elements landed first.

The degree to which these island battles against the Japanese were hard fought is almost indescribable.  

An interesting detail in Marine Corps photos from this period, and on through the end of the war, is the number of M1 Carbines that appear in them.

Iwo Jima was hit again from the air.

B-29s operating out of China bombed Yawata.  By some accounts (but not all) this was the first U.S. bombing of the Japanese home islands since the Doolitle Raid.

From this point on, the air war was being brought to Japan.  It was a significant development.  Japan could no longer keep the war from the home islands.

The British attempted to advance near Caen after successful air strikes, but were held back by German armor.  U.S. advances slowed.

The Germans suffered heavy naval losses due to an RAF attack on Boulogne.

The HMS Blackwood was fatally damaged by the U-764 off of Brittany.

The Socialist Co-operative Commonwealth Federation was elected to office in Saskatchewan, the first such success in Canada by a socialist party.

The CCF is now the center left New Democratic Party.

Filming of Anchors Away commenced.

Last prior edition:

Wednesday, June 14, 1944. Flag Day

Labels: 1940s, 1944, Caen France, Charles DeGaulle, Flag Day, Free French, New Guinea, Operation Overlord, Operation Perch, Polish Resistance, Royal Air Force, Saipan, Soviet Partisans, Tinian, World War Two