The present is the past rolled up for action, and the past is the present unrolled for understanding. ~Will and Ariel Durant
1863 – Union General Ambrose Burnside was removed as commander of the Army of the Potomac after serving in the role for two months. President Abraham Lincoln wanted an attack on the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, which was commanded by Robert E. Lee. Burnside drafted a plan to move south towards Richmond, Virginia. The plan was sound, but delays in its execution alerted Lee to the danger.
Lee headed Burnside off at Fredericksburg, Virginia, on December 13. Burnside attacked repeatedly against entrenched Confederates along Marye’s Heights above Fredericksburg with tragic results for the Union. More than 13,000 Yankees fell; Lee lost just 5,000 troops. Northern morale sunk in the winter of 1862-1863.
Lincoln allowed Burnside one more chance. In January 1863, Burnside attempted another campaign against Lee. Four days of rain turned the Union offensive into the ignominious “Mud March,” during which the Yankees floundered on mud roads while Lee’s men jeered at them from across the Rappahannock River. Lincoln had seen enough and dismissed Burnside, appointing General Joseph Hooker as the new commander of the army.
1905 – A 3,106-carat diamond was discovered during a routine inspection by the superintendent at the Premier Mine in Pretoria, South Africa. Weighing 1.33 pounds, and christened the “Cullinan,” it is the largest diamond ever found.
The Cullinan – after being presented to Britain’s King Edward VII as a birthday gift – was later cut into nine large stones and about 100 smaller ones. The largest stone is called the “Star of Africa I” (or “Cullinan I”) and at 530 carats, it is the largest-cut fine-quality colorless diamond in the world. The second largest stone, the “Star of Africa II” (“Cullinan II”) is 317 carats. Both of these stones, as well as the “Cullinan III” are on display in the Tower of London with Britain’s other crown jewels; the Cullinan I is mounted in the British Sovereign’s Royal Scepter, while the Cullinan II sits in the Imperial State Crown.
1924 – The first Winter Olympics took off in style at Chamonix in the French Alps. The competition consisted of 16 events involving a total of six sports; bobsled, curling, hockey, figure skating, speed skating, and Nordic skiing.
The U.S. won one gold medal; Charles Jewtraw in the 500-meter speed skating.
1947 – Al Capone, who attained fame during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the “Chicago Outfit,” died at the age of 48 from cardiac arrest in his Palm Island, Florida home.
The man responsible for ordering over 30 murders of gang rivals in his heyday had – according to two independent psychiatric evaluations – the mental capability of a 12-year-old child due to paralytic dementia, a severe neuropsychiatric disorder caused by late-stage syphilis.
1949 – The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences held its first annual awards ceremony at the Hollywood Athletic Club in Los Angeles.
Shirley Dinsdale, a 20-year-old ventriloquist who starred in the children’s show Judy Splinters, was the first winner (Outstanding Television Personality) that first night at the Hollywood Athletic Club.
1968 – Israeli submarine Dakar, carrying 69 sailors, disappeared on a journey to Haifa in Israel and was not seen again for 31 years. After the vessel had passed the island of Crete, there was a signal from the Dakar just after midnight on January 25 and then nothing. Unsuccessful attempts were made to contact the Dakar throughout the day.
The following day, an international search-and-rescue operation began. Forces from the United States, Greece, Turkey and Lebanon all tried to find the Dakar for five days before giving up. Despite extensive searches over the course of three decades, the submarine’s wreckage was not found until 1999, when it was located between the islands of Cyprus and Crete. The exact cause of the sinking remains a mystery to this day.
1971 – Cult leader Charles Manson was convicted, along with followers Susan Atkins, Leslie Van Houten, and Patricia Krenwinkle, of the brutal 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others.
Manson believed in what he called “Helter Skelter”, a term he took from the song of the same name by the Beatles. Manson believed Helter Skelter to be an impending apocalyptic race war, which he described in his own version of the lyrics to the Beatles’ song. He believed the murders would help precipitate that war. From the beginning of his notoriety, a pop culture arose around him in which he ultimately became an emblem of insanity, violence and the macabre.
On March 29 all four were sentenced to death. The trial of another defendant, Charles “Tex” Watson, was delayed by extradition proceedings, but he was likewise found guilty and sentenced to death. In 1972, the California Supreme Court abolished the death penalty in California, and Manson and his followers’ death sentences were reduced to life imprisonment.
1981 – The Oakland Raiders defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-10, to win Super Bowl XV. Oakland QB Jim Plunkett threw for 261 yards and 3 touchdowns, and was named the game MVP.
1981 – Jiang Qing, the widow of Chinese leader Mao Zedong, is sentenced to death for her “counter-revolutionary crimes” during the Cultural Revolution.
In the late 1960s, the Cultural Revolution of the early 60s had waned, and Jiang faded from the public eye. However, after her husband’s death in 1976, she and three other radicals who had come to power in the revolution were singled out as the “Gang of Four.” Jiang was arrested and in 1977 expelled from the Communist Party.
Three years later, the “Gang of Four” was put on trial. Jiang was held responsible for provoking the turmoil and bloodshed of the revolution, but she denied the charges and denounced China’s leaders. She was found guilty and sentenced to die. On January 25, 1983, exactly two years after she was condemned, the Chinese government commuted her sentence to life imprisonment. In 1991, she died in prison of an apparent suicide.
1987 – The NY Giants defeated the Denver Broncos, 39-20, to win Super Bowl XXI. Phil Simms was the game MVP, completing 22 of 25 passes for 268 yards and 3 touchdowns.
1988 – Vice President George Bush and Dan Rather clashed on The CBS Evening News as the anchorman attempted to question the Republican presidential candidate about his role in the Iran-Contra affair. Bush held his own during the on-air confrontation, and the lasting effect was to reveal how Rather was driven by his personal biases, at one point lecturing the Vice President: “You’ve made us hypocrites in the face of the world.”
1990 – Actress Ava Gardner (Mogambo, The Killers, Seven Days In May, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, The Night Of The Iguana) died of pneumonia at the age of 67
1995 – Russia’s early-warning defense radar detected an unexpected missile launch near Norway, and Russian military command estimated the missile to be only minutes from impact on Moscow. Moments later, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, his defense minister, and his chief of staff were informed of the missile launch. The nuclear command systems switched to combat mode, and the nuclear suitcases carried by Yeltsin and his top commander were activated for the first time in the history of the Soviet-made weapons system. Five minutes after the launch detection, Russian command determined that the missile’s impact point would be outside Russia’s borders. Three more minutes passed, and Yeltsin was informed that the launching was likely not part of a surprise nuclear strike by Western nuclear submarines.
These conclusions came minutes before Yeltsin and his commanders should have ordered a nuclear response based on standard launch on warning protocols.
Later, it was revealed that the missile, launched from Spitzbergen, Norway, was a Black Brant XII carrying instruments for scientific measurements. Nine days before, Norway had notified 35 countries, including Russia, of the exact details of the planned launch. The Russian Defense Ministry had received Norway’s announcement but had neglected to inform the on-duty personnel at the early-warning center of the imminent launch. The event raised serious concerns about the quality of the former Soviet Union’s nuclear systems.
1998 – The Denver Broncos defeated the Green Bay Packers, 31-24, to win Super Bowl XXXII. Game MVP Terrell Davis rushed for 157 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Compiled by Ray Lemire ©2016 RayLemire.com. All Rights Reserved.