Today in History

[DHH]

"On November 10, 1775, the Second Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia passed a resolution stating that "two Battalions of Marines be raised" for service as landing forces with the fleet. This resolution established the Continental Marines and marked the birth date of the United States Marine Corps.

"Serving on land and at sea, these first Marines distinguished themselves in a number of important operations, including their first amphibious raid into the Bahamas in March 1776, under the command of Captain (later Major) Samuel Nicholas. The first commissioned officer in the Continental Marines, Nicholas remained the senior Marine officer throughout the American Revolution and is considered to be the first Marine Commandant. The Treaty of Paris in April 1783 brought an end to the Revolutionary War and as the last of the Navy's ships were sold, the Continental Navy and Marines went out of existence."

Proud to say I am a Marine, prouder still to say so is my son. Yes, present tense -- Once a Marine, always a Marine. Semper Fi!

 

[Tish]

On This Day In History, November 11th

1999 – House of Lords Act 1999 passed
The act removed the right to a place in the House of Lords based on peerage and hereditary rights.

1975 – Angola independence
Angola gained its independence after over 300 years of Portuguese rule.

1965 – Rhodesia declares its independence
Rhodesia, a region that is comprised of present day Zimbabwe declared its freedom from the United Kingdom under the leadership of predominantly white leaders. It lasted for 14 years when it was renamed the Republic of Zimbabwe after being recognized by the UN and the UK.

1926 – Approval of numbered highways in the US
Under this system odd numbered highways run north to south while even numbered highways run east to west. Lower odd numbers are in the west, and higher odd number are in the east. Lower even numbers are in the south, and higher even numbers are in the north.

1918 – World War I ends
An armistice was signed to formally end the war. With 17 million casualties, the First World War was one of the bloodiest conflicts in history.

 

[Tish]

Births on 11 November

1974 – Leonardo DiCaprio
American actor, producer

1945 – Daniel Ortega
Nicaraguan politician, President of Nicaragua

1922 – Kurt Vonnegut
American author

1885 – George S. Patton
American general

1821 – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Russian author

Deaths on 11 November

2004 – Yasser Arafat
Palestinian engineer, politician

1945 – Jerome Kern
American composer

1938 – Typhoid Mary
Irish/American carrier of Typhoid fever

1880 – Ned Kelly
Australian murderer

1855 – Søren Kierkegaard
Danish philosopher, author