History in Hindsight

08/07/2019

74 Years ago today we ushered in the Nuclear Age.

This is a phenomenal documentary shows the scale of these weapons as they were being developed in the early part of the Cold War, and shows every nuclear test up through China's first.

It is narrated by the one and only William Shatner, scored by the Russian Symphony Orchestra, and will undoubtedly leave you pondering the haunting reality we live in today.

An unsettling yet visually fascinating documentary presenting the history of nuclear weapons development and testing between 1945 until 1963. Narrated by William Shatner, features extremely rare film segments from top secret government archives and startling footage of nuclear bomb tests conducted b...

05/10/2019

On May 9, 1960, the FDA approved Enovid 10 (aka "the pill") for contraceptive use in the US in a world first. The science behind the pill had been proven in the 1930's by using hormones to prevent ovulation in animal testing, however procuring those hormones was prohibitively expensive. Continued research by 1944 found that a more economical source of the hormones could be synthesized from inedible Mexican yams instead of the animal hormones that had been used to that point. Gregory Pincus was working on a version viable for human use when he met Margaret Sanger, one of the very first birth control pioneers and founder of organizations that grew into Planned Parenthood, from whom Pincus was able to obtain a small grant. When his Planned Parenthood funding ran out, they refused to continue financing his research and Sanger arranged for a meeting between Pincus and philanthropic suffragette Katharine McCormick, who agreed to give him 50x the amount of his original grant so that he could greatly expand his work. By 1954, he had found a more effective chemical combination to regulate the menstrual cycle, and by 1956 began human testing. By 1957 the FDA had approved Enovid for menstrual disorders, and then for contraceptive use in 1960, though it was not marketed for prevention of pregnancy till much later. Contraceptives were not available to married women until 1965 after the US Supreme Court struck down Connecticut's "Comstock law" prohibiting any medicine or instrument for the prevention of pregnancy using the 5th, 9th and 14th Amendments to support the Court's opinion. In 1972 the Court ruled that unmarried people in all states had the right to access contraceptives under the Equal Protection Clause in the Constitution after a Boston University professor was charged with a felony under Massachusetts' "Crimes against chastity" laws after distributing condoms and contraceptive foams to students after lectures. In the 60 years since, the pill has been enormously controversial, sparking culture and moral wars while allowing the 100 million women who use it today sexual and economic freedom never before enjoyed in human history.

05/10/2019

On May 8, 1945, WWII came to a close in the Europe, and many people may have celebrated with a Coke, which was served for the first time at Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta on this day in 1886 for a nickel per glass. It was sold as a medicine that could cure nervous afflictions, headaches, hysteria, melancholy and more. John Pemberton, the creator of this tonic, was only able to sell about 9 glasses a day until he died in 1888. His friend Asa Griggs Candler paid tribute to him in the Atlanta Constitution, and organized the city's pharmacies to close on the day of his funeral. Not long after, Candler bought the interests in Coca-Cola for $2300 and turned it into a global brand, selling it to a group of investors in 1919 for $25 million. It even became the fizzy beverage of choice for Germans, after beer, under the direction of Max Keith as the N**i's came to power, who ensured it was prominently featured on billboards outside party gatherings and on the back of any magazine cover that featured pictures of Hi**er on the cover. When rivals pointed to the Hebrew lettering marking Coke Kosher on its bottles, Keith adamantly denied any Jewish connection, then cozied up to N**i officials by branding it as pro-N**i while enthusiastically sponsoring the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin and many other N**i party functions, winning the approval of the Führer himself, who reportedly enjoyed drinking it on occasion. With profits at their height, import and glass bottling restrictions threatened to slow business, however Keith was able to ensure that the syrup would still flow in while aiding in the building of more glass factories to supply the Wehrmacht. With the war in full swing, he took over control of operations and used forced labor in the countries N**i's occupied to increase his profits. Eventually supplies ran out, however Keith was prepared, having created a beverage out of apple cores leftover from cider production he called Fanta which became an instant hit in N**i Germany. When the war ended, he continued to head operations in Germany as Coca-Cola continued to grow, now one of the most recognizable brands on the planet and worth nearly $200 billion. @ Atlanta, Georgia

05/08/2019

On May 7, 1984, the lawyers representing US veterans and their families in a class action lawsuit against Monsanto, Dow Chemical, and 5 other manufacturers of Agent Orange accepted a $180 million settlement, the largest award for injury damages at that time. The suit asserted that dioxin present in the chemical mix caused a higher rate of cancer, nerve, digestive, skin and respiratory disorders for the vets, and higher rates of miscarriage or birth defects in the children they bore after returning home. The companies were not forced to admit any liability or wrongdoing and continue to deny the association to this day despite the CDC's confirmation of the heightened instance of symptoms after exposure. The settlement outraged many vets who wanted these companies to be held accountable. They also had concerns about how payments would be made. Of the 105,000 claimants, half were paid out at an avg of $3800 each. Those receiving assistance were barred from receiving pensions or other kinds of government benefits such as food stamps. A totally disabled person was eligible to receive a total of $12000 over 10 years. Widows of exposed soldiers were awarded $3700. Agent Orange had initially been developed by the US and Brits during WWII as an herbicide to clear covered enemy positions and to destroy agriculture in order to starve their enemy. The Brits became the first to use it while fighting communists in the "Malayan Emergency." Their precedent provided JFK the cover to use it in Vietnam at the request of the South Vietnamese President in 1961, though the US government did not acknowledge its use until 1966. Between 1962 and 1971, 20 million gallons would be sprayed in Vietnam, destroying about 12% of its land while sickening up to 3 million people and rising due to its remaining presence in the ecosystem/food chain. It remains beyond the scope of the UN's regulation of chemical and biological weapons on the grounds that it was not meant as a weapon, but rather as an herbicide. Vietnam, its neighbors, and countries like Australia where testing was done, continue to pursue action against it's manufacturers and the US government. @ Supreme Court State of New York

05/07/2019

On May 6, 1994, the Public Safety and Recreational Fi****ms Use Protection Act, better known as the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, was passed by the House of Representatives. It prohibited the manufacture, transfer, or possession of the AR-15, TEC-9, Kalashnikov, U*I, Street Sweeper shotguns, a total of 18 rifles, shotguns and pistols with large capacity ammunition feeding devices. It also included a 10 year sunset provision and a grandfather clause allowing for possession and transfer of weapons lawfully possessed on the date of the enactment. President George H.W. Bush had banned similar foreign manufactured weapons in 1989 deemed not to have a legitimate sporting use, but did not include those domestically manufactured. In 1993, 77% of Americans supported a ban on the manufacture, sale and possession of assault weapons, and though the NRA opposed the legislation, a letter penned by former Presidents Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford to the House in May of 1994 urged them to act. It was passed as a part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 that adopted the "3 strikes" provision, eliminated higher education for inmates, instituted "boot camps" for delinquent youths, added 60 new offenses that could be punished by the death penalty, greatly increased the incarcerated population of the US in for profit jails and today is widely seen as one of the most harmful pieces of legislation ever. The Assault Weapons Ban faced numerous court challenges, which all upheld the ban, though it was never directly challenged under the 2nd Amendment. Several attempts to renew fail, and it expired in 2004. The effects of the ban have been disputed. Having only existed for a decade, its overall effect on the gun culture did not have time to take root. The Act also had numerous loopholes that allowed manufacturers to, for example, modify existing weapon designs so that they did not fall under the ban. Overall crime during the time it was in place did reduce, as did the occurrence of mass shootings, however generally, gun related violence and homicides did not drop. @ Washington, District of Columbia

03/31/2019

On March 30,1814, Russian troops marched through the streets of Paris, having defeated Napoleon's forces, forcing the Emperor out of power and into exile for the first time. Napoleon had by that time taken control of most of Europe, but after a failed invasion of Russia in 1812, Tsar Alexander I led a coalition of 400,000 troops from every occupied European country to chase him back west, and in a years time, they would become the first foreign army to parade through Paris in 400 years. The coalition had not encountered much resistance upon entering France, as 25 years of war and revolution had made them too weary to mount a resistance, some even welcoming them. The battle for the capital was fought without Napoleon in charge, as he had been chased away by what he thought were the bulk of coalition forces, and by the time he realized that the center of the action was in the city itself, he was too far away to return. After a day of fighting, the Emperor had lost the city and 3 days later, his crown. The Russian troops were greatly impacted by not only the victory, but the campaign itself, putting what had been mostly serfs in contact with modern society for the first time. They brought the ideas and culture they observed back with them after the war, eventually leading to revolution and overthrow of their own monarchy. The Russians would also impact the French as well, and it has been said that Russian troops celebrating their victory at La Mère Catherine had asked for their drinks "bystro" (quickly), coining the term that would define casual French restaurants around the world ever since.

# @ La Mère Catherine

03/30/2019

On March 29, 1795, Ludwig van Beethoven played his first concert in Vienna, marking the beginning of a public career that would see him become one of the most renown musical geniuses of all time. On the same day 32 years later, 20,000 people would fill the streets of Vienna to pay their final respects.

Beethoven was born into a family of musicians in what is now Belgium. His father was his first teacher, fashioning him as a new Mozart and a child prodigy, performing for the first time at the age of 7. His musical talents were quickly recognized and eventually, as he outgrew his father's lessons, began taking lessons from other prominent musicians in the region. He published his first work at the age of 12, drawing the attention of Habsburg Archduke Maximilian Frederick who encouraged and subsidized the young prodigy's studies. He was invited to Vienna at the age of 17 to continue his studies, intending to learn from Mozart, however the master was in the late stages of his life, and mental as well as physical health issues prevented the two from ever working together.

The death of Ludwig's mother forced him back to his hometown of Bonn to care for his brothers for the next 5 years, working as a court performer and tutor of aristocrats to support the family, composing a number of significant works in his spare time. Joseph Haydn (aka the "Father of the Symphony") met the boy while traveling through Europe and upon the outbreak of war in France, made arrangements to have him study under his tutelage in Vienna where Beethoven would permanently establish himself while receiving the patronage of many a noble. He supported himself by selling copies of his compositions and performing. His concerts became so popular that he was able to charge 3x the normal price for entry.

In 1798, Ludwig became so enraged at being interrupted from his work that he fell, hit his head and lost his hearing. He would partially recover for a time, but his condition would gradually worsen until it was lost completely by 1814, causing severe depression, suicidal thoughts, and, at least initially, a slowdown in his musical output.

Though he would eventually go on to produce some of his most memorable compositions during this period, he had tremendous difficulty performing, taking a 12-year hiatus after a failed attempt to play one of his piano concertos in 1811. When he returned to premiere his Ninth Symphony (his last) in 1824, he had to be turned around to see the tumultuous applause of the crowd in appreciation for what became known as one of his seminal works.

Beyond the loss of his hearing, Beethoven would encounter many other challenges in his life. The subjects of his affection were unable to marry him due to his official status as a commoner, something that also hampered him while fighting for custody of his nephew after the death of his brother and financial manager in 1815 because of perceived immorality of his sister in law.

Ludwig's general health would begin to deteriorate around that time as well, culminating with his death in 1827. Autopsies would find significant liver damage due to heavy use of alcohol during his depression, but a number of other potential causes, including accidental lead poisoning from medical treatment as his health got worse, have been presumed to have cut his life short. His music, however, will live on in perpetuity as an influence to future musicians. Ludwig van's 5th symphony, as well as his 13th string quartet, were included on the Gold Records aboard the Voyager spacecrafts that are now more than 13 billion miles from Earth.

03/29/2019

On March 28, 1757, Robert-Francios Damiens was publicly tortured, drawn and quartered for his attempted murder on King Louis XV. Damiens had been unhappy with the Catholic church's oppression and refusal to give communion to non-Catholics, for which he blamed the King due to his ties with the Pope. In January of that year, Damiens, who many believe was actually mentally ill, had attempted to assassinate the King upon his arrival at Versailles, stabbing Louis with a pen knife to the chest. As he had been wearing thick clothes, the monarch only suffered a half inch deep wound, though he did bleed quite a bit, leading to his belief that he was dying, and thus confessing to his wife his various affairs. Louis recovered quickly and arranged to have his would-be assassin tortured to divulge any possible co-conspirators, of which there were none. On the day of his ex*****on, Damiens was tortured further, first with his legs compressed with the "boots" until broken, burned with red hot pincers, sulfur and molten lead which was poured into his wounds. Each of his limbs were harnessed to horses who pulled them until they tore from his body and he was left with just his torso, which still alive, was burned at the stake in front of thousands of onlookers. HIs family was banished from the country. France had not executed someone through this method for over 150 years, and as Enlightenment philosophy had just begun spreading through Europe, attitudes were changing, this would become the last instance where someone would be drawn and quartered on the continent, though it would remain on the books in England until 1870, though by most accounts had not been enacted past 1788.

*****on @ Paris, France

03/29/2019

On March 27, 1973, Marlon Brando refused his Best Actor Oscar for his performance in "The Godfather" to show support for the Native American community. Native Americans in film had been generally disrespected by the industry as a whole, primarily working as extras with lead roles depicting Native Americans typically given to white actors, and the community as a whole portrayed as evil savages. The American Indian Movement was also in the midst of a protest at Wounded Knee against the continued occupation of lands that had been granted to them through treaty and the lack of respect for their civil rights which had by that time turned into an armed standoff between the protestors and the US Government. Brando had sympathized with the cause and arranged to have Sacheen Littlefeather, an actor and president of the Native American Affirmative Image Committee to be sent in his place. When his name was pulled from the envelope, she stepped to the stage, waved off the award, and through some jeers but also many cheers, she went on to plead for love and understanding, releasing Brando's full statement to the press after the ceremony having been threatened with arrest had her speech gone over the 1 minute allowance. Brando and Littlefeather were crucified in the press and criticized by many within the industry, but received an outpouring of support throughout the country which was critical to drawing national attention to the issues facing the community. The Wounded Knee protests ended a little over a month later without any resolutions to their grievances after US Marshalls and the FBI had laid siege to the area and killed a number of Native leaders.

03/27/2019

On March 26, 1830, the Book of Mormon went on sale in Palmyra, New York. The book, considered spiritual and historical fact by members of the Church of Latter Day Saints, was Mormon founder Joseph Smith's translation of supposed golden plates found under a tree in upstate New York which he claimed had been buried by the prophet Moroni, son of Mormon, after having been inscribed in "reformed Egyptian" by earlier Christian prophets that lived on the American Continent from 2200 BCE until 421CE. Smith was said to have been directed by the angel of Moroni to the plates location and instructed to spread the message within. Smith said he had been told by the angel not to allow anyone else to view the plates, so he translated them alone, or with the help of an assistant while he and/or the plates were shrouded. He also claimed to be able to see the translated version of the text while looking into a seeing stone placed in his hat. They tell of Christians fleeing the fallen city of Babylon in 586BCE and their settlement in the Promised Land, North America, which had been visited by Jesus after his resurrection to direct tribes who had come to America from Babylon earlier in 2500BCE. Once translated, Smith claimed to have returned the plates to Moroni's angel yet unseen by anyone else, though upon inquiry from nonbelievers, he obtained testimony from 11 men that claimed to have seen them in visions. Church members today take the accounts of the plates as a matter of faith. Though Smith claimed it was "the most correct of any book on earth," the text has been described by critics as having a basic structure similar to the King James Bible, merged with an amalgamation of various religious philosophy works from that time. Genealogists and archeologists dispute the historical nature of the text on the basis that no DNA, archeological, or linguistic evidence exists linking people from the Middle East to the areas in question or Native Americans. Early Mormons were chased out of New York, then Ohio, and again in Missouri, until they settled on land in present-day Utah that was so brutal they thought no one would disturb them in their practice.

03/26/2019

On March 25, 1911, 123 women and 23 men died in a fire that consumed the Triangle Shirt Waist Factory on the east side of Washington Square Park. There had been more than 500 working that day, mostly young immigrant women that worked in close quarters for 12 or more hours per day for, at most, $15 per week. The fire started in a scrap cloth bin under a sewing table, likely due to a discarded cigarette. There had been thousands of pounds of scrap cloth over the 3 floors of the factory which enabled the fire to spread rapidly. Boxes of scraps also blocked exits, and others had been locked to prevent the women from dipping out for a break and theft. Many of those responsible for checking the women's bags when they left each shift fled when the fire started, still holding the keys to the doors. Those that were unlocked, opened inward instead of outward, creating a struggle to exit as the fire intensified.The architect of the building had been given special permission to build 2 staircases instead of the standard 3, provided he add a fire escape, which was poorly constructed and collapsed during the fire, plunging 20 people to the street 100' below. The elevator held 12 people at a time, but were overpacked in the chaos and broke after only four trips. Some workers pried the doors open, attempting to slide down cables to the bottom of the shaft. Horsedrawn fire engines arrived about 20 minutes after the start of the fire, but worn hoses and short ladders provided little relief. With no escape, a man chose to escape the flames through the windows, and then another who kissed a young woman before they took the leap together. 59 more people chose to meet their ends in this way, with the horrified onlookers learning a new sound they would not soon forget. Both owners, their families, and company executives were included among those able to flee to safety through the roof. The bodies were collected in makeshift morgues, with many only identifiable through their jewelry. In the driving rain, a procession of 100,000+ accompanied the hearses in a memorial down 5th Avenue, with thousands more lining the streets in support. A jury acquitted the owners of manslaughter after the prosecution was unable to prove they knew the doors had been locked intentionally. A liability suit in 1913 awarded $75 per victim to families. The owners profited $60,000 from the accident via a favorable insurance policy, about $400 per victim. That same year one of the owners was arrested again for locking the doors to his factory during working hours. He was fined the minimum, $20. They also had 4 prior suspicious fires at their factories. The fire sparked a wave of labor protection, union organization and fire prevention acts, making NY a leader in labor legislation, a legacy that lasts today. A remembrance coalition chalks the names of the victims and cause of death in front of their former homes. The building has been designated a National Historic Landmark. It was the deadliest workplace tragedy in NYC until 9/11.

03/25/2019

On March 24, 1989, the Exxon-Valdez oil tanker struck a reef and spilled nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound, eventually spreading over 1300 miles of Alaskan coastline. It was the largest oil spill in US history until the Deepwater Horizon incident in 2010. Exxon made the Captain, Joseph Hazelwood, the scapegoat as it had been widely reported that he had been drinking heavily before the crash, but he was later cleared after testimony from crew members found that he was sober and asleep, having left the third mate at the helm at the time the tanker collided with the reef. It was later revealed that the ship was equipped with a radar system that should have alerted the crew to the danger nearby, however it had been disabled for over a year and Exxon management chose not to repair it due to cost. In addition, Exxon had cut the size of ship crews roughly in half from the decade prior, while forcing them to work regular 14-hour shifts. The Exxon-Valdez had also been expecting an es**rt as they sailed outside normal sea lanes to avoid icebergs and the reef, but the Coast Guard had recently ceased doing so and had not informed the crew. Due to the remote location, Exxon was slow to respond to the crisis, and despite a massive cleanup effort that cost over $2 billion, only 10% of the spilled oil was ever removed from the ecosystem. Thousands of gallons of oil still remain on the beaches of Alaska, and the government has reported that only 13 of the 32 monitored wildlife populations in the aftermath of the disaster have fully recovered. The herring population, once a source of a vibrant fishing industry, has never recovered, Animals such as bald eagles, brown bears, seals, humpback whales and many more who depend on the herring have all suffered great losses. Two unique pods of orca have lost more than half their members and have yet to produce new calves in the time since the spill, leaving almost certain the reality that they will go extinct. Exxon has brushed aside concerns over the remaining oil, citing "350 peer-reviewed studies of Prince William Sound, which conclude that PWS has recovered, is healthy and thriving." The initial lawsuit against Exxon awarded $5 billion to the victims of the spill, on which the company took out a $5 billion credit line from JP Morgan, who in turn created the world's first Credit Default Swap against the loan. After an appeals process that lasted nearly 20 years, the US Supreme Court reduced the award to just over $500 million.