Discourse in Time

George Washington (1798)--I have concerns about my son (adopted) George Washington Parke Custis. He left Princeton in September, and I have serious concerns that he will not tend to his studies. Today, I wrote a letter to him which, in part, says, “Rise early, that by habit it may become familiar, agreeable—healthy—and profitable. It may for a while, be irksome to do this; but that will wear off; and the practise will produce a rich harvest forever thereafter; whether in public, or private Walks of Life.”

*** BREAKING NEWS *** (August 25,1896) The Anglo-Zanzibar War, the shortest war in history, was fought today! The war began at 9:02 East Africa Time (EAT) and ended at 9:40, taking all of 38 minutes.

By contrast, the longest official war was the Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years' War which began in 1651 (Since it's now 1896, how do we know that it lasted 335 years!?!). While some dispute whether the war ever existed, it was a bloodless war between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly.

George Carmack (1896)—What an exciting day my brother-in-law Skookum Jim, Tagish Charlie, and I had in the Klondike River today! We discovered gold nuggets!! In 1881, I heard that others had found gold in Canada’s Yukon Territory, so I moved up here from California. Then, this year Robert Henderson told me about gold in the Klondike River, so I headed up here. And, then, today we saw a gold nugget in the creek bed! We’ll be staking our claim to the gold tomorrow!

Benjamin Franklin (1775)—Yesterday, the Second Continental Congress established the United State postal system, allowing $1,000 per year for the Postmaster General. Following the Battles of Lexington and Concord, they realized that efficient communication was crucial to winning the American Revolution.
Today, I am pleased to accept the appointment as the first Postmaster General for our colonies. I previously served under the crown as Postmaster of Philadelphia and in 1753 became one of two Postmaster Generals. However, I was fired last year when the British decided that they didn’t like my activities on behalf of our colonies. Before, mail had been left at taverns and inns, and it could take months to receive correspondence from across the pond. During my service to the crown, I had the opportunity to improve our mail service, creating new, well-organized postal routes. We realized that the way to reduce time to send and receive mail up and down the east coast was to create a weekly mail service using relay teams who would travel day and night. This succeeded in reducing mail service time between New York and Philadelphia by half

Hiram Bingham (July 25, 1911)—This is so exciting! Yesterday I found some amazing ruins which may be Vilcabamba Viejo. The stone buildings are about 50 miles away from Cusco, Peru, and I am calling them Machu Picchu.

Through Sergeant Carrasco, who trekked with me and spoke Quechua, I asked Melchor Arteaga, an innkeeper and farmer in Mandor Pampa, if he knew of any ruins in the area. He told us that, “… there were some very good ruins in this vicinity. In fact, some excellent ones on top of the opposite mountain, called Huayna Picchu, and on a ridge called Machu Picchu.”

Yesterday, Pampa was kind enough to lead Sergeant Carrasco and me to Huayna Picchu mountain where we met Richarte and Alvarez, who had cleared some old terraces and were farming on them. We followed Pablito, Alvarez’s 11-year-old son, to the ruins. Although mostly obscured by vegetation, the remains of the buildings were remarkable! Some of the main ones were built with excellent quality masonry. I took notes, measurements and pictures of the ruins. Hopefully, I’ll get an opportunity to come back. Who knows, maybe someday many people will have the chance to see this remarkable work by the Incas!

Anne Frank (July 8, 1942) -- It's been two days since we hurriedly moved into the secret annex in Amsterdam. The hiding place wasn't really ready, but things were increasingly getting bad for the Jews living here. Our hiding place is accessed by a staircase hidden behind a bookcase. There are businesses on both sides so we have to be very quiet. I have a small red-and-white-plaid diary that I received from my parents last month for my thirteenth birthday. This is what I wrote today:

"Margot told me that the call-up was not for Father, but for her. At his second shock, I began to cry. Margot is sixteen - apparently they want to send girls her age away on their own. But thank goodness she won’t be going; Mother had said so herself, which must be what Father had meant when he talked to me about our going into hiding. Hiding...where would we hide? In the city? In the country? In a house? In a shack? When, where, how...?"

John Lennon (1957)—Today I met a guy named Paul McCartney. He was at the Woolton Parish Church Garden Fete, an annual parade and fair, where I was playing with my band the Quarrymen. Ivan Vaughan, a mutual friend, introduced us, and Paul seemed impressed with our music. Paul played several songs on his guitar, which in turn impressed me. The band and I are thinking about inviting him to join us. 🎵 🎵 🎵

BREAKING NEWS! July 4th,1826 BREAKING NEWS!!

Today, founding fathers and friends turned rivals, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died within hours of each other.

Though partners in the revolutionary cause, Adams, a Federalist, and Jefferson, leader of the Anti-Federalist Republicans had a falling out while Jefferson was serving as Adams' Vice President. Their ideological rift caused Jefferson to resign after the passage of the Alien and Sedition Acts to plot his successful campaign against Adams for the presidency. Following a bitter campaign, the two men ceased contact until Adams re-initiated contact in 1812. The friendship was restored until their shared dying day. Adam's last words were "Thomas Jefferson still survives," unaware that the Sage of Monticello had passed just hours before.

Thomas Jefferson (July 4, 1776) -- It is truly an amazing day! Today, the Continental Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence, and John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, signed it. I was the primary author, and it begins:

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness..."

L00KING FOR AN EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY SALES AGENT

BREAKING NEWS!!--1937--BREAKING NEWS!!

Today, July 2nd, 1937, Amelia Earhart disappeared near Howland Island in the center of the Pacific Ocean. Earhart was flying a Lockheed airplane and was attempting to fly around the world. U.S. Commerce Department staff was waiting on the island with supplies and fuel. They were in touch with Earhart who communicated that she was lost with “… one-half hour fuel and no landfall.” Several ships, including the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Itasca were in position to assist Earhart through this difficult area, but there was no sign of her. Her Lockheed aircraft, nor her navigator Frederick Noonan have been found.