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morning

Today in History Dec 25

1
1st Christmas, according to calendar-maker Dionysus Exiguus

274
Roman Emperor Aurelian dedicates a temple to Sol Invictus on the supposed day of the winter solstice and day of rebirth of the Sun.

1492
Christopher Columbus' flagship the Santa María runs aground and sinks on the north coast of Hispaniola. The crew are left to found a colony as Columbus returns to Spain

1939
Montgomery Ward introduces Rudolph the 9th red-nosed reindeer

1973
Tommy Chambers (Scotland) finishes 51 yr cycle tour (799,405 miles)

1989
Show trial of Romanian Communist dictator Nicolae Ceau?escu and his wife Elena on charges of genocide and personal enrichment. The couple are found guilty and executed by firing squad the same day.

1996
1,500 year anniversary of Catholicism in France commemorating the baptism of Clovis I in Rheims

2020
An RV detonates in downtown Nashville, Tennessee causing damage to people and property; prior to detonating, a recorded message playing from speakers warned anyone in earshot to evacuate prior to an explosion

2020
New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara equals Ernie Nevers 1929 NFL record of 6 touchdowns in a match in the Saints' 52-33 win over the Minnesota Vikings at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome

Born on Dec 25

Baby Jesus


1642
Isaac Newton English physicist, mathematician and astronomer (Gravity, Laws of Motion), born in Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, England

1954
Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Mexican drug lord who heads the Sinaloa Cartel, a criminal organization named after the Mexican Pacific coast state of Sinaloa where it was formed.

1973
Alexandre Trudeau, Canadian journalist, born in Ottawa, Canada

Joke of the Day

NASA was preparing for the Apollo project.

When NASA was preparing for the Apollo project, some of the training of the astronauts took place on a Navajo reservation.
One day, a Navajo elder and his son were herding sheep and came across the space crew. The old man, who spoke only Navajo, asked a question that his son translated. "What are these guys in the big suits doing?"
A member of the crew said they were practicing for their trip to the moon. The old man got all excited and asked if he could send a message to the moon with the astronauts. Recognizing a promotional opportunity, the NASA folks found a tape recorder.
After the old man recorded his message, they asked his son to translate it. He refused. The NASA PR people brought the tape to the reservation, where the rest of the tribe listened and laughed, but refused to translate the elder's message.
Finally, the NASA crew called in an official government translator. His translation of the old man's message was: "Watch out for these guys; they have come to steal your land."

Good morning

Merry Christmas All

Today in History December 26

1492
1st Spanish settlement La Navidad in the New World is founded by Christopher Columbus (modern Môle-Saint-Nicolas in Haiti)

1776
After crossing the Delaware River into New Jersey, George Washington leads an attack on Hessian mercenaries at Trenton, and takes 900 men prisoner.

1862
38 Santee Sioux are hanged in Mankato, Minnesota for their part in the Sioux Uprising in Minnesota. Little Crow has fled the state.

1917
As a wartime measure, President Woodrow Wilson places railroads under government control, with Secretary of War William McAdoo as director general.

1932
Over 70,000 people are killed in a massive earthquake in China.

1944
Battle of Bastogne: US General George S. Patton's 3rd Army repulses German forces

1962
Eight East Berliners escape to West Berlin, crashing through gates in an armor-plated bus.

1982
TIME's Man of the Year is a computer

2004
A tsunami caused by a 9.3-magnitude earthquake kills more than 230,000 along the rim of the Indian Ocean.

2012
China opens the world’s longest high speed rail route from Beijing to Guangzhou

2018
American Colin O'Brady is the first person to cross Antarctica solo and unassisted after 54 days at the Ross Ice Shelf

Born on December 26

1945
John Walsh, TV personality, victims rights advocate; created of America's Most Wanted TV series after the murder of his son Adam in 1981.

2000
Samuel Sevian, chess prodigy; at age 12 became youngest-ever United States International Master.


JOTD

A woman walked up to an elderly man rocking in a chair on his porch.
“I couldn’t help noticing how happy you look,” she said. “What’s your secret for a long, happy life?”
“I smoke three packs of cigarettes a day,” he said. “I also drink a case of whiskey a week, eat fatty foods and never exercise.”
“That’s amazing,” the woman said. “How old are you?”
“Thirty-six.”

Morning all

Happy we all survived Christmas to everyone!

quote:

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1492
1st Spanish settlement La Navidad in the New World is founded by Christopher Columbus (modern Môle-Saint-Nicolas in Haiti)

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Not really a topic for the holiday season but Columbus unleashed hell on Earth on those native tribes unfortunate enough to have Columbus discover them. We have his own letters and personal journal entries to attest to that.

How bad was he? The Spanish recalled him from the colonies and the Spanish Inquisition tossed him in prison. When the Inquisition are the heroes of the story... whoof.

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Did they incarcerate for crimes against humanity or him being a Jew?

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Crimes though not just against humanity. There has been a lively debate if Columbus was actually a Spanish Jew of late, but that is based on one study whose authors seemed very determined to prove he was both Jewish and Spanish. Other genetic historians tend to dismiss those claims. Columbus was very much a Catholic in his life and despite being a public figure there aren't records of him being accused of being a secret Jew.

Columbus was only imprisoned a short period of time before the Spanish crown acquitted him. Despite being fervent Christians... at the end of the day they liked the gold and other precious goods more. This despite a mountain of evidence from his own letters and personal journals.

The case against him was a mix of distaste of his conduct against the natives and concerns that he was using his position to rake gold off the till so to speak. Even by the standards of the day when it comes to how Europeans viewed non-Christians he was particularly vile.