re: GMT

quote:

---

1547--Ivan IV crowns himself the new Czar of Russia in Assumption Cathedral in Moscow.

---

One of the great "What Ifs" of history there. Muscovy (Moscow) had been locked in a bitter feud with Novgorod for who would come out on top of what we think of as modern Russia.

Novgorod was a classic merchant's republic, in that wealthy merchants and nobles had effectively deposed the Monarchy and elected "Princes" to govern the nation along with "Mayors" who ran the various city states, Novgorod itself being the most important city.

It was a member of the fantastically wealthy Hanseatic League, an alliance of Baltic, Nordic, and North German countries that traded freely amongst themselves and liberally established monopolies to raise prices to non members. We think of the late Medieval and early Modern period in terms of Kingdoms but Republics were fairly common and widespread... albeit one exclusively controlled by the very wealthy. I'll leave it to others to draw any comparisons to modern day politics.

Muscovy, however, was created as a vassal to the Mongols successors, in this case the Golden Horde. As such it took on the political characteristics of the Mongols... a brutal monarchy, casual disregard for human life, and rapacious desire for conquest and loot.

Despite being vastly more wealthy Novgorod had severe disadvantages working against it. They had the Swedes on one border, and the monastic Teutonic Knights on another. Both groups were dedicated to seizing Novgorod lands. The Knights for the glory of God (wink, wink, nod, nod) and the Swedes because Sweden was poor as hell. And while the Hanseatic League was hell on wheels when it came to trading they didn't have a formal military alliance. You were, basically, on your own or part of the Holy Roman Empire.

When the Golden Horded began to collapse (the steppe nomads were the drizzling shite when it came to setting up stable governments unless they went full on native like they did in India and China.) Muscovy was left as the biggest fish in its own little pond. Lots of hostile neighbors, but smaller neighbors.

Add to this Moscow just happens to be squatting on some of the best farmland in the world while most of Novgorod's provinces were in the frozen taiga region. Lots of resources, but very small populations.

Eventually Moscow would win the war and we would get the modern Russian state. Which, to be honest, has stayed pretty much the same for the last 500 years. Even the vaunted Soviet Union was, when you get down to it, very much an enthusiastic follower of the brutal Russian methods of rule.

If Novgorod had won we would have a radically different Russia today. Certainly flawed, but also less vicious than what Russia has been over its history.

Today in History: January 17

1920
First day of prohibition of alcohol comes into effect in the US as a result of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution

1939
The Reich issues an order forbidding Jews to practice as dentists, veterinarians and chemists.

1963
Soviet leader Khrushchev visits the Berlin Wall.

1985
A jury in New Jersey rules that terminally ill patients have the right to starve themselves.

1991
Operation Desert Storm begins, with US-led coalition forces bombing Iraq, during the Gulf War

2023
Revival of 1980s American TV sitcom "Night Court", premieres on NBC TV; John Larrquette is the sole returning cast member

Born on January 17

1706
Benjamin Franklin, statesman, diplomat, scientist and inventor who helped draft the Declaration of Independence and wrote Poor Richard's Almanac.

1899
Al Capone, U.S. mobster known as "Scarface Al" who ran most of Chicago and the surrounding area.

1922
Betty White, actress; created memorable characters in TV sitcoms from the 1950s into the 21st century (Life with Elizabeth, Mary Tyler Moore, The Golden Girls, Hot in Cleveland) and was a popular guest on TV game shows. At age 88 and a half she became the oldest person ever to host Saturday Night Live (2010).

JOTD
A Blonde Woman Asks For A $5000 Loan

A blonde woman walks into a bank in NYC before going on vacation and asks for a $5,000 loan.
The banker asks, "Okay, miss, is there anything you would like to use as collateral?"
The woman says, "Yes, of course. I'll use my Rolls Royce."
The banker, stunned, asks, "A $250,000 Rolls Royce? Really?"
The woman is completely positive. She hands over the keys, as the bankers and loan officers laugh at her. They check her credentials, make sure she is the title owner. Everything checks out. They park it in their underground garage for two weeks.
When she comes back, she pays off the $5,000 loan as well as the $15.41 interest.
The loan officer says, "Miss, we are very appreciative of your business with us, but I have one question. We looked you up and found out that you are a multi-millionaire. Why would you want to borrow $5,000?"
The woman replies, "Where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks for only $15.41 and expect it to be there when I return?"

Morning

Evening Mr Army and All

January 18

1258
Mongol army of 150,000, led by Hulagu, grandson of Genghis Khan, arrives at the walls of Baghdad (city falls Feb 13)

1788
First elements of the First Fleet carrying 736 convicts from England to Australia arrives at Botany Bay to set up a penal colony

1778
Captain James Cook discovers the Hawaiian Islands, naming them the 'Sandwich Islands' after the First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Sandwich.

1836
Jim Bowie arrives at the Alamo to assist its Texas defenders.

1902
The Isthmus Canal Commission in Washington shifts its support from Nicaragua to Panama as a favored canal site.

1942
General MacArthur repels the Japanese in Bataan. The United States takes the lead in the Far East war criminal trials.

1962
The United States begins spraying foliage with herbicides in South Vietnam, in order to reveal the whereabouts of Vietcong guerrillas.

1964
Plans are disclosed for the World Trade Center in New York.

1978
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) isolate the cause of Legionnaire's disease.

1991
Iraq starts firing Scud missiles at Israeli cities.

2013
Former New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin is indicted on corruption charges stemming from post-Hurricane Katrina business contracts and bribes

2021
Brazil begins vaccinations for COVID-19 with the world's second-highest death toll at 209,000


Born on January 18

1904
Cary Grant, U.S. film actor (Gunga Din, Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, North by Northwest).



Joke Of The Day

The Perfect Man

A man walks out to the street and catches a taxi just going by. He gets into
the taxi, and the cabbie says, "Perfect timing. You're just like Frank."

Passenger: "Who?"

Cabbie: "Frank Feldman. He's a guy who did everything right all the time.
Like my coming along when you needed a cab; things happened like that to
Frank Feldman every single time."

Passenger: "There are always a few clouds over everybody."

Cabbie: "Not Frank Feldman. He was a terrific athlete. He could have won the
Grand-Slam at tennis. He could golf with the pros. He sang like an opera
baritone and danced like a Broadway star and you should have heard him play
the piano. He was an amazing guy."

Passenger: "Sounds like he was really something special."

Cabbie: "There's more. He had a memory like a computer. He remembered
everybody's birthday. He knew all about wine, which foods to order and which
fork to eat them with. He could fix anything. Not like me. I change a fuse,
and the whole street blacks out. But Frank Feldman could do everything
right"

Passenger: "Wow, what a guy!"

Cabbie: "He always knew the quickest way to go in traffic and avoid traffic
jams. Not like me, I always seem to get stuck in them. But Frank, he never
made a mistake, and he really knew how to treat a woman and make her feel
good. He would never answer her back even if she was in the wrong; and his
clothing was always immaculate, shoes highly polished too. He was the
perfect man! He never made a mistake. No one could ever measure up to Frank
Feldman."

Passenger: "How did you meet him?"

Cabbie:"I never actually met Frank. He died and I married his wife.

mornin sunshine

Today in History: January 19

379
Theodosius installed as co-emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire by Emperor Gratian

1861
Georgia secedes from the Union.

1923
The French announce the invention of a new gun that has a firing range of 56 miles.

1931
The Wickersham Committee issues a report asking for revisions in the dry law, but no repeal.

1981
The United States and Iran sign an accord on a hostage release in Algiers.

2013
Lance Armstrong admits to doping in all seven of his Tour de France victories

2022
UK PM Boris Johnson eases Omicron COVID-19 restrictions, saying the current wave of infections has peaked


Born on January 19

1807
Robert E. Lee, Confederate general during the American Civil War.

1809
Edgar Allan Poe, American author and poet ("Fall of the House of Usher," "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Raven," "Annabel Lee.")

JOTD
A farmer drove over to his neighbor’s house and knocked on the door

A boy, about 9, opened the door.
“Is your mom or dad home?” The farmer asked the boy
“No, they went in to town.” The boy replied
“Well, how about your brother Howard?” The farmer asked
“No, he went with mom and dad.” The boy said
The farmer stood there for a minute shifting from one foot to another and mumbling when the boy says
“I know where the tools are if you need to borrow one or I could give my dad a message for you.”
“Well,” The farmer said uncomfortably “I wanted to talk to your dad about your brother Howard getting my daughter pregnant.”
The boy thought for a moment then said
“You’ll have to talk to my dad about that. I know he charges $500 for the bulls and $150 for the pigs, but I have no idea how much he charges for Howard.”

Morning all

Today in History: January 20

1265
First English Parliament summoned other than by royal command, in this instance by Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester. Meets in Westminster Hall.

1783
Britain signs a peace agreement with France and Spain, who allied against it in the American War of Independence.

1908
The Sullivan Ordinance bars women from smoking in public facilities in the United States.

1935
Belgium arrests some Nazi agitators who urge for a return to the Reich.

1941
Hitler meets with Mussolini and offers aid in Albania and Greece.

1942
Nazi officials meet in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee to decide the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question."

1945
Franklin D. Roosevelt is inaugurated for his fourth term.

1954
Over 22,000 anti-Communist prisoners are turned over to UN forces in Korea.

1977
President Jimmy Carter is sworn in and then surprises the nation as he walks from the U.S. Capitol to the White House.

1981
Ronald Reagan is sworn in as president at the same time 52 American hostages are released from their captors in Tehran, Iran.

1997
Howard Stern Radio Show premieres in New Orleans LA on KKND 106.7 FM

2021
US President Joe Biden signs 15 executive orders on his first day in office, including: US re-joining the WHO, affirming the Paris Climate Agreement, revoking the Keystone XL Pipeline, mandating masks on federal properties, and halting construction of the southern border wall

2024
Large weekend protests begin across Germany against far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), after group's 'master plan' for mass deportation of migrants revealed

Born on January 20

1896
George Burns, comedian and actor in vaudeville, radio, television and film.

1930
Dr. Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin, second man to walk on the moon.

JOTD
A man dies and goes to hell.

Once there, he finds that there is a different hell for each country, so he tries to seek out the least painful one.
At the door to German Hell, he is told: "First they put you in an electric chair for an hour. Then they lay you on a bed of nails for another hour. Then the German devil comes in and whips you for the rest of the day."
He does not like the sound of that, so he checks out American Hell, Russian Hell and many more. They are all similarly gruesome. However, at Nigerian Hell a long line of people is waiting to get in. Amazed, he asks, "What do they do here?"
He is told: "First they put you in an electric chair for an hour. Then they lay you on a bed of nails for another hour. Then the Nigerian devil comes in and whips you for the rest of the day."
"But that's the same as the others," says the man. "Why are so many people waiting to get in?"
"Because of the power cuts, the electric chair does not work. The nails were paid for but never supplied, so the bed is comfortable. And the Nigerian devil used to be a civil servant, so he comes in, signs his time sheet and goes back home for private business.