Here is your open thread for April 12, 2020.
Amy Ray of Decatur, Georgia, turns 56 today.
The Good Christians of the Fourth Crusade began the sack of Constantinople on April 12, 1204. The crusaders had set out to recapture Jerusalem from the infidels, but it turned out Constantinople was closer, and so instead of fighting the infidel they decided to kill a bunch of their fellow Christians, loot their city, and grab as much of the wealth as they could.
The Fort Pillow Massacre took place on April 12, 1864. A vastly outnumbered American force lost a battle to more than 1,500 traitor soldiers led by future terrorist Nathan Bedford Forrest, who refused to allow them to surrender and murdered more than 200 disarmed Americans in Henning, Tennessee.
Tennessee commemorates the massacre of American soldiers with an annual holiday honoring the traitor-turned-terrorist Forrest. How that is any different from an annual holiday honoring Osama bin Laden or Timothy McVeigh is not clear to me.
The Battle of Toledo began on April 12, 1934. Auto-workers wanted a raise. The Electric Auto-Lite Company didn’t want to give them one. The workers went on strike and the company tried to replace them with scabs. Then the company called in the Ohio National Guard, which killed two workers. Eventually there were mass arrests and a general strike involving more than 50 unions in the city. Erik Loomis tells the full story here.
Henry Clay was born 243 years ago today. He was never president.
Tiny Tim would have been 88 years old today. I never quite figured out what to make of Tiny Tim. David Cassidy would have been 70.
A very happy 104th birthday to Beverly Cleary today. Ramona Forever.
Herbie Hancock turns 80. Two-time sit-com patriarch Ed O’Neill turns 74. David Letterman turns 73.
Andy Garcia turns 64 today. Here’s that scene from The Untouchables:
Vince Gill turns 63 today. Here he is singing “House of Love” with his wife.
Brendan! Urie turns 33 today. Saoirse Ronan turns 26.
Finally, the Episcopal Church honors Adoniram Judson with a feast day today. As an American Baptist expatriate lurking in the Episcopal Church, I think that’s pretty swell.
Talk amongst yourselves.
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