Paracultural Calendar for Feb 10

[Mark Thibodeau]

On this day in *1355*, the craziest students-versus-townie fight of all
freaking time breaks out. Known as the St. Scholastica's Day riot, fighting
breaks out in Oxford, England, over the quality of drinks being served at a
tavern, eventually leaving 63 scholars and perhaps 30 locals dead in two
days of fighting. Absolutely bonkers.

***

On this day in *1763*, the 1763 Treaty of Paris ends the war and France
cedes Quebec to Great Britain. Which kind of fucking sucks for yer old pal
Jerky's ancestors and current extended family.

***

On this day in *1840*, *Queen Victoria* of the United Kingdom marries *Prince
Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha*. Dude couldn't even speak English.

***

On this day in *1870*, the *YWCA* is founded in New York City.

***

On this day in *1920*, baseball outlaws all pitches involving tampering
with the ball, effectively putting an end to the then-popular "murderball"
pitch, which involved peeling the skin off a baseball and wrapping it
around a glass sphere filled with razor blades and nitroglycerin.

***

On this day in *1949*, author *Arthur Miller*'s *Death of a Salesman* opens
at the Morosco Theater in New York City. Attention was paid.

***

On this day in *1954*, President *Dwight Eisenhower* warns against United
States intervention in Vietnam. Good thing The Powers That Be listened to
him, eh?

***

On this day in *1962*, captured American U2 spy-plane pilot *Gary Powers* is
exchanged for captured Soviet spy *Rudolf Abel*.

***

On this day in *1978*, future Carlyle Group bagman *Frank Carlucci* becomes
deputy director of the CIA. In the years that followed, it becomes
painfully clear that Frank is one of Poppy's boyz
<http://www.counterpunch.org/2002/02/01/the-strange-career-of-frank-carlucci/>,
on evil par with the likes of *James Baker III*.

***

In order to avoid having to submit to government oversight related to
reports of steroid abuse among his employees, *Vince McMahon* admits before
a New Jersey court that professional wrestling is a staged "exhibition,"
and not a sport, on this day in *1989*.

***

On this day in *1989*, Clinton family friend *Ron Brown* is elected
chairman of the Democratic National Committee, becoming the first African
American to lead a major American political party. Bill Clinton eventually
made Brown Secretary of Commerce in his administration. Sadly, on April 3,
1996, Ron Brown and thirty-plus others died when their Air Force Boeing 747
went down in stormy weather in Croatia. The ensuing reaction is so brutal
and instantaneous, one can't help but wonder if Brown fell victim to a
*conspiracy
vortex <http://ron-brown-death.tripod.com/> *to create a conspiracy, a
la *Richard
Mellon Scaife*'s notorious decade-long anti-Clinton boondoggle. Or maybe
I'm just paranoid.

***

On this day in *1996*, IBM's ultimate chess computer *Deep Blue* defeats
Russian chess Grand Master *Gary Kasparov* in an epic, five hour game.
Meanwhile, in Texas, a specially-bred chicken beats then-governor *George
Dubya Bush* in a game of Tic-Tac-Toe.

***

On this day in *2009*, the communication satellites Iridium 33 and
Kosmos-2251 collide in orbit, destroying both. Speaking of... did y'all see
*Gravity* yet? Pretty good flick!
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