Paracultural Calendar for Feb 13

[Mark Thibodeau]

On this day in *1935*, a jury in Flemington, New Jersey finds *Bruno
Hauptmann* guilty of the 1932 kidnapping and murder of the *Lindbergh* baby,
the son of superstar aviator *Charles Lindbergh*. Oddly, this didn't
prevent Lindbergh from lending his vocal support of German dictator *Adolf
Hitler*during the lead-up to America entering World War II.

***

On this day in *1945*, Royal Air Force bombers are dispatched to *Dresden*,
Germany to attack the city with a massive aerial bombardment.

***

On this day in *1955*, Israel obtains 4 of the 7 Dead Sea scrolls.

***

On this day in the year *1959*, the very first *Barbie* dolls go on sale in
department stores across the nation. To this day, little girls and
homosexual doll collectors continue to make Barbie the best-selling toy in
the world. This is due in no small part to the nearly infinite variety of
Barbie "accessories and apparel" available, as well as all those infamous
"specialty" Barbies, including*Binge'n'Purge Barbie*, *Klaus Barbie*
and *Plastic-Ideal-for-a-Lost-Generation-of-Braindead-Consumer-Whores
Barbie*.

***

On this day in *1961*, a 500,000-year-old rock nicknamed the *Coso
Artifact *is discovered near Olancha, California, US. It appears to contain
an embedded spark plug.

***

On this day in *1981*, a series of sewer explosions destroys more than two
miles of streets in Louisville, Kentucky.

***

On this day in *1990*, German reunification: An agreement is reached on a
two-stage plan to reunite Germany.

***

Early morning on this day in *1991*, at the height of *Desert Storm*,
American forces attack the Al-Amiriya bomb shelter in Baghdad. The first
bomb screws a 15-foot hole in the roof. Five minutes later, a "smart bomb"
threads its way through the breach and explodes. Temperatures in the
shelter soar to over 1000 degrees, Fahrenheit. Everyone on the first floor
is consumed by fire. Those who sought refuge in the lower levels of the
building meet an even worse fate when ruptured hot water tanks disgorge
their contents, literally boiling dozens of women and children to death. *The
Pentagon* claimed they targeted the shelter because it was a secret Iraqi
military base, but British journalists who toured the devastation saw no
evidence of this. End result? Four hundred souls - mostly women and
children - were wiped off the face of the earth in an instant, probably
because some top gun wanted to see if he could pull off such a tricky
maneuver. Oh well. I suppose it was worth it in the long run, now that the
Iraqis are free and all.

***

On this day in *2000*, the last original *Peanuts* comic strip appears in
newspapers one day after*Charles M. Schulz* dies.

***

On this day in *2004*, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
announces the discovery of the universe's largest known diamond, white
dwarf star *BPM 37093*. Astronomers named this star "Lucy" after *The
Beatles*' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" (see below).

***

On this day in *2008*, Australian Prime Minister *Kevin Rudd* makes a
historic apology to the Indigenous Australians and the Stolen Generations.

***

On this day in *2011*, for the first time in more than 100 years the
Umatilla, an American Indian tribe, are able to hunt and harvest a bison
just outside Yellowstone National Park, restoring a centuries-old tradition
guaranteed by a treaty signed in 1855.
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