ParaCalendar for June 29

[Mark Thibodeau]

On this day in the year 1149, the Crusader army of Raymond of Antioch
is defeated by the Syrian army of Nur ad-Dinat the Battle of Inab.
After the battle, Raymond was beheaded by Shirkuh, uncle of the
legendary Saladin, who then placed Raymond’s head in a silver box and
sent it to the Caliph of Baghdad as a gift.

***

On this day in 1520, after attempting and failing to get his people to
stop fighting back against Cortez and his Conquistadors, Moctezuma II,
ruler of the Aztecs, is either stoned to death by his disgusted
subjects or murdered by Cortez over his crappy negotiating skills. The
truth is lost to history.

***

On this day in 1864, a train passing through Mont St. Hilaire in the
province of Quebec fails to acknowledge a stop signal and falls
through an open swing bridge, plunging into the Richelieu River and
killing 99 mostly German and Polish immigrants. It remains Canada’s
worst rail disaster on record.

***

On this day in 1881, Sudanese religious leader Muhammad Ahmad declares
himself to be the Mahdi, the Messiah of Islamic prophecy, destined to
rule for seven years during which time he would redeem the Islamic
faith and rid the world of evil in preparation for the Day of
Judgment. Unfortunately, he died a mere four years later.
***

On this day in 1940, the USA passes the Smith Act, also known as the
Alien Registration Act. This act set criminal penalties for
“advocating the overthrow of the government.” Just over two hundred
people were indicted under this legislation – mostly communists and a
few fascists – until a number of Supreme Court decisions reversed many
of the convictions. The statute is still technically on the books.

***

This day in 1946 was known as the “Black Shabbat” in Israel – then
still known as Palestine – when British soldiers and police execute
Operation Agatha, arresting 2700 members of such extremist Jewish
groups as Haganah, Palmach, the Stern Gang and Irgun. While many of
the targeted groups get the message and settle down, Irgun retaliates
by bombing the King David Hotel. With a death toll of 91 victims, it
remains, to this day, Israel’s worst terrorist bombing.

***

On this day in 1967, actress Jayne Mansfield is killed in a horrific
automobile wreck. Also killed in the crash is Mansfield’s abusive
boyfriend/manager Sam Brody, who had recently been “cursed” by Church
of Satan honcho Anton LaVey. Mansfield, who was an enthusiastic
supporter of LaVey’s Church, was apparently just collateral damage.

***

On this day in 1978, actor Bob Crane of Hogan’s Heroes fame is found
bludgeoned to death in his apartment in Scottsdale, Arizona. In the
years leading up to his death, Crane had begun videotaping his sexual
escapades with the help of a Sony sales executive. In an ironic twist,
police believe Crane was bludgeoned to death with a video camera
tripod. His murder remains unsolved.

***

On this day in 1995, the Sampoong Department Store collapses in Seoul,
South Korea, killing 501 and injuring a thousand more.

***

On this day in 2002, naval clashes between South Korea and North Korea
lead to the death of six South Korean sailors and sinking of a North
Korean vessel. Meanwhile, in the United States, Vice President Dick
Cheney becomes “acting President” for two and a half hours while
George W. Bush undergoes a colonoscopy.

***

On this day in 2007, Apple enters the mobile phone market with their
hugely popular iPhone line of products.

***

On this day in 2008, Thomas Beatie, the world's first pregnant man,
gives birth to a daughter.

***

On this day in 2009, financier and former NasDaq chairman Bernard
Madoff receives a 150-year sentence – the maximum possible penalty –
for his multibillion-dollar fraud scheme. In a recent letter to his
daughter, Madoff bragged that he was being treated “like a Mafia Don”
by both his fellow inmates and the staff at FCI Butner Medium Security
Facility where he is serving out his sentence.
-
Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l