The Flag Is Commemorated in all Worlds
On This Date in History: Flag Day commemorates June 14, 1777 when Congress adopted officially the stars and stripes. The colonial army had the Grand Union flag, supposedly created by Betsy Ross. Now, historians have not been able to prove the legend…BUT…they have not been able to disprove it either…so who knows. I say stick with the legend until someone can prove otherwise.
Hundreds of Thousands Have Defending the Stars
Anyway, the first Flag Day celebration was on This Date in 1877 to mark the 100th anniversary. President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed June 14 as Flag day on May 30, 1916. So a year later, he made a big speech…the speech was more about rallying the nation behind the war effort as just two months before the US had declared War on Germany and entered WWI. Congress in 1949 officially designated June 14 as Flag Day as a day of national observance. So, if Flag Day was so important and had been around so long, why did Congress wait until 172 years after the fact to make it official? Well, the Democrats had re-taken control of Congress in 1948 after a brief period of Republican control. Around this time, there was Soviet communist expansion in Europe and Mao Tse Tung in mid 1949 had run Chang Kai Shek off to Taiwan and mainland China was communist. Though Congress at the time didn’t know it, the Soviets were about to explode their first nuclear weapon on Aug. 29, 1949, breaking America’s brief monopoly on nukes. There were cases of espionage involving Soviet communist spies in the American Government like the Alger Hiss case. Republicans were charging the Democrats with being soft on communism and creating an atmosphere that fostered the growth of communism in this nation. So…Congress officially adopted Flag Day as June 14. Its probably a pretty fair spot to argue that the Red Scare of the 1950′s really began on June 14, 1949. I guess with the fear of communism fading, so has the ideals that created the first Flag Day in 1877…but go ahead and think about the flag anyway and what it means to you. A lot of people have fought and died for the ideals that the flag represents and it at least deserves a moment’s reflection.
Fred Trump Celebrated Flag Day in 1946 Welcoming Donald into the World
On This Date In History: Fred Trump was a successful real-estate developer in New York. On this date in 1946, he introduced the world to his son Donald, who seems to be intent on making a bigger splash than anyone in human history. After Donald Trump finished his MBA at the Wharton School of Business, he went to work for dad. He quickly developed an ability to work the business of building and development. In the 1970′s, New York was in terrible financial condition and Trump took advantage by buying up properties at good prices and gaining tax concessions for his projects.
You're Fired!
In the 1980′s, he looked toward hotels, high rise condos and casinos. He claims his net worth skyrocketed into the billions. Others think that was a large over-estimate. In any event, when the 90′s came about, his fortunes turned and his empire crumbled and he even had to declare bankruptcy on some of his developments. But, by the late 90′s, he was back on his feet and amassing wealth once again. On a couple of occasions he was urged to run for President but instead he took his celebrity and turned to the tube. He had several years of The Apprentice which was a hit for a while and his trademark “you’re fired” became part of the pop culture lexicon. In 2005, Forbes magazine estimated his net worth at $2.7 billion. Trump says it was way more. Critics claim he wasn’t even a billionaire.
But you know what…if the legend is better than the truth, print the legend. Trump has marketed himself and his name to the point that he is one of the best known people in America if not the world. And, as Larry King indicates in the photo above, his hair may have outstripped the rest of his worldly accomplishments as the most famous part of him. But, you have to admit, he doesn’t look like a 63 year-old man. Wonder what I would look like if I had some money.
Weather Bottom Line: The models are kinda all over the place. That’s because there are a bunch of little short waves that are progged to move through the region from time to time in the week ahead. Each model has a little different solution though and honestly I’m not so sure that any of the models can be trusted because its so difficult to be able to pick out relatively small scale features so many days out. Nevertheless, I’m thinking that there may be a pop up afternoon t’storm this afternoon. There’s a bit of consistency with the idea of a short moving through here on Monday. While its not a universal solution, I would think that Monday would be a better chance for afternoon activity as we move into the mid to upper 80′s and humidity levels increase. At this point, it seems though that midweek may prove of interest. Nothing to really hang your hat on so enjoy today and worry about it later.
