On This Date in History: This is a pretty lousy day in history. On November 22, 1963 President John F. Kennedy became the fourth American president to fall to an assassin. The first was Abraham Lincoln in 1865, followed by James A. Garfield in 1881 and then William McKinley in 1901. There are many many websites dedicated to the notion that the president’s murder was a conspiracy. But, it’s tough to find out about the answers to those theories. Here is a website dedicated to debunking all of the conspiracy theories. Just click on the highlighted “fact” in question and then you be the judge. In any event, let us hope that this list remains at four forever.
NOT the 1st President
The man whom some consider the first President of the United States died on this day in 1783. John Hanson was the first president of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation came into being while he was the President of the Congress in session from 1781 to 1782, during which time General Washington was defeating the British at Yorktown in October 1781. Calling Hanson the first president is pretty nonsensical. He was more like the prime minister. The separate, executive position of president didnt even exist until the Constitution in 1789. General Washington served as the nation’s first president from 1789 to 1797.
Socialist In Name Only?
Novelist Jack London died on this date in 1916. He was just 40 years old and died of kidney disease derived from unknown origins. One fairly reliable source claims that reports that London was an alcoholic are unfounded. What is telling though about London is that he was an avowed socialist yet, he spent a huge wad of cash on a huge house in California. True socialist. The bourgeoisie gets all of the money and luxury while the peasants and proletariat share the rest. In theory thats not how socialism is supposed to work but in practice that’s usually the result. A small group of elite “haves” preaching hypocrisy to the masses, the “have-nots.”
Wild Outfit Even by Today's Standards
Mae West died on this date in 1980. I normally don’t do this but I’m linking a page from Wikipedia for you to look at if you like. It’s usually not a reliable source of information but in this case, it will do. If the information is accurate, then you will find just how controversial that she was regarding the content of her career and early problems she caused for those who wanted to keep some moral limits in the entertainment business. Her famous line of “is that a pistol in your pocket or are you just happy to see me” was blurted out by her when she arrived at the LA train station and a policeman was there to escort her. Later, she used the line in a film but somehow the line got assigned to her way before that. She had other lines and a pretty risque reputation. Here is a list of supposed Mae West quotes. She died at age 87 after a series of strokes, but she earlier had hidden her true age. When she appeared with WC Fields in My LIttle Chickadee, she was 47, which was a surprise to me.
Let’s see…what other lousy things happened on this date…in 1972 the first B-52 was shot down in Vietnam and in 1950 there was a terrible collision of commuter trains in New York.
I don’t know about you, but November 22 seems like a day we should all climb in our beds and pull the cover over our heads.
Critical Thickness Lines Mostly Well South By Friday 7AM
Weather Bottom Line: Some nattering nabobs of negativism said on the tube that Sunday would be cloudy and gloomy but I warned you that it would be a lovely day and it was. What the hubub was about was a low coming up from the south but it was too far to the south to do much of anything except throw some high clouds our way. Now, as it moves up to our east, it will be closer to thicken up the clouds somewhat. I suspect that will generally be the story but the models are tossing out very light rain from time to time for Monday and Tuesday. Either way, the clouds will probably hold the afternoon highs in the 50′s. There is a more significant system coming down for the middle part of the week. I suspect that we will have a period of partly cloudy skies for the first half of Wednesday before the lead short wave comes down and the front moves through. That will give us a chance for some rain late Wednesday into early Thursday. There is a secondary short coming in behind the first one that will bring along more energy and a shot of some pretty cold air. There will probably be a period of clearing after the first round that won’t last long before more clouds roll in. With the parent low to the northeast up around the Great Lakes, many models are hinting at wrap around snow for Thanksgiving night. If it does, I don’t see how it will be anything more than a conversation piece. My hunch is that it is nothing more than a computer driven fantasy but in pragmatic terms, its no big deal either way. But, if it does happen, it would be the first flakes of the season and that always brings out the media even though such an event in January would bring nothing more than a yawn. Anyway, plan on a cold Thanksgiving. Some places may only get to 40 or so for an afternoon high. The chilldown won’t last for too long though as we should return to seasonal levels for the weekend.
