Volume 266 | No. 14

2014—Sen. Jerry Moran [R-Kan.], whose top contributor is Koch Industries, reads into the Congressional Record a Wall Street Journal op-ed in which Charles Koch defends his right to spend millions buying elections. 2004—Asked to name his biggest mistake, George W.[MD] Bush is unable to supply an answer. 2003—U.S. Marines cross the Tigris River on their way to Baghdad. 1996—Ted “Unabomber” Kaczynski is arrested in his Montana cabin. 1974—Hit by 148 tornadoes, 13 states lose 315 people; 5,484 are injured. 1973—The first mobile phone call is made, on a 2.4 lb. device, by a Motorola employee to a rival at AT&T. 1968—“I may not get there …

Read more

2014—In McCutcheon v. FEC, the Supreme Court rules that rich folks deserve to have more influence in elections than the unwashed proletariat. 1982—U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Jeanne Kirkpatrick dines at the Argentine embassy hours after Argentina invades the Falklands. 1970—Massachusetts passes a law stating its citizens may not be forced to fight an undeclared war. 1969—President Dwight D. Eisenhower is buried in an $80 G.I. coffin. 1969—Chicago riots are quelled by National Guard troops. 1963—Martin Luther King, Jr. leads a voter registration drive in Birmingham. Police Chief “Bull” Connor responds with dogs and fire hoses. 1958—San Francisco columnist Herb Caen introduces his readers and …

Read more

2013—In Portsmouth Harbor, the tanker Harbour Feature allides with the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge. 2004—Britain declassifies “Blue Peacock,” a 1957 plan to bury nukes in Germany with live chickens keeping the electronics warm. It’s not a joke. 2003—Bush administration propagandists claim Special Forces have “rescued” PFC Jessica Lynch. It’s a lie. 1997—A blizzard dumps 18 inches of snow on Portsmouth. 1994—Steve Bannon, accompanied by federal marshals, arrives via limo to manage Biosphere 2, an ecological experiment in the Arizona desert. A break-in, lawsuits, and failure ensue. 1974—Sitka residents are alarmed by smoke rising from Mount Edgecumbe, a nearby volcano thought to be dormant. No eruption, …

Read more

2016—Darcie Rae Hall, 36, of Troy, N.H., is arrested in Keene for selling “Donald Trump” brand heroin. 2004—Four American contractors are ambushed and killed in Fallujah, their bodies displayed from a bridge. 1990—About 200K Brits protest, some by rioting, against Thatcher’s poll tax. The PM herself fails to file. 1980—The American banking industry is deregulated with bipartisan support. What could possibly go wrong? 1969—By his orders, the body of Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower is carried by baggage car, like any other G.I., to its final resting place in Abilene, Kan. 1968—LBJ says he won’t run for re-election. Millions rejoice, having no inkling of who will …

Read more

2008—As he throws out the first pitch at Washington’s new National Park, George W.[MD] Bush is met with a resounding chorus of boos. 2003—Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announces “we know where” Iraq’s WMDs are: “the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south, and north somewhat.” 2003—During a live Fox “News” broadcast from Iraq, Geraldo Rivera reveals the 101st Airborne’s current location, where they’re going to attack next, and when. 2000—Fred Trump III, whose son is chronically ill and needs special care, learns his family’s health care is being terminated by his uncle Donald. 1981—John Hinckley Jr. empties a six-shooter at Pres. Ronald …

Read more

2003—Newsweek publishes a poll saying 74 percent of Americans believe that the Bush administration has “a well thought-out military plan.” 1995—Rep. Dan Burton [R-Ind.] says the U.S. “should place an aircraft carrier off the coast of [land-locked] Bolivia and crop dust the coca fields.” 1973—Army Master Sergeant Max Beilke becomes the last U.S. combat soldier to leave Vietnam. He will die at the Pentagon, a civilian, on 9/11/01. 1972—In anticipation of a $100,000 “contribution” to the Nixon re-election campaign, the EPA eases up on enforcement at a lead smelter in Idaho. 1971—A court martial for 22 murders makes Lt. W. Calley the scapegoat for My …

Read more