On this day in
1498, the most successful Inquisitor General in the long and sordid history of the Catholic Church -
Tomas de Torquemada - passes away quietly in his sleep. His 11,500+ victims - Jews and others who were systematically burned, bludgeoned, drowned, flayed, hanged, vivisected and otherwise torn asunder - met far more unquiet fates.
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On this day in
1620, the Mayflower starts her voyage to North America
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On this day in
1919, the American Legion is incorporated.
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On this day in
1920, the Wall Street bombing takes place when a bomb in a horse wagon explodes in front of the J. P. Morgan building in New York City – 38 are killed and 400 injured.
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On this day in
1941, during World War II, concerned that
Reza Pahlavi the Shah of Persia is about to ally his petroleum-rich empire with Nazi Germany, the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union invade Iran in late August and force the Shah to abdicate in favor of his son,
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. So the Anglo world has been messing with Iran since even before
the Mossadegh coup!
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On this day in
1959, the first successful photocopier, the
Xerox 914, is introduced in a demonstration on live television from New York City. This is a vitally important moment in the history of
samizdat and underground publishing.
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On this day in
1982, the
Sabra and Shatila massacre takes place in Lebanon.
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On this day in the year
1983, Austrian immigrant
Arnold Schwarzenthingy becomes a citizen of the United States of America. Now all we have to do is figure out a way to send him back.
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On this day in
2001, a satellite company beaming live footage from a special Papal mass in celebration of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (phew!) fucked up big-time, crossing video from the mass with audio from a
hardcore porn movie which the company was carrying on a supposedly separate channel. So while the millions of Catholics who tuned into the ceremony could see the assembled cardinals praying and waving those smoking ball-and-chain thingies in the air, all they could hear were the guttural moanings and squishy sex-sounds of copulating couples! But if you think the Catholics were confused, just imagine the poor porn dogs who tuned in to check out some flesh-flicks only to find a soundtrack of prayers and Latin chanting playing over all that filthy, sinful fucking! Talk about cognitive dissonance!
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On this day in
2007, mercenaries working for
Blackwater Worldwide allegedly shoot and kill 17 Iraqis in Nisour Square, Baghdad; all criminal charges against them are later dismissed, sparking outrage in the Arab world.
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