Thursday, April 20, 2006

Grab-Bag

El Jefe is busy today, trying to get things at work squared away for a short trip out of town, so this post will, of necessity be brief. Lots of things going on in the world worth comment, but this post mostly looks backward.

Today in history, is the birthday of, among others, French Emperor Napoléon III, born this day in 1808.

On 20 April 1861, Robert E. Lee resigned his commission in the United States Army, rather than lead its forces against his home state, to accept a commission from the State of Virginia, and eventually from the Confederate States of America.

In 1972, on this date, Apollo 16 landed on the Moon. Apollo 16 (Capt. John Young, USN, Commander; Rear Adm. Ken Mattingly, USN, command module pilot; and Brig. Gen. Charles Duke, USAF, Lunar Module Pilot), left Cape Kennedy spaceport on 16 April 1972, and returned to Earth on 27 April. You can view the Apollo 16 command module, Casper, at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, (El Jefe’ s home town).

There is a strange postscript involving the lunar module Orion’s ascent stage, which was abandoned after astronauts Young and Duke returned to Casper. Derelict, and out of control due to a thruster fault, it orbited the Moon for about a year, eventually crashing into it, location unknown.

Today in 1945, US troops captured Leipzig, Germany, only to turn it over to the Russians postwar.

Yesterday El Jefe’s son, the heir, hit a Home Run in a little league game. SWMBO would be upset if I didn’t note that. El Jefe is very proud.

3 comments:

Candidly Caroline said...

Congratulations to El Jefito, aka the Heir!

Anonymous said...

i'm sure tomorrows headline will report:

Queen Elizabeth II turns 80 today.

Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born on April 21, 1926,

The Kitchen said...

I heard that Heir didn't just hit a home run , that he brought in a whole round of players and his home run won the game! WAY TO GO HEIR!

Drive carefully and enjoy your trip.
Sure wish SWMBO were in town this weekend to hang in da kitchen!