First Confidential

THIS DAY IN HISTORY - SEPTEMBER 4th

William Shakespeare, Quote

“The silence often of pure innocence persuades when speaking fails.”

~ William Shakespeare

Wikiquote (William Shakespeare (April 26, 1564 (baptised) – April 23, 1616) an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist.)

This Day in History

September 4th, 626

China: the world's most populous country, covering approximately 9.6 million square kilometres, second-largest country by land area (China from NASA Wordwind Satellite; Great Wall of China, credit National Geographic; LongJi Terrace, credit National Geographic; Great Bear Rainforest, credit Paul Nicklen, National Geographic; Platoons of clay soldiers were buried with China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang Di, (required a labor force of 700,000 to build), credit O. Louis Mazzatenta, National Geographic)

China - Tang Dynasty:
626 - Emperor Taizong of Tang, assumes the throne over the Tang Dynasty China.

Wikipedia  Photo: China from NASA Wordwind Satellite; © Great Wall of China, credit National Geographic; LongJi Terrace, credit National Geographic; Great Bear Rainforest, credit Paul Nicklen, National Geographic; Platoons of clay soldiers were buried with China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang Di, (required a labor force of 700,000 to build), credit O. Louis Mazzatenta, National Geographic.


September 4th, 1774

New Caledonia is first sighted by Europeans, during the second voyage of Captain James Cook

New Caledonia is first sighted by Europeans, during the second voyage of Captain James Cook.

Wikipedia  Map: Islands of New Guinea and New Caledonia / Two Kanak warriors posing with penis gourds and spears, 1880. - Chief "King Jacques" and his wives.


September 4th, 1812

War of 1812 collage

War of 1812:
1812 - Siege of Fort Harrison; begins when the fort is set on fire.

Wikipedia  Painting: Damage to the US Capitol after the Burning of Washington; HMS Shannon leading the captured American frigate USS Chesapeake into Halifax, Nova Scotia (1813); USS Constitution vs HMS Guerriere; the death of Tecumseh at Moraviantown; Oliver Hazard Perry's message to William Henry Harrison after the Battle of Lake Erie began with what would become one of the most famous sentences in American military history: "We have met the enemy and they are ours; "Andrew Jackson leads the defence of New Orleans; The mortally wounded Isaac Brock spurs troops on at the Queenston Heights.


September 4th, 1862

Lincoln Memorial: an American national monument built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln - located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. across from the Washington Monument American Civil War: Battle of Antietam; Stone Bridge at Antietam Battlefield - Sharpsburg, Maryland American Civil War: American Civil War: First Battle Between Ironclads; CSS Virginia/Merrimac (left) vs. USS Monitor, in 1862 at the Battle of Hampton Roads

American Civil War:
1862 - Confederate General Robert E. Lee takes the Army of Northern Virginia, and the war, into the North.

Wikipedia  Image: ● Lincoln Memorial; an American national monument built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln - located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. across from the Washington Monument.
● The northern army led by George McClellan and the southern army led by Robert E. Lee met at Antietam Creek, Maryland in September, 1862. It was a bloody battle where 13,000 Confederates and 12,000 Union troops died in just one day. McClellan had hesitated to attack before the battle thus letting the southern troops regroup. Also, he had saved reserves and refused to use them at the end of the battle thinking that Lee was holding reserves for a counterattack, even though those reserves didn't exist. The Union victory stopped Lee's northward advance and was a turning point in the war.
Battle of Antietam / Stone Bridge at Antietam Battlefield - Sharpsburg, Maryland
● First Battle Between Ironclads: CSS Virginia/Merrimac (left) vs. USS Monitor, in 1862 at the Battle of Hampton Roads.
Although photography was still in its infancy, war correspondents produced thousands of images, bringing the harsh realities of the frontlines to those on the home front in a new and visceral way. The Atlantic.


September 4th, 1886

American Indians collage American Indian Wars: after almost 30 years of fighting, Apache leader Geronimo, with his remaining warriors, surrenders to General Nelson Miles in Arizona

American Indian Wars:
1835 - After almost 30 years of fighting, Apache leader Geronimo, with his remaining warriors, surrenders to General Nelson Miles in Arizona.

Wikipedia  Photos: American Indians - Chief Crazy Horse, Tashunca-uitco (1849 - 1877) ● Geronimo Apache Chief (1829 - 1909) ● Indian Chief 'Two Eagles'; Crow Indian Chief ● Snake Cheif ● Band of Chiricahua Apache Indians, followers of legendary renegade Geronimo, attending a peace negotiation after a long struggle against U.S. government attempts to force them onto reservations - Tombstone, Arizona (1886), Life Magazine ● American Horse - Oglala ● Native American Arapaho Indian ● Washakie, Shoshone leader ● Arapaho American Indian Chief.
Apache leader Geronimo


September 4th, 1888

George Eastman registers the trademark Kodak and receives a patent for his camera that uses roll film

George Eastman registers the trademark Kodak and receives a patent for his camera that uses roll film.

Wikipedia  Photo: George Eastman holding one of his cameras. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.


September 4th, 1950

Darlington Raceway is the site of the inaugural Southern 500, the first 500-mile NASCAR race

The Darlington Raceway is the site of the inaugural Southern 500, the first 500-mile NASCAR race.

Wikipedia  Photo: Dale Earnhardt Jr. on pit road, as his team completes a pit stop during the 2008 Dodge Challenger 500


September 4th, 1956

IBM RAMAC 305 is introduced, the first commercial computer to use magnetic disk storage

IBM RAMAC 305 is introduced, the first commercial computer to use magnetic disk storage.

Wikipedia  Photo: IBM RAMAC 305, IBM Archives


September 4th, 1972

Mark Spitz becomes the first competitor to win seven medals at a single Olympic Games

Mark Spitz becomes the first competitor to win seven medals at a single Olympic Games.

Wikipedia  Picture: Mark Spitz with seven medals, © Terry O’Neil


September 4th, 2011

Mexico’s Drug War

War on Drugs:
2011 - Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) attack a military base in Guaviare, starting three weeks of guerrilla warfare.

Wikipedia  Photo Mexico's Drug War ● U.S. - Mexico border fence between Yuma, Arizona and Calexico, California (David McNew, Getty Images) ● Seized ammunition in Mexico city's airport on March 12, 2009 (Jorge Dan, Reuters) ● Yaneth Deyinara Garcia (center) and Sigifrido Najera (2nd from left), members of the drug Organization "Cardenas Guillen", are presented to the press at the headquarters of the Defense Secretary in Mexico City on March 20, 2009. (Luis Acosta, AFP/Getty Images) ● Federal police officers sit aboard an aircraft while flying to the border city Ciudad Juarez in Mexico, Monday, March 2, 2009. (Miguel Tovar, AP) ● Bodies awaiting autopsies crowd a walk-in refrigerator at the morgue in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Feb. 18, 2009 (Eduardo Verdugo, AP) source: Boston Globe, The Big Picture