MetaChat is an informal place for MeFites to touch base and post, discuss and
chatter about topics that may not belong on MetaFilter. Questions? Check the FAQ. Please note: This is important.
George Washington created the "Purple Heart," decoration medal, 1782
The United States War Department was established by Congress, with Henry Knox as the first secretary of war, 1789
United States troops landed on Guadalcanal during WWII, 1942
The United States entered the Vietnam War, authorized by the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, 1964
United States troops sent to the Persian Gulf, 1990
and of course the US dropped two little bombs on Japan on either side of my birthday. Not looking good here.
As well as Cal Ripken breaking Lou Gehrig's streak of consecutive baseball games (mentioned in the other thread, and VERY important) we have:
Pilgrims sailing from England on the Mayflower
Jimi Hendrix's last performance
the last Tasmanian Wolf dying in Australia
and last year, California legalising same-sex marriage
> 1954 - In Sylacauga, Alabama, United States, an 8.5 pound sulfide meteorite crashes through a roof and hits Mrs. Elizabeth Hodges in her living room after bouncing off her radio, giving her a bad bruise, in the only unequivocally known case of a human being hit by a space rock.
2005 - The first partial human face transplant is completed.
Georgia O'Keefe, the artist who gained worldwide fame for her austere minimalist paintings paintings of vaginas of the American southwest, dies in Santa Fe at the age of 98.
You can also just add your birthdate after wikipedia.org/ like this to get a list of events, births and deaths.
Oooh baby, KISS released their first album! I was born for lovin' you apparently (actually, I was born in '70 but ATM KISS are so much more exciting than the Chicago 8).
Ho Chi Minh got worked up about the French.
The US invaded Panama.
Sunny von Bulow was found in a coma.
The French gave up New Orleans to the U.S.
The largest underground fire: the Summit Tunnel Fire in the Pennines.
South Carolina secedes.
Trent Lott resigns.
John Steinbeck dies.
So, uh, lots of colonialsm. Some death. And we get rid of Trent Lott.
For the record, I officially entered this world about 12 hours before James Dean left it, and two weeks ago moved to a location within 50 miles of the accident. And nobody around here to whom I've had to show my driver's license have noticed the birthdate (but then, my DL# does have three 6's in a row,and that draws a lot of attention).
Pearl had a little issue in her Harbor.
Delaware drew the short straw and became the first state.
Apollo 17 launched as my mother went into labor. Et cetera.