This day in history...

More USMC lore related to Derne. In recognition of the victory, Prince Hamet of Libya presented 1Lt. Presley O'Bannon with a type of sabre called a Mameluke. The corps later commissioned a copy of the Mameluke to be worn by all officers, a ceremonial version of the sword is still a standard part of the officer's dress uniform today.

 

On February 17, 1801, Thomas Jefferson is sworn in as the third President of the United States. Jefferson won a hotly-contested election that followed an ugly campaign, ending in the House of Representatives being called to break an electoral vote tie between Jefferson and Aaron Burr (Alexander Hamilton's lobbying for Jefferson over Burr would spark the famous duel that ended with Burr killing Hamilton). Nevertheless, the inauguration of Jefferson - a Democratic-Republican - following 12 years of Federalists George Washington and John Adams, is seen as the first "peaceful transition of power" envisioned by the Founding Fathers. While Jefferson's reputation has been tarnished in the 21st century by his status as a slaveowner, he is perhaps the most brilliant man to ever hold the office, so much so that at a 1962 gathering of Nobel laureates, President John Kennedy remarked, "I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered together at the White House, with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."


On February 17, 1904, Giacomo Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly premieres at La Scala in Milan, Italy. Considered Puccini's master work, it nevertheless follows a similar theme to most of his previous work, focusing on a jilted lover who is eventually destroyed by the pain of lost love. In this version, an American sailor marries and later abandons a Japanese geisha. Perhaps because it is a retread story, Madame Butterfly was so badly received by the premiere audience that Puccini closed it before a second performance. Four months of rewrites produced the masterpiece known today.


On February 17, 1966, the Beach Boys enter Gold Star Studios in L.A. to begin recording "Good Vibrations." Written and produced by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Mike Love, the song would go to number 1 on the Billboard Top 40 chart and receive a Grammy nomination. It has a far different feel from the Beach Boys' "surf, girls, and hot rods" formula, but its the production itself that sets "Good Vibrations" apart. At a time when most hit songs were recorded in a single day, "Good Vibrations" took 12 recording sessions in 4 different studios over 8 months, with reportedly more than 90 hours of music put to tape. Production costs reportedly exceeded $50,000 (around a half million in today's dollars), making it the most expensive song recorded up to that time, though Wilson would later say it only cost half that. In 2004, Rolling Stone placed the song at number 6 on its list of The Greatest Rock and Roll Songs of All Time.

 

On February 18, 1970, a federal jury acquits the Chicago Seven of conspiracy charges related to anti-war and countercultural riots that occurred during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Five of the seven; Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, David Dellenger, Tom Hayden and Rennie Davis, were convicted on charges of crossing state lines with intent to incite a riot (an 8th "conspirator", Bobby Seale, was freed on a mistrial ruling). The seven defendants and their attorneys also incurred more than 150 contempt of court charges during the tumultuous trial. All charges except a handful of the contempt rulings would later be reversed on appeal.


On February 18, 1979, CBS television network airs a NASCAR race live from start to finish for the first time. Previous TV coverage of NASCAR had consisted only of partial race coverage on ABC's Wide World of Sports program, but their ratings were strong enough that CBS decided to gamble, contracting with NASCAR to televise the Daytona 500. The gamble paid off in spades; viewers saw popular driver Richard Petty win his record-setting 6th Daytona, taking the lead on the last lap when leaders Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison collided and took each other out on the backstretch. And then it got better; as Petty took a victory lap, the cameras cut back to the scene of the crash, where Yarborough, Allison and his brother (and fellow racer) Bobby had exited their cars and were engaged in a full-on pier 6'er. The telecast gave NASCAR its first jolt of nationwide popularity.


February 18, 1930 is a banner day in the history of animal science. As part of the International Air Exposition that year, "Elm Farm Ollie," a Guernsey cow of some note in dairy circles, is flown on a Ford Trimotor transport 72 miles from her home farm in Bismarck, MO to the expo site in St. Louis. As if that first (a flying cow) isn't enough, Ollie becomes the first cow to be milked in-flight, producing an incredible 24 quarts en route. The milk was sealed in paper cartons as it was produced, and passengers dropped the cartons with small parachutes to the crowd below (legend has it Charles Lindbergh was among those who sampled the aeromilk). The purpose was ostensibly to observe the effects of flying on usually earth-bound animals. Elsworth Bunce, a Madison, WI resident and member of the American Guernsey Cattle Club, was chosen to perform the milking. To this day, there is a small "Elm Farm Ollie Fan Club" in Madison that still commemorates the event on its anniversary. (painting of Ollie, also called "Flying Nellie")

 

Sometimes I don't get around to posting on weekends. I don't know why, but this song popped in my head today, and when I looked it up, couldn't believe February 19 was significant, so I'll post a day early:

On February 19, 1973, pop song "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" by Tony Orlando and Dawn is released. It would be the best selling record of the year in both the U.S. and U.K. and reach number one on the pop charts in 8 countries. A sappy tune that symbolizes the "bubble gum music" of the era, "Tie a Yellow Ribbon" may arguably be the most influential pop song of all time. Possibly inspired by the 19th century practice of American cavalry wives wearing yellow ribbons to show their devotion to their husbands, the lyrics are written in first person, told by a man on a bus ride home after his release from prison. He has written his wife, asking that she let him know whether he'll be welcome to return by tying a yellow ribbon, etc. The first two verses express his anxiety over what he'll find, the final verse, his joy at seeing "a hundred yellow ribbons round the ole oak tree." In 1981, Americans spontaneously grabbed hold of the yellow ribbon theme to welcome home the Iranian embassy hostages on their release. Since then, the yellow ribbon has widely become a symbol of welcome home for troops returning from overseas. The argument could also be made that it inspired the wearing of colored ribbon for "cause" awareness; red ribbons against drunk driving, pink against breast cancer, etc.

 

On February 21, 1944, Japanese prime minister Hideki Tojo appoints himself chief of staff of the Army. Tojo served as a military attache to Germany between the wars and was instrumental in finalizing Japan's alliance - the Tripartate Pact - with Germany and Italy. Appointed war minister in 1940, he quickly clashed with then-prime minister Prince Konoye, an advocate for peace. Konoye would soon resign over the feud, and Tojo was named prime minister, launching a virtual dictatorship. He was convicted by a war crimes tribunal after the war and hanged in 1948.

 

Today, February 21, 2022, the final episode of Arthur aired on PBS. With a 25-year run, Arthur is the longest running animated show for children in television history. The series was based on the "Arthur" children's book series by Marc Brown. Watching Arthur over breakfast with our son before school was a tradition for quite a few years.