Sometimes you find yourself in a situation that you just feel you have to get out of. The sailors on the HMS Bounty, after carousing with the native girls on Tahiti, just couldn't stand any more naval discipline, even though there is no indication that Lieutenant Bligh was any more of a martinet on this leg of the trip. So they grabbed him out of bed and put him in the ship's launch. Mussolini had clearly lost all his friends in Italy, and the Germans had lost control and were heading for the border, so Il Duce grabbed his girl and a German uniform and went along for the ride. He was recognized. Finito Benito. For those who wonder about hurtling through the air in a metal tube, a parachute can be a comfort when that quick escape is needed. Although a parachute was used once by a German pilot, today marks the first intentional exit from an airplane at altitude. And the British left Libya in a hurry, at least twice, one of which is celebrated in Libya today.
Some situations, on the other hand, are too comfortable to want to escape. Charles Cotton lived well writing burlesque and poetry, what passed for mild porn in 17th century England. (I read some, bad and boring seem to fit better than bawdy.) He ended up doing a lot of fishing and writing about it. John Jacob Niles made a career out of Appalachian folk songs, tramping through the hills listening to locals singing on the porch and writing it down. It's a fine thing he did - like Ralph Vaughan Williams in the British Isles he found abundant musical treasures that would otherwise never have attracted a publisher.
1789 - Lietenant William Bligh, commanding HMS Bounty, was charged with carrying breadplant starts to Caribbean islands where they were expected to provide food for slaves. Masters Mate Fletcher Christian and twelve crewmembers disagreed with his management style (they had been partying on Tahiti, naval life no longer suited them), and mutinied on this day, setting Bligh and his officers adrift in the ship's launch. Bligh survived the 3,618 mile trip and eventually became an admiral. We got 2,000 articles and books, five major motion pictures.
1919 - Leslie Irvin, co-developer of a back pack parachute, jumped from a de Haviland biplane at 1,500 feet. The 28-foot diameter canopy was fully open at 1,000 feet. Although at least one German fighter pilot used a parachute after his Fokker was shot down at the end of the war, this was the first intentional parachute jump from an airplane. It took until 1922 for the US Army Air Corp to make parachute use mandatory.
1945 - As Axis control of Italy collapsed, Benito Mussolini attempted to escape into Austria disguised as a German soldier. He was recognized, taken with his mistress from the truck he was riding in, and shot. The bodies were then taken to the Piazza Loreto in Milan and hung. Upside down.
Evacuation Day (British), Libya - All calendar resources seem to agree on the title and date. Also, Libya celebrates two other Evacuation Days, Italian on 7 October and US on 11 June, but I can't tell whether the British Evacuation in question was 1951 or 1969. Libya was occupied a lot this century.
1630 - Charles Cotton, British writer, translator, fisherman - Born to wealth, lived beyond it. Well educated, he translated Montaigne into English in an accessible style. Made most of his income from writing burlesque and (bad) poetry. Spent much time fishing with Izaac Walton, wrote part of The Compleat Angler (the fly-fishing part), followed with his own The Compleat Gamester. Died 16 February 1687.
1758 - James Monroe, US lawyer, diplomat, politician - Born in Virginia, educated at William and Mary College, fought in Continental Army, practiced law in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Elected US Senator, US Minister to France 1794 - 1796, negotiated (with Robert Livingston) Louisiana Purchase. 18th US President 1817 - 1824, appointed strong cabinet, Missouri Compromise was reached in first term, strong stance opposing European colonial efforts in western hemisphere in second term - known as Monroe Doctrine, but only 20 years after his death on 4 July 1831.
1892 - John Jacob Niles, US musician - Born in Louisville, Kentucky, injured in service (WW I), he was allowed the musical education he was denied in his youth. Traveled the Appalachian back country collecting folk songs, publishing, and performing. The Christmas song "I Wonder As I Wander" and the Dylan-popularized "Go Way From My Window" should be familiar. Died 1 May 1980.
Life is a game with many rules but no referee. One learns how to play
it more by watching it than by consulting any book, including the holy
book. Small wonder, then, that so many play dirty, that so few win, that
so many lose.
- Joseph Brodsky
A sample of the country does the city good; a sample of the city does
the country good.
- Joseph Roux
Country music is three chords and the truth.
- Harlan Howard
The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the
subjected people to carry arms, history shows that all conquerors who
have allowed their subjected peoples to carry arms have prepared their
own fall.
- Adolf Hitler
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