On this day:
618
Li Yuan becomes Emperor Gaozu of Tang, initiating three centuries of Tang Dynasty rule over China.
1178
Five Canterbury monks see what is possibly the Giordano Bruno crater being formed. It is believed that the current oscillations of the Moon’s distance from the Earth (on the order of meters) are a result of this collision.
1429
French forces under the leadership of Joan of Arc defeat the main English army under Sir John Fastolf at the Battle of Patay. This turns the tide of the Hundred Years’ War.
1815
Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Waterloo results in the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte by the Duke of Wellington and Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher forcing him to abdicate the throne of France for the second and last time.
1830
French invasion of Algeria
1858
Charles Darwin receives a paper from Alfred Russel Wallace that includes nearly identical conclusions about evolution as Darwin’s own, prompting Darwin to publish his theory.
1994
The Troubles: the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) open fire inside a pub in Loughinisland, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, killing six civilians and wounding five.
Li Yuan becomes Emperor Gaozu of Tang, initiating three centuries of Tang Dynasty rule over China.
1178
Five Canterbury monks see what is possibly the Giordano Bruno crater being formed. It is believed that the current oscillations of the Moon’s distance from the Earth (on the order of meters) are a result of this collision.
1429
French forces under the leadership of Joan of Arc defeat the main English army under Sir John Fastolf at the Battle of Patay. This turns the tide of the Hundred Years’ War.
1815
Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Waterloo results in the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte by the Duke of Wellington and Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher forcing him to abdicate the throne of France for the second and last time.
1830
French invasion of Algeria
1858
Charles Darwin receives a paper from Alfred Russel Wallace that includes nearly identical conclusions about evolution as Darwin’s own, prompting Darwin to publish his theory.
1994
The Troubles: the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) open fire inside a pub in Loughinisland, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, killing six civilians and wounding five.
Altman says Meta is offering $100 million signing bonuses, plus substantial annual compensation, to attract AI researchers.
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The leader of Iran is 86.
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Israel and Iran are bombing the devil out of each other, but neither has declared war. Why is that?
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Is there scientific evidence of dye toxicity, or is this just another fad?
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Rep. Omar, an immigrant from Somalia, believes the U.S. has become "one of the worst countries in the world."
History weighs heavily on us. Theories abound. History is fulfilling itself, creating an inevitable future. We are psychologically prone to the same motives and emotions that have made the past, so the future will resemble it. Traditions mold us; institutions contain us.
We may be too young a country to exhibit this phenomenon, but Europe is very good at it. They have wars that last for decades, sometimes even centuries. They even reuse battlegrounds in addition to claims. Conservation. Despite this, not much has changed. Animosities, hatred, homicidal philosophies, and men are chewed to a pulp--and it starts again.
Rep. Omar, an immigrant from Somalia, believes the U.S. has become "one of the worst countries in the world."
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History and Its Discontents
History weighs heavily on us. Theories abound. History is fulfilling itself, creating an inevitable future. We are psychologically prone to the same motives and emotions that have made the past, so the future will resemble it. Traditions mold us; institutions contain us.
We may be too young a country to exhibit this phenomenon, but Europe is very good at it. They have wars that last for decades, sometimes even centuries. They even reuse battlegrounds in addition to claims. Conservation. Despite this, not much has changed. Animosities, hatred, homicidal philosophies, and men are chewed to a pulp--and it starts again.
When this land was discovered, it was pristine. No wheel, no horse, some metal jewelry, little agriculture. The Europeans brought the things they could carry. They did not bring their enemies, only the memories of them.
The Europeans struggled with the hostile environment, against an unfortunate Stone Age people, against their memories, and created a government out of the best of European thought. Contemplative. Based on the limits of rule, the best of man and what he could achieve when he was not suppressed for the advantage of others. A new start for the world.
As America has developed, it has had problems. It became an agricultural power, fought a war with itself to finish its vision, and struggled through the nascent industrial period. Throughout its growth, it has endured a lingering curse: some people who come here cannot embrace the future. They cannot escape their history.
Their memory created ghosts they think must be fought. Ethnicities battled in the cities over problems thousands of miles--and often years--away. Embittered European anarchists moved here and remained embittered despite not having an oligarchic enemy. When America entered the world community, some Americans took international positions based on their family origins. German-Americans joined isolationists in opposition to joining the European war. Israel created several opposition alliances. The homicidal caste vision of the homicidal Marxists has morphed like a malignant pest into CRT.
None of these problems is native to the nation. They are imported, like a new competitive fish species dumped in the ballast of ocean-going vessels that destabilize port environments. Furious Arab students might have an argument about Israel (although, to my mind, it is three generations too late). But it is not an argument for the New York streets. It is an argument for the Europeans and the Middle East. Our concern with the Middle East is shipping safety. And preventing nuclear insanity. The students involved might bring wonderful talent to the nation, but these angers are simply dislocated and should be repatriated.
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