Today in History

[Peter1469]

Led by Bolshevik Party leader Vladimir Lenin, leftist revolutionaries launch a nearly bloodless coup d’État against Russia’s ineffectual Provisional Government. The Bolsheviks and their allies occupied government buildings and other strategic locations in the Russian capital of Petrograd (now St. Petersburg) and within two days had formed a new government with Lenin as its head. Bolshevik Russia, later renamed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), was the world’s first Marxist state.

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Lenin became the virtual dictator of the first Marxist state in the world. His government made peace with Germany, nationalized industry, and distributed land, but beginning in 1918 had to fight a devastating civil war against czarist forces. In 1920, the czarists were defeated, and in 1922 the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was established. Upon Lenin’s death, in early 1924, his body was embalmed and placed in a mausoleum near the Moscow Kremlin. Petrograd was renamed Leningrad in his honor. After a struggle for succession, fellow revolutionary Joseph Stalin succeeded Lenin as leader of the Soviet Union.

[Peter1469]

Nov 12, 1954
Ellis Island closes. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-hist ... 40f2003ab8

My family came through Ellis Island. I had the privilege of seeing the stones with the names carved into them and I think I identified my kin- my surname is popular in Germany / Prussia.

After using Ancestry dot com, I am confident that the name I identified on Ellis Island was the correct one.

Anyway, immigration back in the late 1800s was no joke. Any number of medical issues would have a person back on a boat heading to Europe.

If anyone is in the NYC area I highly recommend a tour of the island. Then think about our immigration debate today.....
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On this day in 1954, Ellis Island, the gateway to America, shuts it doors after processing more than 12 million immigrants since opening in 1892. Today, an estimated 40 percent of all Americans can trace their roots through Ellis Island, located in New York Harbor off the New Jersey coast and named for merchant Samuel Ellis, who owned the land in the 1770s.

On January 2, 1892, 15-year-old Annie Moore, from Ireland, became the first person to pass through the newly opened Ellis Island, which President Benjamin Harrison designated as America’s first federal immigration center in 1890. Before that time, the processing of immigrants had been handled by individual states.

[MisterD]

[Peter1469]

My family was from Germany- Prussia specifically. I found lots of records with Prussia listed as the residence prior to coming here.

[Peter1469]

Made famous by Mel Gibson in We Were Soldiers Once - the battle was the first major engagement with the North Vietnamese. It was a validation of the new Air Assault concept.

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On this morning, Lt. Col. Harold G. Moore’s 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry conducted a heliborne assault into Landing Zone X-Ray near the Chu Pong hills. Around noon, the North Vietnamese 33rd Regiment attacked the U.S. troopers. The fight continued all day and into the night. American soldiers received support from nearby artillery units and tactical air strikes. The next morning, the North Vietnamese 66th Regiment joined the attack against the U.S. unit. The fighting was bitter, but the tactical air strikes and artillery support took their toll on the enemy and enabled the 1st Cavalry troopers to hold on against repeated assaults.

At around noon, two reinforcing companies arrived and Colonel Moore put them to good use to assist his beleaguered soldiers. By the third day of the battle, the Americans had gained the upper hand. The three-day battle resulted in 834 North Vietnamese soldiers confirmed killed, and another 1,000 communist casualties were assumed.

[MisterD]

I can't imagine what it would be like to have so much of a firepower disadvantage.

[Peter1469]

[valleyranch]

Remember Madam Nhu? The government and the peaceful people was the reason we should have been there. Once we abandon that, our reason for being there was less clear. Where was the government, who were the people we were fighting for. Like we were there just to fight the Communist Bastards.
Then the Communist Party that showed great organization beat us right here at home.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfXlmozdepE




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfXlmozdepE

[Peter1469]

November 15, 1891



He was a well respected officer and leader. He knew about an assassination attempt against Hitler was was told to kill himself or stand trial.

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After the outbreak of World War II in 1939, Rommel was appointed to command the Seventh Panzer Division in the invasion of France. Though he had little experience with armored warfare, he immediately grasped its potential and played a leading role in Germany’s triumphant drive across France in May and June 1940.

In February 1941, German leader Adolf Hitler appointed Rommel to lead the German divisions dispatched to Libya to stiffen the all-but-defeated Italian forces there. The British commanders in North Africa were no match for Rommel, and by May he had won back nearly all the territory lost by the Italians during the Allies’ winter drive. To the Allies and Axis alike, Rommel became known as the Desert Fox for his elegant deceptions and audacious surprise attacks. Hitler promoted him to field marshal.

[MisterD]