1776: Gen. George Washington loses the Battle of Long Island. In what is now Brooklyn. And this is why, 225+ years later, people are so fast to point out that Brooklyn is not part of Long Island. Even though they’re on the same island. Which is long.
1828: Uruguay is formally proclaimed independent at preliminary peace talks brokered by Great Britain between Brazil and Argentina. Great Britain immediately forgets where Uruguay is and never speaks of it again.
1896: The shortest war in world history occurs between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar. From 9 to 9:45 a.m. Take THAT, Six-Day War.
1962: The Mariner 2 unmanned space mission is launched to Venus by NASA. Imagine if it had been manned. I so would have loved to have been on that mission. You know, if I’d been born yet.
2007: Reports first surface that Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, had been arrested in an investigation of lewd conduct in a Minneapolis airport restroom. The legend of the “wide stance” for peeing begins.
