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Milestones

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The great cannon Dvaravati (which moonlighted as the guardian spirit of the city of Ayutthaya) having refused to fire at the enemy, on 7 April 1767, 250 years ago, the Burmese army stormed the Siamese capital and put the city to the sack and to the torch, destroying innumerable cultural and religious objects and human lives, as well as providing the royal court at home with a great number of err female entertainers.

With Burma facing another war with China, the occupation proved short-lived; we still have Siam/Thailand... with its female entertainers.
 
Today (April 7) is National Beer Day in the US.
This is not just a frivolous holiday either. It celebrates the 1933 signing of the Cullen-Harrison Act by President Roosevelt. The act, which allowed the selling of low alcohol (3.2%) beer and wine, was the first rack in the wall of Prohibition, which would be ended the following December. After signing the bill, FDR commented: "I think this would be a good time for a beer."
So, hoist one - or more - and celebrate like it's 1933.
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On 8 April 217, 1800 years ago, a tourist on his way to see a temple of the moon-good at Carrhae (now Harran in Turkey) was killed by one of his travelling companions while answering nature's call.

Things like that still happen all the time in the Middle East, yet on that day the victim was Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus Pius Felix Augustus Parthicus Maximus Britannicus Maximus Germanicus Maximus, Pontifex Maximus, Pater Patriae, better known to us as Caracalla, on a break from leading the Roman army against Parthia.

The uncouth martinet Severan is best known nowadays for killing his brother in the arms of his mother, granting Roman citizenship to almost all free inhabitants of the Empire, desecrating the graves of Parthian kings and being a dick to the Senate and Roman people (especially the people of Alexandria, where he ordered a massacre just for kicks). Pretty much the only social group Caracalla cared for was the army, and yet it was one of his bodyguards who assassinated the Emperor, allegedly at the behest of one of the Praetorian Prefects.

That Prefect, Macrinus, became the first equestrian Emperor of Rome (after the senior Prefect declined the honour on account of advanced age -- and the understandable desire of doing Nos. 1 and 2 in peace, I guess) a few days later when the army decided it needed someone empurpled. The love of the Senate for Macrinus can be best gauged from the accounts of senators and their friends where he is presented (in various combinations) as a Mauretanian, an earring-wearer, a male prostitute, and a gladiator. One can guess Marcinus did not end well ...
 
He is also remembered around my way
for giving up on his dad's ill-advised attempt to conquer the lands north of Hadrian's Wall -
like proud Edward 1100 years later, we sent him hameward tae think again

smiley-flag006.gif
 
April 8, 1974: Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715 Major League home run, breaking the record set by Babe Ruth in 1935.
During the 73-74 off season, Aaron received numerous death threats from people who did not want to see a black man break the record. Lewis Grizzard, then sports editor of the Atlanta Journal, secretly wrote a obituary in case Aaron was murdered. There was also an outpouring of support and condemnation of the racism, including from Ruth's widow who said that, if he were still alive, The Babe would be cheering for Aaron.
In the bottom of the 4th inning, in front of a crowd of 53,775 in Atlanta Stadium, Aaron hit the record breaking homer off LA Dodgers pitcher Al Downing.
Aaron would end his career with 755 home runs, a record that stood until 2007 when it was broken by Barry Bonds.
Aaron holds the record for most RBIs (2,297), extra base hits (1,477) and total bases (6,853). He is second in home runs and at bats (12,364) and third in most games played (3,298). He still resides in Atlanta at the age of 83.
Ironically, Babe Ruth ended his career in 1935 playing for the Boston Braves, who moved to Milwaukee in 1953, where Aaron joined them in 1954. the team moved to Atlanta in 1965.
 
Naraku said:
April 8, 1974: Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715 Major League home run, breaking the record set by Babe Ruth in 1935.
During the 73-74 off season, Aaron received numerous death threats from people who did not want to see a black man break the record. Lewis Grizzard, then sports editor of the Atlanta Journal, secretly wrote a obituary in case Aaron was murdered. There was also an outpouring of support and condemnation of the racism, including from Ruth's widow who said that, if he were still alive, The Babe would be cheering for Aaron.
In the bottom of the 4th inning, in front of a crowd of 53,775 in Atlanta Stadium, Aaron hit the record breaking homer off LA Dodgers pitcher Al Downing.
Aaron would end his career with 755 home runs, a record that stood until 2007 when it was broken by Barry Bonds.
Aaron holds the record for most RBIs (2,297), extra base hits (1,477) and total bases (6,853). He is second in home runs and at bats (12,364) and third in most games played (3,298). He still resides in Atlanta at the age of 83.
Ironically, Babe Ruth ended his career in 1935 playing for the Boston Braves, who moved to Milwaukee in 1953, where Aaron joined them in 1954. the team moved to Atlanta in 1965.
Click to expand...

And he did it without pharmaceutical assistance so far as we know.
 
Naraku said:
April 8, 1974: Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hit his 715 Major League home run, breaking the record set by Babe Ruth in 1935.
During the 73-74 off season, Aaron received numerous death threats from people who did not want to see a black man break the record. Lewis Grizzard, then sports editor of the Atlanta Journal, secretly wrote a obituary in case Aaron was murdered. There was also an outpouring of support and condemnation of the racism, including from Ruth's widow who said that, if he were still alive, The Babe would be cheering for Aaron.
In the bottom of the 4th inning, in front of a crowd of 53,775 in Atlanta Stadium, Aaron hit the record breaking homer off LA Dodgers pitcher Al Downing.
Aaron would end his career with 755 home runs, a record that stood until 2007 when it was broken by Barry Bonds.
Aaron holds the record for most RBIs (2,297), extra base hits (1,477) and total bases (6,853). He is second in home runs and at bats (12,364) and third in most games played (3,298). He still resides in Atlanta at the age of 83.
Ironically, Babe Ruth ended his career in 1935 playing for the Boston Braves, who moved to Milwaukee in 1953, where Aaron joined them in 1954. the team moved to Atlanta in 1965.
Click to expand...
I was at the game when Mark McGuire hit 69th home run. Yeah he took PEDs but none illegal at the time. His home runs were often into the upper deck at Busch Stadium II. If there wasn't stands there they would have been 1000+ foot bombs. Strength helps there but I believe they would have been homeruns anyway.

Look at the picture of him drilling #70.

a mac.jpg

His eyes were on the ball and the catcher has no idea where the ball is (GONE!!!)

He knew how to bat.

Isn't cortisone shots that lets an athlete 'play through pain' a PED? Without it they could not play!!!
 
thehangingtree said:
I was at the game when Mark McGuire hit 69th home run. Yeah he took PEDs but none illegal at the time. His home runs were often into the upper deck at Busch Stadium II. If there wasn't stands there they would have been 1000+ foot bombs. Strength helps there but I believe they would have been homeruns anyway.

Look at the picture of him drilling #70.

View attachment 487525

His eyes were on the ball and the catcher has no idea where the ball is (GONE!!!)

He knew how to bat.

Isn't cortisone shots that lets an athlete 'play through pain' a PED? Without it they could not play!!!
Click to expand...

The Babe had ... beer ... whiskey ... babes and hotdogs.

Seems fair to me! :)

:confused:
 
LittleSiss said:
The Babe had ... beer ... whiskey ... babes and hotdogs.

Seems fair to me! :)

:confused:
Click to expand...
...and smaller ballparks, and faced pitchers with higher mounds and who-knows-what greased on the baseball (He pitched a lot too), and 'beaning' a batter was fair game. The game has stayed the same no matter how much it has changed.
berra.jpg
The Babe is right up there with Barb and Siss...
 
thehangingtree said:
...and smaller ballparks, and faced pitchers with higher mounds and who-knows-what greased on the baseball (He pitched a lot too), and 'beaning' a batter was fair game. The game has stayed the same no matter how much it has changed.
View attachment 487546
The Babe is right up there with Barb and Siss...
Click to expand...

But you need to remember ...

A Nickel ain't worth a Dime, anymore! :p
 
Just to recall Terry Fox who despite an ongoing battle with cancer that had already cost him a leg, launched on his Marathon of Hope to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Although the pernicious disease would thwart his ambition to reach the Pacific from a starting point in Newfoundland his legacy continues in the Terry Fox Run and the legend which inspires a nation and beyond.
 
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