1128 - On this week in 1128, Pope Honorius II granted a papal sanction to the military order known as the Knights Templar. The Knights Templar organization was founded in 1118 with the mission to protect Christian pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land during the Crusades. The Templars took their name from the location of their headquarters, at Jerusalem's Temple Mount. For a while, the Templars had only nine members, mostly due to their rigid rules. In addition to having noble birth, the knights were required to take strict vows of poverty, obedience and chastity, vows that were about as popular in the 12th century as they are now. In 1127, new promotional efforts convinced many more noblemen to join the order, gradually increasing its size and influence.
While the individual knights were not allowed to own property, there was no such restriction on the organization as a whole, and over the years many rich Christians gave gifts of land and other valuables to support the Knights Templar. By the time the Crusades ended in the early 14th century, the order had grown extremely wealthy, provoking the jealousy of both religious and secular powers. In 1307, King Philip IV of France conspired to destroy the Knights, compelling Pope Clement V to assist in his scheme. Philip arrested the grand master, Jacques de Molay, on charges of heresy, sacrilege and Satanism. Under torture, Molay and other leading Templars confessed and were eventually burned at the stake. Clement dissolved the Templars in 1312, assigning their property and monetary assets to a rival order, the Knights Hospitalers. In fact, though, Philip and his English counterpart, King Edward II, claimed most of the wealth after banning the organization from their respective countries.
The modern-day Catholic Church has admitted that the persecution of the Knights Templar was unjustified and noted that Pope Clement was pressured by secular rulers to dissolve the order. Over the centuries, myths and legends about the Templars have grown, including the belief that they may have discovered holy relics at the Temple Mount, including the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant or parts of the cross from Christ's crucifixion. There are few conspiracy theories and fantasies promulgated since the 1300s, most famously in modern times The Da Vinci Code, that don’t somehow involve the Knights Templar.
1842 – On this week in 1842, a British army doctor reached the sentry post at Jalalabad, Afghanistan, the lone survivor of a 16,000-strong Anglo-Indian army that was massacred in its retreat from Kabul. He told of a terrible massacre in the Khyber Pass, in which the Afghans gave the defeated Anglo-Indian force and their camp followers no quarter.
In the 19th century, Britain, with a goal of protecting its Indian colonial holdings from Russia, tried to establish authority in Afghanistan by replacing one Afghan ruler with another known to be sympathetic to the British. This British interference in Afghanistan's internal affairs triggered the outbreak of the first Anglo-Afghan War in 1839. The ousted Afghan ruler surrendered to British forces in 1840 after the Anglo-Indian army had captured Kabul. However, after an Afghan revolt in Kabul the British had no choice but to withdraw. The withdrawal began on January 6, 1842, but bad weather delayed the army's progress. The column was attacked by swarms of Afghans, and those who were not killed outright in the attack were later massacred by the Afghan soldiers. A total of 4,500 soldiers and 12,000 camp followers were killed. Only one man, Dr. William Bryden, escaped to recount the details of the military disaster.
In retaliation, another British force invaded Kabul in 1843, burning a portion of the city. In the same year, the war came to an end, and in 1857 the Afghan leader signed an alliance with the British. In 1878, the Second Anglo-Afghan War began, which ended two years later with Britain winning control of Afghanistan's foreign affairs. So, the 19th century was a bit rough for Afghanistan, and the 20th c wasn’t great either, and the 21st isn’t terribly promising so far. It’s strange that Afghanistan, which has so few natural resources, so little fertile land even – to be honest, much of the country is a rather barren wasteland – should be fought over by so many great powers, going at least as far back as Alexander and the Greeks. It’s a nice illustration of the dictum: geography is destiny – Afghanistan sits at the crossroads between Persia, India, and the former Soviet Union, so more powerful countries have always coveted it as a way to get to somewhere better.
1865 – On this week in 1865, Fort Fisher, North Carolina fell to Union forces, and Wilmington, the Confederacy's most important blockade-running port, was closed.
When President Abraham Lincoln declared a blockade of Southern ports in 1861, Confederate engineers began construction on a fortress at the mouth of New Inlet, which provided access to Wilmington. Fort Fisher was constructed of timber and sand, and posed a formidable challenge for the Yankees. The walls were more than 20 feet high and bristled with large cannon. Land mines and palisades made from sharpened logs created even more obstacles for potential attackers.
Union leadership did not make Fort Fisher a high priority until the last year of the war. After the Federals closed Mobile Bay in August 1864, attention turned to shutting down Wilmington, the South’s last remaining port. Union ships moved into place in December 1864 and began a massive bombardment on Christmas Eve. The next day, a small force failed to capture the fort, but the attempt was renewed in January. On January 13, a three-day bombardment began. On the third day, some 9,000 Yankee infantry hit the beach and attacked Fort Fisher. The Confederates could not repulse the attack.
The damage was heavy on both sides: the Union suffered more than 900 Army casualties and 380 Navy casualties, and the Confederates suffered 500 killed or wounded and over 1,000 captured. After the loss of this last major Confederate port, it was only three months before the war concluded.
1968 – On this week in 1968, country musician Johnny Cash recorded a live concert at Folsom Prison in California. Cash first took interest in Folsom State Prison while serving in the U.S. Air Force Security Service. In 1953, his unit watched Crane Wilbur’s film. The movie inspired Cash to write "Folom Prison Blues", his second single on Sun Records. After its release, the song became popular among inmates, who would sometimes write to Cash, requesting him to perform at their prisons. Cash first answered one of the letters by performing at Huntsville State Prison in 1957. He then performed at several other prisons, including Folsom in 1966. By 1968, Cash had recently controlled his drug abuse problems, and was looking to turn his career around after several years of limited commercial success, so, he returned to Folsom Prison. One interesting anecdote about the album – during preparation for the concert, Cash and his band met then-California governor Ronald Reagan, who offered Cash his encouragement. The album, At Folsom Prison was a hit in the United States, reaching number one on the country charts and the top 15 of the national album chart.
1970 - The Republic of Biafra, a breakaway state of eastern Nigeria, surrendered to Nigeria after three years of horrifically brutal fighting.
In 1960, Nigeria gained independence from Britain. Six years later, Muslims in northern Nigeria began massacring members of a tribe of Christians in the region known as the Igbo, prompting tens of thousands of Igbos to flee to the east, where their people were the dominant ethnic group. The Igbos doubted that Nigeria's oppressive military government would allow them to prosper, or even survive, so on May 30, 1967, they and several neighboring groups established the Republic of Biafra, comprising several states of Nigeria.
After diplomatic efforts by Nigeria failed to reunite the country, war between Nigeria and Biafra broke out in July 1967. Biafra’s forces made some initial advances, but Nigeria's superior military might gradually reduced Biafran territory. The state lost its oil fields--its main source of revenue--and without the funds to import food, an estimated one million of its civilians died as a result of severe malnutrition. On January 11, Nigerian forces captured the provincial capital of Owerri, one of the last Biafran strongholds, and four days later, Biafra surrendered to Nigeria.
1982 - An Air Florida Boeing 727 plunged into the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., killing 78 people. The crash, caused by bad weather, took place only two miles from the White House.
The Air Florida flight took off from Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, with 74 passengers and 5 crew members on board. The plane had flown into Washington from Miami in the early afternoon and was supposed to return to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, after a short stop. However, snow in Washington temporarily closed the airport. When it reopened, the plane was de-iced with chemical anti-freeze, but the plane still had difficulty moving away from the gate due to the ice. When it eventually made it to the airport's only usable runway, it was forced to wait 45 minutes for clearance to take off.
Not wanting to further delay the flight, the pilot, Larry Wheaton, did not return for more de-icing, and worse, failed to turn on the plane's own de-icing system. Experts who have studied recordings of the cockpit conversations generally agree that the copilot recognized the problem but was too hesitant in challenging the pilot’s authority. While the flight was delayed, ice was accumulating on the wings, and by the time the plane reached the end of the runway, it was able to achieve only a few hundred feet of altitude.
Thirty seconds later, the plane crashed into the 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River, less than a mile away from the runway. Seven vehicles traveling on the bridge were struck by the 727 and the plane fell into the freezing water. It was later determined that 73 of the people on board the plane died from the impact, leaving only six survivors in the river. In addition, four motorists died in the crash.
Terrible traffic in Washington that day made it difficult for rescue workers to reach the scene. Witnesses didn't know what to do to assist the survivors who were stuck in the freezing river. Finally, a police helicopter arrived and began assisting the survivors in a very risky operation.
Two people in particular emerged as heroes during the rescue: Arland Williams and Lenny Skutnik. Williams survived the crash, and passed lifelines on to others rather than take one for himself. He ended up being the only plane passenger to die from drowning. When one of the survivors to whom Williams had passed a lifeline was unable to hold on to it, Skutnik, who was watching the unfolding tragedy, jumped into the water and swam to rescue her. Both Skutnik and Williams (along with bystander Roger Olian) received the Coast Guard Gold Lifesaving Medal. The bridge was later renamed the Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge.
International News:
Tensions between the US and Iran ratcheted up a few levels this week. To put these tensions in historical context, the 1st known residents of modern-day Iran settled in the region during the Lower Paleolithic period…actually, that may be a bit too much context. Let’s just jump to the beginning of this year, when Pres Obama signed a bill that, if fully implemented, would block Iranian oil sales to most countries. A few days later, Iran sentenced an Iranian-American to death on charges of espionage. As in most totalitarian regimes, “espionage” is sort of a catch-all category in Iran; it covers a range of offenses from being Jewish to expressing admiration for the West to actual espionage. Iran then threatened to use its military to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which 1/3rd of all seaborne traded oil passes. US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned that such a move would require a response, perhaps the vaguest threat ever in the history of saber-rattling, and the US government sent the Iranian government a letter, the contents of which have not been made public.
Of course the context for all this is the long-running dispute over the Iranian nuclear program, which Iran swears is solely for peaceful purposes. When President Obama came into office he promised a lighter touch in foreign policy matters than his predecessor, and while one could argue that rapprochement has worked with other nations, negotiations with Iran have completely broken down. The Obama administration now seems to be pushing for tough economic sanctions on Iran, on top of several levels of sanctions already in place, and the Iranians are threatening to hold hostage the world’s oil supplies in retaliation.
At the moment there’s no serious talk of an all-out military assault on Iran, at least not from the US, but that doesn’t mean that Iran’s enemies on relying solely on peaceful means. This week, and Iranian nuclear scientist was killed in a neighborhood in North Tehran when two passing motorcyclists attached a bomb to his car. He became the latest in a long line of Iranian scientists to met abrupt, violent deaths. On Nov 17 last year, the head of Iran’s ballistic missile program was killed in a huge explosion at a missile base. The previous July another nuclear scientist was shot in the neck by assassins on a motorcycle. And the month before that, a plane carrying 5 Russian scientists working on an Iranian nuclear reactor crashed, killing all 5. On just one day in Nov, 2010, two men linked to the nuclear program were killed, both by car bombs. And the list goes on. In fact, life as an Iranian scientist has gotten so insecure that Iranian schools have started canceling their science fairs because the kids are all scared of winning. Of course no one claims responsibility for these attacks. In some cases, the killings might actually be carried out by the Iranians – some of these scientists had questionable political affiliations – but in most cases suspicion falls on the CIA or the Israeli intelligence service, the Mossad. Whoever’s responsible, their reach in Iranian is quite impressive, which makes me think it’s probably the Mossad and not the CIA.
So, Iran is looking a bit unstable, but things are even worse in Iraq. A series of car and suicide attacks struck the western Iraqi city of Ramadi on Sunday as gunmen stormed a police building. Four car bombs were detonated at a mosque and police building in the city, 60 miles west of Baghdad, and two suicide bombers struck inside the police building. The attacks come a day after a suicide bomber killed 53 people in an apparent sectarian attack in southern Iraq. The attack -- on the outskirts of the port city of Basra -- left another 137 people wounded. These attacks continued the uptick in violence since US troops completed their withdrawal from Iraq last month. Now, some will say that whatever happens in Iraq, no matter how bad the violence gets, we were right to get out. One could certainly makes arguments for or against that proposition, but at the very least, I think we have a responsibility to remain informed about what’s going on in that country.
National News:
This week, New Hampshire held its presidential primary, with citizens of the Granite State casting their votes for the Rep pres nominee. Mitt Romney came in 1st, winning just over 39% of the vote, with 97, 500 votes, thus becoming the 1st non-incumbent to win both Iowa and NH. Ron Paul came in 2nd, with 23% of the vote, Jon Hunstman, who had invested almost all his time and resources in NH was 3rd w/ 17% of the vote, and there are reports that he will drop out of the race today. Rick Santorum, who had come in a surprising 2nd in Iowa and who seemed to have become the leading anti-Romney, finished a distant 5th, just behind Newt Gingrich. The win was another big step for Romney, who gained even more momentum heading into the next contest - the South Carolina primary. South Carolina would seem to be a tougher challenge for Romney than NH, given the strength of social conservatives and evangelicals in the Palmetto state. Interestingly though, Romney’s opponents have been attacking him in SC not only social issues, but rather on the grounds of his work at Bain Capital, a private equity firm. Ironically, in their criticisms, some of them have almost come across sounding like the Occupy Wall St crowd. Assuming Romney wins SC, it’s difficult to imagine anything stopping his run to the nomination. In fact, the only thing that seems like it could slow him down would be another strong finish by Santorum, which would leave him as a viable alternative. If he does win, the question then becomes, at what point do the other candidates w/draw and fall in line behind him, or at least stop their attacks. After all, each attack on Romney by his fellow Reps provides more ammunition for the Democrats to use against him in the general election. So, we’ll see what happens.
Whatever the outcome, it’s hard not to be impressed by the quirkiness of our political system. Let’s say that, as seems likely, Romney wins SC and the race is essentially over. That means that the Rep pres nominee, will have been chosen by three states w/ a combined pop just under 9 mill, or about 3% of the US population. It’s not that their votes somehow count more, it’s all a matter of perception – no one’s going to vote for, or more importantly, give $ to, a candidate who isn’t able to carry one of the early states. So, all eyes are on SC.
And speaking of SC, a completely unrelated piece of national news, although you have to admit that’s a nice segue…
This week in Charleston, the Confederate Civil War vessel H.L. Hunley, which became the world's first successful combat submarine when it sank a Union ship in 1864, was unveiled in full and unobstructed for the first time on Thursday, capping a decade of careful preservation.
About 20 engineers and scientists applauded as they caught the first glimpse of the intact 42-foot-long narrow iron cylinder, which was raised from the ocean floor near Charleston more than a decade ago. The public will see the same view but in a water tank to keep it from rusting.
In the summer of 2000, an expedition raised the Hunley and delivered it to the conservatory on Charleston's old Navy base, where it sat in a 90,000-gallon tank of fresh water to leech salt out of its iron hull. On weekdays, scientists drain the tank and work on the sub. On weekends, tourists who before this week could only see an obstructed view of the vessel in the water tank, now will be able to see it unimpeded.
Considered the Confederacy's stealth weapon, the Hunley sank the Union warship Housatonic in winter 1864, and then disappeared with all eight Confederate sailors inside. The narrow, top-secret "torpedo fish," built in Mobile, Alabama by Horace Hunley from cast iron and wrought iron with a hand-cranked propeller, arrived in Charleston in 1863 while the city was under siege by Union troops and ships. In the ensuing few months, it sank twice after sea trial accidents, killing 13 crew members including Horace Hunley, who was steering. The Confederate Navy hauled the sub up twice, recovered the bodies of the crew, and planned a winter attack.
On the night of February 17, 1864, its captain and seven crew left Sullivan's Island near Charleston, and hand-powered the sub to the Union warship four miles offshore. From a metal spar on its bow, the Hunley planted a 135-pound torpedo in the hull of the ship, which burned and sank.
Scientists removed 10 tons of sediment from the submarine, along with the bones, skulls and even brain matter of the crew members. They also found fabric and sailors' personal belongings.
Facial reconstructions were made of each member of the third and final crew. They are displayed along with other artifacts in a museum near the submarine. In a nearby vault is a bent gold coin that archaeologists also found in the submarine. It was carried by the sub's captain, Lieutenant George Dixon, for good luck after it stopped a bullet from entering his leg during the Battle of Shiloh in 1862.
State News:
An interesting news story popped up online this week, from Time magazine entitled “Why Do We Find John Edwards So Particularly Loathsome?” The article pointed out that even Osama bin Laden doesn’t excite the same sort of visceral repugnance as the ex-Senator, ex-VP candidate from our fair state. Well, the news this week isn’t going to make him any more endearing. Edwards has asked that his trial for campaign violations be postponed, claiming that he has a life-threatening heart condition.
A cardiologist for the 58-year-old ex-North Carolina Senator, presumably a very well-paid cardiologist, wrote two letters about his condition to Judge Catherine Eagles who talked about them Friday during a hearing to consider whether the trial would go on later this month. She delayed it until at least March 26.
Amazing, Edwards walked into the courtroom in Greensboro without assistance and appeared healthy. So apparently this life-threatening condition that we’ve never heard anything about or seen any sign of isn’t slowing him down too much, just like it didn’t slow him down while he was cheating on his cancer-stricken wife.
The judge did not give any more details about what sort of surgery or what illness Edwards may have. I believe it may be called “rich white man who can hire a very good lawyer-itis.” The doctor also wrote that Edwards should avoid driving and travel, including to the court proceedings. Apparently that grueling drive all the way from Chapel Hill to Greensboro would just be too much for him.
Prosecutors had said they were ready to try Edwards on six felony and misdemeanor counts related to nearly $1 million from wealthy donors used to help hide his pregnant mistress during his 2008 White House run. Now, that trial will have to wait.
Cosmic News:
I mentioned several weeks ago that the Russians had launched a probe to the Martian moon Phobos, which failed shortly after liftoff. This week, orbital tracking reports suggested the probe, fell back to Earth on Sunday, being destroyed somewhere over the Pacific, probably about 1,000km west of Chile. The mission had promised to return rocky samples from Mars' biggest moon. Such a venture would have yielded fascinating insights into the origin of the 27km-wide object and the planet it circles. Unfortunately, after its launch in November, the probe could not get more than 345km from Earth before stalling.
Once it became clear that controllers could not establish contact with the probe and diagnose its faults, a fiery dive back to Earth was inevitable. The Russian space agency had estimated that no more than 200kg of the original 13-tonne launch mass of the probe would survive to the Earth's surface.
This is the third high-profile spacecraft re-entry in four months, following the return in September of the American UARS satellite and the German Rosat telescope in October. Both fell over the ocean.
This mission was notable also because China's first Mars satellite, Yinghuo-1, was launched piggy-back on the main Russian spacecraft. It must have been destroyed along with the Russian probe during the fall back to Earth.
The Russians have had an unfortunate run of space failures recently, leading the head of the country's space agency to wonder even if saboteurs were at work. Roughly one old satellite or rocket body falls to Earth every week, but at 13 tons the Russian probe was one of the biggest uncontrolled falls in years.
Andrew Stern is, among other things, an historian, an Ocracoke resident, and a board member at Ocracoke’s community radio station, WOVV 90.1FM where you can hear his weekly broadcast of “A First Draft of History” every Monday morning at 9am.
