Happy Birthday Daniel! You sure took long enough to come out, but I sure am blessed that you are here. In recognition of this special day, and the fact that you amazingly made it through 7 years with out any broken bones or stitches inspite of your boisterous nature, I beat Adrian (HA HA) to the latest installment of "This Day In History..."
1914 "Cannonball" begins journey across continent
On this day in 1914, just three months shy of the First World War, Cannonball Baker, wearing leather riding trousers and carrying a one-gallon canteen, mounted his V-twin 1000cc Stutz Indian motorcycle and headed east toward Yuma, Arizona, with a raging sandstorm at his back. In all, Cannonball traveled 3,379 miles across the U.S. Due to the poor roads and primitive "cradle-spring" shock absorption of his bike, he rode most of the way standing up. His feat made him a hero. Without a doubt, Cannonball's run reshaped the future of American motorcyclists.
1877 Sitting Bull leads his people into CanadaNearly a year after the Battle of the Little Big Horn, Sitting Bull and a band of followers cross into Canada hoping to find safe haven from the U.S. Army.
On June 25, 1876, Sitting Bull's warriors had joined with other Indians in the Battle of the Little Big Horn in Montana, which resulted in the massacre of George Custer and five troops of the 7th Cavalry. Worried that their great victory would provoke a massive retaliation by the U.S. military, the Indians scattered into smaller bands.
On this day in 1877, Sitting Bull abandoned his traditional homeland in Montana and led his people north across the border into Canada. Sitting Bull and his band stayed in the Grandmother's Country-so called in honor of the British Queen Victoria-for the next four years. The first year was idyllic. The younger warriors, though, soon tired of the quiet life. The braves made trouble with neighboring tribes, attracting the displeasure of the Canadian Mounties. While the Canadian leaders were more reasonable and sensitive about Indian affairs than their aggressive counterparts to the south, they became increasingly nervous and pressured Sitting Bull to return to the U.S.
Ultimately, though, Sitting Bull's attempt to remain independent was undermined by the disappearance of the buffalo. Meanwhile, emissaries from the U.S. came to his camp and promised Sitting Bull's followers they would be rich and happy if they joined the American reservations. The temptation was too great, and many stole away at night and headed south. By early 1881, Sitting Bull was the chief of only a small band of mostly older and sick people.
Finally, Sitting Bull relented. On July 10, 1881, more than five years after the fateful battle at the Little Big Horn, the great chief led 187 Indians from their Canadian refuge to the United States. After a period of confinement, Sitting Bull was assigned to the Standing Rock reservation in South Dakota in 1883. Seven years later he was dead, killed by Indian police when he resisted their attempt to arrest him for his supposed participation in the Ghost Dance uprising.
1955 Allies end occupation of West Germany
The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) becomes a sovereign state when the United States, France, and Great Britain end their military occupation. In 1945, the United States, Great Britain, and France had assumed the occupation of the western portion of Germany (as well as the western half of Berlin, situated in eastern Germany). The Soviet Union occupied eastern Germany, as well as the eastern half of Berlin. As Cold War animosities began to harden between the western powers and Russia, it became increasingly obvious that Germany would not be reunified. In May 1949, the Federal Republic of Germany was formally announced. In 1954, West Germany joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). All that remained was for the Americans, British, and French to end their nearly 10-year occupation. This was accomplished on May 5, 1955, when those nations issued a proclamation declaring an end to the military occupation of West Germany. Under the terms of an agreement reached earlier, West Germany would now be allowed to establish a military force of up to a half-million men and resume the manufacture of arms, though it was forbidden from producing any chemical or atomic weapons.
The end of the Allied occupation of West Germany meant a full recognition of the republic as a member of the western alliance against the Soviet Union. While the Russians were less than thrilled by the prospect of a rearmed West Germany, they were nonetheless pleased that German reunification had officially become a dead issue. Shortly after the May 5 proclamation was issued, the Soviet Union formally recognized the Federal Republic of Germany. The two Germany's remained separated until 1990, when they were formally reunited and once again became a single democratic country.
1933 Woodin wages war against Depression
William Woodin stepped into his role as the fifty-first Secretary of the Treasury during one of the most turbulent and dramatic periods in the nation's fiscal history. Tabbed by President Franklin Roosevelt for the Treasury post on this day in 1933, Woodin was immediately enlisted in the battle against the Depression. Just four days after Woodin assumed office, President Roosevelt called the now-famous "banking holiday" that temporarily shuttered America's financial institution. Over the next ten days, Roosevelt, Woodin and other leaders worked to stabilize America's finances and stem the publics frantic drive to yank their funds from the nation's banks. The "holiday" also gave Roosevelt time to push the Emergency Banking Act through the legislative chain; quickly adopted by Congress, the legislation not only granted the president increased economic authority, but enlarged the responsibilities of Woodin and the Treasury. Indeed, when the banks reopened, they were now under the watchful eye of the secretary of the Treasury. Along with minding America's fiscal institutions, Woodin was also charged with pumping the economy with new Federal Reserve notes and taking measures to bolster the publics faith in the economy. However, the hefty task of righting the nation's economic ills soon took a toll on Woodin's health; he resigned on December 31, 1933, less than a year after taking over at the helm of the Treasury.
