Day Tripping: February 27
Arsons, Anchormen, and Adversaries
Welcome to my daily feature where each day on the calendar marks a part of our shared history.
Conspiratorial Actions
Four weeks after Hitler is sworn in as Chancellor of Germany, the Reichstag parliament building is set ablaze in 1933. Burning down the former German democratic symbol of government allowed Hitler to enact a decree preventing anti-Nazi behaviour and the authority to imprison his opponents. A Dutch communist named Marinus van der Lubbe was arrested, convicted and executed for the crime deeming that he acted alone.
A much-debated view has been held for many years that the Nazi party had a hand in the arsonous act to gain power over the nation. Why does this sound eerily familiar?
Editorial First
Walter Cronkite was a television news anchor who was once considered “the most trusted man in America”, (remember when that was possible in journalism?), but on this day in 1968, he broke to from his usually objective stance to predict that a stalemate could be the only conclusion expected in the Vietnam War.
Cronkite closed his CBS evening broadcast by saying, “It is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors, but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could.”
President Lyndon Johnson was later quoted in response, “If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost Middle America.” Walter Cronkite’s sudden shift to opinion-based reporting which until that moment was relatively unheard of, contributed to changing sentiments in the American political landscape at the beginning of an election year.
Dictatorial Beginnings
Hafez al-Assad participates in a military coup d’etat and consequently appointing himself as leader of Syria in 1969. The third in a succession of coups in which he assisted in first, bringing the Socialist Ba’ath Party to power, the second in which a radical faction was implemented in the party, and then finally, Assad’s third coup ousted then-leader Salah Jadid, seizing control for himself.
Though he immediately proclaimed himself the undisputed head of state in Syria, Assad would officially be recognized as President in 1971. His mandate was to unify the Arab world in pursuit of defeating Israel whose taking of the Golan Heights in the Six-Day War had capitalized on a weakened Syrian defence because of party infighting.
Musical Milestones
1971 — Three months after Janis Joplin’s last album Pearl is released following her death from a heroin overdose, it reaches Number #1 in the US.
2015 — Known as an originator of the Glam Rock era, Gary Glitter is sentenced to sixteen years in prison for the sexual assault of three young girls in the 1980s. The girls’ ages ranged from eight to thirteen years old.
Narratives
Star Trek character Mr. Spock has been an iconic figure in Science Fiction from the mid-nineteen sixties to this day. Sadly, Leonard Nimoy, the man who played our Vulcan hero for all those years died at age 83 in 2015.
Remembrance
Frank Buckles was the last surviving American veteran of World War I. He was 110 years old. Lest we forget.
Notable Births
1807 — Henry Wadsworth Longfellow the poet who wrote Paul Revere’s Ride, was also the first American to translate Dante’s Divine Comedy.
1902 — John Steinbeck wrote iconic American novels including Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath
1932 — Elizabeth Taylor began her career as a child star and went on to be one of the most successful actresses of her time, a humanitarian, and an entrepreneur.
Thanks for taking the time to read this article dedicated to the days of our history. I hope to see you tomorrow for another instalment.
K. Barrett Katie Wallace Maria Rattray Joseph M. Learned Maryam Merchant Dr Mehmet Yildiz Tree Langdon Myriam Ben Salem Phil Truman Chelsea Mandler MAT Terry Mansfield Hollie Petit, PhD. Terry Trueman Dr Preeti Singh John Gruber Bill Abbate James G Brennan