The Mysteries of History (February 11 Edition)
Yalta Conference/World War 2, Nelson Mandela/F.W. de Klerk, COVID-19
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” — Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana, 1905
1945 — World Leaders Divvy Up the Globe
public domain image from wikimedia commons
Because it was already becoming apparent that it was just a matter of time before the Allies defeated Germany and its pals, representatives of America (F.D. Roosevelt), Britain (Churchill), and Russia (Stalin) met to discuss what was to be done with the land they would eventually control after forcing Germany and its cohorts to capitulate. On this date in 1945 (80 years ago today) they wrapped up the proceedings. It was decided that Germany would be drawn and quartered, with the quadrants being handed over to the three Nations listed above and France. In addition to that, the Russians, Brits, and Americans would gain control of areas who had been belligerent to them during the war, attempting to renovate them as new versions of themselves painted with the brushes of the war’s victors.
The Conference delegates also decided to resurrect the defunct League of Nations, giving it a new name: The United Nations (which has also proven to be an utter disappointment and abject failure, unable and possibly even unwilling to usher in peace and security).
Questions: How long after the conference did the war end? How long after the conference did Franklin Delano Roosevelt survive? Has the U.N. been successful in achieving its goal of world peace?
1990 — F.W. de Klerk Releases Nelson Mandela From Prison
public domain image from wikimedia commons
After spending nearly three decades in prison due to running afoul of the minority white supremacist government of South Africa, Nelson Mandela was released on this date in 1990 by F.W. de Klerk, who had, as the newly-elected President of South Africa, abolished Apartheid (the mandated separation of the majority black race and minority white race).
Mandela had suffered extremely brutal treatment during much of his time in prison: Of his 27 years of incarceration, Mandela had spent 18 of them in a small cell with no bed and no toilet, and was forced to perform harsh manual labor in a rock quarry while enduring those harsh conditions. Mandela was only allowed to write and receive two letters per year, and receive one visitor per year — and then for only half an hour.
In an amazing change of circumstances, in 1994, just four years after his release from prison, Mandela was elected President of South Africa, and wrote a book about his life entitled Long Walk to Freedom.
Questions: What prize did Mandela and de Klerk share in 1993? How long did Mandela remain in politics? When did he die? Did the abolishing of Apartheid do away with racial hatred in South Africa? Have you read Mandela's book "Long Walk to Freedom"? Have you seen the 2009 movie "Invictus" about Mandela starring Morgan Freeman?
2020 — COVID-19 Christened
public domain image from wikimedia commons
COVID-19 got its name five years ago today. The deadly pestilence was first reported in Wuhan, China a few months earlier, and the first case in the U.S. was detected three weeks prior, in the latter part of January 2020.
The name COVID-19 stems from COrona VIrus Disease 2019.
The world had not seen a pandemic this deadly since the so-called “Spanish Flu” (which was named that because it was first reported in Spain, but had actually been disseminated abroad from Fort Riley, Kansas), which devastated the globe from 1918-1920, infecting an estimated 500 million people worldwide, and killing up to 50 million.
Exceedingly few, if any, people had personal memories of that influenza pandemic, though, when COVID-19 ravaged the world’s population, as it had been a century since that event.
When the COVID-19 global health emergency was declared over in mid-2023 (although not eradicated), it had infected even more people than the earlier pandemic, an estimated 763 million, and had killed around seven million, about one million of those in the United States alone.
Just some of those who succumbed to COVID-19 were: Colin Powell, Cloris Leachman, Charley Pride, Tom Seaver, Jay Johnstone, John Prine, Tom Dempsey, Joe Diffie, Trini Lopez, David Lindley, and David Crosby.
Questions: Did you ever have COVID-19? Did you have COVID-19 more than once? Are you prepared for another global pandemic (practically and emotionally)?
