The Mysteries of History (January 22 Edition)
Sovereignty, Abortion, Unabomber, Minority Report
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” — Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana, 1905
1918 — Ukraine Declares Independence
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While Russia was weak from its losses and internal strife in The Great War (later renamed “World War 2”), wheat-producing, mineral-rich Ukraine took advantage of the opportunity to regain its independence, which it had lost when it was forced to become a part of Russia in 1793. Their “independence,” was, though, short-lived and something of a sham, as Germany and Austria combined to virtually annex the region. Although those occupiers had to leave Ukraine following their ultimate defeat in the Great War, Ukraine only remained independent until 1922, when it became part of the U.S.S.R. Ukraine‘s independence was re-established following the breakup of the U.S.S.R. in 1991, but was invaded by Russia again in 2022, and the eventual outcome of that war is still unknown.
Questions: When did the current invasion of Ukraine by Russia begin? What did Russian leader Putin call it at first? When did he confess that it was, indeed, a war? How many (approximately) have died in the war, on each side? What are some of the civilian sites the Russian political and war leaders have targeted? How about the Ukrainians? When and how do you think the war will end? Will America's support of Ukraine increase, decrease, or stay the same? Who has given Ukraine more assistance, NATO or the U.S.A.?1973 — Roe v. Wade
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Abortion was legalized in the United States on this date in 1973. It was again made illegal on June 24, 2022.
Questions: When did abortion first become illegal in the U.S.? Why — who was against it, and what were their reasons for opposing it?1998 — Ted Kaczynski Fully Admits His Guilt
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Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, known as “The Unabomber,” pled guilty to all charges against him, after killing three people and injuring 20 others with bombs he sent through the mail. In his younger days, Kaczynski had been an assistant math professor, but became a recluse (virtual hermit) in the 1970s, living an isolated and spartan existence in a Montana cabin, from which location he sent the deadly packages.
In 1995, Kaczynski’s Luddite (anti-technology) manifesto was published in leading newspapers, and his brother grew suspicious at the author’s content and style, which caused him to contact the authorities, leading to Ted’s arrest. Kaczynski died in a maximum-security prison in Colorado in 2023.
Questions: Why was Kaczynski against technology? What, if any, technology, or modern gadgetry, did Kaczynski have in his Montana cabin? Who did he target, and why them specifically? Was Kaczynski diagnosed with any mental illness or aberrations? How old was he when he died? What did he die from?2003 — Hispanics/Latinos Officially Recognized as the Second Largest Ethnic Group in the U.S.
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The culmination of a demographic trend was officially recorded on this date in 2003, as Hispanic/Latino peoples were recognized as the second-largest ethnic group in the U.S.
Foreign-born residents of the U.S. had increased from less than ten million in 1970 to over 31 million by the year 2000, with over half of the immigrants arriving from Mexico and other Latin American countries. Birth rates among this group was also higher than that of other groups, such as the majority European-Americans (aka Whites).
There are so many Spanish speakers in the U.S. now that Spanish is no longer widely considered to be a foreign tongue there.
According to wikipedia, 18.7% of the U.S. population is now Hispanic or Latino (approximately one out of five), whereas the black population is 12.4% (approximately one out of eight), and white people make up 61.6% (a little over three out of five), leaving 7.3% to fill out the remainder of the U.S. population.
Questions: What contributions has the Hispanic/Latino population made to U.S. culture? What contributions has the black population made to U.S. culture? Can you speak any language other than English? If not, would you like to learn — Spanish, or something else?
