The Mysteries of History (July 20 Edition)
Hitler Cheats Death; U.S. Institutes Peacetime Conscription; Moonwalk; Second Johnstown Flood; Mass Shooting in Movie Theater
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” — Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana, 1905
“He is free to evade reality, he is free to unfocus his mind and stumble blindly down any road he pleases, but not free to avoid the abyss he refuses to see.” — Alice O’Connor, 1961
1944 — Attempted Murder of Hitler
public domain images from wikimedia commons
Near the end of World War 2, the writing was on the wall that Germany’s megalomaniacal aims to found a reign of terror that would last for a millennium had turned out to be an unmitigated bunch of hooey.
For that reason, some perhaps opportunistic German officers had begun to look to the future with an eye on personal survival and future prospects under a diminished Germany (or perhaps they had truly turned over a new leaf and realized how evil Hitler was, who knows for sure?).
In order to position themselves as anti-Hitler, some in a position to take action against him, such as Claus von Stauffenberg and his accomplices, attempted to kill Hitler on this date in 1944. A briefcase bomb was left by von Stauffenberg under a conference room table where Hitler was to hold a meeting with some of his top minions and yes-men.
The briefcase containing the bomb was moved out of the way, though, by an unsuspecting delegate to this pow-wow, and so when it exploded later, the bomb was too far away from Hitler to kill him (he was slightly injured).
As a result of the failed coup, von Stauffenberg (1907-1944) was identified as the saboteur and executed that very day, along with his closest accomplice, Friedrich Olbricht. They weren’t the only ones who had conspired to get rid of their psychopathic overlord, though — ultimately, thousands were implicated in being complicit with the plot itself or judged adversely for being not subservient enough to Hitler, many of whom were executed for their resistance efforts or attitudes.
History smiles on the anti-Hitler contingent without delving too deeply into their motives. Many — or at least some of them — doubtless had the right reasons impelling them to rebel against their mad leader.
Hitler’s response to his near-death experience was characteristically egotistical. He claimed that divine providence had played a role in his survival, proving that his goals were approved by God. Specifically, Hitler opined: “I regard this as a confirmation of the task imposed upon me by Providence … nothing is going to happen to me… the great cause which I serve will be brought through its present perils and … everything can be brought to a good end.”
Hitler was wrong; he survived because somebody moved the briefcase. His name lives in infamy; he is universally despised; his plans failed. He was dead wrong: He imposed the death penalty on himself less than a year after being “spared by Providence.” Hitler was an utter and ignominious failure.
Questions: Where was Hitler born? How strong was the resistance movement against Hitler within Germany? How were von Stauffenberg and Olbricht caught so quickly?
1948 — The U.S. Prepares for War with Russia
public domain images from wikimedia commons (on left, Truman as a soldier in World War 1; on right, Truman signing up American troops for the Korean War)
Only three years after World War 2 ended, in which the U.S. and Russia were allies, relations between the two Countries had reached such a state of mutual distrust that President Truman feared being unprepared and undermanned in the event of a military conflict with his former allies.
To position the United States for a possible conflict, Truman instituted on this date in 1948 a mandatory conscription (a “draft”) of American males. Two years later, a proxy war between disparately-aligned Nations erupted in Korea, with America backing the South and primarily China the North.
A relatively forgotten war, over 36,000 Americans died as a result of that war (fewer than the 58,000 of the Vietnam War, bot not extraordinarily fewer). All told (including civilians), over three million perished in the Korean War (over twice as many as in the Vietnam War).
Questions: Were you alive during the Korean War? Do you have any relatives who fought in that war? What was it all about? What, if anything, was achieved by either side?
1969 — A Giant Leap for Mankind
public domain images from wikimedia commons
Michael Jackson’s slidey-glidey moonwalk bore little resemblance to the “small step for [a] man” (but “giant leap for mankind”) made by Neil Armstrong (1930-2012) on this day in 1969.
It was a Sunday night, 10:56 pm eastern time in the U.S. The Eagle (the name of the space module) was flying on Friday (it left earth Wednesday the 18th), but by Sunday it had touched down on the rather inhospitable-to-humans (no breathable oxygen) lunar environment. Armstrong was the first human to walk on the moon; Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin (born 1930) was the second, following Armstrong fifteen minutes later (the other astronaut, Michael Collins (1930-2021, and the youngest of the three, remained modular).
After years of design and testing, American astronauts had orbited the moon in Apollo 10 the year before, but had not landed on its surface.
400,000 people and $24 billion (the equivalent to $210 billion in 2025) contributed to the mission.
The moon landing by the Americans was banned by the sore losers in Russia and China. Seeing Americans become the first to walk on the moon and plant a flag there was anathema to them.
Exactly seven years later, in 1976, the first of two unmanned spacecraft sent by the U.S. (Viking 1 and Viking 2) landed on Mars.
The following is what I wrote about the 1969 Moon Landing in my book Still Casting Shadows: A Shared Mosaic of U.S. History — Volume 2: 1914-2006:
At 4:17 Eastern time [sic: this was apparently inaccurate] on July 20th, Neil Armstrong did something many had considered impossible: He walked on earth’s moon, 240,000 miles from home. The mission was called Apollo 11, the command ship was named Columbia, and the lunar vehicle the Eagle. Also along were Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins. Armstrong and Aldrin spent almost a full day on the moon, setting up scientific experiments, collecting rock samples, and marking their territory with a flag and a plaque. The plaque reads: “Here Men from the Planet Earth/First Set Foot upon the Moon/July 1969 AD/We Came in Peace for All Mankind.”
Along with events such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy and 9/11, it is one of those events that virtually every American alive at the time clearly recalls
Questions: If you were alive at the time, do you recall watching the moon landing on TV? What was the reaction in your household?
1977 — Second Johnstown Flood
image generated using Google Gemini
On this date in 1977, a deadly flood struck Johnstown, Pennsylvania, killing dozens of people. A far worse flood had hit Johnstown in 1889, killing thousands, as written about in a previous installment here.
Both floods had the same cause: a dam above the town burst.
The one in 1977 was also devastating: 84 people died when 12 inches of rain came down in ten hours. Weather experts said it was once-in-over-a-thousand-years amount of rain for the area. Besides Johnstown, Tanneryville was also severely impacted.
As could be expected, the area had been flood-proofed after the 1889 cataclysm — or so they thought. The powers built into the earth are always stronger than the best laid plans of mice and men.
Questions: Have you heard the Led Zeppelin song When the Levee Breaks?
2012 — Firing in a Crowded Movie Theater
public domain image from wikimedia commons
On this date in 2012, twelve people were killed in Aurora, Colorado — including a six-year-old girl — who had intended merely to divert themselves watching the release of a Batman movie named The Dark Knight Rises.
When the shooter entered the theater, some thought he was part of an act amping up the audience for the movie rather than a real menace, based on his outfit: he was wearing black combat gear and a gas mask.
It turned out that a psychiatrist had warned campus police (he was a 24-year-old dropout from a local college) that he was a danger to the public.
The mass murderer’s trial didn’t take place until 2015, which culminated in him being sentenced to twelve life sentences with no possibility of parole.
Questions: Do you remember this? Will these killings ever be taken seriously by those who have influence to restrict the sale of weapons and paraphernalia (ammo, etc.) or will they continue to put profit ahead of people?