The Mysteries of History (June 9 Edition)
Donald Duck; McCarthy Exposed; Domino Theory Debunked; Secretariat
“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
1934 — Donald Duck Appears
public domain image from wikimedia commons
Channeling work-averse Maynard G. Krebs, the future beatnik friend of Dobie Gillis, the irascible, sputtering, croaky-voiced Donald Duck made his debut on this date in 1934 in Disney’s “The Wise Little Hen.” The moralistic tale had the pugnacious American Pekin Duck attempting to avoid work by claiming he had a stomach ache but being set straight by Mrs. Hen about the value of being industrious.
Questions: When was the last time you saw a Donald Duck cartoon? Did you ever watch Duck Tales? How are Donald and Scrooge McDuck related, if at all? Were Donald and Micky Mouse friends? Why does Donald wear a jacket and hat, but no pants?
1954 — Joe McCarthy Exposed as a Blowhard and a Buffoon
public domain image from wikimedia commons
On this date in 1954, the delusional drunkard Joseph McCarthy (1908-1957), a Republican Wisconsin Senator, was put in his place by Joseph Welch (1890-1960), an attorney defending the U.S. Army. McCarthy had baselessly accused the Army (and other entities) of being riddled with communists. Responding to these assertions, Welch asked McCarthy incredulously, “Have you no sense of decency?”
The fuller quote is (after McCarthy had made another wild accusation, this time about one of Welch’s colleagues), “Until this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty or your recklessness. Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?”
That blow struck. The audience applauded Welch, which was a simultaneous combined thumbs down to McCarthy.
Questions: When McCarthy claimed to have the names of people who were proven communists, what was he holding in his hand? Have you heard of “The Red Scare”? Have you heard of Dalton Trumbo? Have you read Trumbo’s book Johnny Got His Gun? or seen the movie made from it?
1964 — Domino Theory Debunked by the CIA
public domain image from wikimedia commons
The common justification given for the U.S. involvement in Vietnam was that if Vietnam fell to the communists, other Nations would, in turn, do so, too. This was called “The Domino Theory.”
But when LBJ (Lyndon Baines Johnson, 1908-1973), the U.S. President at the time, asked the CIA pointedly whether this would be the case (would the rest of Southeast Asia tilt that direction if Vietnam and Laos were to), their answer was not so clearcut.
The CIA opined that Cambodia would be the only Nation that would immediately also become Communist. The CIA report continued: “Furthermore, a continuation of the spread of communism in the area would not be inexorable, and any spread which did occur would take time–time in which the total situation might change in any number of ways unfavorable to the communist cause.”
Although the fall of Vietnam and Laos would be bad for the U.S., the CIA report continued, having Japan and the Philippines as strong allies would be a deterrent to China and North Vietnam easily making further inroads.
Apparently Johnson only asked the question in the hopes that he would hear what he wanted to: that an escalation of the war effort was necessary. Since LBJ didn’t get a placating confirmative response to his query, he chose to utilize selective reading and ignore it, adding to the total of 58,000 Americans who died there as a result.
Questions: What is “confirmation bias”? Why did the U.S. care what form of government the Vietnamese had? How would it have affected the U.S. one way or the other? If a government (whatever political philosophy it holds or flavor it has) really believes it’s the best, why try to force it on others? Wouldn’t it be better for all concerned to just let the world observe how things go when that form of government is practiced and then let everyone decide for themselves which form of government is best?
1973 — Secretariat Dons Three Crowns
image generated using Bing Image Creator
On this date in 1973, the racehorse Secretariat (1970-1989) won the Belmont Stakes race. Since he had already won at the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, that meant he had won the Triple Crown for that season, the first horse to do that for 25 years (Citation in 1948).
At Belmont, Secretariat and his steerer (jockey) Ron Turcotte also set a speed record for the distance (1.5 miles) on a dirt track (they covered the ground in 144 seconds). That equates to 39.5 mph.
The Virginia-born thoroughbred was three years and two months old when he achieved his crowning achievement.
After Secretariat died, it was discovered that his heart was two-and-a-half times the size of the average horse’s heart, which perhaps played a role in his outstanding racing ability.
When ESPN ranked the top 100 North American athletes of the 20th century, Secretariat came in at #35, behind Lou Gehrig and ahead of Oscar Robertson (Michael Jordan was #1, Jim Thorpe #7). He was the only non-human on the list.
Thirteen horses have won the Triple Crown, with the first one being Sir Barton in 1919 and the most recent one being Justify in 2018. In the 52 years after Secretariat, there have only been four.
Questions: Would you like to jockey a racehorse like Secretariat? If it meant you would have to become a very small man, would you consider it worthwhile (to change your physique and possibly even your gender to experience that thrill)?
