History & Comment for April 2, 2025

A look at historical and current events on this day, comment and humor so dry it would make a camel thirsty. 

Transcript

This is History and Comment for Wednesday the 2nd of April 2025.   

Charlemagne, King of the Franks is born in 748 and becomes King at the age of 19.  The Franks occupied the region we now know as France.  Charlemagne ruled a large area that Covered much of Western Europe.   He is the first emperor since the fall of Rome three centuries earlier.   Being a supporter of the Pope, he is also considered the first Holy Roman Emperor.    Language was quite diverse across Europe at the time. He was known by several names depending on the language.   Most are equivalent to the English Charles.   Charlemagne means Charles the Great.  He most commonly was called Karlus, the High German version, which was the language he spoke and most likely Latin and maybe a couple of others.  

Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon is the first European explorer to stake a claim on the mainland of North America.  On this day in 1513 he comes ashore near St. Augustine Florida or maybe a bit to the North, claiming the region for Spain.   

Congress passes the Coinage Act in 1792, establishing the US Mint.   It also established the silver dollar as the unit of money and decimal divisions.   The silver dollar was to be similar to the Spanish Silver dollar which weighted 27 grams of silver or more precisely 416 grains.   Almost an ounce.   If you want to grasp inflation.  That is $29.93 based on this mornings spot silver price.   There was also a $10 gold coin called a Gold Eagle, a half Eagle and a quarter eagle.   

When we mention silver coins, I’m reminded of  RV trip Joy and I took four years ago.   Part of the trip include a pass through Las Vegas.   The one site I wanted to visit was the Pawn Shop made famous by the TV series.    I browsed around, looking for some sovenier.    But did not want something trival or of little value.  I didn’t want to waste money.   After we were a few miles down the road,  I thought I should have looked for some silver coin.    I almost turned around.    

Danish novelist Hans Christian Andersen is born in 1805.  We know him for his works: "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Little Mermaid",  "The Princess and the Pea",  and "The Ugly Duckling". 

In the American Civil War it is almost time for the fat lady to sing 160 years ago.  The Confederates had put up a Valliant defense for almost four years. However the lack of resources was taking its toll and the end was in sight.   On this day they loose the City of Petersburg, Va.   This is the last defense of Richmond and the Government abandons their capitol.     

The RMS Titanic begins sea trials in 1912.   Sea Trails are common in commercial as well as military vessels.   They are the equivalent of an airplane’s test flight.   

The US enters WW I in 1917.  

Barry Hansen is 84 today.   Hansen is a native of Minneapolis and boast one of the largest record collections at 85,000 volumes.   Which he claims he began as a pre-teen, when he found a thrift stone that had thousands for sale for just a nickel each.    That is not what makes Hansen noteworthy.   He had a lengthy career on national radio featuring wacky and novelty records.  Under the moniker of Dr. Demento.    

Singer Emmylou Harris is 78 today.    She has had a quite reasonable solo career in her own right.    But that was not a foregone conclusion. She had given up on a singing career in 1971, unable to make a sustainable living singing folk music in DC area clubs.  She was heard by members of the Flying Burrito Brothers, who recommended her to Gram Parsons.    Parsons was a major player in the Country Rock Genre of the period and had her sing harmony on two albums.    Parsons died shortly thereafter but the exposure allowed her a national reputation.     One of the song from those albums is the Parson’s / Harris song  In my hour of Darkness.    Harris does the harmony and Eagle Bernie Leedon plays the dobro.     

LexisNexis launches a computer based legal research service in 1973.   This is 13 years before we see the concept of the World Wide Web take shape.    But there is a connection if only in appearance.   And a full 20 years before the first web browser Mosaic. 

The Soviets are playing with bio-warfare in 1979.  Anthrax gets loose and kills 66 people and a number of livestock. 

The Fine Folks in Washington are not happy in 1980.   The Oil Embargo has pushed up the world price of crude oil.   Domestic producers raise their prices to match the oil market.    This is a bit of a quandary.   They can produce oil and sell in domestically for less than imported oil.  Is that really a fair concept to them?  If they have to buy a barrel of oil on the world market it costs much more. They begin selling gasoline based on the world market, not the cost of production. This gave them some serious profits.  President Carter and Congress come blundering into the mix and institute a tax on the profits over the cost of oil the year before.    The effect is to drive down domestic oil production and increase the use of more imported oil.    

Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorachev meets with Cubian leader Fidel Castro in 1989.   The Soviet Union it becoming more open than its earlier versions. Fidel Castro remains a staunch Marxist, who wants to spread it to third world countries around the world, especaily in Africa.   There was money flowing to prop up Cuban Society.     Gorbachev does not bring good news.  Subsidies to Cuba will be cut.   

Singer Zack Bryan is 29 today.  I do not follow much current music but I do like his song Something in the Orange.  

The news feeds are full of stories about the passing of actor Val Kilmer at the age of 65.   He had a good career acting and a few very well known roles.  Top Gun and Tombstone come to mind quickly.    I think the thing that  gives me the most thought is the comments that abound …. Rest in Peace. 

That is a colloquial phrase, it belays our general belief in an afterlife.   Exactly what do we believe and how should that affect our daily lives?   Kilmer was reported to have been raised Christian Science and held close to those beliefs. That may have had an effect on his medical decisions.   I can respect that without agreeing with those views.     

What do we mean or imply by rest in peace?   Does that mean that hopefully you are lounging on a cloud somewhere?   As opposed to shoveling coal in some eternal sweatshop?   [i]There are some quips in popular culture that border on the profane.   Comments that imply Hell is some eternal party, while Heaven would be insufferable?    Those concepts are not supportable on either account.     I will also disparage the Preachers who imply that Heaven will be some eternal Church service.   I do not think that is accurate either.   

First I think the two states are defined by one simple element.  Being in the full presence of God or in the complete absence.    The determining factor is in this life are we seeking a relationship with God or are we living for our self-interest?     I cringe that some folks believe that being “good” is the target.    That totally misses the separation of Man from God.   Man cannot restore that relationship.   It is a physical impossibility.  

I think the most misguided are the folks who want to live for themselves in the moment and disdain submission to God.   They will claim they want a good time and loyal friends.  Those things are attributes of God.   Hell will not be some fun party, but a place where there are no friends and everyone is out to take advantage of the next person.    Total Self with no God.    Complete isolation from everyone and everything good.    I do not have scripture but I think the burning will be the least of the problems.   

Heaven will be quite the opposite, absolute fullfulment, surrounded by more beauty and creativity than we can imagine.    

The will be no “Rest in Peace”  if there is a period of “rest” is will be temporal until the end of time and the beginning of eternity.   The ultimate question is are you living for God or for yourself?   You will ultimately get your wish. 

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