History & Comment for April 30, 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, April 30, 2025

The first reprieve to Christian Persecution takes effect in the eastern portion of the Roman Empire in the year 311.  It will be a couple of more years before it becomes empire wide.   At this time there is no formal organized church.   The Catholics do list popes but they were simply the leader of the church in Rome just one of several large congregations.   In fact at this time, they spend a year and a half without a pope.   Their count at the time is 30 popes since Peter.   It will not be until Christianity is made the official religion of the Empire that the Bishop of Rome will take on a new meaning.    The title Pope was more of a broad term of respect and the origin is suggested from the Latin word for Papa or Father.    The first known use was in Alexandria, Egypt. In Rome it was not used until the late 3rd Century.  It will be the 6th Century before is is limited to just the Bishop of Rome and the 11th before it is restricted to the successors of Peter.    Jesus teaching in Matthew Chapter 23 is teaching on the Pharisees and plainly teaches against titles of authority including Rabbi and Father.  

1492, Chirstopher Columbus is given his commission to explore for lands to the west.    One of the perks is, he is given the title of viceroy and governor of any territory he discovers. 

Pagan Rome was very intolerant of anything other than the official religion.  Even after Chritianity became the new recognized version.   The trend will continue until the time of Martin Luther and for a good period beyond.   In 1598, the French King grants freedom of religion to the non-Catholic Huguenots.  

George Washington takes the Presidential Oath of Office in New York City in 1789. Beginning our Presidential tradition.     President Trump is playing with the media and suggesting a third term.    Term limits were not a thing until the 1940s.   Technically he could run again, but he can only serve two additional years.   The constitutional admendment limits a President to 10 years and not just two terms.   Assuming the VP finished his term, he then could be elected to two terms in his own right. 

France sell the Lousiana Territory to the US for $15 million dollars. More than doubling the size of the United States.    This is in 1803.  Nine years later the State of Lousiana is admitted to the Union. Before becoming a State it had been the Territory of Orleans.   This might be the only case where a territory name was changed when they became a state.  

Hawaii becomes a territory of the United States in 1900.   Sanford B. Dole is the governor.    He is not directly tied to the Pineapple project,  but a close relative.   

Albert Einstein completes his doctoral thesis in 1905.    It was entitled "A New Determination of Molecular Dimensions".  It appears more chemical than pure physics.   

Dodge Brothers, Inc is sold to an investment banker on this day in 1925.  The Dodge Auto company originally was a subcontractor suppling parts to Ford and various other builders around Detroit before they began building under their own label.   But the brothers had both died in 1920 and the company was ripe for the picking. 

The New York Worlds Fair opens in 1939.  One of the centerpieces was the National Broadcasting Corporation begins its regularly scheduled television service in NYC by broadcasting President Franlin D. Roosevelts opening address. 

In 1945 Soviet Soldiers reach the German legislature building in the heart of Berlin.   Adolf Hitler, just a few blocks away, with his recent bride commit suicide.    Germany will surrender one week later.   

The Detroit Tigers are the oldest continuous one-name, one-city franchise in the American League. Were talking Major League Baseball of course.   The qualifier of the American League was interesting  so I did a bit of digging.   My hunch was correct.   The Philadelphia Phillies hold the overall record with the longest run in all of professional sports.   They date to 1883.   The story is a bit complex as leagues and teams were formed and folded frequently in the 19th Century.    Philadelphia has a baseball team dating back ten years earlier.  

This begs the question, when did games similar to the modern ones get their start.   Actually, I was having another thought.   But I won’t go down that rabbit hole just yet.   

Of course running might be the oldest competition.   Wrestling in some form was very early and practiced by the ancient greeks.  The first “ball” game may have been in Middle America, dating back 3,500 years.   A type of dodge ball.  The looser may have been sacrificed to their gods.  Maybe a millennia older was a game similar to soccer that arose in China.  The oldest team sport is believed to be polo which originated in Persia about 2,500 years ago.       

About that rabbit hole.  The question begs, what games might have been known to First Century Jews and the earliest Christians.    The Jewish encyclopedia notes that there was a Greek inspired gymnasium in Jerusalem by 176 BC.   This created a few problems and was frowned upon by some.   The Greek practice was to play   "in puris naturalibus" or in a very natural state.    This created some problems with Jews and details of the Abrahamic Covenant.   A young Jewish boy in the first century might very well have had knowledge of a wide range of sports and games.   The next point is we see no comment in later portions of the New Testament which was written to people who were in the middle of Greco-roman culture and previously had no issues with the games or playing in natural attire.   

The Spring Migration of birds is occurring this week.  One meteorologist is reporting as many as 30 million may have flown over Indiana the past few nights.  

President Richard Nixon is in crisis mode in 1973.   A number of Top staffers had planned and staged a break-in at democrat offices in the Watergate Complex.   It was a 2-bit political event that pales when compared to more recent political events.    None the less a number of high-officials spent time in prison and President Nixon eventually resigned.  Realistically, Nixon most likely did not have fore knowledge of the event, but was involved in the cover-up. 

With the take down of Nixon, Democrats gained an advantage in Congress during the next election cycle.   When the subject of our promises to South Vietnam came up, they refused to fund them.   Leaving the country we had spend a decade defending to fight alone.    On this day in 1975,  Communist forces gain control of Saigon.  

The United States did not lose in Vietnam.   But our displayed weakness and broken promises amounted to a surrender. 

Thirty-two years ago it is announced that the World Wide Web protocols will be free and open. 

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred met this week at the White House with President Donald Trump. It seems the major topics were the eligibility status of the Late Pete Rose and how the current policy on immigration might effect Cuban and other foreign baseball players.  

I think we have established that Rose deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.  While rules should be upheld and Rose was stupid in betting on his team to win.    It pales in comparison to the sins of a long list of players who have been honored.  And I’m thinking of players know to have used drugs.   

Immigration…   I would assume foreign players have secured legal status and should have few issues with immigration.    

There was a meme on ABC News about the Navy loosing an F/A-18 over the side of an Aircraft carrier.    The interesting part was the photo that accompanied the story was at least 10 years old.   I know a good bit about Navy Aircraft, and there is an Aircraft in the picture that has not been on a Carrier deployment for at least a decade.     

Have I commented about the trend on Facebook of them writing the birthday greetings and all you have to do is click.    Sorry folks but that is lame, take a few seconds to modify it so if the person has a clue they can tell you actually care and took some of your time.    We do not need a setting to automatically send Birthday Greetings.  

Country Singer Johnny Horton is born in 1925.  He will be at the top of the Country Charts in the late 50’s with a number of hits.   Including North to Alaska, The Battle of New Orleans, Springtime in Alaska, Sink the Bismarke and Johnny Reb.   At the peak of his career he was killed in a car wreck in East Texas, Horton was just 35.   

Former Basketball player, coach and sports commentator Isiah Thomas is 64.