Judging from this list, it seems we go to war a lot in September. Let’s hope the trend doesn’t continue. But check out these past adventures (or misadventures, depending on your outlook):

1776: World’s first submarine attack. It’s hard to believe, but they really did have submersible crafts — if you can call this a craft — nearly 250 years ago. During the U.S. Revolutionary War, the submarine called the Turtle was used to attempt to attach a time bomb (yes, they had those too!) to the hull of British Admiral Richard Howe’s flagship Eagle in New York Harbor. It was unsuccessful, but General George Washington labelled it “an attempt of genius.”

Sounds to me like something out of a Jules Verne novel.

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1813. United States nicknamed Uncle Sam. A meat packer named Samuel Wilson, from Troy, New York, supplied barrels of beef to the U.S. Army during the War of 1812. He stamped the barrels with “U.S.” (for United States); but because he was known locally as Uncle Sam, soldiers began referring to the food as “Uncle Sam’s.” The local newspaper picked it up, and it became the 1813 version of a meme.

Who needs social media?

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1864. General Sherman orders civilians evacuated from Atlanta. The other war on U.S. territory: the Civil War of 1861-64. General Sherman had already taken Atlanta, but needed to get the civilians out of his way because of a limited number of troops to guard the city, and limited supplies to feed everyone. So it wasn’t entirely altruism that caused him to evacuate the civilians — although he did say he didn’t want to be responsible for the women and children. So off they went. Sherman provided transportation out of the city, but thereafter they were on their own.

War is hell.

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1940. The Blitz begins as Germany bombs London. Keeping with the war theme . . . this was unspeakably bad. For 4-1/2 seemingly endless years.

That really was hell.

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1968. Protesters disrupt the Miss America Pageant. A bunch of feminists — popularly known as the women’s liberation movement — disrupted the annual pageant in Atlantic City, protesting the “oppression” of women and declaring that the pageant reinforced “the degrading Mindless-Boob-Girlie Symbol.”

Equal rights for women have come a long way since then. But the Miss America pageant lives on.

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1977. U.S. agrees to transfer Panama Canal to Panama. The treaty signed on that date recognized Panama as the territorial sovereign in the Canal Zone, but retained the United States’ right to continue operating the canal until December 31, 1999. Under a separate Neutrality Treaty, the U.S. also retained the right to use military force, if necessary, to keep the Canal open.

Thus was the dictator Manuel Noriega overthrown in the U.S. invasion of Panama in1989.

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Footnote: I don’t recall the exact date, but it was in the early 1980s, while Noriega was still heading the government of Panama. I was having lunch with my daughter in Washington’s Madison Hotel across the street from my office, when a man strode into the restaurant with an entourage of some of the toughest-looking bodyguards I had ever seen. My daughter saw them first and said, “Mom, is that who I think it is?” And when I recognized Noriega, I suggested we eat quickly and get out of there — just in case.

I love Washington — you never know who (or what) might be around the next corner.

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And thus ends September 7th for another year.

TTFN,
Brendochka
9/7/24