Replies

Events of May 16--The 5th Kressowa Front

General Sulik decided to attack in battalion-sized waves, capture the northern part of Phantom Ridge, Colle San Angelo, and Hill 575 and then advance towards Highway 6 until contact was made with the British 78th Division. A special group comprising the 5th Wilno Brigade (without the 14th Battalion), the 17th and 18th Battalions of the Lvov Brigade, the 3rd Tank Squadron of the 4th Armoured Regiment, the Corps' engineers, and a Commando company reinforced by assault troops of the 15th Poznan Lancers was assembled and put under the command of Major General Rudnicki.

Wladyslaw Anders,
Lieutenant General, Second Polish Corps

On the night of the 16th, a sudden unexpected bit of good luck happened. While making a reconnaissance patrol of Phantom Ridge, a company of the 16th Battalion managed to capture a number of German emplacements in the northern sector. By 11 pm, the whole battalion set up an artillery observation post. Later, these troops successfully repelled a German counter-attack.

Events of May 17--5th Kressowa Front

View of the Monte Cassino and surrounding hills. Red areas: combat zones of the 2nd Polish Corps.

At 7:22 am, after an artillery barrage, the Polish tanks climb the southern slopes of Phantom Ridge, but only reach a point about a hundred yards below the summit. These tanks were able to provide covering fire for the advancing infantry. The 17th Battalion quickly captures most of the Colle San Angelo, except for some pill boxes on the western side. They immediately come under heavy artillery attack from the Pizzo Corno and S. Lucia areas. Also, the 17th Battalion manages to repel a German counter-attack. By 2 pm, the Battalion runs out of ammunition and a third German counter-attack succeeded in recapturing the southern peak of Colle San Angelo.

Faces of these German P.O.W's tell the story of ferocity of the fighting.

General Rudnicki sends in the 16th and 18th Battalions and the Commando company and by 6:05 pm they have recaptured the southern peak of Colle San Angelo, which was now to remain indefinitely in Polish hands.

Polish Dead at Cassino

The 5th Kressowa Division suffered heavy casualties and the only option left was to build up a reserve of three half-battalions from the "B" echelon troops and others who had not been directly involved in the battle up to this point.

Meanwhile, the forward company now runs out of ammunition, just as the Germans were preparing to launch a counter-attack. The men sing Polish national songs to bolster their spirits and some throw rocks at the hated enemy.

Polish troops advance under fire

Back in H.Q., General Rudnicki began to panic. He says to General Anders, "I've got nothing left to throw in." To which Anders replies, "Don't worry. I know the situation on the whole front. The Germans are beaten."

Events of May 17--3rd Carpathian Front

The Division had been ordered to cut off the enemy's withdrawal from the Monastery by linking up with the British 13th Corps on Highway 6. Tanks were to be used to neutralize the hamlet and the western slopes of Hill 593, so as to draw the enemy's attention away from the 5th Division's attack on Phantom Ridge. The actual attack was to commence only after the 5th Kressowa had gained a foothold on the Ridge. The attack on Massa Albaneta was entrusted to the 2nd Carpathian Brigade, supported by the 2nd Tank Squadron and anti-aircraft guns. The plan involved having the 6th Battalion (with a single company) neutralize and then hold the gorge, then pass the tanks through, so that they could fire on Massa Albaneta and Hill 593. As soon as Colle San Angelo had been secured, the two companies were to be sent to seize Massa Albaneta. The 4th Battalion would then be in a position to capture Hills 593, 569, and 476 (in that order).

Taking care of one of the bunkers.

At 7:10 am, the gorge was cleared of enemy troops, while the sappers began clearing the minefield. The tanks proceed through the gorge and on to the open area before Massa Albaneta, allowing the them to to fire not only on enemy troops in that location, but also on German troops located on Hill 593.

By the afternoon, the 6th Battalion, supported by tank fire, managed to push one company forward to within two hundred yards of Massa Albaneta. At this point, however, the assault is slowed down because of the presence of cleverly concealed German pill boxes, which could only be cleared by bitter hand to hand fighting.

Fallen 3DSK soldier, still holding the grenade.

At 9:23 am, the 4th Battalion began their assault on Hill 593. The Germans counter-attack from Hill 476 and it takes all three companies of the 4th Battalion two hours of hard, bloody fighting to regain possession. Casualties were high as the Poles were bombarded by mortar fire from the Monastery and raked with automatic gun fire from Hills 569 and 575.

The fighting ebbed and flowed. The battalion came close to reaching the top of Hill 569, but were suddenly pushed back and came very close to losing their tenuous hold on Hill 593. A company from the 5th Battalion reserve secured the Poles' grip on Hill 593's northern, eastern, and southern slopes. The casualties were heavy. Even the commander, Lt. Colonel Fanslau was killed. As dusk approached, further attacks were canceled and the soldiers dig in on the ground they have already captured.

Situation on the evening of May 17

Dead 3DSK soldiers in front of a German bunker on the Hill 593.

After a very hard day of fighting, the Polish Second Corps had come close to breaking the enemy's northern defence ring.The Phantom Ridge, Colle San Angelo, and Hill 593 were in Polish hands. Although not under complete control, Massa Albaneta had been neutralized and some tanks were within two hundred yards, but were stopped short because of mines.

3DSK troops examine the halls of the Monastery

The German garrison occupying the Monastery and Hill 569 was now hanging on to Hill 575 by a slim thread. The Germans fought stubbornly and counter-attacked frequently. Many pillboxes could only be taken after vicious hand-to-hand fighting, in some cases involving the use of knives. Much of the day's success could be attributed to the capture of the Phantom Ridge prior to the attack's commencement.

There were two hundred air sorties flown in support of the Corp's attack. The headquarters of the 1st Parachute Division and the 90th Division were bombed. Also, bombs were dropped on the enemy troops preparing to attack from the Villa S. Lucia area and on enemy mortar and artillery positions in the following areas--Villa S. Lucia, Pizzo Corno, and Piedimonte-Roccasecca.

One of the first troops (a lieutenant of 3DSK) on the Monte Cassino Hill

During the Poles' attack, both the British 13th Corps and the 1st Canadian Corps made substantial progress in the Liri Valley. In the east, the 4th Division had crossed Highway 6 and was approaching the southern slopes of Monastery Hill. The British 78th Division was within 500 yards of the railway line in the C. d' Anguano and the C. Tarquino area.

A gaping hole had been torn in the enemy's defences, which had blocked and frustrated all Allied attempts to reach Rome. The Monastery was now isolated. During the night of May 17-18, the German 1st Parachute Division (click here to see a 169K Jpeg of the paratroopers) withdrew from the now ruptured Gustav Line and headed towards the Hitler Line

The Defeat and Withdrawal of the Enemy

The retreating Germans now had two possible escape routes: Highway 6 or the Monte Cassino-Massa Albaneta ridge. The Poles sent out reconnaissance patrols to find out which route the Germans intended to take. On Hill 575, 569, and 593, the Germans left detachments of troops to guard the remaining soldiers as they withdraw from the Monte Cassino massif.

Captured German Paratroopers.

At dawn on May 18, the 5th Battalion, with remnants of the 4th Battalion, mopped up the remainder of the uncaptured sections of Hill 593; and, by 10 am, they have taken Hill 569; and 6th Battalion has seized Massa Albaneta by noon. Enemy fire was getting weaker and more sporadic. The 3rd Carpathian now advanced quickly.

Some 30-odd German wounded were all that remained of the now withdrawn garrison to greet the Poles when they arrived at the top of the Monastery Hill. At 10:15 am, the Lancers hoist their regimental colours over the shattered ruins of the monastery and the Polish national flag was hoisted later that morning.

Results

Polish national flag and a Union Jack raised on the ruins of the Monastery

The capture of Monte Cassino has an important impact on the Allied offensive in Italy. Once the Germans were deprived of their positions overlooking the Liri Valley, they were forced to pull back to the Hitler Line, which itself was now in danger of being outflanked from the south by the French Corps under the command of General Juin. The Gustav Line was broken; the battle for the Hitler Line was about to begin.

MESSAGE
OF THE HOLY FATHER
JOHN PAUL II
FOR THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF MONTE CASSINO

1. Monte Cassino... What does this word say to all of you, present here today in this cemetery? It says a great deal: it speaks of the victory won there; it also speaks of the price Poles paid for it, fighting as the allies of other nations. This alliance was the consequence of events that began on September 1939. The Polish Republic was then seeking allies in the West, aware that it would be unable to face the invasion of Hitler's Germany alone. But perhaps this was not the only reason. Poles were aware of the fact that the conflict they were forced to face was not only demanded by patriotism, to defend the independence of the State they had so recently regained, but also had broader implications for the whole of Europe. Europe had to defend itself from the same threat as Poland. The national socialist system was opposed - if this can be said - to the "European spirit". And this problem could not be dealt with by endless attempts at apparent solutions. These attempts resulted in further victims with the invasion of Czechoslovakia. It was clear that other similar consequences would have occurred had Europe not decided to take a firm stand in the military sense as well. The decision taken by the Polish Republic in 1939 was therefore right. Indeed, it clearly appeared that Europe could not be defended without deciding on a defensive war, whose first phase was precisely Poland in 1939.

Poles fought for their country's independence

2. The victory of Monte Cassino took place five years later on 18 May 1944. The end of the terrible World War was now not far off. Not only had it raged through almost all of Europe, but it had also drawn non-European States into its vortex, the United States first, into the ranks of the Allies, and then Japan, into those of the so-called Axis. To understand what happened in Monte Cassino, it is necessary again to reflect on another date of the past: 17 September 1939, when Poland, desperately defending herself against invasion from the West, was attacked from the East. And this jeopardized the course of events in that Polish September, leading to a double occupation, with Hitler's concentration camps in the West and those of the Soviets in the East. The tragedy of Katyn, still today a unique testimony of the struggle undertaken at the time, took place in the East.

In order to understand the events that occurred at Monte Cassino, we also need to have this Eastern chapter of our history before our eyes, because the army commanded by General Wladyslaw Anders, which played such an important role in the battle of Monte Cassino, consisted largely of Poles deported to the Soviet Union. In addition, there were soldiers and officers who, from occupied Poland, had secretly reached the West through Hungary, with the intention of continuing the fight there for the independence of their homeland. Monte Cassino was an important milestone in this struggle. The soldiers involved in that battle were convinced that by helping to solve the problems concerning the whole of Europe, they were on the way to an independent Poland.

Wladyslaw Anders,
Lieutenant General, Second Polish Corps

3. Those of you who fought here treasure in your hearts the memory of all your fellow soldiers. You have come here to visit the Polish military cemetery at Monte Cassino, where General Wladyslaw Anders and Archbishop Józef Gawlina, the faithful chaplain to the Polish army on the battlefield, also repose. Many of your companions rest here: soldiers and officers with names that are not only Polish but also Ukrainian, Belarusian and Jewish. They all fought in the battle for the same great cause, as the cemeteries attest: those of Monte Cassino, Loreto, Bologna and Casamassima. Our thoughts and prayers are addressed to those who fell, who, departing life, were thinking of their loved ones in Poland. Their death was a witness to the readiness that marked all society at the time: to give one's life for the holy cause of one's homeland.

View from Polish cemetery towards the Monte Cassino and the Abbey

We cannot forget that a few months later, in that same year of 1944, the Warsaw Uprising took place, an episode which corresponded to the battle of Monte Cassino. The Poles in their homeland felt that they had to fight this battle, in order to stress the fact that Poland had been fighting from the first day to the last, not only to defend her own freedom, but for the future of Europe and the world. They were convinced that the Soviet army, already close to Warsaw, together with the Polish battalions from the territory of the Soviet Union, would contribute decisively to the success of the Warsaw Uprising. But unfortunately this was not the case. We know that Poland paid very dearly for the Warsaw Uprising: not only with the death of so many thousands of Polish men and women of my contemporaries' generation, but even with the almost total destruction of the capital.

New life has risen from the ruins

Polish cemetery . Hill 569 in the background

4. While we have the image of 50 years ago before our eyes, we must once more repeat the word Monte Cassino, a name that has a far older meaning than the one attributed to it in 1944. We must go back 15 centuries to the time of St Benedict. Precisely at Monte Cassino one of those Benedictine abbeys that was to initiate the formation of Europe arose. Historians show that on the basis of the Benedictine principle "ora et labora", after the decline of the Roman Empire of the West and after the migrations of peoples, this Europe began to emerge, whose civil and cultural foundations have been preserved to this day. This is Christian Europe. It was St Benedict in the West, like Saints Cyril and Methodius in the East, who contributed to the Christianization of Europe in the first millennium. Moreover, the European nations are indebted to them for the very beginnings of their own culture and of this Western civilization, which has continued to develop over the centuries and has also spread to other continents.

MONTE CASSINO MONASTERY AFTER THE BATTLE

From this standpoint, what does the battle of Monte Cassino represent? It was the clashing of two "projects": one, both in the East and in the West, aiming at uprooting Europe from its Christian past linked to her Patrons, and in particular to St Benedict, and the other, striving to defend the Christian tradition of Europe and the "European spirit". The fact that the Abbey of Monte Cassino was destroyed has a symbolic value. Christ said: "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit" (Jn 12:24). Evidently, the ancient Abbey of Monte Cassino had to be destroyed so that a new life for all of Europe could rise from its ruins. And in a certain sense, this is what happened. On the ruins of the Second World War, a united Europe began to be built, and those who were its first builders staunchly clung to the Christian roots of European culture.

5. We Poles were unable to participate directly in the rebuilding of Christian Europe undertaken in the West. We were left with the ruins of our capital. Although we had been allies in the victorious coalition, we found ourselves in the situation of the defeated, upon whom the domination of the East, within the Soviet Bloc, was imposed for more than 40 years. Hence for us the struggle did not end in 1945; we were forced to take it up all over again. Furthermore, the same thing happened for our neighbours. Commemorating the Monte Cassino victory, it is therefore essential today to add the truth about all Polish men and women, who in an apparently independent State, became the victims of a totalitarian system. In their homeland, they gave their lives for the very cause for which Poles had died in 1939, then throughout the occupation and finally at Monte Cassino and in the Warsaw Uprising. We must also remember how many were killed at the hand of the Polish institutions and security services that served the system imposed by the East. They must al least be remembered before God and before history, in order not to veil the truth about our past at this decisive moment in history. The Church commemorates her martyrs in martyrologies. We cannot allow that in Poland, especially Poland today, the martyrology of the Polish nation should not be recomposed.

We pray for a good use of freedom

6. This is the price we paid for our current independence. If after the First World War it was necessary to fight to put Poland back on the map of Europe, after the Second World War no one could harbour any doubts on this score. The Polish nation had paid such a high price, had claimed its right to exist as a State with such tremendous efforts and suffering, that even our enemies - let us say, the dubious "friends" of the East and the West - could not question this right. This too must be said today, on the occasion of the great anniversary of the battle of Monte Cassino, because it has fundamental significance for our Polish and European present. If it is impossible to detach the "today" from the past, from all our history and especially from the past 50 years, it is impossible to forget that every human "today" is the introduction to a human future. What will the future of Poland and Europe be like? There are many promising elements for this future. Apparently Europe has detached herself from the dangerous systems that have prevailed in the 20th century, and the desire for peaceful co-existence among nations is rather general. Is this also the desire to build our own future in the spirit of Monte Cassino? Monte Cassino represents a symbol proven by the experience of history. But should we not fear that we might be unable to draw the right conclusions from this experience, letting ourselves be misled by other "spirits" that have little in common with Monte Cassino, or are even opposed to it, perhaps to the point of being responsible for its systematic destruction?

Monte Cassino monastery as it looked in mid May 1944.

Thus we cannot conclude our meditation on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the victory of Monte Cassino without adding a similar warning for the future and together beseeching God to remain with us and we with him. We must pray that we may be able to make good use of the freedom purchased at such a high price: because we are returning to the heritage of St Benedict and of Sts Cyril and Methodius, co-patrons of Europe in the West and in the East.

At the end of the second millennium and on the eve of the third, I recommend all those present and the whole of our country to them, as well as to all the patrons of our nation, especially to the one who is the symbol of our century, the martyr saint of Auschwitz, Maximilian Maria Kolbe, as well as to Our Lady of Jasna Góra, Queen of Poland.

May almighty God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, bless you.

Additional Sources:

www.andersarmy.com
www.members.shaw.ca/carpathiandiv
www.futura-dtp.dk
www.virtuti.com/order
www.polandsholocaust.org
members.tripod.com/polcon
www.multied.com
www.museum-security.org
www.ina.fr/voir_revoir/guerre
www.kki.krakow.pl/piojar/brygad
www.nasm.si.edu
www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil
college.hmco.com/history
www.lib.utexas.edu
www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on February 12:
1211 Henry VII Roman catholic German king (1220-35)
1585 Caspar Bartholin Malmö, physician, theologian, writer on anatomy
1588 John Winthrop English attorney/puritan/1st Governor of Massachusetts
1665 Rudolph J Camerarius German botanist/physician (sexuality plant)
1768 Francis II Florence Italy, last Holy Roman emperor (1792-1806)
1791 Peter Cooper industrialist/philanthropist (Cooper Union)
1809 Charles Darwin Shrewsbury England, discovered evolution (Origin of species)

1809 Abraham Lincoln Hodgenville KY, (R) 16th President (1861-65)

1828 Robert Ransom Jr Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1892
1838 Charles Carroll Walcott Brevet Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1898
1880 John Llewellyn Lewis union leader (United Mine Workers, 1920-60)
1893 Omar Bradley General of Army WWII "The GI General"
1904 Ted Mack Denver CO, TV host (Original Amateur Hour)
1914 Gordon Tex Beneke saxophonist/bandleader/vocalist (Glenn Miller Orchestra)
1915 Lorne Greene Ottawa Canada, actor (Bonanza, Battlestar Galactica)
1919 Forrest Tucker Plainfield IN, actor (O'Rourke-F Troop, Dusty Trail)
1923 Franco Zeffirelli Florence Italy, movie director (Romeo & Juliet)
1926 Joe Garagiola St Louis MO, sportscaster/host (Today Show)
1930 Arlen Specter (Senator-R-PA, 1981- )
1930 Gerhard Rühm writer
1931 Constance A Morella (Representative-R-MD)(rino)
1934 Bill Russell Monroe LA, NBA star (Boston Celtics, Olympics-gold-56)
1935 Ray Manzarek keyboardist (The Doors-Light My Fire, Unknown Soldier)
1936 Joe Don Baker Groesback TX, actor (Eischied, Walking Tall, Fletch)
1938 Johnny Rutherford auto racer
1944 Moe Bandy Meridian MS, country vocalist (Just Good Ol' Boys)
1956 Paula Zahn Omaha NB, news anchor (ABC, CBS This Morning)
1958 Arsenio Hall comedian (Alan Thicke, Arsenio, Coming to America)
1969 Josh Brolin actor (Johnny-Private Eye, Jimmy Hickok-Young Riders)
1980 Christina Ricci actress (Wednesday-Addams Family, Mermaids, Casper)

Deaths which occurred on February 12:
1242 Hendrik VII Roman Catholics German king (1220-35), commits suicide
1804 Immanuel Kant German philosopher (Zum ewigen Frieden), dies in Königsberg, Prussia at 79
1929 Freiherr Albert von Schrenk-Notzing German para-psychologist, dies at 66
1942 Grant Wood US painter (American Gothic), dies at 49
1945 ... de Jong Dutch vicar/resistance fighter, executed
1947 Sidney Toler actor (Charlie Chan, Dark Alibi), dies at 72
1971 James Cash Penney US founder (J C Penney), dies at 95
1976 Sal Mineo actor (Exodus, Rebel Without a Cause), stabbed at 37
1979 Jean Renoir French writer/director (Human Beast), dies at 84
1982 Victor Jory Dawson City Yukon Territory Canada, actor (Adventures of Tom Sawyer, 1st Lady, Jigsaw), dies at 79
1982 Cornelis Rijnsdorp Dutch writer (Culprit), dies at 87
1983 Eubie Blake ragtime-composer/pianist (Memories of You), dies at 100
1991 Robert Wagner mayor (NYC-D-1954-65), dies
1993 James Bulger English child beaten to death at 2, by 10 year old boys

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1967 SULLIVAN MARTIN J.---LAWRENCE MA.
1967 WEISSMUELLER COURTNEY E.---ORLANDO FL. 1968 BROWN HARRY W.---CHARLESTON SC.
1968 GROTH WADE L.---GREENVILLE MI.
1968 GUNN ALAN W.---SAN ANTONIO TX.
1968 ROE JERRY L.---HOUSTON TX.
1969 FISHER JOHN B.---OCALA FL.
[03/11/69 RELEASED BY SIHANOUK]
1969 OSBURN LAIRD P.---WEBSTER SPRINGS WV.
[03/12/69 RELEASED BY SIHANOUK, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1969 PRYOR ROBERT J.---OAK RIDGE TN.
[03/11/69 RELEASED BY SIHANOUK]
1970 BRADSHAW ROBERT S. III---LUFKIN TX.
1970 BREEDING MICHAEL HUGH---BLUE RAPIDS KS.
1971 MC LEOD ARTHUR E.---BAY SHORE NY.
[REMAINS IDENTIFIED 08/27/99]
1971 WILKINSON CLYDE D.---MINERAL WELLS TX.
[REMAINS IDENTIFIED 08/27/99]

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
1049 Bruno count of Egesheim & Dagsburg crowned Pope Leo IX
1111 German King Hendry V arrives at St Peter, Rome
1130 Pope Innocent II elected
1502 Granada Moslems forced to convert to Catholicism
1577 Spanish land guardian Don Juan of Habsburg signs "Eternal Edict"
1624 English parliament comes together
1733 Georgia founded by James Oglethorpe, at site of Savannah
1793 1st US fugitive slave law passed; requires return of escaped slaves
1797 Haydn's song "Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser" premieres in Vienna
1818 Chile gains independence from Spain
1825 Creek Indian treaty signed; Tribal chiefs agree to turn over all their land in Georgia to the government & migrate west by Sept 1, 1826
1832 Ecuador annexes Galápagos Islands
1848 Ballet "Faust" premieres, Milan
1850 Original Washington's Farewell Address manuscript sells for $2,300
1861 State troops seize US munitions in Napoleon AK
1865 Henry Highland Garnet, is 1st black to speak in US House of Representatives
1873 Congress abolishes bimetallism & authorizes $1 & $3 gold coins
1876 Al Spalding opens his sporting good shop
1877 1st news dispatch by telephone, between Boston & Salem MA
1877 US railroad builders strike against wage reduction
1878 Frederick Thayer patents the catcher's mask (pat # 200,358)
1879 1st artificial ice rink in North America (Madison Square Garden, NYC)
1879 News about slaughtering of Isandlwana reaches London
1880 National Croquet League organizes (Philadelphia)
1899 -47ºF (-44ºC), Camp Clarke NB (state record)
1908 New York to Paris auto race (via Alaska & Siberia) begins in New York NY; George Schuster wins after 88 days behind the wheel
1909 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded
1912 Last Ch'ing (Manchu) emperor of China, Henry P'u-i, abdicates
1915 Cornerstone laid for Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC
1921 Soviet troops invade Georgia
1921 Winston Churchill becomes British, minister of Colonies
1924 George Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" premieres at Carnegie Hall (New York NY)
1924 President Calvin Coolidge makes 1st presidential radio speech
1925 1st federal arbitration law approved by Congress
1933 German vice-chancellor von Papen demands Catholic aid for Nazis
1934 France hit by a general strike against fascists & royalists
1935 Great airship, USS Macon, crashes into Pacific Ocean
1938 Austrian chancellor Schuschnigg visits Hitler in Berchtesgaden
1938 German troops entered Austria
1942 3 German battle cruisers escape via Channel to Brest N Germany
1943 General Eisenhower departs Algiers to Tebessa
1944 Wendell Wilkie (R) enters presidential race
1945 San Francisco selected for site of UN Conference
1947 Daytime fireball & meteorite fall seen in eastern Siberia
1947 Record 100.5-kg sailfish caught, C W Stewart, Galapagos Islands
1949 "Annie Get Your Gun" closes at Imperial Theater NYC after 1147 performances
1949 Panic in Quito Ecuador, after "War of the World" played on radio
1950 Senator Joe McCarthy claims to have list of 205 communist government employees
1950 Albert Einstein warns against hydrogen bomb
1953 USSR breaks relations with Israel
1955 McGuire Sisters' "Sincerely" single goes to #1 & stays #1 for 10 weeks
1955 President Eisenhower sends 1st US advisors to South Vietnam
1957 Researchers announce Borazan (harder than diamonds) been developed
1962 Bus boycott starts in Macon GA
1963 Argentina asks extradition of Ex-President Peron
1964 Beatles 1st NYC concert (Carnegie Hall)
1967 Keith Richards, Mick Jagger & Marianne Faithful busted for drugs
1973 1st US POWs in North Vietnam released; 116 of 456 flown to Philippines
1981 Admiral Bobby R Inman, USN, becomes deputy director of CIA
1982 Wayne Gretzky scores 153rd point of season, tying NHL record
1984 Cale Yarborough, becomes 1st Daytona 500 qualifier, above 200 MPH
1987 Survivors of a black man murdered by KKK members awarded $7 million damages
1998 Intel unveils its 1st graphics chip i740
1998 US district judge T Hogan declares line-item veto law unconstitutional
1999 The five-week impeachment trial of Bill Clinton comes to an end, the Senate voted to acquit President Clinton of perjury and obstruction of justice.(BOOOO)
2001 Scientists published their first examinations of nearly all the human genetic code.
2002 The war crimes trial of former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic began at the Hague in the Netherlands.

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Booneville Indiana : Nancy Hanks Lincoln Memorial Day
Burma : Union Day (1947)
Georgia : Georgia Day/Oglethorpe Day (1733)
US : Abraham Lincoln's Birthday (Traditional)
US : No Talk Day
US : New Idea Week (Day 5)
US : Love and Laughter Keeps Us from Getting Dizzy Week (Day 5)
Snack Food Month

Religious Observances
Christian : Feast of St Eulalia
Methodist : Race Relations Sunday (2nd Sunday in February)
Orthodox : Feast of the 3 Saints-Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian
Orthodox : Commemoration of St Anthony of Cauleas, patriarch of Constantinople
old Roman Catholic : Feast of the 7 Founders of the Servite Order

Religious History
1797 Franz Haydn's AUSTRIAN HYMN was first performed for the Emperor Francis II's fifth birthday. Today, AUSTRIAN HYMN is the most common melody to which we sing the popular hymn, "Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken."
1807 Anglican missionary to Persia Henry Martyn wrote in his journal: 'Amazing patience, He bears with this faithless foolish heart and suffers me to come, laden with sins, to receive new pardon, new grace, every day! Why does not such love make me hate sin that grieves Him and hides me from His sight?'
1948 The Pentecostal awakening known as the "Latter Rain Movement" traces its origin to this date, when students at the Sharon Orphanage and Schools in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada began experiencing a mass spiritual awakening.
1952 The Roman Catholic program "Life is Worth Living" debuted on television. Hosted by (then-) Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, the half-hour program aired on Tuesday nights. It became the longest-running religious TV series of its day, and ran through February of 1957.
1962 Swiss Reformed theologian Karl Barth predicted in a letter: 'The day will come when we shall no longer speak of Roman Catholic and Protestant Christians but simply of Evangelical Christians forming one body and one people.'

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

Thought for the day :
"No one can feel as helpless as the owner of a sick goldfish."

Question of the day...
If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

Murphys Law of the day...Fyffe's Axiom)
The problem-solving process will always break down at the point at which it is possible to determine who caused the problem.

Astounding Fact #87,306...
Your brain is 80% water.