The FReeper Foxhole Remembers the US BicycleSpankenTruppen (1896-1897) - May 4th, 2005

American History Magazine | Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer

[SAMWolf]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.

.................................................................. .................... ...........................................

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The Wheels of War

In 1897 a unit of black infantrymen set out on a grueling expedition to demonstrate a unique means of military transport--the bicycle.

The determined group of cyclists struggled against a stiff headwind as they pedaled their fully loaded bicycles up the rocky road on a sticky, rainy day in June 1897. Forceful gusts whipped over the plains, punctuated by the sound of the riders' labored breathing and the scrunching of tires along the dirt road. By the time they reached their destination, the 23 riders--the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps--would have traveled 1,900 miles.

Formed in 1869, the 25th Infantry was one of four African-American military units posted west of the Mississippi, serving as protectors and peacekeepers. The 25th was stationed on the Texas frontier until 1880, when it was transferred to the Dakota Territory. Eight years later the unit moved to the hunting and fishing paradise of Fort Missoula, Montana, from where the soldiers were dispatched as peacekeeping forces during railroad and mine strikes and fought forest fires in Montana and Idaho. Yet one of their most grueling tasks involved cycling long distances under realistic field conditions.

Following the advent of the chain-driven "safety" bicycle, developed in 1874 by H.J. Lawson, and John Boyd Dunlop's 1888 pneumatic tire invention, cycling for pleasure and for everyday transport became popular. Meanwhile, several European armies had already established the bicycle's value for reconnaissance and courier services.

The U.S. Army, however, did not attempt any official experiments in bicycle transport until 1896, when the task was assigned to the 25th Infantry. The newly formed bicycle unit consisted of eight enlisted men and their white commander, Lieutenant James A. Moss.



In July 1896, the bicycle corps was given its first long-distance test, riding north to Lake McDonald and back, a distance of 126 miles. During the three-day expedition the soldiers encountered heavy rains, strong winds, deep mud, and steep grades and suffered punctured tires, broken pedals, and loose rims and chains. The corps gained valuable experience for the following month's test.

On August 15, the riders pedaled out of Fort Missoula and reached Yellowstone Park 10 days and 500 miles later. There they rested and saw the sights for five days before returning to their post. The soldiers averaged a speed of six miles per hour over the steepest part of the route, more than twice that of infantrymen traversing the same terrain.

The summer of 1897 saw the bicycle corps undertake its longest, most challenging test when its members set out for St. Louis. The chosen route closely followed the Northern Pacific Railroad from the corps headquarters at Fort Missoula to Billings, Montana. From there it paralleled the Burlington Northern Railroad through Wyoming, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Missouri. Selected for its length, difficult terrain, and extreme weather and road conditions, the route was perfect for this military experiment.


The Krag-Jörgensen rifle is best known as the standard rifle of US army. It is however a domestic Norwegian design, and was the standard rifle of the Norwegian army since 1894. It is named after the manager Krag and the "gun maker" Jörgensen.

The unit's bicycles were the most modern available, built to military specifications by A.G. Spalding & Bros. of Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. Eager for its product to undergo a rigorous service test, Spalding donated the bicycles to the government. Although constructed with the most up-to-date specifications, the bicycles had steel frames and rims and were cumbersome and heavy.

Each rider carried a 10-pound blanket roll that included a shelter tent and poles, a set of underwear, two pairs of socks, a handkerchief, and toothbrush and powder. Properly packed, the roll fitted into a luggage carrier in front of the bicycle's handlebars. Each man also carried rations of bacon, bread, canned beef, baked beans, coffee, and sugar in hard leather cases attached to the bicycle frame. Every other man carried a towel and a bar of soap, and each squad chief carried a comb and brush and a box of matches. Fully loaded, the soldiers' bicycles weighed about 59 pounds each. Every man also carried a 10-pound Krag-Jorgensen rifle and a 50-round cartridge belt.

[SAMWolf]

Moss chose 20 of the 40 infantrymen who volunteered for the expedition. The men ranged in age from 24 to 39 and were in top physical condition. Five were veterans of the previous year's trials. Moss described the corps as "bubbling over with enthusiasm . . . about as fine a looking and well disciplined a lot as could be found anywhere in the United States Army." Also joining the corps were the assistant post surgeon, Dr. James M. Kennedy, and Edward Boos, a reporter for the Daily Missoulian newspaper.

Corps mechanic Private John Findley was an indispensable member of the unit, responsible for keeping the bicycles in top running condition. Damaged front crowns, front axles, pedals, and spokes would continually demand his mechanical expertise and ingenuity.

The cyclists pedaled out of Fort Missoula at 5:30 a.m. on June 14, 1897. When the soldiers reached Missoula they rode through town in an impressive, double-file formation as people lined the streets to cheer them on their way.

25th Infantry at Yellowstone in 1896

Unfortunately, the bright start quickly dimmed as heavy rains turned the road to mud. Lieutenant Moss noted in his official report that "we rolled our wheels through weeds and underbrush on the road side in order to avoid the mud, and then would carry them a few paces and stop for second wind, as it were." About 3:00 p.m. the weather began to clear, and "we stopped for an hour's rest, after which the ride or rather the march was resumed over the muddy, hilly roads." It was an exhausting first day, but despite the wet weather the men managed to travel 54 miles.

Rain fell in torrents through the night, and by morning the road was completely impassable. Pushing off in a drizzling rain, the riders soon abandoned the road and traveled along the Northern Pacific Railroad tracks. Instead of mud the group endured bone-jarring jolts from mile after mile of railroad ties.

Near noon on the fourth day the corps trekked across the Continental Divide, enduring freezing temperatures and blowing sleet and snow that brought visibility down to less than 20 feet. Every so often the cyclists stopped to warm their hands and ears before pressing on. As they began their descent, melting snow forced the men to peddle along in ankle-deep water.

The soldiers were under pressure to make good time as they carried only two days' rations. With food pick-up points stationed every 100 miles, their daily riding average had to be 50 miles, although that wasn't always possible. Poor weather conditions between the Crow Indian reservation and Fort Custer in south-central Montana produced such muddy roads that the men covered only three miles in six hours on the 10th day of their journey, and they ran out of food before the next ration point. Boos wrote, "We were wet, cold and hungry, and a more jaded set of men never existed."

On the evening of June 25, the expedition reached the site of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, fought exactly 21 years earlier. "The site of our camp was on the flat at the foot of the hill on which Gen. Custer fought the famous battle and where the Indians pitched their lodges the day before the battle," Boos reported. Before eating their supper, the men "visited the celebrated battlefield and viewed the site of the massacre with interest. The writer went over Custer's very line of march on his bicycle under the direction of Mr. A.N. Grover, the custodian of the Custer National Cemetery."

As the corps traveled through Wyoming, South Dakota, and Nebraska, water became a critical problem. The only potable supply came from railroad tanks, and if the soldiers were too far from the railroad, they had no choice but to drink water that was often alkali-tainted, causing sickness throughout the corps. Moss reported that on June 29, after "having ridden somewhat over twenty miles up an almost continuous grade, under a broiling sun, we stopped, about 2 p.m. at Gillette, Wyo., for lunch," although many of the men were so tired that they fell asleep while eating. After being advised that the next place where they could obtain water was the town of Moorcroft, some 30 miles away, the corps started on its way again. By 7:00 p.m. the men had covered about 16 miles and "were bounding along at an eight-mile gait, when all at once the clouds began to gather thick and fast, and almost immediately darkness was upon us." Suddenly, the front axle on one man's bicycle broke. Their need for water was too urgent to stop for repairs, however, and the soldier had no choice but to push his bicycle all the way to Moorcroft.

Moss left Sergeant Mingo Sanders in temporary command while he pushed ahead with the cook and two soldiers, "intending to reach Moorcroft an hour or more before the command and have supper ready as soon as they arrived." Poor road conditions, however, forced Moss and his men to dismount and push their bicycles. Darkness descended before they reached town. "While almost feeling our way along a road wet and muddy from a rain from the previous day, we walked and walked and walked, pushing our wheels before us," noted Moss. "The night air was damp, chilly, and penetrating, and we were cold, hungry, and tired . . . I was really sleeping on my feet." After several hours of walking, the men were overcome by sheer exhaustion. They collapsed on top of their tents, covered themselves with their blankets, and fell asleep. When the four men awoke the next morning, they saw the town of Moorcroft about a mile away.

The soldiers regrouped and continued on through the southwest corner of South Dakota, arriving in Crawford, Nebraska, on July 3 as the town's residents were enjoying an early Independence Day celebration. Boos reported that "The Fourth of July celebration was at its height when the 25th U.S. Infantry Bicycle Corps arrived at Crawford. The entire town was full of people and the corps was given a hearty welcome . . . ."

As the men continued east over the Nebraska plains in extreme heat, water problems intensified. In one instance they rode 50 miles without water, their lips parched and tongues swollen. Daytime temperatures were so high that the men began their trek at daybreak and rode until mid-morning. They rested through the hottest hours of the day and continued on in the late afternoon. If road conditions were good, the corps frequently pedaled by moonlight.

[SAMWolf]

About nine miles out of Alliance, Nebraska, Lieutenant Moss was "overcome from the effects of alkali water, and taken back to town. For the next four days the corps was under the command of Asst. Surgeon J.M. Kennedy." Moss remained in Alliance to recover, then rejoined the riders by train.

During the four days under Dr. Kennedy's command, the soldiers endured some of the highest temperatures of their journey. Making matters worse, their bicycles sank eight to ten inches deep in Nebraska's Sand Hills, forcing the men once again onto the railroad tracks, where they rumbled along for 170 miles. Moss recalled that this distance was covered in four and a half days "by almost superhuman effort. On July 7 the thermometer registered 110 degrees in the shade, and over half of the corps were sick . . . ." Fortunately, the journey was nearing its end.

Twenty-three miles west of St. Louis, newspaper reporter Henry Lucas camped with the bicycle corps and prepared to escort the riders into the city. He relayed word to the St. Louis Star that the men were in top physical condition, and their spirits were high. He further reported, "It is no uncommon sight for residents of this city to see a company of wheelmen . . . but in today's visitors there is a distinctiveness which will mark them at once as different from other riders . . . . All belong to the African race except the Lieutenant."

On July 24 hundreds of St. Louis cyclists rode out to meet the approaching regiment, and large crowds greeted the weary travelers as they made their way into the city. During the next few days thousands of spectators visited the corps' campsite and watched exhibition drills. The St. Louis Associated Cycling Corps even sponsored a parade in honor of its military guests. This was "the most marvelous cycling trip in the history of the wheel and the most rapid military march on record," reported the St. Louis Star.



Moss was particularly proud of his unit's persistence. "There was no condition of weather we did not endure, no topographical obstacle that we did not overcome," he told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In his official report, Moss commended his men for the "spirit, pluck and fine soldierly qualities they displayed." He stressed that "some of our experiences, especially in the Sand Hills of Nebraska, tested to the utmost not only their physical endurance, but also their moral courage and disposition."

The trip lasted 40 days: 34 spent in travel and six used for rest and repairs. Due to the extreme road and weather conditions, the men pushed their bicycles nearly 400 of the total 1,900 miles traveled. Initially, the corps averaged 52 miles a day, but once the unit passed beyond the Sand Hills the rate increased to 60 miles.

Moss reported several problems that needed to be addressed, including the increase of regulation rations, as provisions intended for two days lasted for only four meals. He also recommended the addition of shock absorbers to the handlebars to prevent jarring, as many men had suffered numbing pain from traveling over rough roads and railroad tracks. In some places they had actually found it easier to carry their fully loaded bicycles on their shoulders.

Nonetheless, the experiment demonstrated that a bicycle corps could travel twice as fast as cavalry and infantry under the same topographical conditions, at one-third the cost. Moss remarked that a bicycle corps would be particularly useful in situations that required speed rather than numbers, such as taking possession of bridges or passes and holding them until reinforcements arrived. "The bicycle has a number of advantages over the horse," Moss noted, "it does not require as much care, it needs no forage, it moves much faster over fair roads . . . it is noiseless and raises but little dust, and it is impossible to determine its direction from its tracks." Still, Moss made it clear that he didn't believe a bicycle corps could in any way take over the duties of mounted cavalry. He maintained that the services complemented each other, and a bicycle corps would best serve as adjuncts to both cavalry and infantry.

In the end, the army decided not to establish a permanent bicycle corps. Lack of good roads, the large supply of horses, and the country's vast expanse all worked against the plan. After returning by train to their post at Fort Missoula, the bicycle corps was disbanded as an active unit. Although several different types of bicycles were developed for the army--including some models that carried machine guns and repeating rifles--they failed to pass the strenuous field tests. The arduous experience of the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps would never be repeated.

Additional Sources:

www.moaa.org
www.nrhc.org
buffalosoldierbicycle.com

[SAMWolf]

The black bicycle warriors performed nobly on their arduous test rides more than 100 years ago, yet the bicycle never replaced the horse in the Army. The fate of the horse, and indeed of the cavalry, was sealed by something the riders never could have foreseen—the invention of the internal combustion engine and the development of armored divisions of trucks, tanks, and other rumbling machines.

Bigger and Better

Bicycles were not integrated into the military as a result of the 25th Infantry’s efforts, but there is potential for an increased use of bikes in the military. The 1st Tactical Studies Group (Airborne), a nonprofit group of airborne veterans, is working to have human-powered vehicles, called HPVs, play a role in the 82nd Airborne Division. They have assembled a militarized all-terrain bicycle (ATB) with off-the-shelf parts, and even have an airdrop-capable ATB that folds into the size of a backpack.

[SAMWolf]

Veterans for Constitution Restoration is a non-profit, non-partisan educational and grassroots activist organization. The primary area of concern to all VetsCoR members is that our national and local educational systems fall short in teaching students and all American citizens the history and underlying principles on which our Constitutional republic-based system of self-government was founded. VetsCoR members are also very concerned that the Federal government long ago over-stepped its limited authority as clearly specified in the United States Constitution, as well as the Founding Fathers' supporting letters, essays, and other public documents.

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Actively seeking volunteers to provide this valuable service to Veterans and their families.

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We here at Blue Stars For A Safe Return are working hard to honor all of our military, past and present, and their families. Inlcuding the veterans, and POW/MIA's. I feel that not enough is done to recognize the past efforts of the veterans, and remember those who have never been found.

I realized that our Veterans have no "official" seal, so we created one as part of that recognition. To see what it looks like and the Star that we have dedicated to you, the Veteran, please check out our site.

Veterans Wall of Honor

Blue Stars for a Safe Return

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UPDATED THROUGH APRIL 2004



The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul

Click on Hagar for
"The FReeper Foxhole Compiled List of Daily Threads"

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[snippy_about_it]

Geez they sure did get a lot accomplished with those bikes. Tough dudes.

[snippy_about_it]

"FALL IN" to the FReeper Foxhole!



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[alfa6]

12 hours of frivolity and fun Bump for the Freeper Foxhole.

Interestring read

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Don W]

Bicycles and other HPV's (Human Powered Vehicles) STILL are, and always will be, an effective transport.

They''re cheap, efficient, and expendable. What does an army want?

Its speed, and LACK of armour make the bicycle the cat's meow for SHORT range mobility, penetration and STEALTH! operations.

It's a pity that so few see the reality of the bicycle's innate suitability for this role.

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

[xJones]

Making matters worse, their bicycles sank eight to ten inches deep in Nebraska's Sand Hills, ...

Totally off subject, Sam, but you might remember from our FR mails that December, maybe 3 years ago, when I tried to get my mother-in-law to tell her memories on FR of being on base housing at Hickam Field, Dec.7, 1941 when the Japs attacked. She saw a lot that morning, but she wouldn't tell it here; she just kept saying, "But I didn't do anything."

True, her husband jumped out of bed when the bombing started, and ran to help out at the airfield. All she could do was hide their 8 month-old baby in his baby carriage & park it under the kitchen table while the attack was going on. She waited 3 days to find out if her husband was dead or alive, and many things happened after that.

That was only one of the amazing times she lived through, and she passed away tonight at 12:01am.

RIP to a classic example of "the finest generation".

[xJones]

I forgot to mention that she was born and raised in the Sand Hills of Nebraska, and that's what caused me to go off subject and talk about her.

[E.G.C.]

Good morning, snippy and everyone at the Foxhole.

[Mr Ducklips]

Really good -- I didn't know a thing about this. Thanks for the post Mr. Wolf!

[The Mayor]

May 4, 2005

Godly Exercise

Read:
1 Timothy 4:6-16

Exercise yourself toward godliness. -1 Timothy 4:7

Bible In One Year: Psalm 70-72

Fitness advocate Jhannie Tolbert says you don't need a treadmill or specialized equipment to get a great physical workout at home. Tolbert uses a toolbox for stepping exercises, lifts soup cans to work his shoulder muscles, and employs other common household items in his daily training. He says you can stay fit at home using a low-tech approach. Other trainers agree and encourage people to use jump ropes, chairs, brooms, and even bags of groceries in conditioning routines. They see exercise as a matter of will, not wealth.

The same principle holds true with spiritual fitness. While Bible dictionaries, commentaries, and other books are helpful, we can begin spiritual training with nothing more than the Bible and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Paul urged his protégé Timothy: "Exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come" (1 Timothy 4:7-8).

It requires no money to study a Bible passage or memorize a verse. We don't need special equipment or materials to pray for a friend, give thanks to God, or sing His praise. We just need to begin where we are, with what we have, right now. -David McCasland

Just as the body will grow strong
With exercise each day,
So too, we grow more like our Lord
By living life His way. -D. De Haan

Godly exercise is the key to godly character.

FOR FURTHER STUDY
How Can I Understand The Bible?
How Can I Know God Through His Book?

[GailA]

Good morning. I never knew we had a bike unit.

[alfa6]

I used to ride a bike to work but gave it up because I did not get enough exercise.

Here is the companion pic to yesterdays Blue Angels pic. Where's that spoil sport Dark "what his name" :-)

FWIW both pics were reduced to 30% original size, trying to be nice to the dial up folks :-)

One other thought regards bicycles. the Viet Minh put them to good use to supply the forces laying siege to the French garrison at Dien Bien Phu. By building a simple frame to fit on the bike frame the average Vietnamese was able to transport several hundred pounds of supplies.

Off to log some blanket drill, back later

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Valin]

On this Day In History


Birthdates which occurred on May 04:
1006 Abd-Allah Ansari Persian mystic/poet (Monadjat)
1631 Mary I Henriette Stuart daughter of Charles I/Queen of England
1655 Bartolomeo di Francesco Cristofori Italy, piano builder
1796 Horace Mann US, educator/author/editor (pioneered public schools)
1796 Joseph Pannell Taylor Brigadier General (Union Army), died in 1864
1820 Julia Gardiner Tyler 2nd wife of President John Tyler (1841-45)
1825 Thomas Henry Huxley scientist/humanist/Darwinist
1826 Frederick Church US romantic landscape painter (Hudson River School)
1877 Arthur Lang US, boxer/businessman (Died Aug 8, 1992 at 115)
1881 Aleksandr F Kerenski Russian premier (1917-Prelude to Bolshevism)
1889 Francis J Spellman US Cardinal
1909 Howard Da Silva [Silverblatt] Cleveland OH, actor (Ben Franklin-1776)
1914 Abdel Karim Kassem general/premier/dictator of Iraq (1958-63)
1924 Dennis Weaver actor (Gunsmoke, McCloud)
1926 Milton "Milt" Thompson US NASA-test pilot/chief-engineer (X-15)
1928 Betsy Rawls Spartanburg SC, LPGA golfer (Hall of Fame, US Women's Open-51, 53, 57, 60)
1928 Hosni Mubarak Egyptian "President" (1981-he decides he doesn't want to be)
1928 Maynard Ferguson Verdun Québec Canada, jazz trumpeter (Birdland, Roulette)
1929 Audrey Hepburn [Edda Kathleen van Heemstra Hepburn-Ruston] Brussels Belgium (Breakfast at Tiffany's, My Fair Lady)
1930 Roberta Peters New York NY, operatic soprano (New York Metropolitan)
1938 William J Bennett US Secretary of Education/writer/talk show host (1985-88)
1941 George F Will political analyst
1948 Billy O'Donnell harness racer driver of the year (1984)
1956 Michael L Gernhardt Mansfield OH, PhD/astronaut (STS 69, 83, 94, sk 100)
1959 Randy Travis [Randy Bruce Traywick] Marshville NC, country singer (Forever and Ever Amen, Diggin' Up Bones)
1961 Mary Elizabeth McDonough Van Nuys CA, actress (Erin-Waltons)
1973 Melissa Boyd Miss Ohio USA (1996)
1973 Michelle Martinez Dallas TX, Miss America (Texas-Top 10-1997)

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Deaths which occurred on May 04:
1605 Ulisse Aldrovandi Italian biologist/medical, dies at 82
1855 Camille Pleyel Austria piano builder/composer, dies at 66
1879 William Froude British civil engineer/shipbuilder (F Integer), dies at 68
1885 Aleksandar I Karadjordjevic monarch of Serbia (1842-58), dies at 78
1891 Sherlock Holmes "dies" at Reichenbach Falls (foul play suspected)
1955 Louis Breguet French aviation pioneer, dies at 75
1970 Allison Krause 1 of 4 students at Kent State University killed by Ohio National Guard
1970 Jeffrey Miller 1 of 4 students at Kent State University killed by Ohio National Guard
1970 Sandy Scheuer 1 of 4 students at Kent State University killed by Ohio National Guard
1970 William Schroeder 1 of 4 students at Kent State University killed by Ohio National Guard
1974 John Wengraf actor (Pride & Passion, 12 to the Moon), dies at 77
1975 Moe Howard [Moses Horowitz] comedian (3 Stooges), dies at 77
1980 Josip Broz Tito leader of Yugoslavia (1945-80), dies at 87
1980 Kay Hammond actress (Blithe Spirit, 5 Golden Hours), dies in Brighton UK at 71
1981 Bobby Sands Irish IRA-terrorist, dies after hunger strike
1987 Paul Butterfield singer/harmonica player, dies of drug abuse at 44
1992 Ismael Galeano "Commandant Franklyn" (Contra), dies
1992 Vitali Andreyevich Grishchenko Russian cosmonaut, dies at 50
1994 Karl Francis Hettinger Onion Field survivor, dies at 59
1997 Alvy Moore actor/producer (Mr Kimball-Green Acres), dies at 75

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GWOT Casualties
Iraq
04-May-2003 1 | US: 1 | UK: 0 | Other: 0
US Private Jason L. Deibler Camp New Jersey Non-hostile - weapon discharge


Afghanistan
A Good Day

http://icasualties.org/oif/
Data research by Pat Kneisler
Designed and maintained by Michael White

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On this day...
1471 Battle of Tewkesbury - King Edward IV vs Ex-queen Margaretha (Yorkists defeated the Lancastrians, war of the roses)
1493 Spanish Pope Alexander VI divides non-Christian world between Spain & Portugal
1494 Christopher Columbus lands in Jamaica
1540 Venice & Turkey sign Treaty of Constantinople
1626 Indians sell Manhattan Island for $24 in cloth & buttons
1626 Peter Minuit becomes director-general of New Netherlands
1715 French manufacturer debuts 1st folding umbrella (Paris France)
1776 Rhode Island declares independence from England
1780 American Academy of Arts & Science founded
1780 Charles Bunbury on Diomed wins 1st Epsom Derby
1783 Herschel reports seeing a red glow near lunar crater Aristarchus
1814 Bourbon reign restored in France
1818 Netherlands & England sign treaty against illegal slave handling
1839 The Cunard Steamship Company Ltd
1843 Great-Britain annexes Natal
1846 US state of Michigan ends death penalty
1847 New York State creates a Board of Commissioners of Emigration
1858 War of the Reform (México); Liberals establish capital at Vera Cruz
1861 At Gretna LA, one of 1st guns of Rebel navy is cast
1862 Battle at Williamsburg VA
1862 Yorktown VA - McClellan halted his troop before town as it is full of armed torpedoes left by CS Brigadier General Gabrial Rains
1864 Ulysses S Grant crosses Rapidan & begins his duel with Robert E Lee
1865 Battle of Citronville AL; Richard Taylor surrenders
1865 Battle of Mobile AL
1865 Abraham Lincoln was buried in a temporary tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois
1871 1st baseball league game (National Association of Baseball Players), (Fort Wayne 2, Cleveland 0) Deacon Jim White gets 1st hit, a double
1878 Phonograph shown for 1st time at Grand Opera House
1883 John Gordon Cashmans begins "Vicksburg Evening Post" (Mississippi)
1886 Haymarket riot in Chicago; bomb kills 7 policemen
1893 Cowboy Bob Pickett invents bulldogging
1896 1st edition of London Daily Mail (½ penny)
1896 Grease fire ignites ½ ton of dynamite at Cripple Creek CO
1897 23rd Kentucky Derby: Buttons Garner aboard Typhoon II wins in 2:12.5
1898 24th Kentucky Derby: Willie Simms aboard Plaudit wins in 2:09
1899 25th Kentucky Derby: Fred Taral aboard Manuel wins in 2:12
1910 Canadian parliament accept creation of Royal Canadian Navy
1910 Tel Aviv founded
1915 Italy drops Triple Alliance with Austria-Hungary & Germany
1916 At request of US, Germany curtails its submarine warfare
1917 Arabs sack Tel Aviv
1918 Yankees set record with 8 sacrifices, beat Red Sox's Babe Ruth 5-4
1919 1st legal Sunday baseball game in NYC (Phillies beat Giants 4-3)
1923 Bloody street battles between Nazis, socialist & police in Vienna
1923 New York state revokes Prohibition law
1924 8th modern Olympic games open in Paris France
1924 German Republic election fascists & communists win
1925 League of Nations conference on arms control & poison gas usage
1926 General strike hits Britain
1927 1st balloon flight over 40,000 feet (Scott Field IL)
1927 Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences forms
1927 Nicaragua agrees to a US supervised presidential election in 1928
1928 Hennie Youngman, comedian, marries Sadie Cohen (Take my wife...please)
1929 Lou Gehrig hits 3 consecutive homeruns, Yankees 11, Tigers 9
1931 Mustafa Kemal Pasja becomes Turkish president
1932 Al Capone, convict of income tax evasion, enters Atlanta Penitentiary
1938 Douglas Hyde (a protestant) becomes 1st president of Eire

1942 Battle of Coral Sea begun (1st sea battle fought solely in air)

1942 Food 1st rationed in US
1942 German occupiers imprison 450 prominent Dutch as hostages
1943 National League's Ford Frick demonstrates revised balata ball to reporters by bouncing it on his office carpet ball proves to be 50% livelier
1945 German troops in Netherlands, Denmark & Norway surrender
1946 5 die in a 2 day riot at Alcatraz prison in San Fransisco bay
1946 Washington Senator's Cecil Travis gets 6 straight hits before being stopped
1948 The Hague Court of Justice convicts Hans Rauter (SS) to the death
1952 Babe Didrikson-Zaharias wins LPGA Fresno Golf Open
1953 Pulitzer prize awarded to Ernest Hemingway (Old Man & The Sea)
1954 US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Bikini Island
1956 US performs atmospheric nuclear test at Enwetak
1957 83rd Kentucky Derby: Bill Hartack aboard Iron Liege wins in 2:02.2
1957 Alan Freed hosts "Rock n' Roll Show" 1st prime-time network rock show
1957 Anne Frank Foundation forms in Amsterdam
1961 13 Freedom riders began bus trip through South
1961 Malcolm Ross & Victor Prather reach 34,668 meters (record) in balloon
1963 89th Kentucky Derby: Braulio Baeza aboard Chateaugay wins in 2:01.8
1963 Pitcher Bob Shaw sets record of 5 balks in a game
1964 "Another World" & "As the World Turns" premiere on TV
1964 70 GATT-countries confer in Geneva
1965 Willie Mays 512th homerun breaks Mel Ott's 511th National League record homerun
1966 Soviet Government signs accord about building Fiat factory in USSR
1967 Lunar Orbiter 4 launched by US; begins orbiting Moon May 7
1968 1st ABA championship: Pittsburgh Pipers beat New Orleans Buccaneers, 4 games to 3
1968 94th Kentucky Derby: Ismael Valenzuela aboard Forward Pass wins in 2:02½
1968 Dancer's Image disqualified due to drugs after winning 94th Kentucky Derby
1970 National Guard kills 4 at Kent State in Ohio
1970 Premier Kosygin affirms existence Russian military advisors in Egypt (SHOCK)
1972 Vietcong forms revolutionary government in Quang Tri South Vietnam
1973 1st TV network female nudity-Steambath (PBS)- Valerie Perrine
1974 100th Kentucky Derby: Angel Cordero Jr aboard Cannonade wins in 2:04
1979 1st woman prime minister of Great Britain (Margaret Thatcher)
1981 Yankee Ron Davis strikes out 8 consecutive Angels, ran record of 13 strikeouts of last 14 faced, also saved Gene Nelsons 1st win, 4-2
1982 British torpedo boat Sheffield off Falkland hit by Exocet rocket
1983 China People's Republic performs nuclear test at Lop Nor People's Rebublic of China
1984 Dave Kingman's fly ball never comes down (stuck in Metrodome/Humperdome ceiling)
1986 President Babrak Karmal resigns as party leader of Afghánistán (or else)
1988 Year-long amnesty program for certain illegal aliens in the United States ends.
1989 US launches Magellan to Venus
1989 US space shuttle STS-30 launched
1990 Angela Bowie reveals that ex husband David slept with Mick Jagger (I guess they couldn't afford seperate rooms)
1990 Latvia's parliament votes 138-0 (1 abstention) for Independence
1991 Morris K Udall (Representative-D-AZ), resigns due to Parkinson disease
1991 President Bush is hospitalized for erratic heartbeat
1994 Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat signed a historic accord on Palestinian autonomy that granted self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho.
1998 Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski given four life sentences plus 30 years
2000 The "ILOVEYOU" e-mail virus infected computer networks and hard drives across the globe, spawning various imitations.
2001 Pope John Paul II visited Athens and apologized for Roman Catholic sins of “action or omission” against Orthodox Christians. A day earlier some 1,000 Orthodox conservatives took to the streets to denounce his visit.
2003 Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash (49), a top biological weapons scientist (which never existed) captured

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

Tonga : Crown Prince's Birthday
Zambia : Labour Day (Monday)
National Turn Off Your TV Week (Day 2)
US : Student Memorial Day (1970)
Goodwill Industries Week (Day 3)
National Walking Week (Day 2)
National Family Week (Day 3)
National Herb Week (Day 2)
National Music Week (Day 3)
National Naked Day
National Homebrew Day
National Candied Orange Peel Day
Gazpacho Aficionado Month

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Religious Observances
Christian : Commemoration of St Florian, patron of firemen
Lutheran, old Roman Catholic, Anglican : Feast of St Monica, mom of St Augustine of Hippo
Jewish : Lag B'Omer (love for Holy Land Day) (Iyar 18, 5759 AM)

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Religious History
1256 Pope Alexander IV founded the Roman Catholic religious order of the Augustine Hermits.
1493 Pope Alexander VI issued "Inter caeterea II," which divided possession of the New World discoveries by Spain and Portugal along a longitudinal line running 250 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands.
1746 The Moravians in Pennsylvania established the Moravian Women's Seminary at Bethlehem. It was the first educational institution of its kind established by the "Unitas Fratrum" in (colonial) America.
1784 Birth of Carl G. Glaser, German music teacher. Of his many choral pieces, Glaser is primarily remembered today for his hymn tune AZMON, to which the Church today sings: "O For a Thousand Tongues."
1970 In deciding the legal case "Walz v. Tax Commission of New York," the United States Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of a New York statute exempting church-owned property from taxation.

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

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Thought for the day :
"If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried."

[Darksheare]

LOL!

The give away yesterday was already in the pic.
Looking slightly to the right of the nose of the hornet, you see the shadow of a Herc on the ground.

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning everyone.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Snippy.

Chamber meeting and "ThinkLocal" people are coming this morning.

Click here