Never a Dull August
While forest fires rage in Canada and around the world, and the horror of war seems never-ending, let’s for a moment compare these horrific events with similar events in history.
In the past, such events were of course more localized simply because people were not subjected to instant news through the media. For instance, on August 24th in 79AD when Mount Vesuvius erupted and completely buried Pompeii and Herculaneum killing approximately 2,000 people, no one heard about it at the time.
And when Chrisopher Columbus set sail on August 3rd, 1492, on his first voyage from Spain with three ships the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, few people knew he was going to discover the new world.
And let’s not forget the horrific events of August 6th and 9th in 1945 when the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan took place.
August has never been short of the beginnings or endings of horrendous wars it seems. On August 2nd, 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait which triggered the Gulf War. And how about on August 24th-25th back in 1814, when British forces invaded Washington, DC and burnt the White House and Capitol building. Hard to believe in today’s world!
Days of Destruction: August 24-25, 1814 –
This painting by Tom Freeman for the White House Historical Association shows the burning north and west facades of the White House when it was set aflame by the British soldiers on August 24, 1814 during the War of 1812. British soldiers can be seen in the foreground. It was commissioned during George W. Bush’s presidency, but depicts events that occurred during James Madison’s.
On a much lighter note, for those who enjoy hearing pieces of obscure trivia, here is something to add to your collection. In August of 1841, a man named John Hampson patented the Venetian blind; Babe Ruth hit his 600th Home Run in August of 1931; Hawaii became the 50th US State in August, 1959; Martial law was declared in South Vietnam in August 1963; the first hot air balloon flight occurred over the Alps in August 1972; and on August 21st in the year 2017 a total solar eclipse (often referred to as “The Great American Eclipse”) was visible across North America.
Although climate change is now definitely changing the world, we still have wars, bombs, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, plagues, new discoveries, floods and even fires. So, having researched some of these August events, I reached the conclusion that history continues to tell us one thing.
The more things change, the more they stay the same!
Happy August folks!