December 7th: Today in 1815 French Marshall Michel Ney was executed for his support of Napoleon during the 100 days. Ney was the stereotype of a French marshall, fearless, bold and lucky, but his luck ran out during the Waterloo campaign.

December 6th: Today in 1865 the Thirteenth Amendment is ratified into the US constituion banning slavery.
Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
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December 5th: Today in 1791 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart suffered from a surfeit of severe miliary fever causing his death. Lots of myths over how he died but the truth is nobody knows what really killed him, I suspect a premonition of the coming of Marilyn Manson may have done him but who knows. I do [...]

Even in wool uniforms these guys looked authenticly cold today.
Went to Harpers Ferry today and and it was cold and foggy. Didn’t really see much of the reenactment going on, but did run into an old friend which is always a pleasure.

When they came for my dog I said nothing, as I am not a dog…..

December 2nd: Today in 1859 John Brown is hanged for leading the October raid on the Harpers Ferry arsenal in an attempt to start a massive slave insurrection. John Brown was a violent terrorist in a good cause, which makes it hard for people to pidgeon hole him as a hero or a villain. I [...]

December 1rst: Today in 1135 King Henry I of England dies from a surfeit of lampreys. Sounds creepy but it just means he was a pig and ate too many rotten lampreys, got sick and died. Still if you are looking for a name for your ultracool goth band you could do worse than Surfeit [...]