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NewsWhistle is pleased to feature Gary Jenneke’s “This Day In History” column.
You can read the original at Gary’s THIS DAY IN HISTORY blog — or scroll down to enjoy Gary’s unique look at life’s comings and goings.
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THIS DAY IN HISTORY… SEPTEMBER 18
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1437 – Peasant Uprising in Transylvania.
There is only so much the 99% will take before they rebel against the ruling class. We’ve seen it in Rome, America and France. It wasn’t any different in medieval Transylvania besides the fact that the 1% there consisted of one Count Dracula. We know that Dracula is technically a mythical figure, but come on, this is Transylvania we’re talking about! Dracula terrorized local villages during the night and unfairly taxed them during the day which forced the people to rebel with wooden stakes and tax litigation.
Not exactly how actual history unfolded, other than there was a Farmer’s Revolt in Transylvania that begun on this day.
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1838 – Establishment of the Anti Corn Law League.
The Corn Laws were taxes on imported grain designed to keep prices high for cereal producers in Great Britain. As food prices rose so did opposition to the laws. The laws also made it too expensive to import grain. It was the usual standoff, large landowners opposed by urban workers. The Anti Corn Law League led moral crusade for the middle class.
Something about September 18th seems to make people want to make a stand.
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1945 – 1,000 whites walk out of a school in Gary, Indiana to protest integration.
This isn’t the America we know and love.
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Birthdays:
1733 – George Read.
A signer of the Declaration of Independence. My knowledge of history is sadly lacking in that I never heard of him. He was from Delaware.
1905 – Greta Garbo.
A passable actress.
1939 – Fred Willard.
An actor on one of my favorite TV shows of all time: Fernwood 2 Night.
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ABOUT GARY JENNEKE
At various junctures of his life, Gary has been an indifferent grade school student, poor high school student, good Navy radioman, one-time hippie, passable college student, inveterate traveler, dedicated writer, miscast accountant (except for one interesting stint at a Communist café), part-time screenwriting teacher, semi-proud veteran, unsuccessful retiree and new blogger.
You can reach him at gary@newswhistle.com.
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CREDITS
The above information was sourced from the following sites and newspapers.
Sources:
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We’d also like to thank the following photographers and videographers for the use of their images:
* Lead-In Image – Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
* Fred Willard remembrance (video) – Jimmy Kimmel Live / YouTube.com
* Outro (Man-In-Museum Cartoon) – SkyPics Studio / Shutterstock.com
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