1800 – US population: 5,308,483; Black population 1,002,037 (18.9%)
1933 – Adolf Hitler is sworn in as Chancellor of Germany. He’s charismatic, and a great speaker…
1945 – The Wilhelm Gustloff, overfilled with German refugees, sinks in the Baltic Sea after being torpedoed by a Soviet submarine, leading to the deadliest maritime disaster in known history, killing roughly 9,000 people.
1945 – World War II: Raid at Cabanatuan: 126 American Rangers and Filipino resistance liberate 500 prisoners from the Cabanatuan POW camp.
1966 – global warming grips the South as -27 degrees F (-33 C) is recorded in New Market, Alabama and -19 degrees F (-28 C), in Corinth, Mississippi, both state records.
1968 – Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive begins when Viet Cong forces launch a series of surprise attacks in South Vietnam. US and South Vietnamese forces beat back the VC and NVA in the days to come, but are in trun whipped by the American media and the “Peace” movement in the US.
“The Great Raid” by William B. Breuer is one great story. Col. Henry A Mucci, from Bridgeport, CT, led the raid.
Walter Cronkite was a ringleader in the shameful effort to discredit the U.S. victory after the Tet Offensive. May his legacy show him as a contributor to the death of millions.
An important point that has not yet been brought up — Robert McNamara. Remember him? What else needs be said . . .