FEBRUARY 17 — 1972 Nixon goes to China; 1899 Happy birthday George Armstrong (aviation medicine); 1936 The Phantom becomes the first superhero comic book to be released
FEBRUARY 17
1972 Nixon goes to China.
Since becoming president in 1968, Richard Nixon had expressed subtle ideas about thawing out relations with China after over two decades of hostilities. The world had changed considerably in the past 20 years; Japan and Germany had rebuilt themselves and became economic powers again, India had become independent and also a world force.
Communism was dominant in the Soviet Union as well as China, but Mao Tsetong had a slightly different version of communism in how it dealt with things like agricultural production. The Great Leap Forward, for instance, where communes of families would live alongside their farms and factories. But floods and other disasters caused widespread starvation under Zedong’s rule during the 1960s, millions of Chinese died, but Zedong pushed forward for more reform. Relationships grew icy between the PRC and the USSR
Meanwhile the Vietnam War, which had been waged to crush communism in Asia, was a disaster, and America had lost respect here at home as well as in front of the worldwide stage. . National Security Advisor to Nixon Henry Kissinger realized it’s time for the United States and the PRC to recheck its respective alliances and maybe change some things around. When Nixon announced on television he would be planning a trip to meet with Zedong, the criticism ensued.
What if Zedong didn’t want to meet with Tricky Dick?
What if Nixon came back as a failure? It would embarrass the United States even further.
But Zedong did meet with Nixon in what many historians consider one of the most important, if not the single most important international visits anywhere by a U.S. president. Nixon would be the first president to visit the PRC, beginning a trend for every president except Jimmy Carter to visit Beijing. Nixon and Mao met together peacefully during what Tricky Dick dubbed “the week that changed the world.” The effects were immediate as a notable wedge was pushed in between China and the Soviet Union, forcing the USSR to lose leverage in negotiations, and China eventually emerging as a legit economic power.
But it would be on this day in 1972, Richard and First Lady Pat boarded a helicopter at the White House, and waved goodbye to the press, VP Spiro Agnew, and daughters Trish and Julie, on his way to this historic journey.
1801 – Long Tom becomes president.
The most controversial election yet, of course it was also only the third and the US Constitution would be tested. On one side Democratic Republican Thomas Jefferson tended to lean on the liberal side; domestically calling for states rights and in his foreign policy wanted to form an alliance with revolutionary France. His political rival, John Adams, desired a strong centralization of Federal power and improved relations with conservative England.
Democratic Republicans were also against the Alien and Sedition Acts, as well as new taxes to support a sronger government. Bascially the Federalists wanted a more centralized government, and the Republicans wanted states rights. The latter would sweep the election of 1800 in both houses of Congress, but the US constitution did not address a very important issjue that had not been considered up until this point, which was who would be the VP?
Jefferson and Aaron Burr ran on the same ticket, but according to the Constutution at the time, votes for each individual had to be counted separately. Jefferson and Burr were tied at 73 electoral votes, and Adams came in third place with 65. Congress was controlled by Federalists, since the Republican hadn’t take office yet, and they all like Burr. Except Alexander Hamilton, who hated Burr, but felt Jefferson was the lesser of the two evils given the choice between Jefferson or Adams.
This was considered one of the most ugly elections in American history. After all, this was the main reasons, and there were many, why Burr and Hamilton got into a duel, where Burr shot and killed Hamilton. Jefferson turned out to be a fine president, securing the Louisiana Purchase, procuring the Lewis and Clarke expedition, and building up the US Navy to control fishing against pirates.
And, as a result of that most bitter election, the 12th amendment was added to the Constitution, changing the procedure by which the President and VP would be elected, and thus changed Article II, Section I Clause 3 about how the Electoral College functioned.
1899 – Happy birthday Maj. Gen. Harry George Armstrong, leader in the aviation medicine.
Originally from South Dakota, Armstrong joined the marines early on and worked his way up the ranks of the Regular Army Medical Corps. In 1947 he founded the USAF Dept. of Space Medicine at Randolph AFB, TX.
And of course he came up with the Armstrong Limit. The Armstrong Limit is an altitude, say around 63,000 feet that is beyond which nobody can survive. This altitude produces an atmospheric pressure so low that water boils at the normal temperature of the human body, at 98.6F. At this altitude, it’s not just your blood that boils; it’s also your saliva, lung fluids and tears. This led the way to pressurized suits! Happy birthday Harry!
1947 – Voice of America begins broadcasts to the Soviets.
According to the VOA website, The Voice of America (VOA), a dynamic multimedia broadcaster funded by the U.S. Government, broadcasts accurate, balanced, and comprehensive news and information to an international audience. It started in 1942 as a radio news service for people living in closed and war-torn societies. It has grown into a multimedia broadcast service. VOA now reaches people on mobile devices and Facebook, through Twitter feeds and call-in programs – using the medium that works best for specific audiences. VOA’s work in all languages and platforms is governed by the VOA Charter, signed into law by President Gerald Ford in 1976. The Charter states, in part, that “VOA will serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news. VOA news will be accurate, objective, and comprehensive.” That is what it says on the VOANews.com banner. The Charter also states that “VOA will present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively, and will also present responsible discussions and opinions on these policies.” It’s quite the comprehensive program if you check it out, it features news on various other countries and regions, science & tech, health, entertainment, the economy , various other programs, and even how to learn to speak English. It’s available in almost 40 languages including Canadianese. Eh?
1936 The Phantom becomes the first superhero comic book to be released.
Created by Lee Falk, the Phantom, or the ghost who walks, a.k.a. the Guardian of the Eastern Dark, aka the Man Who Cannot Die, first showed up two years before Superman. The main dude, Kit Walker, donned a mask and wore a skin tight purple suit. Except for the purple part, that would of course become a norm with future superheroes.
On May 28 1939 The Phantom showed up in comic strips, and has been running ever since. At its peak it had over 100 million people reading it, and these days it’s in nearly 600 newspapers around the world.