NOVEMBER 29

NOVEMBER 29 — 1775 James Jay introduces Gen. Washington’s newest weapon – invisible ink;  1775 Congress creates Committee of Secret Correspondence; 2015 Fake orange moustaches invade Denver Bronco game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High

NOVEMBER 29

1950 – Battle of Wawon. The United States 2nd Infantry and the Turkish Brigade v China’s 114th. The result: Chinese victory, successful Turkish delaying action. Korea was divided up between the US, Soviet Union and Great Britain after WWII. The 38th parallel was drawn, separate governments were established in each, and the US and Soviet forces left Korea. Then in 1949 the northern tanks rolled in past the 38th, catching the south off guard and overwhelming them. President Truman sent in troops led by Douglas MacArther to advance up well into the North, until Chinese forces came in and forced a US retreat. After the Allies were defeated in the Battle of Ch’ongch’on River, the Chinese headed swiftly towards Kunu-ri to try and cut of the allies’s retreat. This was the first time the Turkish brigade had seen combat since the split of the Ottoman Empire in WWI. Although they were no match for the Chinese forces, they did manage to defend Kunu-ri until the US 2nd infantry showed up.

1775 James Jay’s invisible ink becomes important secret weapon for General Washington.

Throughout the American Revolution, George Washington relied on the intelligence of a spy ring that was assembled to track British troop movement. This information proved pivotal in changing the outcome of several significant events, such as the Benedict’s attempt to sabotage the Continental army by trying to hand over West Point to the British, also changed the outcome of Lord Cornwallis staying in Yorktown instead of moving to New York which left him vulnerable against Washington’s army, not to mention the finding out that the British was also trying to wage economic warfare against America by introducing counterfeit U.S. money into circulation.

Washington needed a network of spires to take New York City back from the British who had occupied it since August 1776. Abraham Woodhull and Benjamin Tallmadge would be the main communicators, and the team of Caleb Brewster, Austin Roe and several others would arrange the transportation of the intelligence to Washington. Woodhull and Tallmadge had grown up as neighbors together making their affiliation no suspicious. He would travel to Manhattan to visit his sister and her husband, find out the troop movement in the city, return to Setauket and report back to Washington with his findings. To provide cover, Woodhull swore allegiance to the Crown as a loyalist.

Needless to say he was more nervous than Colin Ferrell in a liquor store and was sure that the British were beginning to suspect him, maybe even they were following him. Washington needed to provide another layer of security, and fast. That’s where Sir James Jay, the older brother of America’s first chief justice John Jay, came up with his invisible ink. Yes, James was knighted by King George back in the day, but as tensions mounted in America he would use his brilliant chemistry skills and side with the Patriot cause.

Now, cryptography is not a new thing, obviously. Chemically manipulated ink had been used for hundreds of years. The old onion juice trick could be read only when held up to a candle. In fact it was common for the British military to use disappearing ink and label the message with an F or an A to let the recipient know to decipher it using fire or acid. So Washington needed something different, something the British wouldn’t necessarily have access to and definitely had not seen before.

If anyone ever told y tour that George Washington never told a lie apparently didn’t realize that during the American Revolution most of what Washington did was a lie, and this is just another example of it. These days, we use a data encryption standard as the architecture for simple messages, getting more complex using AES or Advanced Encryption Standard. The numbers that are crunched here are mind blowing too many of us, and it’s a test we IT people have to take every five years or so.

But long before the days of three way internet protocol handshakes and complicated algorithms, Jay used what he called a sympathetic stain. He would write the letter in regular ink, and ion the bottom of the letter his special chemicals at the bottom, even leaving the letters unsealed in case the British authorities did want to take a look at it.

Woodhull finally had the magic ink he needed to put his tensions at ease, just in time for a very long winter for General Washington.

1910 — Ernest Sirrine of Chicago improved the traffic light by adding automatics. He also changed the red and green lights to words that read proceed and stop. So that’s the guy I’m always cursing at!In my neighborhood, they’re always green until I approach. Then it turns yellow and doesn’t give me enough time to gun it without getting a ticket. It’s as if it mocks me, laughs at me. I have no quarfrel with you, Mr. Sirrine. Please let me cross now, it’s beena a whole 30 seconds almost. I[‘m not exactly known for having a lot of patience.

1775 – Congress creates Committee of Secret Correspondence. It’s purpose was to communicate with sympathetic Britons and other Europeans at the beginning of the American Revolution. The committee coordinated diplomatic functions for the Continental Congress and and directed transatlantic communication and public relations. It consisted of Benjamin Franklin, Benjamin Harrison, John Dickinson, John Jay and Robert Morris. Silas Deane was nominated to meet with French Foreign Minister Charles Gravier, Cout de Vergennes, to sell America’s need to military assistance and to ensure that the American colonies were looking for a total separation from Great Britain. The name of the Committee of Secret Correspondence would thankfully be changed to the Committee of Foreign Affairs, which makes a lot more sense and sounds better in my opinion.

1864 – Sand Creek Massacre. At dawn, November 29, The blood thirsty Col. John Chivington led a raid of 700 men in Colorado and invaded a clearly marked peaceful Cheyenne tribe. Many of the tribes men were away hunting, and as over 100 defenseless women and children on their knees raised white flags and American flags, obviously indicating they were loyal to the US and begged for mercy, were slaughtered as Chingston’ and his men unloaded carbines and cannon on them. The soldiers would then mutilate dead bodies, scalping them and hacking off female genitalia and taking it for trophies. The white man has since forgotten of this bloodshed, until recently when a historic site commemorating it was launched in Colorado. It was one of the worst atrocities on Native Americans, and it shall be forgotten no more.

2015 — Fake orange moustaches invade Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver.

During the 2-minute warning in the first half of a Broncos game against the New England Patriots, 6,471 Broncos fans broke the world’s record for having the most fake moustaches in one seating.

It could be argued that a man’s game doesn’t need a stadium full of spectators that can’t grow hair above their lips, but the spectators also include women and children, to be fair. The Denver Broncos teamed up with CCHealth to put on this awareness festive orange hairy moment.