SEPTEMBER 28

SEPTEMBER 28 — 1781 Battle of Yorktown begins; 1938 Charles Edgar Durya dies, engineered 1st American gas engine; 1992 Millie Bush becomes most famous dog in White House history

SEPTEMBER 28
1781 – Battle of Yorktown begins.
…General George Washington, Comte de Rochambeau, and Comte de Grasse V Charles Cornwallis, Charles O’Hara and Tomas Symonds. The result: a Decisive Franco-American victory that would lead to the Treaty of Paris and American independence from Britain.

Cornwallis was losing control of the Carolinas, so he marched his army north into Virginia and took Yorktown and Gloucester on opposite sides of the York River. Washington had just gotten help from 5500 French troops. He and Rochambeau huddled up and asked Grasse for help. Grasse decided to move in on Chesapeake Bay, which is where Cornwallis had his base. Washington decided to attack him there, and combined American forces with Marquis de Lafayette and his army to block Cornwallis’s escape from Yorktown by land, while the British were surrounded by the French fleet in the sea.

Meanwhile, Henry Clinton was under the belief that Americans were going to try and take back New York so he stayed there. Washington had Cornwallis completely surrounded by September 30, and began his attack. The bombings went day and night for a several weeks. Cornwallis was outmanned 2 to 1, and Clinton’s forces were nowhere in sight. By October 17, it was over and Cornwallis surrendered. Although he did not attend the formal surrender ceremony. He had General Charles O’Hara take his place. Later on on September 3, 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed and the United States were officially free from the Crown.

1938 – Charles Edgar Duryea dies. He was the engineer of the first-ever working American gasoline powered car and co-founder of the Duryea Motor Wagon Company.

1542 – Cabrillo discovers the West Coast.
…Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was a Portuguese explorer who was the first European to set foot in what would become California. At least he knew he wasn’t in India. He was looking for a water route that would go through North America. Of course there is no such thing, but Europeans had no idea America would be as big as it is. Cabrillo started in San Diego and worked his way up the coast, just missing San Francisco. These days the Cabrillo National Park is open in San Diego. I used to work an IT job in that area, it’s really nice. Check it out.

1992 Milli’s Book is published.

The White House has seen its share of our canine lovable friends throughout the years. Teddy Roosevelt had Skip, a black and tan terrier he found on a hunting trip in Colorado. Warren Harding, with his Return to Normalcy campaign had Laddies, who sat in on cabinet meetings. Gerald Ford’s retriever Liberty had 8 puppies in the White House. One was donated to Leader Dogs for the Blind. On the day Jimmy Carter was elected president, young Amy Carter was given a Springer Spaniel which she named Grits. But the ultimate winner in cuteness and adorableness would be Barbara Bush’s English Springer Spaniel Mildred Kerr Bush, or, Millie.

The name Kerr came from a friend of the Bush’s. Millie became a media sensation after delivering on the cover of Life magazine six of the most lovable, heartwarming, cutest, and adorable, yes  you’re a good dog yes you’re a  good dog pups ever. Living in the White House was busy for Millie, dealing with briefings, deliberations in the Oval Office, and occasional short breaks for squirrel hunting. Yes, the first canine had a lot to talk about it, and master Barbara released these memoirs in Millie’s Book on this day in 1992.

It was a #1 hit, beating out Ronald Reagan’s bestselling memoir American Life. Was that a problem? I don’t know, American Life is a 748 page autobiography of Reagan. Whit doesn’t have cute pictures of dogs. Royalties, which by the way exceeded $900,000, going to the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. Was there a more famous dog in White House history?   Millie’s been featured as a guest star on TV shows Murphy Brown, Wings Who’s the Boss, and even the Simpsons.  Yes, you’re such a good girl!

1906 – Second occupation of Cuba.
…Now before your college professor tells you that all America ever does is invade other countries, keep this in mind: the occupation was consensual. Were there American economic interests? Of course! So what? That’s not the only reason Americans were there. The Cuban government and the US signed the Cuban American treaty of Relations of 1903, otherwise known as the Platt amendment. Cuba was having a bit of a civil war between left and right wing parties and requested American military intervention, and President Tomas Estrada Palma’s regime collapsed. So Teddy Roosevelt sent in some troops and occupied the area, kept peace as well as stabilized American economic interests.

By 1909 Cubans had calmed down and restored stability, so the troops left Cuba and American occupation was over now. Interestingly enough, while this was going on, the Cincinnati Reds went down there to play a few exhibition games against some Cuban baseball teams. During the game, Afro-Cuban pitcher Jose de la Caridad Mendez pitched 25 consecutive scoreless innings, including a five-hit shutout of the entire last game.