VALENTINE’S DAY — 1943 Battle of Kasserine Pass; 1929 Moran and Capone battle in St. Valentine’s Day Massacre; 1886 1st trainload of oranges leave Los Angeles; Valentine’s Day in America
FEBRUARY 14
1943 – Battle of the Kasserine Pass.
U.S. Major Gen. Lloyd Fredendall and British 1st Army Lt. Gen. Kenneth Anderson of Great Britain v German General Erwin Rommel and his Afrika OKorps. The result: Axis victory.
This was the first major engagement between the United Sates and Germany. Romel desired to take control of the capital of Tunisia and found a vulnerability at Kasserine Pass in the Tunisia mountains. At first Rommel’s forces were driven away but they returned with tanks and broke through the US line. Over 1,000 soldiers were killed in the battle and hunderres were taken prisoner.
It was disastrous for America, and there would be key unit organizational changes in command as a result.
1929 – Bug Moran and Al Capone go at it in the St. Valentine’s day Massacre.
I’m sorry, I realize this is supposed to be a happy day with giving the pretty lady flowers, but this is a cool story.
In the midst of the prohibition, bootlegger George Bugs Moran from the North Side gang in Chicago lost seven of his best killers, as they were had faced a brick wall and accepted their execution. It didn’t make sense, why wouldn’t they fight back.
Because the executioners were Capone’s men dressed as policemen. Very clever. Better than my idea, I probably would’ve come up with a fake singing telegram guy since it was Valenine’s Day. I obviously wouldn’t make a good ganster. Anyway, yes two men dressed as police officers went in to Moran’s headquarters. The men thought it was a raid, were disarmed, and as they turned around to put their hands against the wall, two more men came in, it is believed, and riddled them with bullets.
1886 – 1st trainload of oranges leave Los Angeles.
Native Ameicans first settled into the area thousands of years ago. In 1781 the Spanish came in and began settlement. California ownership was transferred to the US in 1848, and at the time L.A. only had a little over 1600 citizens. Lemons and oanges never tasted so sweet and yummy and became quite the popular industry. When business makers begane working with hydraulic engineering it was possible to take water from the Colorado River and other mountains and transfer it to the desert area of southern califorinia. As a result, it became a a fruit paradise, and on Valentines day 1886, the first trainload of oranges left L.A. to be sold in the east coast.
Happy VTines Day everyone. Instead of talking about the gruesome nbeheading that St. Valentine endured on this day in the year 278, which obviously isn’t even an American story, I thought I’d talk about Valentine’s dy in America. Gentlemen if you haven’t gotten flowers for your lady by now you’re pretty much screwed unless you have a secret garden somewhere. The British brought the tradition over in the 2100.s Esther Howland is credited for coming up with the first mass-produced Valentines day card in Worcester Massachussets sometime around 1847. Chocolate and roses became part of the gift giving in the 20th century, and in the 1980s the diamond industry jumped into the mix.