Good morning.
We’ll have a probability of a wintry mix today, of freezing rain and snow showers, with little or no accumulation of snow. Temperatures will fall from a high of thirty-three to about eleven degrees by 5 PM.
The results of the latest FW poll are in, and on the question of whether a proposal from a man being arrested is merely a minor relationship setback or a sign of real trouble, it’s a close call: 51.52% said sign of real trouble, but almost as many (48.48%) said minor setback. I would have thought the results would have been more lopsided on the side of a sign of real trouble.
The results suggest, I think, that responding readers are, overall, less skeptical of individual turnarounds than I’m inclined to be. Regardless of my doubts, I hope it works out for the couple; at the very least, they’ll have a unique engagement story to tell.
On this day in 1845, Texas becomes a state, leaving whatever benefit she brought to America eventually to be offset by the presence of the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL:
Six months after the congress of the Republic of Texas accepts U.S. annexation of the territory, Texas is admitted into the United States as the 28th state.
After gaining independence from Spain in the 1820s, Mexico welcomed foreign settlers to sparsely populated Texas, and a large group of Americans led by Stephen F. Austin settled along the Brazos River. The Americans soon outnumbered the resident Mexicans, and by the 1830s attempts by the Mexican government to regulate these semi-autonomous American communities led to rebellion. In March 1836, in the midst of armed conflict with the Mexican government, Texas declared its independence from Mexico.
The Texas volunteers initially suffered defeat against the forces of Mexican General Santa Anna–the Alamo fell and Sam Houston’s troops were forced into an eastward retreat. However, in late April, Houston’s troops surprised a Mexican force at San Jacinto, and Santa Anna was captured, bringing an end to Mexico’s efforts to subdue Texas.
The citizens of the independent Republic of Texas elected Sam Houston president but also endorsed the entrance of Texas into the Union. The likelihood of Texas joining the Union as a slave state delayed any formal action by the U.S. Congress for more than a decade. In 1844, Congress finally agreed to annex the territory of Texas….
On 12.29.1879, one of America’s most visionary generals is born:
1879 – General William “Billy” Mitchell Born
On this date aviation pioneer Billy Mitchell was born in Nice, France. Mitchell grew up in Milwaukee and attended Racine College. During World War I, Mitchell was the first American airman to fly over enemy lines. He also led many air attacks in France and Germany. Upon return to the U.S., he advocated the creation of a separate Air Force. Much to the dislike of A.T. Mahan, Theodore Roosevelt, and other contemporaries, Mitchell asserted that the airplane had rendered the battleship obsolete, and attention should be shifted to developing military air power.Mitchell’s out-outspokenness resulted in his being court martialed for insubordination. He was sentenced to five years suspension of rank without pay. General Douglas MacArthur — an old Milwaukee friend — was a judge in Mitchell’s case and voted against his court martial. Mitchell’s ideas for developing military air power were not implemented until long after his death. In 1946 Congress created a medal in his honor, the General “Billy” Mitchell Award. Milwaukee’s airport, General Mitchell International Airport, is named after him. [Source: American Airpower Biography]