Lentorama 2023: It Happened on Holy Saturday

Day 15: Pyhäjoki artichokey

Russia and Sweden fought a war in 1808 and 1809, an offshoot of the Napoleonic Wars that roiled Europe during the early part of the 19th century. The Battle of Pyhäjoki took place on April 16, 1808, though it was less of a battle and more of a contested retreat.

Sweden was not ready for war; apparently the only person who thought they were was their king, Gustav IV Adolf (though he was likely counting on support from Great Britain to keep the Russians at bay). In any event, Russia invaded in February 1808 and were able to defeat what defenses Sweden could put up.

Pyhäjoki is the place where Sweden chose to make a stand, but the leader of Swedish forces, Wilhelm Mauritz Klingspor, ordered the retreat to continue based on the agreed upon strategic plan. This proved difficult, as the practicalities of retreating meant that only one Swedish battalion could fight the Russians at a time. In the end, the Swedes lost a little under 200 men in that day's fighting.

The retreat was probablly the right move - once the harbors thawed out the British were able to get invovled, and Sweden was able to fight back more effectively - but in the end Sweden ceded all of Finland to Russia. Gustav IV Adolf wasn't on the throne to see that happen, as before the end of the war he was deposed by a coup (one of whose leaders was Klingspor). 

 Lentorama 2023: It Happened on Holy Saturday

Day 14: Permanently on the level

Unless you are a particularly astute student of the history of Amsterdam, mathematics, or systems for measuring water levels, you've probably not heard of Johannes Hudde. A mayor of Amsterday in the late 17th century, his earlier study of mathematics led him to develop a couple of namesake rules about polynomial roots. He corresponded with several of the leading mathematicians of the day, and both Newton and Leibnitz referenced his work in their own development of calculus.

However, Hudde's most notable accomplishment came as part of his mayoral duties. He developed a system that would keep the water in Amsterdam's canals at a constant level, as denoted by marker stones placed near various canals. This system would be adopted in other countries, and would eventually lead to the system in use today by the EU. 

Hudde died on Holy Saturday, April 15, 1704.

 Lentorama 2023: It Happened on Holy Saturday

Day 13: The Birth of Derwood the Second

Dick Sargent, born on April 19, 1930, is forever destined to be the answer (or part of the answer) to the trivia question about who played Darrin Stephens on Bewitched.  It's not his only role - his filmography boasts work from the mid 1950s up to the early 1990s - but it's easily his best-known.

What may not be remembered as well is his 1991 coming out, which he did to help highlight the elevated suicide rate among younger gay people. He was able to support a number of LGBT-focused organizations before he died in 1994 from prostate cancer.

 Lentorama 2023: It Happened on Holy Saturday

Day 12: A major award

Margaret MacDonald grew up in Nova Scotia, but moved to New York to study nursing. After graduating in 1895, she went to Panama and cared for workers on the Panama Canal. She would become one of the first military nurses during the Spanish-American War, when she worked on a hospital ship caring for American soldiers. She would also serve as a nurse during the Boer War in South Africa.

Upon returning to Canada she was named the head nurse of the Canadian Army Medical Corps, where she insisted on implementing professional standards to military nursing. Her dedication to military nursing would pay off when, on April 11, 1914, she would be named Matron in Chief and became the first woman to rise to the rank of major in any military service related to the British empire.

Her service in World War I focused more on leadership than practical nursing, and in making military nursing a realistic career opportunity for women. She would return to Canada in 1919 and was involved in the reorganization of Canada's military medical service until her retirement the following year.

 Lentorama 2023: It Happened on Holy Saturday

Day 11: No More Labouring

James Callaghan was a British politician, the prime minister before Margaret Thatcher and the last Labour prime minister until Tony Blair. He served in the office from 1976 to 1979, and is the only person to have held all four of what is known in the UK as the Great Offices of State (Chancellor of the Exchequer, Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary, and Prime Minister).

Callaghan took office after the retirement of Harold Wilson, at a point where Labour's majority in the House of Commons was dwindling. He entered into a "confidence and supply" agreement with the Liberal Party, but economic turmoil led several smaller parties to support the Conservatives, which helped destabilize the deal with the Liberals. This led to a vote of no confidence in Callaghan in March of 1979, and a Labour loss in the ensuing general election.

Callaghan would hold on as Labour leader for another year, and stayed in Commons until 1987, at which point he was the longest-serving MP with 42 years service. That year he was also awarded the Order of the Garter and was elevated to the House of Lords as Baron Callaghan of Cardiff.

Callaghan would pass away on March 26, 2005. At 92 years of age. he is the longest-living prime minister in British history. Sort of like the British version of Jimmy Carter.

 Lentorama 2023: It Happened on Holy Saturday

Day 10: Thanks, John

On April 14, 1781, the Continental Congress of the United States voted a resolution thanking navy captain John Paul Jones for his service. Which leads to the question: why?

It's not that he wasn't due thanks, given his performance in the Revolutionary War. It's just the timing is weird, as the war was still on and you'd think he'd still be out there fighting the British. On the other hand, his record of battle seems to have dried up after his deafeat of the HMS Bonhomme Rirchard (which was two years before the thanking), so maybe Congress knew what was coming.

Jones would in fact struggle to get commissions, and wound up spending a fair amount of time in Europe, including two years as a rear admiral in the Russian navy. Jones died in 1792 and lay in relative obscurity in a Paris cemetary until he was repatriated in 1905. Today, Jones is at rest in the chapel crypt at the US Naval Academy.

 Book Log 2023 #11: The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton

Mike (not his real name) is an 18 year old, who as an 8 year old experienced a trauma so profound that it has left him mute. As he grows up, Mike discovers that he has two significant talents - art and lock picking.  Art leads him to a kindred spirit, but the lock picking threatens to take him away from her, so he has to devise a plan that will both free him of the criminal gang making use of his lock picking and allow him to return to the one person he loves.

I liked the book well enough, but not as much as reviewers or award committees, as it did quite well with those groups. I do see why it would win an Alex Award, given to adult fiction that also has a "special interest" for YA readers (I picked this book to satisfy a reading challenge involving Alex Award winners). But I really don't see how it won an Edgar Award for best novel over Faithful Place, part of Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series. 

 Lentorama 2023: It Happened on Holy Saturday

Day 9: Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On

For centuries, Dubrovnik was the capital of the Republic of Ragusa, a political entity on the southern Dalmatian coast. It's nominal independence came with fealty to larger powers (like Venice or the Ottoman Empire), and despite calling itself a republic it was run by the aristocracy. None of this mattered when, on April 6, 1667, the city suffered what is estimated as a 6.4 magnitude earthquake.

The quake devastated the city, destroying upwards of three-quarters of all public buildings. The death toll was estimated as between 3000 and 5000 people. The casualties included a number of aristocrats and the city's leader, the rector Simone Ghetaldi. Not surprisingly, the city entered a period of lawlessness after the quake, though the majority of the crime was theft of building materials.

The quake did hasten the decline of the republic, which would eventually be conquered by Napoleon and made part of the Kingdom of Italy. Dubrovnik today is part of an independent Croatia, and is very popular with tourists, thanks in part to its distinctive architecture - which came as a a result of the rebuilding after the earthquake.

 Lentorma 2023: It Happened on Holy Saturday

Day 8: End of the Road 

Henry Leland worked in machine shops in his early life, where he developed skills in precision manufacturing and engineering that he would apply to various fields, most notable automobiles. He built engines for Oldsmobile before moving on to found Cadillac, which he would sell to General Motors in 1909 but run until 1917. At Cadillac he was responsible for introducing the idea of interchangable parts, which cut down production costs, and an electric starter motor to replace the hand crank.

Leland left GM due to a dispute over making weapons during World War I (Leland was a pacifist who opposed the company making engines and vehicles for military use). He apparently got over his objections, as he founded the Lincoln Motor Company off of a major contract to build airplane engines for the US government. When World War I ended the company shifted to automobile production, but struggled to transition and went into receivership. Ford was the only bidder, and bought the company for below its appraised value, seen as revenge for Leland selling Cadillac to GM. 

Leland and his son assusmed they would be allowed to stay on to run the company, similar to what happened with Cadillac. Ford had other ideas, and forced both Lelands out of the company in 1922.

Leland spent the last ten years of his life dabbling in progressive political causes, and passed away on March 26, 1932.

 Lentorama 2023: It Happened on Holy Saturday

Day 7: Continental Navy Blocked

The Continental Navy executed a raid on Nassau, Bahams in early April, 1776, capturing a couple of forts and seizing all of the military equipment and stores they could fit on their ships before withdrawing to head back to New England. The fleet split into two columns, comprised of Continental naval vessels and prize ships captured at Nassau and during the trip home.

One of the columns encountered the HMS Glasgow, a dipatch ship sailing from Newport, Rhode Island to Charleston, South Carolina, in the early hours of Saturday, April 6 off of Block Island. Three Continental ships engaged the Glasgow, but none were able to do so effectively. The Glasgow's more effective fire damaged the Continental ships, and allowed the Glasgow to retreat to Newport. The Continental fleet broke off the engagement, as it did not want to fight the British naval squadron headquartered there. 

The skirmish, known as the Battle of Block Island, was a win for the British, as the Glasgow only suffered four casualties, while the Continental ships counted 24. In the aftermath of the encounter, the commanders of the USS Columbus and USS Hazard were both accused of a variety of charges. A court martial cleared the commander of the Columbus, but the Hazard's commander was convicted and forced to surrender his commission.

Commodore Esek Hopkins, who was in charge of the Continental fleet, also came under scrutiny, both for disobeying orders (he was supposed to sail to Virginia and the Carolinas rather than Nassau) and for distributing prizes without consulting Congress. He would hang on for a couple of years, but was finally dismissed from the navy in 1778.

 Lentorama 2023: It Happened on Holy Saturday

Day 6: One Moore player for England

Bobby Moore, who captained the England football team to the 1966 World Cup championship, was born on Holy Saturday, April 12, 1941. He joined West Ham United as a 15 year old, making his professional debut two years later against Manchester United. He would spend 16 seasons at West Ham before moving to Fulham for three seasons and ending his career with stints in the US and Denmark. 

But Moore is best known for his run with the English national team. He played in the 1962 World Cup, and became England's youngest captain the following year. His participation in the 1966 tournament was briefly in doubt due to issues with his West Ham contract, and there was some talk prior to the championship game of leaving Moore out of the lineup. In the end leaving him in paid off, as he assisted on two goals towards the Three Lions' 4-2 win over West Germany.

Moore captained England in the 1970 World Cup, where they lost 3-2 to West Germany in the quarterfinals. England failed to qualify for the 1974 tournament, making a 1973 friendly against Italy the 108th and final cap of Moore's international career. He retired as the most capped player in England history and with the most appearances as captain for the national team. 

Moore survived a bout with testicular cancer in the early 1960s, but was not so fortunate with a case of colorectal cancer that spread to his liver. Moore would be the first player from the 1966 team to pass away, dying in 1993 at the age of 51.

 Lentorama 2023: It Happened on Holy Saturday

Day 5: To (not) live and die in (not) Dixie

Richard Taylor was the only son of President Zachary Taylor, and despite being born in what would become a border state (Kentucky) and educated in Union states (Massachusetts and Connecticut), he spent most of his adult life in the south and would become a general in the Confederate army during the US Civil War.

Taylor had no military experience prior to the war, but was a wealthy planter in Louisiana, where he built a fortune on the backs of the 200-plus slaves who grew and processed his sugar cane. He was chosen to be a commander of a Louisiana militia unit in the Civil War because his (then deceased) sister had been married to Confederate president Jefferson Davis.

Potential cronyism aside, Taylor proved to be an able commander, leading troops that played a pivotal role in the Shenandoah campaign. He would be sent back to Louisiana to raise troops and fight Union incursions into the state. He defeated Nathaniel Banks during the Red River campaign, was promoted to lieutenant general, and would wind up commanding both a Confederate military department and, briefly, the Army of Tennessee. 

After the war, his plantation ruined, he lived in New Orleans, but relocated to Winchester, Virginia after his wife died. From there he often visited friends in Washington and New York while staying active in Democratic Party politics. It was during a visit to New York that he died, on April 12, 1879.

 Lentorama 2023: It Happened on Holy Saturday

Day 4: Assassination averted

Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim grew up in Finland when it was still part of Russia, and rose in the ranks of the imperial Russian army to become a lieutenant general. Finland would declare itself independent after the Bolshevik revolution, but soon had its own civil war between the pro-Bolshevik "Reds" and the "Whites," who were anti-communist and backed the Finnish Senate. Mannerheim was made the leader of the White army, which was also supported by Germany troops.

The Whites won the civil war, raising Mannerheim's profile. He served as regent of Finland for a short time, and ran a losing campaign for president. By 1920 he had left politics but was still an active public figure as well as a war hero.

Which made him a ripe target for assassination by former Red officers. A group assembled in St. Petersburg to plan the attack, which was to take place during a White Guards parade in Tampere. A shooter and two backups were selected, and they went to the parade on Holy Saturday, April 3 1920, but were unable to complete their mission. The shooter got cold feet, and his backups, not able to see him, were not able to fire on Mannerheim themselves. A second attempt was made for April 6, which also failed, and resulted in the arrest of all three assailants.

This all worked out for Mannerheim, as he would go on to become the army's Commander in Chief during World War II, as well becoming Finland's sixth president.

 Book Log 2023 #10: If Then by Jill Lepore

As much as we are (rightly) concerned about the ways tech companies collect, use, and misuse our personal data, the concept of data mining, and using the results of mining to direct politics, business, and everything in between, is not new. The Simulatics Corporation was a pioneer in the field, and this book looks at how the company came about and the ways in which they influenced society in the 1960s.

There's much in common with how the company collected and used data to guide politicians and advertising, notably providing consulting services to the Kennedy campaign in 1960. Unlike today, the company always feels a little on the edge, possibly due to the limits of technology at the time, or perhaps due to the personalities of its founders (one a mid-level ad man, the other a bipolar mathematical genius). It's not all that surprising that the company shut down in 1970, as it never seemed to be that stable in terms of a business.

The book does provide plenty of opportunities to think about how Simulatics informs today's big data environment, while also demonstrating that many of the issues we're facing aren't exactly new, and that the past may have something to teach us about how to deal with the present.

 Lentorama 2023: It Happened on Holy Saturday

Day 3: Prominent polymath passes

Arthur Aikin was born into a family of noted writers and scholars, including a father who was a doctor, historian, and biographer. He followed his father's footsteps into science, studying chemistry under Joseph Priestly and becoming a lecturer in the subject at Guy's Hospital in London for 32 years. He would be the first treasurer of the Chemical Society (now the Royal Society of Chemistry) and its second president.

Outside of chemistry, he was also a president of the British Mineralogical Society, a founder of the Geological Society of London, and was a member of the Society of the Arts, the Linnean Society, and the Institution of Civil Engineers. He also supported himself writing, translating, and lecturing to the public, and his writing often introduced foreign scientific news to the British public. He was even a Unitarian minister for a short time.

Aikin passed away on Holy Saturday, April 15, 1854.

 Lentorama 2023: It Happened on Holy Saturday

Day 2: Pentecostalism revival arrival

Pentecostalism has roots prior to April 14, 1906, but it owes much of its worldwide reach to the revival that started that day at the Azusa Street mission founded by William J. Seymour. His church had been meeting elsewhere priot to that day, but after the group started speaking in tongues (and after the growing crowds caused the porch of their previous meeting space to collapse), Seymour moved to a new building on Azusa Street.

Worship services there were frequent, and pulled in hundreds. The crowd was notable for it racial and gender balance, which did not always sit well with others (notably Charles Parham, another of the founding figures of the Pentecostal movement). This would change, as segregated congregations would become the norm until the 1960s.

While the revival would wane after a few years, Seymour would preach at what became to be called the Apastolic Faith Mission for the rest of his life. Other preachers, who left Azusa Street to found their own churches, would grow Pentecostalism to the worldwide faith it is today. This timeline gives a good idea of where the Azusa Street revival fits in the history of the movement.

Another Lenten season is upon us, and I am totally doing what I said I was going to do at the end of last year's Lentorama:

Lentorama 2023: It Happened on Holy Saturday

Same basic idea as last year, you're getting 40 days' worth of historical events that happened on the day before (Western) Easter. Such as:

Day 1: So Long Sam Stephens 

Sam Stephens served as an Army broadcaster during the Korean War, and after the war became co-owner of KOJM radio in Harve, Montana. He went into politiccs in 1969, rising to the position of state senate president during his 16 years in that chamber.  

In 1988 he ran for governor, beating former governor Thomas Lee Judge to become the state's first elected Republican governor since 1964. Stephens served one term, the highlight of which seems to be overseeing the state's centennial celebration.

Hopefully the other 39 days are more interesting.

I was lucky enought to find this site that calculates church calendar dates for any year you put in. It will come in handy when we get to 2032 and I'm reduced to a Lentorama of "It Happened on the First Day of the Second Week of Lent."

 Book Log 2023 #9: The Odd Clauses by Jay Wexler

Some parts of the US Constitution are pretty well known (if occasionally misinterpreted), like the First Amendment's right to free speech. But then there are other parts that are less familiar, or seem less relevant in today's world. Why is there a whole amendment on not forcing people to put up soldiers in their homes? What exactly is a bill of attainder? And why does so lofty a document get into weights and measures? 

In this book, Wexler (who, full disclosure, I knew in high school and have occasional contact with over social media) examines these less familiar parts of the Constitution, and shows how they apply to the present day with regards to broader themes in the law (for example, the chapter on the Third Amendment gets related to privacy). 

The dense subject matter is leavened along the way with a fair amount of humor and personal observation. This isn't surprising given that Wexler once wrote a scholarly article about which justices generated the most laughter during argument (there's also a sequel).

If you're interested in the Constitution, or in the ways common law is able to connect the seemingly anachronistic to current day concerns, this is very much worth reading.

 Book Log 2023 #8: Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich by Norman Ohler

I'd heard from time to time over the years that Hitler was on drugs during World War II, but this was always somewhere between a rumor to an assertion, with no real corroboration. In this book, Ohler presents the results of his research, and details not only Hitler's drug use (generally under a doctor's supervision), but the widespread use of drugs by the military and the German people in general.

In one respect, this isn't that surprising, between the history of now-illegal drugs being widely available in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and the known use of drugs (usually stimulants) by troops in wartime to fend off fatigue. The scope of the drug use, as presented by Ohler, is what's surprising.

While several drugs are discussed, the main focus of the book is on a methamphetamine called Pervitin. The book paints a picture of a nation popping Pervitin regularly, from soldiers on the front lines to civilians back at home. Hitler's drug use saw him go from doctor-administered vitamin and hormone shots to a regimen that included Pervitin and Eukadol, which we would know better as oxycodone.

All of this drug use is seen as a key factor in Germany's early successes in the war, but also a significant factor in its eventual loss, as dependency led to mental and physical breakdown. 

The book is quite readable and eye-opening. Assuming you believe that Ohler is correct in his assumptions. Not everyone is convinced that his recounting is on the level, either based on contrary evidence or thoughts that Ohler, a novelist by trade, spiced things up a bit to improve the story (this review is particularly critical). The linked review also notes that the book serves as a bit of an apology for Nazi Germany and its atrocities, blaming it on the drugs.

As a book Blitzed is successful, as it's engaging and well-paced. Whether or not it's accurate... 

 Book Log 2023 #7: Dead Lions by Mick Herron

British spydom's Island of Misfit Toys is back, after a low-level spy that Jackson Lamb worked with in Berlin back in the day turns up dead on an Oxford bus. He looks into things, and comes to believe that the man knew about a Russian operation going on in London, and was killed to keep it quiet. While Lamb continues to investigate, two of the slow horses are assigned to protect a visiting Russian oligarch. This is not a coincidence.

I thought this was a solid follow-up to the first book, and appreciated that it wasn't another book primarily about machinations at MI-5 (not that I had a problem with the first book, just happy that this wasn't more of the same). I am curious to see if Slough House continues to be as dangerous a place to work as it's been in the first two books. They've got a pretty high body count going for a dead-end post.