Let's Go Back Through the Listening Tube November 5

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Let's go back through the listening tube for this week in history.

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I'm Bob Woodley from the Listening Tube. This week in 1768, the Treaty of Fort Stanwix, the purpose of which is to adjust the boundary line between Indian lands and white settlements, set forth in the proclamation of 1763 in the Thirteen Colonies. It was a line that stretched from just across the border of modern day Florida to the tip of Maine, which at that time was part of Massachusetts. Anything west of the line belonged to the native population, and anything east of the line belonged to its respective colony. It did, however, provide for the option of the natives selling land to the settlers. So while Billy Eilish may be living on stolen land, the entire East Coast, with the exception of Florida, is certainly not. This week in 1862, Abraham Lincoln removes George B. McClellan as commander of the Army of the Potomac. Lincoln would fire him again from General in Chief of the Union Army in March of 1864. For the second and final time. This guy was fired twice during the same war. The Civil War, to be specific. McClellan was a brilliant man, a great organizer and analytical thinker. He was able to rally troops and get them in working order unlike most generals. With a degree in engineering, he could build what he needed to accomplish his mission. He had a keen eye as well. Having been sent to Crimea to observe European war tactics, he took note of the style of saddle used by the Hussars. He adapted the style for use by the United States cavalry during the Civil War. It remained in use until the cavalry's final charge during World War II in Bataan, Philippines. But McClellan lacked what great generals usually have guts. General McClellan failed on more than one occasion to be an offensive force when the opportunity to do so presented itself. Sure, you want generals who are going to be smart and not bite off more than his army can chew, but generals also have to lead. While I give credit to General McClellan's hesitation at sacrificing lives by avoiding battle, every indication is that General McClellan's troops were well trained and well prepared. It's almost as if the general was shaking the champagne bottle but never popping the cork. After leaving the Union Army, he wrote a memoir. I haven't read it, but maybe it explains why he didn't attack the Confederates when he had the chance. This week in 1872, women's suffrage in the United States. In defiance of the law, suffragist Susan B. Anthony votes for the first time and is later fined $100. She never paid it, as nobody ever really asked her to pay it. This week in 1916, the Kingdom of Poland is proclaimed by the Act of November 5th of the Emperors of Germany and Austria-Hungary. I have ancestors who emigrated to America from Poland. But if Poland didn't exist before 1916, hmm. I'm going to look that up.

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He's gonna look it up. He's really gonna do it. I want the truth!

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You can't handle the truth. As it turns out, Poland can be as young as 37 years old, or as old as 1,001 years old. It depends on who you ask. But according to WorldPopulation Review.com, Poland has been through a lot over the centuries. It says the current Poland is the third iteration, which became official in 1989. That's when Soviet communism was crumbling along with the Berlin Wall. Originally a Christian area, it would become the state of Poland under the Holy Roman Empire. It would be the first target of Nazi Germany on September 1st, 1939, leading to World War II. After the war, it was under the control of the former Soviet Union. Solidarity protests in Bosnon and Wrocław would precede the fall of the Berlin Wall. Today, Poland is one of the most independent of all the European countries, having maintained control of its borders and maintaining its cultural identity. This week in 1970, during the Vietnam War, the United States Military Assistance Command in Vietnam reports the lowest weekly American soldier death toll in five years. That number? 24. I remember as a kid watching the evening news every night, and they would have the death toll from the Vietnam War. Every day the count would be on the news. The total number would eventually grow to nearly 60,000 in-theater deaths. We've become much better at fighting wars when it comes to reducing the number of fatalities of U.S. forces. Less than 7,000 lives were lost during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. So far in the Iran War, the United States has lost 21 fighters, less than the 24 we lost for the week in 1970. Terrorism reared its ugly head in several years this week. In 1987, Govan Imbeki is released from custody after serving 24 years of a life sentence for terrorism and treason. He was a South African communist leader and anti-apartheid activist who was arrested for being a leader of the armed faction of the African National Congress. Three years later in 1990, Rabbi Mair Kahani, founder of the far-right Koch movement, is shot dead after a speech at a New York City hotel. Kahani was staunchly anti-Arab and lobbied to have all Arabs removed from Israeli controlled areas back in the 1970s and 80s. He was elected to the Israeli parliament, but was removed when his political party was banned. And this week in 1995, Andre Dalaire attempts to assassinate Prime Minister Jean Craitin of Canada. He is thwarted when the Prime Minister's wife locks the door. While the Canadian Prime Minister survived and Dalaire was arrested, he was determined to be not criminally responsible for the assassination attempt because of a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. And this week in 2009, U.S. Army Major Nadal Malik Hassan kills 13 and wounds 32 at Fort Hood, Texas in the deadliest mass shootings at a U.S. military installation. Shouting Alahu Akbar during the attack, Hassan admitted he carried out the shooting to prevent soldiers from being sent to Afghanistan. He will be executed by firing squad for his crime on Thursday, December 3rd. Follow the listening tube at thelisteningtube.com, where you'll also find not the headlines and interviews with interesting people. Click on the green follow button or donate to the program by clicking on the Buy Me a Coffee link on the homepage. Thank you for putting your ear to the listening tube. I'm your host, Bob Woodley, for Thou Ad Infinitum.