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Today in History


0118
Hadrian, Rome's new emperor, makes his entry into the city.
0455
Avitus, the Roman military commander in Gaul, becomes Emperor of the West.
1553
Maurice of Saxony is mortally wounded at Sievershausen, Germany, while defeating Albert of Brandenburg-Kulmbach.
1609
Emperor Rudolf II grants Bohemia freedom of worship.
1755
General Edward Braddock is killed by French and Indian troops.

1789
In Versailles, the French National Assembly declares itself the Constituent Assembly and begins to prepare a French constitution.
1790
The Swedish navy captures one third of the Russian fleet at the Battle of Svensksund in the Baltic Sea.
1850
U.S. President Zachary Taylor dies in office at the age of 65. He is succeeded by Millard Fillmore.
1861
Confederate cavalry led by John Morgan captures Tompkinsville, Kentucky.
1900
The Commonwealth of Australia is established by an act of British Parliament, uniting the separate colonies under a federal government.

1942
Anne Frank and her family go into hiding in the attic above her father's office in an Amsterdam warehouse.
1943
American and British forces make an amphibious landing on Sicily.
1971
The United States turns over complete responsibility of the Demilitarized Zone to South Vietnamese units.




Joke of the Day


Morris had just been hired as the new CEO of a large high tech corporation. The CEO who was stepping down met with him privately and presented him with three envelopes number 1, 2 and 3. "Open these if you run up against a problem you don't think you can solve," the departing CEO said.

Things went along pretty smoothly, but six months later, sales took a downturn and Morris was really catching a lot of heat. About at his wit's end, he remembered the envelopes. He went to his drawer and took out the first envelope. The message read, "Blame your predecessor." Morris called a press conference and tactfully laid the blame at the feet of the previous CEO. Satisfied with his comments, the press, and Wall Street, responded positively, sales began to pick up and the problem was soon behind him.

About a year later, the company was again experiencing a slight dip in sales, combined with serious product problems. Having learned from his previous experience, the CEO quickly opened the second envelope. The message read, "Reorganize." This he did, and the company quickly rebounded.

After several consecutive profitable quarters, the company once again fell on difficult times. Morris went to his office, closed the door and opened the third envelope. The message said, "Prepare three envelopes."