1537 – The first complete English-language Bible (the Matthew Bible) is printed, with translations by William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale. Important? yes. letting the PEOPLE read the book on their own instead of relying on the interpretations of a special group is part and parcel of freedom.

1795 – Napoleon Bonaparte first rises to national prominence with a “Whiff of Grapeshot”, using cannon to suppress armed counter-revolutionary rioters threatening the French Legislature (National Convention). Uh, that was people opposing the nutcases that took the idea of “revolution” to mean “everybody that doesn’t agree with us is gonna die”. Napoleon was taking care of people who opposed “change” as defined by the whackjobs in charge.

1824 – Mexico adopts a new constitution and becomes a federal republic. With long tradition of despot, king and strongman, the idea of a ‘republic’ doesn’t catch on.

1830 – Creation of the state of Belgium after separation from The Netherlands. In German, the name translates to “Gateway to France”. The Belgian army is like the German’s “practice dummy” for the big game with France.

1876 – Texas A&M University opens as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas becomes Texas’s first public institution of higher education in that state. “Aggie jokes” make A&M the blondes of the college world.

1957 – USSR launches Sputnik I, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth. Its beeps could be received by shortwave receivers worldwide.

1958 – Fifth Republic of France is established. The Sixth Republic may well be sharia law.

2003 – Maxim restaurant suicide bombing in Haifa, Israel: 21 Israelis, Jews and Arabs, are killed, and 51 others wounded. Nothing like blowing up families and random innocent folks to show the world how you should be allowed to govern your own country. Some of that Religion of Peace stuff.