Shining Stars

Famous & infamous from A to Z!

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May 8, 1945. Victory In Europe Day. A Day Of Rejoicing! Let's Never Forget!

[afp-photo]

FRANCE, Paris : French President Francois Hollande pays his respects by the statue of former French General and President Charles de Gaulle in Paris on May 8, 2015, during a ceremony to mark 70 years since victory over Nazi Germany during World War II. Europe held sombre ceremonies to mark 70 years since victory over Nazi Germany on Friday as leaders warned of modern day threats such as the war in Ukraine and Islamic extremism.  AFP PHOTO /  LOIC VENANCE                        

[humanoidhistory]

A colorized view of the Hindenburg disaster in New Jersey, May 6, 1937.

(via)

[angelophile]

70th Anniversary of VE Day

Friday 8 May 2015 is the anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe Day), marking 70 years since the end of the second world war in Europe.

A two-minute silence will be held at London’s Cenotaph on Friday to mark the moment Winston Churchill announced that the war with Germany was over.

There were street parties across the UK when Germany surrendered on 8 May 1945, bringing to a close six years of war.

On that occasion, Buckingham Palace was lit up for the first time since 1939, and years of blackouts were broken with a giant ‘V’ symbol projected into the sky above St Paul’s Cathedral.

[meeichner]

VE Day: May 8, 1945. Arc de Triomphe, London, Trafalgar Square, the Eiffel Tower. (source, source, source, source)

[cityoflondonlibraries]

City of London and VE Day:

The City of London around St Paul’s played its full part in the Second World War, and in the VE Day celebrations on 8 May 1945 that marked the end of the war in Europe. Our Museum of London and nearby London Metropolitan Archives have important national collections that tell this story of war, destruction and, ultimately, rebuilding. This video to mark this day also shows how St Paul’s stood almost alone in escaping destruction in this part of London - and why our Barbican estate and arts centre was built on the bombed-out ruins. Today visitors and City workers here enjoy peace, culture or just a great place to work - but once this part of London was at the heart of war. Lest we forget.

Watch the video here.

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Abner Wilcox

April 19, 1808

Harwinton, Connecticut, US.

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August 20, 1869

Colebrook, Connecticut, US.

Wilcox was a missionary teacher from New England to the Kingdom of Hawaii.

On November 23, 1836 he married Lucy Eliza Hart who was born November 17, 1814 in Cairo, New York. They were assigned to be in the eighth company of missionaries to Hawaii for the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. The sailed from Boston on December 14, 1836 on the bark Mary Frasier and arrived in Honolulu on April 9, 1837.

The Wilcoxes taught at the Hilo Mission boarding school founded by David Belden Lyman and his wife on the Island of Hawaiʻi.

In 1845 they moved to Waialua on the island of Oʻahu. In 1846 the family moved to teach at a similar school at the Waiʻoli Mission near Hanalei, Hawaii on the northern coast of the island of Kauaʻi. There they had four more sons, although one died young.

His wife died August 13, 1869, and he died one week later on August 20, 1869 in Colebrook, Connecticut on a visit to relatives. They were buried at Colebrook. In the Hawaiian language the family was known as Wilikoki.

[opant1-blog]

"I shall come out of this fight a live major general or a dead brigadier." --Abner Monroe Perrin, battle of Spotsylvania Court House.

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Abner Monroe Perrin

February 8, 1827 

Edgefield County, South Carolina, US

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May 12, 1864 

Spotsylvania County, Virginia, US

Rank: Brigadier General.

Abner Monroe Perrin was a Confederate general in the Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War.

He fought in the Mexican-American War as a lieutenant in the infantry. Upon his return home, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1854.

When the Civil War began, Perrin entered the Confederate service as a captain in the 14th South Carolina Infantry that was attached to Brig. Gen. Maxcy Gregg’s brigade of the famous “Light Division” of Maj. Gen. A.P. Hill.

Perrin saw service with Gregg’s Brigade through all of its major battles, including the Seven Days, Second Bull Run (Second Manassas), Antietam, and Fredericksburg.

At Gettysburg, on July 1, 1863, Perrin’s brigade was involved in the Confederate attack that captured Seminary Ridge. On September 10, 1863, Perrin was promoted to the rank of brigadier general.

In the next battle, Spotsylvania Court House, when the “Mule Shoe” (or “Bloody Angle”) was overrun and most of Maj. Gen. Edward “Allegheny” Johnson’s division was captured on May 12, 1864, units from the Third Corps—including Perrin’s brigade—were called in to help. Leading his troops in a spirited counterattack through a very heavy fire, with his sword in hand, Perrin fell from his horse pierced by seven bullets. He died instantly.

Perrin is buried in the Confederate Cemetery in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

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Abner Frank Dalrymple

September 9, 1857

Gratiot, Wisconsin, US

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January 25, 1939

Warren, Illinois, US.

MLB debut:

May 1, 1878; Milwaukee Grays

Last MLB appearance:

October 2, 1891; Milwaukee Brewers

Teams: Milwaukee Grays (1878), Chicago White Stockings (1879–1886), Pittsburgh Alleghenys (1887–1888), Milwaukee Brewers (1891)

Abner Dalrymple was an American left fielder in Major League Baseball who hit 43 home runs (including 22 in 1884, the second-highest total to that date) and batted .288 during his 12-season career spent primarily with the Chicago White Stockings.

Dalrymple started his major league career in 1878 with the National League’s Milwaukee Grays, and that season, he had a career-high .354 batting average.

He spent the next eight seasons with the Chicago White Stockings, for whom he starred as the leadoff hitter on five NL pennant winners.

In 1881, he became the first batter known to be given an intentional walk with the bases loaded. He hit four doubles in a game in 1883, which still ties him for the major league record.

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Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Abner Mikva discusses his political career.

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Conversation with History: Abner J. Mikva

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Abner Haynes and the 1965 AFL boycott.

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Abner Haynes' coin toss mistake in the 1962 AFL Championship Game.

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One of the stories that is told about my start in politics is that on the way home from law school one night in 1948, I stopped by the ward headquarters in the ward where I lived. There was a street-front, and the name Timothy O'Sullivan, Ward Committeeman, was painted on the front window. I walked in and I said "I'd like to volunteer to work for [Adlai] Stevenson and [Paul] Douglas." This quintessential Chicago ward committeeman took the cigar out of his mouth and glared at me and said, "Who sent you?" I said, "Nobody sent me." He put the cigar back in his mouth and he said, "We don't want nobody that nobody sent." This was the beginning of my political career in Chicago. -- Abner J. Mikva

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Abner Joseph Mikva January 21, 1926 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.

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Abner J. Mikva is a Democratic former U.S. Representative, federal judge and law professor from Chicago.

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Mikva attended the University of Chicago Law School, from which he received his J.D. in 1951. After graduation, he clerked for Supreme Court Justice Sherman Minton, but his early interest in Chicago clearly was politics.

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He spent ten years in the Illinois House of Representatives before serving in the U.S. Congress from 1969 to 1973 and 1975 to 1979.

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On May 29, 1979, Mikva was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

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In 1992, while serving as Chief Judge on the D.C. Circuit, Mikva appeared in the Kevin Kline comedy Dave as “Supreme Court Justice Abner J. Mikva,” in a scene in which he administers the presidential oath of office to the Vice President (played by Ben Kingsley).

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Mikva taught law at Northwestern University and was White House Counsel from 1994-95.

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In 1998, he received the Chicago History Museum “Making History Award” for Distinction in Public Service.

He is a long-time political supporter of President Barack Obama. Mikva offered Obama a law clerk position in his judicial office after Obama graduated from Harvard Law School.

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Abner Mikva and his wife Zoe started a civic leadership program for Chicago youth in 1997 called Mikva Challenge. This organization works with over 5,000 youth a year getting them involved in experiential activities in the democratic process working as election judges, volunteering on campaigns, advising city officials, and creating local activism projects to improve their schools and communities.

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He has been selected to receive a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama on November 24th, 2014.

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Abner Haynes September 19, 1937 Denton, Texas, US

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Abner Haynes is a former college and Professional Football player in the United States.

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Haynes is a graduate of North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) where he and his then teammate Leon King integrated college football in the state of Texas in 1956.

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In 1960 he chose to play for the American Football League’s Dallas Texans and led the league in rushing attempts, yards, and TDs in its first year. Haynes helped popularize the AFL in 1960, when he was the fledgling league’s first Player of the Year, and its first Rookie of the Year. He captured the AFL’s first rushing crown with 875 yards, and also led the Texans in receiving, punt returns, and kickoff returns.

Haynes spent three years in Dallas and two with same franchise when it became the Kansas City Chiefs. The Kansas City Chiefs, and the North Texas Eagles will later retire his number (28) jersey in honor of his many achievements.

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Haynes still owns 10 franchise records, including most points in a game (30), most touchdowns in a game (5), and most career combined yards (8,442). Over his career he was regularly among the American Football League’s top ten rushers, ranking third all-time, and the all-time leader in touchdowns, with 46.

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Haynes had three games in which he gained 100 or more yards on 14 or fewer carries, and was selected to the All-Time All-AFL second team.

He has a program called Heroes of Football which connects former professional players with their communities.

Haynes is the cousin of Sly Stone, Rose Stone, and, Feddie Stone of Sly and the Family Stone.

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Debuted in 1960 for the Dallas Texans (AFL). Last played in 1967 for the New York Jets

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Career history: Dallas Texans / Kansas City Chiefs (1960-1964), Denver Broncos (1965-1966), Miami Dolphins (1967), New York Jets (1967)