Fort Washington Is Captured on June 16, 1776

Fort Washington Is Captured: On this day in 1776, Hessian Lieutenant General Wilhelm von Knyphausen and a force of 3,000 Hessian mercenaries and 5,000 Redcoats lay siege to Fort Washington at the northern end and highest point of Manhattan Island.

Throughout the morning, Knyphausen met stiff resistance from the Patriot riflemen inside the fort, but by afternoon, the Patriots were overwhelmed, and the garrison commander, Colonel Robert Magaw, surrendered. Nearly 3,000 Patriots were taken prisoner, and valuable ammunition and supplies were lost to the Hessians. The prisoners faced a particularly grim fate: Many later died from deprivation and disease aboard British prison ships anchored in New York Harbor.

Among the 53 dead and 96 wounded Patriots were John and Margaret Corbin of Virginia. When John died in action, his wife Margaret took over his cannon, cleaning, loading and firing the gun until she too was severely wounded. The first woman known to have fought for the Continental Army, Margaret survived, but lost the use of her left arm.

Two weeks earlier, one of Magaw’s officers, William Demont, had deserted the Fifth Pennsylvania Battalion and given British intelligence agents information about the Patriot defense of New York, including details about the location and defense of Fort Washington. Demont was the first traitor to the Patriot cause, and his treason contributed significantly to Knyphausen’s victory.

Fort Washington stood at the current location of Bennet Park in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City, near the George Washington Bridge, at the corner of Fort Washington Avenue and 183rd Street. Fort Washington Park and Fort Washington Point lay beneath the site along the Hudson River.

History Channel / Wikipedia / Encyclopedia Britannica / Battlefields.org / Library Of Congress.gov / Fort Washington Is Captured on June 16, 1776 (YouTube)

First roller coaster in America opens on June 16, 1884

First roller coaster in America opens: On this day in 1884, the first roller coaster in America opens at Coney Island, in Brooklyn, New York. Known as a switchback railway, it was the brainchild of LaMarcus Thompson, traveled approximately six miles per hour and cost a nickel to ride. The new entertainment was an instant success and by the turn of the century there were hundreds of roller coasters around the country.

Coney Island, a name believed to have come from the Dutch Konijn Eilandt, or Rabbit Island, is a tract of land along the Atlantic Ocean discovered by explorer Henry Hudson in 1609. The first hotel opened at Coney Island in 1829 and by the post-Civil War years, the area was an established resort with theaters, restaurants and a race track. Between 1897 and 1904, three amusement parks sprang up at Coney Island–Dreamland, Luna Park and Steeplechase. By the 1920s, Coney Island was reachable by subway and summer crowds of a million people a day flocked there for rides, games, sideshows, the beach and the two-and-a-half-mile boardwalk, completed in 1923.

The hot dog is said to have been invented at Coney Island in 1867 by Charles Feltman. In 1916, a nickel hot dog stand called Nathan’s was opened by a former Feltman employee and went on to become a Coney Island institution and international franchise. Today, Nathan’s is famous not only for its hot dogs but its hot dog-eating contest, held each Fourth of July in Coney Island. In 2006, Takeru Kobayashi set a new record when he ate 53.75 hot dogs with buns in 12 minutes.

Roller coasters and amusement parks experienced a decline during the Great Depression and World War II, when Americans had less cash to spend on entertainment. Finally, in 1955, the opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California, signaled the advent of the modern theme park and a rebirth of the roller coaster. Disneyland’s success sparked a wave of new parks and coasters. By the 1970s, parks were competing to create the most thrilling rides. In 2005, Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, introduced the Kingda Ka roller coaster, the world’s tallest (at 456 feet) and fastest (at 128 mph).

By the mid-1960s, the major amusement parks at Coney Island had shut down and the area acquired a seedy image. Nevertheless, Coney Island remains a tourist attraction and home to the Cyclone, a wooden coaster that made its debut there in 1927. Capable of speeds of 60 mph and with an 85-foot drop, the Cyclone is one of the country’s oldest coasters in operation today. Though a real-estate developer recently announced the building of a new $1.5 billion year-round resort at Coney Island that will include a 4,000-foot-long roller coaster, an indoor water park and a multi-level carousel, the Cyclone’s owners have said they plan to keep the historic coaster open for business.

History Channel / Wikipedia / Encyclopedia Britannica / Science.HowStuffWorks / First roller coaster in America opens on June 16, 1884 (YouTube)

Understanding Military Terminology - Multispectral imagery

(DOD) The image of an object obtained simultaneously in a number of discrete spectral bands. Also called MSI.

Joint Publications (JP 3-14) Joint Doctrine Development Process

The Old Salt’s Corner

“24 Notes That Tap Deep Emotions”

“Go To Sleep, Go to Sleep.”

Day is done, gone the sun,

From the hills, from the lake,

From the sky.

All is well, safely rest,

God is nigh.

Go to sleep, peaceful sleep,

May the soldier or sailor,

God keep.

On the land or the deep,

Safe in sleep.

Love, good night, Must thou go,

When the day, And the night

Need thee so?

All is well. Speedeth all

To their rest.

Fades the light; And afar

Goeth day, And the stars

Shineth bright,

Fare thee well; Day has gone,

Night is on.

Thanks and praise, For our days,

'Neath the sun, Neath the stars,

'Neath the sky,

As we go, This we know,

God is nigh.

~ Jari A. Villanueva

“I’m Just Sayin”

“I love those who can smile in trouble,

who can gather strength from distress,

and grow brave by reflection.

‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink,

but they whose heart is firm,

and whose conscience approves their conduct,

will pursue their principles unto death.”

~ Leonardo da Vinci

“Thought for the Day”

“The value of an idea lies in the using of it.”

“The secret to change

is to focus all of your energy,

not on fighting the old,

but on building the new.”

~ Socrates

“What I Learned”

“Reach for the stars, or you'll never touch the sky.”

“Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions.”

~ Anonymous

Second Hand News (Links to Articles from Week 24 - June 10, 2019 - June 16, 2019)

Brexit leader Nigel Farage poised to open his own trade talks with Trump • U.S. makes formal extradition request to Britain for Julian Assange of WikiLeaks • Firearms industry girds for fight over silencers

Wave of military rollover deaths heightens fears • More than half of opioid abusers are also binge drinkers, government data shows • Kim Jong Un's murdered half-brother had been meeting with the CIA

Editor's Picks: Top Republican on the House Oversight Committee predicts DOJ inspector general FISA abuse report will be late due to new developments • Impeachment-hungry ex-Clinton aide eyes primaican on the House Oversight Committee predicts DOJ inspector general FISA abuse report will be late due to new developmentsMeadows predicts DOJ inspector general FISA abuse report will be late due to new developments • Mexican military begins arresting migrants riding 'The Beast' train to U.S. • Democratic congresswoman mocks Late Night Bill Maher for not being aborted

Commentary - Washington Secrets - Red Alert: Judges show their concern for women by letting abortionists operate unregulated and unlicensed • Floral artist has good reason to head back to Supreme Court (No one should be hounded by the state, banished from the marketplace, and ruined because of his or her good-faith views) • What's the matter with California? Washington Examiner

Paid CNN contributor John Dean testifies on 'remarkable parallels' between Russia probe and WATERGATE as Trump calls former Nixon disbarred lawyer a 'loser' • Former Hillary Clinton aide hints at run against Jerry Nadler in a Democratic primary because he isn't moving fast enough to impeach Trump - and wants subpoenaed Republicans ARRESTED if they don't comply • Trump borders-for-tariffs deal DOES include a secret provision that Mexico will stop 'denying', as reports say country agreed to rework asylum system if it can't keep migrants away from the U.S.

'Executive travel' pilot and fire chief killed when his helicopter crash-landed onto roof of 54-story Manhattan skyscraper, as last 11 minutes of nose-diving flight emerges • Judge rules Missouri's last abortion clinic CAN remain open as court blocks state officials from closing it down over a licensing dispute • Banning abortion is bad for business' say more than 180 U.S. company bosses in open letter amid drive to cut access • Gulf of Mexico's oxygen devoid 'dead zone' could hit near-record 8,000 square miles this year, shocking report reveals

Kim Jong Un's half-brother 'was working for the CIA' before the North Korean leader had him assassinated in 2017 by female hit squad using nerve agent in Kuala Lumpur airport • Sorry for being an ISIS terrorist: British Beatles jihadi 'George' admits he WAS part of infamous beheading cell, and begs for forgiveness from jail in Syria

Meghan's appearance at Queen's birthday proves her decision to go M.I.A. during Trump's state visit was a shameful failure of her royal duty Daily Mail UK

Trump's tariff success with Mexico strengthens his hand with the Red China.

#TheScalaReport: Alibaba explores listing on Hong Kong and Apple explores a Plan B supply chain as Big Tech settles in for a long trade war.

Beijing aims to subjugate Hong Kong.

On the Road to Tashkent: the new partnership between the Trump Administration and the Republic of Uzbekistan

In Iowa, Biden drifting back toward the Sanders, Warren, Buttigieg pack. John Batchelor (06/10/2019)

CORRUPTION CHRONICLES: JUDICIAL WATCH RELEASES STATE DEPARTMENT EMAILS SHOWING DOSSIER AUTHOR CHRISTOPHER STEELE’S CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH STATE DEPARTMENT • More missing FBI/Clinton email docs, suspicious Deep State cash for Bruce Ohr, Immigration crisis update • Deep State Cash for Bruce Ohr

‘Investigating the Investigators’ - FBI Docs Show Notes about Meeting with Intelligence Community Inspector General about Clinton Emails are ‘Missing and CD Containing Notes Is Likely ‘Damaged’ Irreparably • DOJ Documents Show Bruce Ohr Was Given a $28,000 Bonus During Russiagate Investigation Plus a Raise • On Watch: FBI Corruption–Covering-up for Hillary Clinton & Falsely Framing President Trump • Mexican Cartels Among Greatest Criminal, National Security, Public Health Threat to U.S. • U.S. Government Wastes Billions on “Fragmented, Overlapping or Duplicative” Programs Judicial Watch

Mr. Answer Man Please Tell Us: How Do Generations Get Their Names?

Most of the names commonly ascribed to generations are fairly self-evident, being descriptors or cultural shorthands, and their usage has largely been accepted by cultural consensus.

The Baby Boomer generation is named for the post-World War 2 baby boom they were born during. Interestingly, however, they are not the largest generation, having recently become outnumbered by the Millennials.

Generation X is somewhat more abstract, but seems to be named for the Douglas Coupland novel concerning said generation.

The Millennial generation is so named because the people of this generation were born and came of age around the millennium (rather than, as is often mistakenly assumed, because they were born after the millennium).

The generation following the Millennials has yet to be given an official, commonly-used name. Various names have been proposed, such as the iGeneration (referring to the widespread usage of the internet), Generation Z (logically following the Millennials, who would be Generation Y) and simply post-Millennials. Presently, Generation Z seems to be the generally accepted term.

American Generations Timeline

Though there is a consensus on the general time period for generations, there is not an agreement on the exact year that each generation begins and ends.

GI Generation Born 1901 - 1924

They were teenagers during the Great Depression and fought in World War II. Sometimes called the greatest generation, or the swing generation because of their jazz music.

Silent Generation Born 1925 - 1942

They were too young to see action in World War II and too old to participate in the fun of the Summer of Love. This label describes their conformist tendencies and belief that following the rules was a sure ticket to success.

Baby Boomers Born 1943 - 1964

The boomers were born during an economic and baby boom following World War II. These hippie kids protested against the Vietnam War and participated in the civil rights movement, all with rock 'n' roll music blaring in the background.

Generation X Born 1965 - 1979

They were originally called the baby busters because fertility rates fell after the boomers. As teenagers, they experienced the AIDs epidemic and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Sometimes called the MTV Generation, the “X” in their name refers to this generation's desire not to be defined.

Millennials Born 1980 - 2000

They experienced the rise of the Internet, September 11 and the wars that followed. Sometimes called Generation Y. Because of their dependence on technology, they are said to be entitled and narcissistic.

Generation Z Born 2001 - mid-2000s

These kids were the first born with the Internet and are suspected to be the most individualistic and technology-dependent generation. Sometimes referred to as the iGeneration.

NPR.org • Pew Trusts.org • Quora • Wikipedia / How Do Generations Get Their Names? (YouTube)

NAVSPEAK aka U.S. Navy Slang

Dirtbag: A term often used by an annoying lifer who has no life outside the navy to insult a sailor for having a few wrinkles in his uniform, having missed a spot while shaving, having a small spot on his uniform, having hair barely touching his ears, etc. Compare to “A.J. squared away” above.

Dirty Boat Guy: The nickname Dirty Boat Guy or “DBG” is associated exclusively with the U.S. Navy's Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman. SWCCs are more commonly referred to as Special Boat Teams or “Boat Guys”.

Dirty-dick: To rub genitalia on someone’s cup or soda can as an act of retribution or to be funny.

Dirt sailor (not pejorative): A person who primarily works ashore in a camouflage uniform (e.g. in the expeditionary forces). Not used to describe a SeaBee.

Dirty-shirt wardroom: (Aircraft Carrier): Forward wardroom immediately below the flight deck for pilots wearing (sweaty) flight gear and working ship's officers. As opposed to formal ship's wardroom.

DISBO: Disbursing officer on ship.

Ditch: To intentionally crash land an aircraft as “gently” as possible - usually into the water. This is generally done when fuel is almost all used up with no hope of making it to a safe landing area, or when a slowly developing but potentially fatal emergency is going on.

The Ditch: The Panama Canal.

Ditty-bag:

(1) Any mesh bag, but so named because usually used to contain soiled laundry.

(2) A container (usually zipper-closed) for toilet articles such as soap, razor, shaving cream, deodorant, etc; especially for expeditionary sailors. ;dop kit; douche kit.

Ditty-bop: A Radioman or Cryptologic Technician Collection (CTR), from the sound of Morse code. Also “ditty chaser”.

Division: Middle organizational level in most naval commands, below department and above branch. Usually headed by a junior officer (JO). Common divisions are powerplants, airframes, 1st Lieutenant, etc... Divisions are sometimes divided into branches or work centers.

DIVO: Division Officer.

Dixie Cup: The canvas white hat sailors wear with their dress uniforms.

DIW: Dead in the Water. No longer moving through the water, which means rudder control is lost as well. Often the result of a serious engineering casualty. Can also be used to describe the status of a person whose plan has gone awry. “The MPA signed his chit for an extra three days of leave in San Dog, but the Cheng wouldn't let him go, so now he's DIW”.

Wiktionary.org

Just for you MARINE

Diet Recruit or Diet Tray: A recruit in Boot Camp who has been deemed overweight according to regulations. These recruits are usually the last through the chow line and have their meals inspected by DI's.

Digis or Diggis: Digital camouflage such as MARPAT; also refers to the digital-patterned MCCUU.

Dime Out: To reveal incriminating information about a person. See also call out.

Disneyland East: Headquarters Marine Corps at Arlington, Virginia.

Wikipedia.org

Naval Aviation Squadron Nicknames

Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 40 (VRC-40 Detachment 5) - nicknamed the “Rawhides”

United States Navy - Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - Established July 1, 1960.

Where Did That Saying Come From?

“Fortune favors the bold:”  Meaning: “Fortune favours the bold”, “Fortune favours the brave” and “Fortune favours the strong” are common translations of a Latin proverb.

The slogan has been used historically in the military in the Anglosphere, and it is used up to the present in the U.S. Army and on the coats of arms of individual families and clans.

History: Fortune favours the bold is the translation of a Latin proverb, which exists in several forms with slightly different wording but effectively identical meaning, such as audentes Fortuna iuvat, audentes Fortuna adiuvat, Fortuna audaces iuvat, and audentis Fortuna iuvat.

This last is used by Turnus, an antagonist in the Aeneid. “Fortuna” refers to luck or its personification, a Roman goddess.

Another version of the proverb, fortis Fortuna adiuvat (“fortune favours the strong/brave”), was used in Terence's comedy play Phormio, line 203.

Pliny the Younger quotes his uncle, Pliny the Elder, as using the phrase when deciding to take his fleet and investigate the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, in the hope of helping his friend Pomponianus:

“'Fortes' inquit 'fortuna iuvat: Pomponianum pete.'” (“'Fortune', he said, 'favours the brave: head for Pomponianus.'”) The expedition cost the elder Pliny his life.

The Latin phrase Fortuna Eruditis Favet (“fortune favours the prepared mind”) is also used. Louis Pasteur, the French microbiologist and chemist, made this remark:

“Dans les champs de l'observation le hasard ne favorise que les esprits préparés”, meaning “In the fields of observation, chance only favours the prepared mind.”

Wikipedia.org

Science & Technology

Watch this shy plant engage in some ‘self-love’ when it can’t find any pollinators • Seventy years ago, humans unleashed a killer virus on rabbits. Here's how they beat it • It can take a decade for species endangered by wildlife trade to get protection • How far out can we forecast the weather? Scientists have a new answer • Physicists create a quantum refrigerator that cools with an absence of light

Science AAAS

Bizarre News (we couldn’t make up stuff this good – real news story)

Black Snow Is Falling from the Skies in Siberia, and It Is Toxic

A pall of eerie black snow has covered several towns in the Siberian region of Kuzbass, which is home to 2.6 million people and one of the world's largest coal fields.

According to The Guardian and The Siberian Times, the snow is tainted with toxic black coal dust that was released into the air from open coal pits and improperly maintained factories in the region. One coal plant official told the local media that a shield meant to prevent coal powder from escaping out of the factory had malfunctioned — however, toxic black snowfall seems to be a regular phenomena in the area and it isn’t necessarily tied to a single source. [The Frozen North: Stunning Images of Russia from Above]

“It’s harder to find white snow than black snow during the winter”, Vladimir Slivyak, a member of the non-profit environmental action group Ecodefense, told the Guardian. “There is a lot of coal dust in the air all the time. When snow falls, it just becomes visible. You can’t see it the rest of the year, but it is still there.”

Kuzbass (short for Kuznetsk Basin) is one of the largest coalfields in the world, spanning more than 10,000 square miles (26,000 square kilometers), according to Britannica.com. A 2015 report from Ecodefense found that the citizens of Kuzbass have an average life expectancy 3 to 4 years shorter than the Russian national average and have nearly twice the risk of contracting tuberculosis and childhood mental disorders.

Black snows like this one are a frequent winter feature in the region, the report found, and mitigation attempts have been… lacking. For instance, in December 2018, regional authorities were accused of trying to hide the toxic black stuff by literally painting over it with white pigment, The Moscow Times reported.

Siberia, which would be the world's largest country by size if it were a sovereign nation, is no stranger to bizarre environmental disasters. In July 2018, a Siberian factory town was drenched in a red “blood rain” when improperly stored industrial waste was caught up in a storm. Later that month, a mysterious wall of dust blacked out the sun for 3 hours in Yakutia, a region that contains some of the coldest cities in the world.

According to the Guardian, several British groups have proposed boycotting Kuzbass coal until the region enacts stronger environmental protections, The simple fact is, however, that there’s no great way to make coal use environmentally friendly. Even if black snow isn’t falling in your part of the world, remember - carbon dioxide released by coal plants remains a leading cause of climate change.

• The Weirdest Things That Fell From The Sky

• Images: Russian Meteor Explosion

• 10 of the Most Polluted Places on Earth

Live Science (02/15/2019)