In 238 AD, on this day the barbarian Emperor Maximinus Thrax entered Aquileia after soldiers of the II Parthica finally broke through the city's defences.

The Triumph of Maximinus ThraxThe news of the breakthrough forced Caesar Gordian III to flee for his life because his father and grandfather had both been killed in the revolt. And the Senators behind those elections had their heads were cut off and placed on poles outside Rome to greet the rightful Emperor.

Maximinus Thrax had conducted large-scale operations deep in Germania Magna, and planned for the eventual annexation of the entire region. And so he set about establishing a Vistula-Dniester by conquering all Germanic land up to the Baltic Coast. This expansion introduced two new challenges for his successors. Firstly, to assimilate unRomanized Slavs and Balts into the Empire. And secondly, even more difficult, to make innovative use of the heavy plough to ensure that the new provinces would be profitable.

In 1509, on this day Arthur Tudor ascended the throne of England on the death of his father, Henry VII. But the country would experience a sharp diminution in status during his ill-fated reign.

Ascension of King Arthur IIThe problem was at the age of just two, he was betrothed to Joanna of Castille as part of the Treaty of Medina del Campo. However Queen Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon ("Ferdinand the Catholic") were reluctant for the marriage to proceed because of the instability of Tudor Rule. In fact, they only acquiesced with the executions of the potential pretenders Perkin Warbeck and the Earl of Warwick.

The marriage could then proceed although these carefully laid plans were very nearly destroyed when the Prince of Wales almost perished from consumption. Fortunately, Joanna saved his life, and while their marriage was blessed with children, her younger sister Katherine was not so fortunate. She suffered from infertility and a tortured marriage. Her megalomaniac husband Philip the Handsome would dominate everyone on the continent reducing the power of Catholic England to a mere vassal state within a truly global Spanish Empire. It was a diminution that made a mockery of the Arthurian association with his illustrious predecessor from the House of Pendragon.

In 753 BC, on this day Remus, the legendary founder of the Remorian Republic murdered his brother Romulus in cold blood.

Remus kills his brother RomulusThe brothers had argued bitterly over the best site for the new city. Romulus favoured the Palatine Hill; Remus wanted the Aventine Hill. They agreed to select the site by divine augury, took up position on their respective hills and prepared a sacred space; signs were sent to each in the form of vultures, or eagles. Remus saw six; Romulus saw twelve, and claimed superior augury (foresight) as the basis of his right to decide.

Remus made a counterclaim: he saw his six vultures first. Romulus set to work with his supporters, digging a trench (or building a wall, according to Dionysius) around the Palatine to define his city boundary. Remus criticized some parts of the work and obstructed others. At last, Remus leaped across the boundary, as an insult to the city's defenses and their creator. For this, he was challenged by Romulus, but Remus prevailed and his brother was killed.

But perhaps Romulus was proven right after all, because the city ruled by Remus never developed further than an obscure Latin city in the shadow of the Etruscans. And of course the Remorian Republic was utterly destroyed by Hamicar Barca in 223 BC.

In 1793, when "Citizen" Genêt informed General Washington of inappropriate remarks made in private by Thomas Jefferson the President had no choice by to summarily dismiss his Secretary of State for a serious breach of political integrity.

Citizen Genet
How the French Connection destroyed the duplicitious career of Thomas JeffersonUltimately the outbreak of the Anglo-French War would force the President to make a Proclaimation of Neutrality denying support to Revolutionary France in spite of the crucial role that France had played in America's own Revolution. But where Washington and the pro-British Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton saw a looming threat of American involvement, the anti-Federalists "Generalissimo" Jefferson and "General" James Madison saw a popular opportunity to strike a blow for the Democratic-Republican Party.

The political question of American foreign policy was of course a matter of fierce debate, both in public, and also in private with both Hamilton and Madison publishing articles under the pseudonyms of Pacifus and Helvidius. But even the exposure of those intrigues would not have led to a split in the Cabinet - that required the arrival of Citizen Genêt (pictured) in early April.

At least in the overfertile imagination of Jefferson and Madison, if not in fact, the American public was overwhelmingly in support of the French Government, both for fighting the hated British, and for launching their own bid for liberty. Regardless the arrival of French Ambassador Edmond-Charles Genêt was over-enthusiastically toasted by the senior members of the Federal Government, encouraging Jefferson to declare the rekindling of the spirit of '76.

Because he had served as the American Ambassador to France for almost a decade, Jefferson not only had an extremely developed sense of empathy, he saw Genêt as a junior protege. Perhaps this intimacy encouraged him to excuse "The Terror" with the observation that "My own affections have been deeply wounded by some of the martyrs to this cause, but rather than it should have failed, I would have seen half the earth desolated. Were there but an Adam and an Eve left in every country, and left free, it would be better than as it now is". It was this ill-disciplined comment that enraged Washington, convincing him that Jefferson was the most dangerous man in America.

In AD 33, on this day Jesus was deceived into giving the Jewish leadership an unmistakeable sign that he really was the Messiah by miraculously restoring the dismembered ear of the Temple Guard Malchus which had been cut off by Simon Peter during the struggle which preceded the arrest at the Garden of Gethsemane.

The Last TemptationThe disciple had been tempted into an overzealous act of violence by Satan who knew that a crucifixion would ensure that he was defeated once and for all.

Jesus, who through his ministry had endured the temptations both of Satah and also the Jewish leadership, succumbed to pity and at the last, Satan triumphed.

"Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" ~ Matthew 3:2Of course the Sanhedrin trial was transformed by the verifiable testimony of Malchus and the Jewish authorities were forced to accept Jesus to be the Messiah.

But because Jesus could not become King unless He went to the cross, the declaration of a Kingdom of Heaven was premature, triggering a holy war between Satan and his angels against the Messiah.

In 1836, at the Battle of San Jacinto, Mexican general Antonio López de Santa Anna defeated the forces of U.S.-born Gen. Samuel Houston, commander in chief of the revolutionary forces of the breakaway state of Texas, and captured Houston himself, after the latter's attempt to counter the superior Mexican numbers with a surprise attack failed.

Santa Anna wins the Battle of San Jacinto by Eric LippsThe battle would deliver a crippling blow to Texan morale, and would prove to be the tipping point in the failed struggle for Texan independence. The American Texans, or "Texians" as they were commonly called, had been retreating toward the border with the United states since the fall of the Alamo. Now that retreat became a rout, joined by many American settlers whose presence complicated the efforts of the Texian army to regroup. Tattered remnants of the once-proud force eventually limped across the border into Louisiana along with several thousand civilian refugees.

Houston would be freed by the Mexican government as a result of diplomatic efforts on the part of President Andrew Jackson. He would, however, return home in humiliation. He had emigrated to Texas originally to avoid the stigma attached to his name by a fight with Ohio congressman William Stanberry which had led to a high-profile trial and conviction for assault for which he had escaped serious punishment only with the help of influential friends.. Now his failure in Mexico was added to that burden. An ambitious man, he saw his political prospects shrivel. He resumed his long-abandoned practice as a lawyer, but found his reputation a serious hindrance in attracting clients.

Houston's disgrace and the defeat of his "Texians" meant the end of the idea of Texan independence, Ironically, Houston himself had preferred not independence but annexation of Texas by the United States. Texas would remain the property of Mexico despite periodic efforts by U.S. "filibusters" to foment a new rebellion. The last such effort would come in 1859, as civil war loomed in the United States and slaveholding Southerners sought to add one or more new slave states to the Union to strengthen their position. Its failure arguably shortened the war, which ended in Northern victory in November 1864, just after the re-election of President Abraham Lincoln.

In 2005, on this day NINE, LLC released a computer animated short film featuring a sentient rag doll living in the ruins of a decaying parallel world. Click to watch 9 By Shane Acker.

The Making of "Twelve"Founded by a student called Shane Acker, the company employed only five animators and three lighters who took four and a half years to create the movie "9" on a three-computer dual-processor render farm using regular "commodity" software comprising Maya 1.5-5.5 for 3D modeling, Photoshop for the textures.

Nevertheless, Ackers enjoyed a string of awards which included Student Academy Award - Gold Award for Animation, SIGGRAPH - Best in Show, Animex - First Prize, 3D Character Animation, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation College Awards - First Prize, Non-traditional Animation, Florida Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival - Best Animated Short. "We had such potential. Such promise. But we squandered our gifts. And so, 9, I am creating you. Our world is ending. Life must go on. " ~ the ScientistMore importantly, the fanfare brought the movie to the attention of Film Director Tim Burton who was greatly impressed with Acker's artistic vision.

Tim Burton proposed a feature-length adaptation to be directed by Acker and distributed by Focus Features. In so doing, Burton eliminated a "plot hole" from the original ten-minute movie. Because the Scientist states he is afraid of The Machine because it lacks a human soul. However, The Machine begins to operate only once #2's soul is transferred inside it, and it ceases to function once all the souls are drained from it. This would suggest it has to possess a soul to operate at all, contradicting the Scientist's claim.

From this chance focus on the spiritual dimension, Burton and Ackers re-evaluated the completeness of the artistic vision, deciding to imbue the movie with a stronger biblical subtext. Released on 12.12.12 for Christmas 2012, the protagonist is more strikingly an apocalyptic Jesus figure, and the remaining stitch-punks are also characterised from the disciplines. Click to watch the Trailer.

In 2008, the Associated Press reported from Katmandu ~ Nepalese soldiers and police guarding the slopes of Mount Everest are authorized to shoot to stop any protests during China's Olympic torch run to the summit. Nepalese soldiers and police guarding the slopes of Mount EverestChinese climbers plan to take the torch to the summit of Everest - the world's highest peak on the border between Nepal and Tibet ' in the first few days of May. During that time, other climbers will be banned from higher elevations.

A Nepalese government spokesman says police and soldiers "have been given orders to stop any protest on the mountain using whatever means necessary," adding deadly force is authorized only as a last resort. The troops will first try to persuade protesters to leave and will arrest those who don't.

Twenty-five soldiers and policemen have already established several camps on the mountain, with the possibility more troops could be sent if needed.

The torch relay - the longest in Olympic history - has been seized on as a platform to protest China's human rights record, most notably the crackdown on demonstrations in Tibet in March. Tibetan exiles have protested almost daily in the Nepalese capital of Katmandu in front of the United Nations office and the Chinese Embassy. Human rights protests have now reached a new fever pitch. An attempt by the protestors to appeal directly to the Holy Ones of Everest cannot be ruled out at this time. The Chinese Government continues to make determined attempts to prevent direct intervention in human affairs.

In 2008, Bob Weber of the Canadian Press reported ~ Inuit hunters are bracing for another showdown this week with government wildlife scientists, this time over how many polar bears they'll be allowed to capture from one of Canada's largest populations of the iconic predator.Inuit hunters, scientists set to square off over polar bear quotas Scientists say the bears of Baffin Bay have been overhunted for years - partly by Greenlanders - and they will argue at hearings beginning Tuesday in Pond Inlet, Nunavut, that the number of valuable tags for the animals should be cut by 40 per cent, if not eliminated.

But Inuit say the bears are fine and that researchers haven't even counted them in more than a decade. They point to a recent admission that scientists drastically underestimated bowhead whales in the Arctic as a reason to be skeptical of bear estimates. Some say if they're cut off from harvesting an animal they'll ignore regulations and shoot as many bears as they need. "We don't believe the scientists' information any more," said Jayko Alooloo, head of the Hunters and Trappers Organization in Pond Inlet, one of the three communities along the east shore of Baffin Island that hunts the bears. "(Hunters) will ignore new quotas".

Both the local Inuit economy and also the great market city of Corcyrus are dependent upon off-world trade. The Gorean city is ruled by a beautiful woman, the cruel, arrogant, much-hated Tatrix Sheila. The Tatrix needs to fill the coffers of Ar in order to pay for the war on Vosk. Agents such as Ligurious transship to the far side of the sun where a vibrant demand exists for such exotic items.

In 1812, on this day William Harris Crawford of Georgia (pictured) was sworn in as the sixth US President after his predecessor the New Yorker George Clinton died from a heart attack.

President William H. Crawford
Sixth US PresidentClinton was the second President to die in office; he had succeeded the frail figure of James Madison who weighing less than one hundred pounds, had a history of poor health and succumbed to a bilious fever during his first term. Both men had struggled with the House Speaker Henry Clay, a powerful political figure who led the predominant faction of "War Hawks". Having passed the minimum age of thirty-five just a week before Clinton's heart attack, Clay was eligible for the Vice Presidency, and therefore Crawford (himself only forty) took the expedient action of selecting an even younger man to restore vigour to the Executive branch of the Federal Government.

However this correction to the recent problem of continuity in the White House backfired spectacularly because it fuelled the already overwhelming Federal Support for prosecuting war with Great Britain. Without the guiding light of a Founding Father, the Republic appeared to be rushing headlong into an uncertain future. The result was the Hartford Convention which triggered the secession of New England.

In 1916, on this day the hard core Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) attempted to seize strongpoints in Dublin City Centre as the precursor to the formation of a Provisional Government of the Irish Republic. But they only succeed in occupying the General Post Office (GPO) where they ceremoniously hoist the flag of the thirty-two county Irish Republic (pictured) as a Sovereign Independent State.

Irish Home Rule in 1914: Part #4Holed up inside were Patrick Pearse, Tom Clarke, Seán Mac Dermott and Joseph Plunkett. When Pearsae read a Proclamation of the Republic¹ to the bemused and disinterested Dubliners on Sackville Street², the Lord Chancellor of Ireland John Redmond responded in a measured way by mobilizing the small Irish Citizen Army formed by James Connolly as an emergency militia to starve them out.

After their detention was complete, one of the commanders, American-born Éamonn de Valera was given passage to Boston. At least for now, Ireland would remain part of the United Kingdom under Home Rule. And the future of an Irish Free State would be nurtured by the Clann na Gael in Boston, that great bastion of Republicanism.
This article concludes the Irish Home Rule 1914 collaborative thread.