2 July 1863, second day of Gettysburg. Sickles has pulled his III Corps -- without orders -- off of Cemetery Ridge and positioned it a half mile in front of the rest of the Union lines. Longstreet smashes the hapless III Corps and its men are in full flight. Hancock rides back and forth inside the gaping hole left by Sickles. Below him, almost 2000 men of Wilcox's brigade are charging up the slope. They will gain a foothold on the ridge and be reinforced by Lee. As Longstreet pins down the Union left, Lee will roll up the center and right of the Northern army and chase them from the field. He will then march on and take Washington before turning north along the eastern seaboard. Lee will capture and burn Philadelphia and Boston in his March Along the Sea, chasing the Northern government from city to city until Lincoln finally sues for peace and the union is no more. Suddenly, a line of blue-coated soldiers comes into Hancock's view. "My God, is this all the men here? Who are you?" "1st Minnesota, sir." "See those colors?", says Hancock, pointing at the flags of the oncoming Confederates, "Take them."
posted to MetaFilter by forrest at 5:45 AM on July 2, 2008 (82 comments)

1945. As the new year breaks in Auschwitz-Birkenau, the months-long SS torture of four women -- Ala Gertner, Roza Robota, Regina Safirzstain and Ester Wajcblum -- draws to an end. The women were being interrogated about their role in the Sonderkommando revolt of October, 1944.
posted to MetaFilter by forrest at 10:11 PM on January 4, 2008 (24 comments)

In August 1781, the case of Brom and Bett vs. Ashley went to the jury. The year before, Mum Bett, a slave in the Ashley house since 1742, was struck by her mistress. Mum Bett left the house and refused to return. Bett had overheard conversations about the new Massachusetts constitution that included the clause, "All men are created equal" and argued that the clause applied to her. When the jury agreed, slavery was effectively abolished in the state of Massachusetts. Mum Bett took the name of Elizabeth Freeman and went to work in the employ of her lawyer. (More inside)
posted to MetaFilter by forrest at 12:44 PM on August 10, 2007 (34 comments)

On May 22, 1969, the Babies of Biafra launched their first attack against Nigeria. The Babies were a fleet of 5 civilian single-engine SAAB aircraft outfitted with unguided rocket launchers. They were going up against an air force composed of MIGs and Ilyushin bombers, flown by English, South African and Egyptian mercenaries. Their leader was Carl Gustaf von Rosen, a Swede who was Herman Goering’s nephew-in-law. (More inside)
posted to MetaFilter by forrest at 8:47 AM on May 22, 2007 (17 comments)

On December 13, 1862, Sgt. Richard Rowland Kirkland of the 2nd Carolina stood in the Sunken Road at the bottom of Marye's Heights at the Battle of Fredericksburg. The 19-year-old Kirkland was part of Longstreet's First Corps; across from him was Hooker's Center Grand Division, part of the Army of the Potomac under Ambrose Burnside. (More boring history stuff inside.)
posted to MetaFilter by forrest at 2:14 PM on December 13, 2006 (26 comments)

Does anyone have a recipe for pecan pie filling that doesn't involve the pie?
posted to Ask Metafilter by forrest at 4:04 PM on December 12, 2006 (10 comments)

Only 35 days left until the Global Orgasm. Remember that you're doing it for Peace On Earth or Purity Of Essence or Projection Of Energy or whatever. Don't forget to visit the GlobalO Blog for more information.
posted to MetaFilter by forrest at 11:01 AM on November 16, 2006 (51 comments)

On 14 April 1988, the missile frigate Samuel B. Roberts was damaged by a mine in the Persian Gulf. Some 45 years before, Coxswain Samuel B. Roberts was killed when he guided his boat in front of Japanese lines on Guadalcanal in an effort to distract their fire from a rescue party evacuating wounded marines. In between was the destroyer escort Samuel B. Roberts, which on 25 October 1944 sailed into history in the Battle off Samar. (Long post inside for history buffs.)
posted to MetaFilter by forrest at 8:25 AM on October 25, 2006 (21 comments)

Where do I stay in Houston?
posted to Ask Metafilter by forrest at 4:32 PM on September 11, 2006 (4 comments)

What are the disadvantages of making your own water-cooled evaporative air conditioner?
posted to Ask Metafilter by forrest at 12:23 PM on August 3, 2006 (8 comments)

How do I reset the resolution on a large plasma monitor connected to a Mac Mini via DVI?
posted to Ask Metafilter by forrest at 10:39 PM on April 1, 2006 (7 comments)

Desmond Doss dies at 87. Desmond Doss, first conscientious objector to win a Medal of Honor, was a Seventh Day Adventist who refused to carry a gun, eat meat, or work on Saturday. Under heavy Japanese fire, he lowered 75 wounded men to safety from the top of the Maeda Escarpment on Okinawa. That was only one of his acts of heroism.
posted to MetaFilter by forrest at 9:07 PM on March 26, 2006 (17 comments)

Christmas carols reviewed It's that time of year again for the Christmas Abstract: a music reviewer casts his ear upon tunes of the season. Mostly acerbic, but still interesting. Even includes dialog between Jesus and the Pottery Barn music director.
posted to MetaFilter by forrest at 11:27 AM on December 7, 2005 (20 comments)

Is anyone else losing text in OS X mail app?
posted to Ask Metafilter by forrest at 10:52 PM on August 6, 2005 (13 comments)

Does thumbing your nose have some hidden meaning in American Sign Language?
posted to Ask Metafilter by forrest at 12:14 PM on June 1, 2005 (10 comments)