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2013—In Portsmouth Harbor, the tanker Harbour Feature allides with the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge. 2004—Britain declassifies “Blue Peacock,” a 1957 plan to bury nukes in Germany with live chickens keeping the electronics warm. It’s not a joke. 2003—Bush administration propagandists claim Special Forces have “rescued” PFC Jessica Lynch. It’s a lie. 1997—A blizzard dumps 18 inches of snow on Portsmouth. 1994—Steve Bannon, accompanied by federal marshals, arrives via limo to manage Biosphere 2, an ecological experiment in the Arizona desert. A break-in, lawsuits, and failure ensue. 1974—Sitka, Alaska residents fear dormant Mount Edgecumbe is erupting. Nope. It’s just “Porky” Bickar burning tires up there in …

Read moreSat, Apr 1

2016—Darcie Rae Hall, 36, of Troy, N.H., is arrested in Keene for selling “Donald Trump” brand heroin. 2004—Four American contractors are ambushed and killed in Fallujah, their bodies displayed from a bridge. 1990—About 200K Brits protest, some by rioting, against Thatcher’s poll tax. The PM herself fails to file. 1980—The American banking industry is deregulated with bipartisan support. What could possibly go wrong? 1969—By his orders, the body of Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower is carried by baggage car, like any other G.I., to its final resting place in Abilene, Kan. 1968—LBJ says he won’t run for re-election. Millions rejoice, having no inkling of who will …

Read moreFri, Mar 31

2016—School bus mechanics in Virginia discover plastic explosives inadvertently left behind by the CIA. 2008—As he throws out the first pitch at Washington’s new National Park, George W.[MD] Bush is met with a resounding chorus of boos. 2003—Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announces “we know where” Iraq’s WMDs are: “the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south, and north somewhat.” 2003—During a live Fox “News” broadcast from Iraq, Geraldo Rivera reveals the 101st Airborne’s current location, where they’re going to attack next, and when. 2000—Fred Trump III, whose son is chronically ill and needs special care, learns his family’s health care is being …

Read moreThurs, Mar 30

2003—Newsweek publishes a poll saying 74 percent of Americans believe that the Bush administration has “a well thought-out military plan.” 1995—Rep. Dan Burton [R-Ind.] says the U.S. “should place an aircraft carrier off the coast of [land-locked] Bolivia and crop dust the coca fields.” 1973—Army Master Sergeant Max Beilke becomes the last U.S. combat soldier to leave Vietnam. He will die at the Pentagon, a civilian, on 9/11/01. 1972—In anticipation of a $100,000 “contribution” to the Nixon re-election campaign, the EPA eases up on enforcement at a lead smelter in Idaho. 1971—Lt. William Calley gets “life in prison” for 22 My Lai murders, i.e., three …

Read moreWed, Mar 29

2007—Phyllis Schlafly explains to Bates students that a married woman “has consented to sex, and I don’t think you can call it rape.” 2003—Two U.S.A.F. A-10 “Warthogs” mistakenly strafe British tanks in Iraq. One soldier is KIA. 2003—“The enemy we’re fighting [in Iraq],” General William S. Wallace admits, “is different from the one we’d war-gamed against.” 1979—After a stuck valve dumps too much coolant, an emergency cooling system kicks in, but it’s overridden by operators who fail to see a hidden indicator light. The nuclear reactor core at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania partially melts, releasing 43K curies. 1967—The RAF drops bombs on Torrey Canyon …

Read moreTues, Mar 28

2014—Receipts in hand, the UN accuses the U.S. of civil rights violations. 2003—Iraq “can really finance its own reconstruction and relatively soon,” U.S. Undersecretary for Defense Paul Wolfowitz tells Congress. “There’s a lot of money to pay for this that doesn’t have to be U.S. taxpayer money.” 1986—Congress slashes welfare while approving $100 million for a drug gang called “The Contras.” 1980—The Norwegian oil platform Alexander L. Kielland collapses in the North Sea: of 212 aboard, 123 perish. 1964—History’s 2nd largest earthquake hits Anchorage; 115 die. 1956—Alleged Christian Billy Graham advises Ike to ignore civil rights. 1943—So that forged IDs may avoid Nazi detection, openly …

Read moreMon, Mar 27