What Happened on October 7?

  • The US invaded Afghanistan. (2001) In response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the US launched the War in Afghanistan, also called Operation Enduring Freedom. The war's first phase targeted the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, with a goal of locating high-ranking terrorist leaders and putting them on trial for their crimes. Military operations expanded thereafter and are ongoing.

  • A military memo suggested that the US intentionally provoked Japan to attack Pearl Harbor. (1940) Until Pearl Harbor, US President Roosevelt was unable to get public support and Congressional approval for entering World War II, whether on the Pacific or European front. Many believe that Roosevelt was in on the intentional provocation of Japan for the purpose of inducing public and Congressional support for US involvement in the war. Support for this theory is argued to be found in a memo written about one year before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Arthur H. McCollum, a US military Lieutenant Commander and director of the Far East Asia naval intelligence office, sent the memo, known as the McCollum Memo, to two Navy Captains. The memo which proposes the provocation is said to have been met with agreement from many high-ranking military officials.

  • The US Stamp Act Congress convened in secret to detail the grievances the US colonies had against England. (1765) Nine of the 13 US colonies were represented at the proceedings, focusing on issues regarding admiralty courts, trial by jury, and self taxation. The group produced the Declaration of Rights and Grievances document and submitted it to the Lords in the House of Commons. The petition was one of the first official precursors that led to the American Revolution.

  • US President John F. Kennedy signed the Partial Test Ban Treaty. (1963) The treaty, which is also called Treaty banning Nuclear Weapon Tests In The Atmosphere, In Outer Space And Under Water, banned all nuclear testing, with the exception of detonation underground. It also was signed by the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom. Today, most countries throughout the world have agreed to the treaty as well, with the notable exceptions of North Korea, China and France.

  • The Fox News Channel debuted. (1996) Fox News is owned by News Corporation, which also owns the Wall Street Journal newspaper. The channel broadcasts worldwide and has become one of the most-watched news channels.

  • The Ford Motor Company put the first moving assembly line into operation. (1913) The design Ford created was inspired by Henry Ford's observations of the production lines in meat-packing plants. The innovative process increased productivity to such an extent that the price of the Model-T dropped from $850 US Dollars (USD) to $360 USD.

  • Cornell University in New York opened its doors with record-setting enrollment. (1868) Founded by Andrew White and Ezra Cornell, the school's first class had 412 students — more than any other university in America at that time.

  • The Cats musical opened on Broadway, beginning its record run. (1982) The Broadway show was performed 7,485 times, a world performance record that has been surpassed only by The Phantom of the Opera.

  • The film-rating system was established by the Motion Picture Association of America. (1968) Movies were rated by movie-goers on rating boards before the system was put into place; the US government also had a rating board, but it was abolished after a US Supreme Court ruling in the Freedman v. Maryland case that said the government could approve films but not ban them.

  • The first commercial railway opened in the US. (1826) The Granite Railway traveled between quarries in Quincy, Massachusetts, and loading docks in Milton. The train transported granite.

  • The most one-sided football game in the history of US college football took place. (1916) Cumberland University was brutally defeated by Georgia Tech 222 to 0.

Discussion Comments

clintflint

One of the interesting things about the Ford company was that they not only made cars cheaper, they also made their workers richer, so that they could afford to buy them. A car was basically a luxury item that very few people could afford before they began that assembly line and once the company took off everyone working there could afford to buy their own products.

Ford really understood that you've got to cultivate customers as well as build a good product.

lluviaporos

@Ana1234 - It's imperfect, but it could be worse. We still get some really good films made that don't need a lot of sex and violence to get their point across.

And I think it's better than what the government might have put into place, to be honest. I'd really be worried about censorship then.

Ana1234

I really don't like the film rating system as it currently stands. It seems to put far too much emphasis on sex and not enough on violence. To be honest, I'd rather my kids see the occasional nipple than regularly watch people be decapitated.

In some ways it limits artists as well, because most studios won't release films that receive NC-17 ratings, which means they can't depict certain things onscreen. Either they need to compromise the story they want to tell or they have to settle for a smaller audience, or no audience at all. I've heard they actually tried to introduce the current guidelines in the '60s in order to prevent censorship by the previous code which would ban films altogether if they didn't measure up.

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