Breakthrough at Assenois and Fortress Boggess

Lieutenant Boggess was part of a Task Force of the U.S. 4th Armored Division spearheading the drive to reach Bastogne by the U.S. Third Army, commanded by Lieutenant-General George Patton (Jr.). Its mission was to break the German Army's encirclement of Bastogne from the south by linking up with the besieged American forces within.

Following a bitter battle for the village of Assenois on the afternoon of 26 December 1944, Sherman tanks commanded by Boggess forced their way through German Army lines and into the Bastogne perimeter.
The old Belgian bunker marked the vicinity where the first contact was made between the 4th Armored Division and the U.S. 101st Airborne Division. Members of the 326th Airborne Engineer Battalion, who had been in foxholes nearby, greeted Boggess's Sherman tanks. It marked a symbolic ending of the siege.

The route created into Bastogne remained hotly contested, as the German forces tried to close the gap. Over the following days, various U.S. Armored and Infantry Divisions in the area worked to maintain and expand the vital corridors. It ensured essential supplies got through to Bastogne and that the wounded and the civilians could be evacuated.

The Assenois bunker ('Fortress Boggess') was a defensive structure built in the 1930s to preserve Belgian neutrality in case of attack. Today this quiet site has been converted into a place of remembrance, largely devoted to commemorating the symbolic lifting of the siege of Bastogne by Lieutenant-General Patton's troops.

1898 - The Admirals Council which served as the leadership for the International Squadron was dissolved. This group was put together by the British, French, Russian, German, Italian, and Austro-Hungarian empires. In this case they were intervening in a revolt on the Island of Crete by Christians against the Ottoman Empire. While you may have expected them to be supporting the Christians, in fact they were there to support the Ottomans, fearing that the revolt would cause Greece and the Ottomans to renew hostilities (they did anyway) that could lead to a wider war. The Great Powers offered to support the Ottomans if they didn't attempt to reinforce their garrisons. This led to them firing on the Christian positions and landing troops to help protect the Ottoman garrisons. During this the Russian battleship Sissoi Veliky suffered the only Naval casualties of the blockade when a shell went off in one of its 12" turrets damaging the ship.

In the end the Greeks lost the war but a Creten State was set up that existed until 1913 when it merged with Greece.

A couple significant events:

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1170 Thomas Becket: Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, is assassinated inside Canterbury Cathedral by followers of King Henry II; he subsequently becomes a saint and martyr in the Anglican Church and the Roman Catholic Church. This is about separation of church and state. The 'state' had the 'church' murdered.
1786 French Revolution: The Assembly of Notables is convened. that's what the Federal Government thinks it is today. If they don't change the results are likely to be equally unpleasant.
1812 The USS Constitution under the command of Captain William Bainbridge, captures the HMS Java off the coast of Brazil after a three-hour battle. She is now the only vessel on the Navy's rolls to have sunk a major warship in combat.
1837 Steam-powered threshing machine patented in Winthrop, Maine
1845 Texas is admitted as the 28th U.S. state. 2035 New US-Mexican border established at the Trinity River.

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I don't know when/how/what the Trinity River as a US Mexican border is referencing, but I profess to not have an ability to peer into the future.

Trinity?!?! Back to the Arkansas River.

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1812 The USS Constitution under the command of Captain William Bainbridge, captures the HMS Java off the coast of Brazil after a three-hour battle. She is now the only vessel on the Navy's rolls to have sunk a major warship in combat.

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I don't understand this. Can you explain further?

It says that the Constitution "captured" the Java but then says that the Constitution "sunk" a major warship in combat. The Constitution sank the Java via demolition but after the combat was over.

Also, what do you mean by "now the only vessel". Lots of Navy vessels have sunk major warships in combat since then. The Constitution itself had sunk the English Guerriere only 5 months earlier.

By the way, those two victories by the Constitution created a major existential crisis within the British Navy. Prior to that defeat, the Brits knew that their Navy was the best and was invincible. They had not lost a ship-to-ship battle throughout their long, long wars with the French. After the Constitution's two victories, the English adopted a new rule forbidding any of their frigates from engaging in single ship combat with any American frigate.

As of right now…

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We promise this will be the last time we talk about the battle between the USS Constitution and HMS Guerriere. As a result of the damage the former caused during the engagement, Constitution currently holds the title for being the only active US ship to have sunk an enemy vessel.

The warship earned this title following the decommissioning of the USS Simpson (FFG-56) in September 2015. During Operation Praying Mantis on April 18, 1988, the Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate teamed up with the USS Bagley (FF-1069) and Wainwright(CG-28) to take out an oil rig used by the Iranians throughout the Iran-Iraq War as a surveillance post. In the process, the vessels sunk the Iranian fast-attack craft Joshan.

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(Note, my post earlier this am was a copy/paste from the link contained therein).

Ahh, OK. Only "active" US warship. It's cool that the Constitution is still considered active.

And I apologize. I was being excessively pedantic.

All good.

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1502 Portuguese explorers land at Guanabara Bay on the coast of South America and name it Rio de Janeiro (January River)
Portuguese explorers led by Gaspar de Lemos discovered Guanabara Bay on January 1st, 1502. They mistakenly believed the bay to be the mouth of a large river and named it "Rio de Janeiro," meaning "January River" in Portuguese.
This name eventually extended to the surrounding area, and Rio de Janeiro became one of the most famous cities in Brazil and the world.

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Happy New Year! Did you know that the ancient Romans were the first to celebrate January 1 as the start of the new year, in honor of their god Janus, who had two faces - one looking forward and one backward? pic.twitter.com/1IS2TBuEAw

— Destro Daz (@destrodaz_dj) December 31, 2024

Emancipation Proclamation was officially issued in 1863

Sixth Annual Sugar Bowl January 1, 1940

Jarrin' Jawn Carries Texas A&M to 14-13 Victory Over Tulane in Sixth Sugar Bowl

lol not worth it. The final surrender of Muslims in the Iberian peninsula I think during the reconquista. I think in Portugal. Whatever.

Anyway, no idea how Jews are involved but I suppose this is a cleaner link

Good morning!

Today in 1492, the Sultan of Granada surrendered the last Moorish stronghold to the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella.

With this victory, the centuries-long Spanish Reconquista was completed. pic.twitter.com/c7KnOyiJi7

— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) January 2, 2025

January 2, 1863 Last day of Stones River

About 4:00 p.m. Breckinridge reluctantly sends his men forward. Approximately 5,000 Confederates cross half a mile of open field, torn from front and flank by massed artillery, and nearly break the Union line in a desperate charge. The Federal line is once again salvaged, this time due to the courageous efforts of Capt. John C. Mendenhall, who positions nearly 50 cannon hub-to-hub and blasts away at the Confederate attackers. The artillery, coupled with a Union counterattack, proves too much for Bragg's men. Bragg withdraws the following day, allowing the Union to claim victory.

1521 Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem. Luther was not happy about this.
1823 Stephen F. Austin receives a grant of land in Texas from the government of Mexico.
1834 The government of Mexico imprisons Stephen F. Austin in Mexico City. This disturbs many Texans.
Also:

#OnThisDay in 1892 John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, better known by his pen name J.R.R. Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein in the Orange Free State: https://t.co/e7uyUFg5QR #OTD #History #Literature pic.twitter.com/fDjJcAYdY6

— History Press Local (@THP_Local) January 3, 2025

Another nice site for 'on this day in' history trivia.
https://fernandoregio.blogs.sapo.pt/historical-events-on-january-6-33554

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• 1941 US President Franklin Rooseveltdelivers his "Four Freedoms" speech (freedom of speech and worship; freedom from want and fear) during his US State of the Union address.
• 1942 Pan American Airlines becomes the first commercial airline to complete a flight around the world; the plane "California Clipper" is rechristened "Pacific Clipper" after the feat.
• 1947 Pan American Airlines offers a round-the-world-ticket, the first commercial airline to do so.
• 1950 Great Britain announced its recognition of the People's Republic of China.
• 1953 Dutch passenger ships Willem Ruys and Oranje collide in the Red Sea near Port Sudan, seriously damaging both vessels without injuring the 1,750 passengers.
• 1957 Elvis Presley makes his 7th & final appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show."
• 1964 Rolling Stones' 1st tour of England as headline act: The Ronettes and The Swinging Blue Jeans open for them.
• 1968 Surveyor 7 (last of series) launched by US for soft-landing on Moon.
• 1971 Berkeley chemists announces 1st synthetic growth hormones.
• 1974 United Kingdom begins three-day work week during energy crisis.
• 1974 In an effort to conserve energy during an oil crisis, Daylight Saving Time began several months early in the United States and was slated to remain in place for more than a year; the move, however, proved hugely unpopular, and its duration was later amended.

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More at the link.

Got some pop artists born on this day:

The King in 1935 and Little Anthony in 1941 (he's still with us and not dead on the toilet).

And speaking of music, Johnny Horton (he died sitting in a car on the Milano Bridge on US 79 during a head on with a truck) sang a song about another event this day in 1815 when my GGGGGF Guillory and Andy by God Jackson whipped the bloody British and killed their commander Edward Pakenham in the Battle of New Orleans. Pakenham was the brother-in-law of the Iron Duke, who would gain some fame 6 months later in the Battle of Waterloo.

7 January 1870 the Waco Suspension Bridge was officially opened.

You are 364 days too early.

David Bowie also born January 8 (in 1947). RIP Ziggy Stardust

I never thought about them having the same birthday, but I guess that's why the Continental Club does an annual Bowie Elvis fest. Not sure why they put Bowie first, other than the way the words run together.

Chuy's also used to have an Elvis Birthday Party on the 8th, where you got a discounted meal if you came in dressed as Elvis (or Priscilla) and had an Elvis impersonator do a few tunes. I think I heard that the Elvis estate got wind of it and sent a cease and desist letter.

• 1936 The M1 Garand (United States Rifle, Caliber .30, M1) is standardized for adoption by the United States. It is the first semi-automatic rifle adopted for general issue by any nation. General George S. Patton called it "the greatest implement of battle ever devised."
• 2005 Mahmoud Abbas, who was a founder of Fatah in the 1950s and served briefly as prime minister of the Palestinian Authority(PA) in 2003 under Ysir Araft, was elected president of the PA on this day in 2005.
• 2007 Apple CEO Steve Jobs announces the iPhone.

Jobs' full presentation is north of an hour and is worth it to anyone in business/sales to watch, imho. Brief 10 minute highlight/snipped portion:

1812 The first steamboat on the Ohio River or the Mississippi River arrives in New Orleans, 82 days after departing from Pittsburgh.
1901 The first great Texas oil gusher is discovered at Spindletop in Beaumont, Texas. Made "Texas" synonymous with "oil bidness". The well wasn't even 1200 feet deep and the area had been known for sulfur springs and natural gas seeping out of the ground.
1920 The League of Nations holds its first meeting, and ratifies the Treaty of Versailles, therefore ending World War I and guaranteeing WW II in nineteen years.
1946 The United States Army Signal Corps successfully conducts Project Diana, bouncing radio waves off the moon and receiving the reflected signals. This is the first recorded human interaction with an extra-terrestrial body and arguably the beginning of the space program.
1962 Apollo Project: NASA announces plans to build the C-5 rocket booster. It became better known as the Saturn V moon rocket, which launched every Apollo moon mission.
1985 Sandinista Daniel Ortega becomes president of Nicaragua and vows to continue the transformation to socialism and alliance with the Soviet Union and Cuba.
1996 Israel frees hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The Palestinians recognize Israel's sincere efforts for peace and drop their arms, ushering in a new era of cooperation, freedom and prosperity. Right?

The Sopranos premiered today in 1999.

Forever changing television. Greatest show ever!

January 13th, 1945 companies E, F, H and I of the 506th PIR attacked the city of Foy.

Foy was a small village occupied by the Germans in the early stages of the Battle of the Bulge. It's just 4 kilometers to the north of Bastogne on the road to Houffalize.

The American 101st Airborne Division held the Bois Jacques or Jacques Woods, up a slight rise outside Foy.

This battle is discussed in detail in the book The Battered *******s of Bastogne by George Koskimaki, pgs 474-488

A 15 foot wave of molasses. Yikes.

#TodayInHistory - January 15, 1919 - Boston Molasses Disaster
On Jan 15, 1919, a massive molasses tank burst in Boston's North End, unleashing a 15ft-high wave of 2.3M gallons of sticky destruction at 35mph. The "Great Molasses Flood" killed 21 people, injured 150, and caused… pic.twitter.com/6W8E9aBW0s

— 🦉 ByKusNews 📰 (@ByKusNews_Int) January 15, 2025

1967 The first Super Bowl is played in Los Angeles, California. Green Bay Packers defeat Kansas City Chiefs 35-10

2009 US Airways Flight 1549 makes an emergency landing into the Hudson River shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport in New York City. "We're gonna be in the Hudson". Captain "Sully" Sullenberger and crew do what they are trained to do, and all passengers and crew members survive.

Drowning in molasses has to be one of the most horrible, yet comical ways to go out.

The Shah of Iran fled Iran on this day paving the way for the Islamic revolution. It's never been the same for those beautiful dark eyed Persian ladies.

17 January 1945. Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, based in Budapest, was arrested by invading Soviet forces and never seen again. He helped in the escape of thousands of Hungarian Jews from extermination in the Nazi German Holocaust by handing out protective passports. pic.twitter.com/gNvJ907BWM

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) January 17, 2025

1781. Daniel Morgan lays a trap and ambushes Banister Tarleton's British Dragoons at Cowpens, South Carolina.

Edited because I fat fingered the year.

1793- King Louis XVI is executed in France via the guillotine.

1952 The first jet airliner, the de Havilland Comet, enters service for BOAC. It had a few issues with metal fatigue, but they took it out of service and fixed those.

1970 First commercial Boeing 747 flight, NY to London in 6 or so hours, carrying ten times the passenger load as that 1952 deHavilland Comet.

1984 The Apple Macintosh, the first consumer computer to popularize the computer mouse and the graphical user interface, is introduced during Super Bowl XVIII with its famous "1984" television commercial.

On this day in 1879 a British column is annihilated at Isandlawana and the Battle of Rourkes Drift begins.