August 6, 1945.
Sixty-three years ago, the bombing of Hiroshima helped bring about the end of the most destructive world in the history of the world.
The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nuclear attacks at the end of World War II against the Empire of Japan by the United States at the order of U.S. President Harry S. Truman on August 6 and 9, 1945. After six months of intense firebombing of 67 other Japanese cities, the nuclear weapon "Little Boy" was dropped on the city of Hiroshima on Monday, August 6, 1945, followed on August 9 by the detonation of the "Fat Man" nuclear bomb over Nagasaki. These are to date the only attacks with nuclear weapons in the history of warfare.
--Wikipedia: Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Japan announced its surrender six days later on August 15, 1945.
To all those who sit in comfort in 2006 and render judgment on those who lived and made decisions sixty-three years ago, a few reminders.
1- Those in 2006 do not have husbands, brothers and sons who would have faced certain death in an invasion of Japan in 1945.
2- Did not have to live through the preceding four years of nearly total war.
Those who argue in favor of the decision to drop the bombs generally assert that they caused the Japanese surrender, preventing massive casualties on both sides in the planned invasion of Japan.
Those who argue against the decision to drop the bombs characterize them as inherently immoral, war crimes or, crimes against humanity and/or state terrorism. They may also argue that they were militarily unnecessary.
Regardless, today is the 63rd anniversary of the beginning of the Atomic Age.
From that point forward, the stakes for disagreements between nations were raised immeasurably.
by Mondoreb
image: RidesAPaleHorse
The fourth of July is NOT just a date in our history.
As we prepare for our Independence Day celebration, I started thinking about the idea of independence. Let's take a look at the word:
According to Merriam Webster:
Main Entry:
in·de·pen·dence
- <>Pronunciation: \ˌin-də-ˈpen-dən(t)s\<>
- Function: noun
- Date:1640
- 1: the quality or state of being independent (see below)
- 2archaic : COMPETENCE 1
Main Entry:
1in·de·pen·dent
- <>Pronunciation: \ˌin-də-ˈpen-dənt\
- Function: adjective
- Date:1611
- 1: not dependent: as a (1): not subject to control by others : self governing (2) : not affiliated with a larger controlling unit; an independent bookstore b (1): not requiring or relying on something else : not contingent
independent conclusion> (2): not looking to others for one's opinions or for guidance in conduct (3): not bound by or committed to a political party c (1): not requiring or relying on others (as for care or livelihood) <independent of her parents> (2): being enough to free one from the necessity of working for a living independent means>d: showing a desire for freedomindependent manner> e (1): not determined by or capable of being deduced or derived from or expressed in terms of members (as axioms or equations) of the set under consideration; especially : having linear independence; (an) independent set of vectors> (2): having the property that the joint probability (as of events or samples) or the joint probability density function (as of random variables) equals the product of the probabilities or probability density functions of separate occurrence 2capitalized : of or relating to the Independents3 a: main 5independent clause> b: neither deducible from nor incompatible with another statement <independent postulates>
We are told that our economy is dependent on illegal immigrants. Why is this so? Could it be that it's because they will work for less, flooding the job markets and depriving our own citizens including our young people looking for their first entry level job, of the opportunity to have those jobs to support their own families or to begin to learn the value of a work ethic? Never mind the additional burden of overused public services and criminal activity that inevitably come with unabated illegal immigration. Who, exactly, is it that is dependent on illegal immigrants? That "they will do the jobs that Americans won't do" is merely a distraction from the real problem which is that we've been told that we depend on them to do just that.
We are becoming more and more dependent on foreign countries for the production of things we could and should be making here, in our own country. Why? Could it be that government regulation and tax structures make it difficult, if not impossible, to turn a profit on the products which is the basis for being in business in the first place? Could it be that those two things--in addition to others--are the reason so many jobs have been "outsourced" to other countries?
We depend more and more on China and other (mostly) Asian countries to produce consumer goods that, in most cases, are inferior to those produced here--and in some cases even more dangerous to our health and well being. The more we dependon foreign entities to produce even our military equipment and ammunition for example, the more danger we put ourselves in should the need arise to produce those things ourselves.
We once were able to defeat the forces of evil because of our ability to extract our own natural resources and had the manufacturing capabilities to out-produce any nation on earth. What will happen if those who now produce our weapons and supplies turn against us? What would it take to get American industry back on it's feet enough to be able to supply us once again? And would we, considering the technology and time it takes to launch an attack in todays world, have enough time to be able to respond to that kind of threat?
That we are dependent on others for this kind of production is a sad commentary on our abilities as Americans to be independent.
There was a time in this country that people had to fend for themselves. Yes, there was poverty and sickness and a lot of other negatives that go along with being a free country and some depended on others good will and generosity for their existence.
Churches and other religious and secular organizations banded together to help those in need--as they still do today. However, more and more we are told that government is the solution to those problems. Many have become dependent on government for their every need. Generations of people have been on welfare and other assistance programs. They depend on the transfer of resources from the taxpayer to them without even so much as a thank you or an effort to make themselves independent.
Welfare and other transfer payments are nothing more than modern-day slavery. Making more people dependent on others for their lives doesn't seem to be the definition of independence, And with the looming prospect of government run healthcare putting even more people in the position of being dependent on government can you say that we are moving more toward independence?
Independence, that which we are celebrating today, was a move away from an oppressive and increasingly hostile government to it's own people. The more people allow government to control every aspect of their lives, the less independent we become. And the more government allows us or forces us to become dependent on others for oil, consumer products, weapons, ammunition, steel and all the other commodities that are essential for our freedom, the weaker and even more dependent we become as a nation. Make no mistake about this. Our enemies are watching and they are amused by our "independence".
Think about it. Are we really as independent as we would like to believe? Are we moving ever farther away from the ideas and ideals the founding fathers worked so hard to commit this country to? The values and freedoms that so many have fought and died for?
Is this the independent United States of America that it once was? Not in my estimation. But we could be again.
What is needed is another revolution or many. A revolution to throw off the shackles of dependency on other foreign entities in favor of using our own God given resources.
A revolution of attitudes that government is the answer to all our problems.
A revolution of individuals taking control of their own lives and the acceptance of personal responsibility, becoming truly independent.
A revolution that allows us to help each other instead of being dependent on one another.
We have been lulled into complacency by our elected "leaders" telling us that we can't do it on our own, that we need all the help we can get. Don't forget the most terrifying words in one sentence as outlined by Ronald Reagan:
"I'm from the government and I'm here to help"
by RidesAPaleHorse
images: cafepress; public domain clipart
"No war, no Holocaust." 
Pity Patrick J. Buchanan: pessimism in his old age has left him a shadow of his former self.
Once a fiery, mainstream conservative speaker and writer, Buchanan has spent the last 15 years marginalizing himself among many of the same people who once cheered him.
His latest column "Was the Holocaust Inevitable?" published, both by Town Hall and WND, is indicative of where Buchanan is coming from these days. His history of World War II, Churchill, Hitler, and "The Unnecessary War": How Britain Lost Its Empire and the West Lost the World contains some usual views on that war.
Those who had applauded the old culture warrior of the 1970s and 80s, could only shake their heads. The head-shaking had begun in the 1990s when PJB had turned into a leading advocate of government control.
Government control? Pat Buchanan?
Sadly, yes. Buchanan became an outspoken economic nationalist during his first run for the presidency, insisting free trade was damaging the country. Buchanan had discovered something that liberals instinctively knew: that government intrusion is good--as long as it's intruding on behalf of his chosen cause.
Buchanan's equally-outspoken opposition to war in Iraq caused his magazine, The American Conservative, to lose at least one reader. His continued opposition to protecting any American interest no doubt lost him a few more.
In October 1999, Buchanan was on firmer ground when he attacked the Republican Party--as well as the Democrats--as a "beltway party". Many conservatives have echoed those thoughts, and in 2006, Republicans lost control of Congress after years of feeding heavily at the public earmark trough.
Buchanan started the 1990s out by simultaneous sallies against Israel and its American supporters.
* Buchanan referred to Capitol Hill as "Israeli-occupied territory."
(St. Louis Post Dispatch, 10/20/90)
* Buchanan issued, perhaps, his most famous quote on the subject during the First Gulf War: "There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the Middle East -- the Israeli defense ministry and its 'amen corner' in the United States." ("McLaughlin Group," 8/26/90)
* Writing of "group fantasies of martyrdom," Buchanan challenged the
historical record that thousands of Jews were gassed to death by diesel
exhaust at Treblinka: "Diesel engines do not emit enough carbon monoxide
to kill anybody." (New Republic, 10/22/90) Buchanan's columns have run in
the Liberty Lobby's Spotlight, the German-American National PAC newsletter
and other publications that claim Nazi death camps are a Zionist
concoction.
This led some to look back at Buchanan's role in the Ronald's Reagan's visit to Bitburg, Germany.
Buchanan supported President Reagan's plan to visit a German military cemetery at Bitburg in 1985, where among buried wermacht soldiers, were forty eight buried Waffen SS members. Over the vocal objections of Jewish groups, the trip went through. In an interview, author Elie Wiesel described attending a White House meeting of Jewish leaders about the trip,
"The only one really defending the trip," he said, "was Pat Buchanan, saying, 'We cannot give the perception of the president being subjected to Jewish pressure."
Buchanan said in response in an ABC interview in 1992,
"I didn't say it and Elie Wiesel wasn't even in the meeting. [...] that meeting was held three weeks before the Bitburg summit was held. If I had said that, it would have been out of there within hours and on the news."
Largely forgotten today is Buchanan's role as a senior adviser to presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, and his stint as the original host on CNN's Crossfire.
Which brings us to PJB's latest column, taken from his latest book about World War II. Britain declined after the war, choosing to cut loose its many colonies over the never 20 years. Buchanan sees Britain's slide through the prism of his particular causes: free trade and Britain's participation in two World Wars.
No Brit can easily concede my central thesis: The Brits kicked away their empire. Through colossal blunders, Britain twice declared war on a Germany that had not attacked her and did not want war with her, fought for 10 bloody years and lost it all.
This is, of course, one man's reading of history.
Buchanan's most outrageous claim may have been this next one.
"If Hitler were out to conquer the world, why did he not build a great fleet?"
Germany's resources were not unlimited, and Hitler did secretly build up the German fleet throughout the 1930s, until it was probably the 3rd or 4th most-powerful in the world. In fact, Hitler kept the German shipyards busy around-the-clock right up to--and after the start--of WWII.
By the end of the First World War the German Navy was one of the largest in the world. However, under the terms of the Versailles Treaty in 1919, the German government was restricted to vessels under 10,000 tons, forbidden to own submarines and allowed only 1,500 officers.
When Adolf Hitler became Chancellor in 1933 he implemented Plan Z, a ten year programme to develop a fleet capable of challenging the Royal Navy. The main emphasis was placed on the building of submarines and fast surface squadrons in order to be able to control Britain's vital trade supply lines.
German shipyards had difficulty producing the ships ordered by Hitler and on the outbreak of the Second World War the German Navy only had two battleships, two battlecruisers, three armoured cruisers, three heavy cruisers, six light cruisers, 22 destroyers and 59 submarines. Soon afterwards the Bismarck was completed. At 41,700 tons, it was considered the most powerful warship in the world.
That view expanded into still-more controversial territory when Buchanan's views of Hitler and the Holocaust hit the newsstands. The latest Buchanan historical theory is that the Holocaust would never have happened if Hitler had won the war.
Not until midwinter 1942 was the Wannsee Conference held, where the Final Solution was on the table.
That conference was not convened until Hitler had been halted in Russia, was at war with America and sensed doom was inevitable. Then the trains began to roll.
Nonsense.
Apparently, Buchanan's now acquired the powers of a psychic: he knows that Hitler "sensed doom was inevitable" in 1942.
Buchanan would also have us believe that Hitler's life-long, maniacal animus toward the Jews began only when he felt the war was lost. He does not explain Hitler's insistence to the very end that Germany would win--and the unpleasant consequences for anyone in Hitler's circle who was unwise enough to express otherwise.
He also does not explain Hitler's dehumanization of Jews as "insects" and "animals". Pat would have us believe Hitler was only joking about Kristallnacht--which happened four years before Buchanan claims that Hitler got serious about erasing European Jewry at Wannsee.
There's more, but space is limited today. This is only the beginning of a sad task: the highlighting of Patrick J. Buchanan's long slide into irrelevancy among the very people who used to urge him on.
We never much had any use for the label "Far Right". Most often it was used by the Mainstream and Liberal media for any view which was contrary to their own. But, Buchanan may be the Jimmy Carter of the Far Right: trading in on prestige garnered earlier in his career; never missing a chance to attack US interests wherever they intersect with Israel.
Like we said, pity Patrick J. Buchanan: pessimism in his old age has left him a shrinking audience for his increasingly-eccentric views.
by Mondoreb
images:
* patrickjbuchanan
Sources:
* Pat Buchanan: Hitler Didn't Plan to Kill the Jews
* Was the Holocaust inevitable?
* Was the Holocaust Inevitable?
* Pat Buchanan
* Pat Buchanan, Antisemitism and the Holocaust
* German Navy 1939
Everything You'd Ever Want to Know:
Riding Shotgun
"Shotgun!"
How many car trips have begun with that memorable word? The correct answer is undoubtedly "countless" or "how many stars are in the sky?"
This article concerns all things riding shotgun: definition, history, origin, rights, privileges, duties and rules.
DEFINITION
Just so there's no disputes about the definition of 'shotgun', here's a good one:
The term "Shotgun" refers to the front passenger seat of an automobile. "Calling Shotgun" is the act of claiming the position of Shotgun for one's self. As this position is the most coveted of all positions when riding in a car, the following list of rules has been created to ensure that Shotgun can be acquired in a fair and equitable manner by any passenger of an automobile.
For readers wanting a second opinion, here's the Wikipedia version
To ride shotgun is to sit in the front passenger seat when riding a car or other vehicle, a phrase commonly heard in the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. Due to the influence of American popular culture it is also heard in several European countries such as Iceland, Ireland, Denmark and the United Kingdom, as well as other countries with large English-speaking populations such as South Africa and Israel.
ORIGIN
Where did the term "riding shotgun" originate?
The first known reference to "riding shotgun" in print occurred in Western pulp fiction in the March 27, 1921 issue of the Washington Post's "Magazine of Fiction," in a story entitled "The Fighting Fool" by Dane Coolidge. It was used to refer to riding as an armed guard in the front of a stagecoach, next to the driver (this would usually have been on the left, as stage drivers traditionally sat on the right, near the brake).
Historians have been unable to find a use of the term "riding shotgun" in the actual time of the Old West, when the terminology actually used was riding as "shotgun messenger." The use of the phrase in print to refer to automobiles occurred in 1954 simultaneously with the TV series Gunsmoke, which became extremely popular, and used the terminology of riding shotgun nearly weekly.
RULES
There are many local variations of the rules below. But the basic rules, like truth, beauty and hope, always remain the same. It's good to get the ground and local rules in place before any important--or incidental--trip.
of Calling Shotgun 1) The first person to yell "SHOTGUN" gets to ride in the front seat. 2) The remaining back seats may be divvied up in the same manner by being the first to call "back right seat", etc.. 3) The word "shotgun" must be loud enough to be heard by at least one witness. If no witness is to be found, or in case of a tie, the driver has the final word. After all, it is most likely his car. (note: if it isn't his car, and the owner is present, the owner's decision is final. Owner must be sober, however, or he will defer his judgment to the driver.) 4) Early calls are strictly prohibited. All occupants of the vehicle (including the driver) must be outside of the building and directly on the way to the vehicle before shotgun may be called. Under no circumstances may a person call shotgun inside a building. For sake of simplicity, a garage is considered to be outside. Parking structures and detached garages are always considered as being outdoors, even if they are underground. 5) A person may only call shotgun for one way of a trip. Shotgun can never be called while inside a vehicle or still technically on the way to the first location. For example, one can not get out of a vehicle and call Shotgun for the return journey. 6) Being as how everyone is created equal, men have the same right as women to the front seat of the car. i.e. women don't own the front seat. 7) One is allowed to ride shotgun as many times as he can call it, but for himself only. No one can call shotgun for their slower friend, unless the friend has a speech or mental handicap that prevents them from calling it for themselves. 8) The driver has final say in all ties and disputes. The driver has the right to suspend or remove all shotgun privileges from one or more persons. |
Read the rest of "Riding Shotgun: Rules, History, Duties of Riding Shotgun" at DBKP.com
by Mondoreb
Sources:
* Riding Shotgun: Rules, History, Duties of Riding Shotgun
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Jimmy Carter's presidency was many things to many people.
To Democrats, he was a winner. Out of the White House for eight years, the Democrats took advantage of the anti-Washington mood stirred up by Watergate and nominated the obscure Georgia governor.
He squeaked out a win over Gerald Ford, winning 23 states.
Election day was November 2, and it took most of that night and the following morning to determine the winner. Carter defeated Ford by two percentage points in the popular vote. The electoral vote was the closest since 1916; Carter took 23 states with 297 electoral votes, while Ford won 27 states and 240 electoral votes (one elector from Washington state, pledged to Ford, voted for Reagan). Carter's victory came primarily from his near-sweep of the South (he lost only Virginia), and his close victories in large Northern states such as New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Ford did well in the West, carrying every state except Hawaii.
Jimmy Carter campaigned in 1976 as a "Washington Outsider", someone different from the Washington power brokers. He also was not shy about broadcasting that he was a "born again Christian".
Close observers would notice the beginning of the Mainstream Media's disdain for Christianity during the Carter campaign and ensuing presidency.
Jimmy Carter has become the quintessential simple-minded, John Lennon Democrat: all he is saying is "give peace a chance". Carter has never let love of his country stand in the way of an almost desperate avoidance of the tag of "worst U.S. president. Whether it's his country, his countrymen or his country's interests, Carter is ready to throw any and all of them under his merry prankster peace parade.
Except Carter's never brought peace--with the lone exception of the bringing together of Begin and Sadat in a marriage of reality and convenience at Camp David.
Jimmy is remembered by many for the string of American sell-outs and giveaways he was responsible for during his term. Others remember the 21% interest and raging inflation rising so fast that soup cans sometimes had 5 different price stickers on them, the prices went up so fast.
During Carter's term, the "Misery Index" became well-known: that's the percentage of inflation plus the unemployment rate. When Carter left office in 1980, the Misery Index was at an all-time high of 21.98%.
When people grumbled about the Misery Index, Carter told them that the American people suffered from "malaise". This is a "sense of depression or discomfort". It wasn't long before a lot of people attributed their "malaise" or depression to Jimmy.
Jimmy coulda been a contender. Carter's first inclination in any test of wills is to grin and holler "Uncle!". The Iran Hostage Crisis was no different, just the most famous example of Carter's diplomacy at it's finest.
No hot spot in the world is immune to the "Jimmy Carter Touch".
No interest is so vital to the U.S. that it can't be high-jacked by Down-home Jimmy.
No enemy of America is off-limits to the Peanut Prostitute and his "paid by the Saudis" checkbook approach to solving the world's problems--if the problems of the world or the United States were defined as "whatever is in the interests of the people paying Jimmy's bills".
Foreign policy during the Jimmy Carter years usually consisted of three reliable Carter methods for dealing with International problems. If the first two didn't work--which happened the majority of the time during Jimmy's forgettable one term--then the former Georgia governor could always be counted on to turn to the one thing he knew would break any impasse.
This Carter "world withdrawal" strategy is the one gift he left the Democrat Party. It may very well be the legacy he has struggled so mightily to bequeath to history.
Carter was swamped in the 1980 election. He had a record to run on and Americans voters judged Carter with their votes.
By any measure, the election was a crushing rebuke of Carter and his policies.
The election was held on November 4, 1980. Ronald Reagan with running mate George Bush beat Carter by almost ten percentage points in the popular vote. Republicans also gained control of the Senate for the first time in twenty-five years on Reagan's coattails. The electoral college vote was a landslide, with 489 votes (representing 44 states) for Reagan and 49 votes for Carter (representing 6 states and the District of Columbia).
Carter has spent the 28 years since his electoral rejection by the American people in a variety of ways. Writing books, building houses, refereeing elections and trying to craft a legacy other than the one he left with the end of his presidency.
He has insisted on butting into American foreign policy, whether he was invited or not. Mostly he has a string of photo credits with various dictators to show for his trouble.
As well as a failed agreement with North Korea's dictator Kim, over nuclear materials and production.
His books mostly reflect Carter's viewpoint, as told by the largest benefactors of his Carter Center: mostly Sunni Arabs from the Middle East.
Jimmy Carter has taken a decided anti-Israel tone since the Carter Center funding as relied heavily on Middle Eastern sources.
His pronouncement of President George W. Bush as "the worst president" was amusing. Some thought that Jimmy was the victim of his wishful thinking's growing steroid habit.
Jimmy's anti-Israel stance increased this past week with his meeting with terrorist group, Hamas.
But regardless of his many fruitless efforts, Jimmy Carter is likely to be remembered in only one way.
At least by the people who had to live through the four long years of the Carter presidency.
by Mondoreb
images:
* Cox and Forkum
* Worth 1000
* Mrs. Satan
* UofTexas
* Time
* matthewwyglesia
* Angry Conservative
* flapsblog
* flickr
Sources:
* United States Presidential Election 1976
* United States Presidential Election 1980
DBKP.com - Bigger, Better!.
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In our recent article, "Illinois Shaped Cornflake Fetches $1350 on e-Bay", we mentioned the phrase, 'there's a sucker born every minute'.
It was attributed to famed American showman, P.T. Barnum, one of the founders of the Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Then it was pointed out by DBKP's own RidesAPaleHorse that this was an error: Barnum never said the phrase. He was completely right. In fact, it's been pointed out that Barnum's philosophy was more along the lines of "there's a customer born every minute".
RAPH sent along a link to an interesting history site, History Buff.com which had an article dedicated to the "sucker born every minute" phrase.
The article was so engaging, we decided to reference part of it--in the spirit of historical accuracy--below.
P. T. Barnum is most often associated with the circus sideshow and the display of freaks. While this is true, he is also the founding force behind one of America's most famous circuses: Barnum & Bailey Circus. Barnum is also affiliated with the famous quote "There's a sucker born every minute." History, unfortunately, has misdirected this quotation. Barnum never did say it. Actually, it was said by his competitor. Here's the incredible story.
Read the rest of There's a Sucker Born Every Minute: PT Barnum Didn't Say it at DBKP.com.
by Mondoreb
images:
* upload this
* DBKP poster files
Sources:
* There's a Sucker Born Every Minute: PT Barnum Didn't Say it
* P. T. Barnum Never Did Say "There's a Sucker Born Every Minute"
DBKP.com - Bigger, Better!.
Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.
Doug Ross Provides Accurate Historical Shorthand
Israel-Palestine
Doug Ross may have tapped into a previously-unconsidered source of power: gnomes.
That is the only explanation for the many fine multimedia presentations that Doug lays out over at Doug Ross @Journal: there must be many gnomes laboring in the dark, working on Doug's various projects.
We've been meaning to mention one that caught our eye on Christmas Eve about "What Really Happened" in the Middle East concerning the Israelis and Palestinians and the creation of the state of Israel.
But it slipped our mind.
We were over at DR's this afternoon and saw a photo from the post and it reminded us again.
As the world's attention turns to the town of Bethlehem, it's worth revisiting the question: what really happened in the Middle East? Why is it so dysfunctional? What prevents people of all religions from living in peace? The highlights of The Terrorism Awareness Project's presentation are worth reviewing.
Below are the next three photos in the post, of Hezbollah attacking Haifa in 2006.
The presentation goes on to explain the history of the creation of the Jewish state of Israel, something you won't get if use Jimmy Carter or the European Union as a reference source.
It's also something you won't get if you follow the news in the Mainstream Media.
History to the MSM is what occurs between the shampoo and blow-dry portions of yesterday's daily hair care cycle.
Many is the time we've explained the history of the Middle East in the 20th century after World War I and the British mandate of Palestine: both on radio and in print.
We've actually done some work on a similar post, but we shelved it--at least for a while--after looking at Doug's handiwork.
NOW, we'll just send the curious or misinformed over to Doug Ross @Journal to look at "What Really Happened".
Accurate, historical shorthand is always valuable in this fast-paced, largely-ignorant a-go-go world that we live in.
by Mondoreb
images: Doug Ross @Journal
Source: What Really Happened
Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.
From Birth to Superstar
And on to Marriage to Media Psycho
1982:
December 2: Born. Britney Jean Spears was born in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana. At an early age she displayed talent, appearing on the Star Search television show.
1991:
Performs as an understudy in 1991's Ruthless!
1992:
She landed a spot on the popular television show Star Search. She won the first round of competition, but ultimately lost.
1993:
While attending the Professional Performing Arts School in New York City, she worked in television commercials and acted in Off-Broadway plays. She then auditioned, and was chosen for, the New Mickey Mouse Club television show. She performed as a member of the cast during the 1993 and 1994 seasons.
1997:
Spears briefly joins the all-female pop group Innosense.
She records a demo solo and signs with Jive Records.
Begins a U.S. concert tour sponsored by American teen magazines, and eventually becomes an opening act for 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys.
1998:
November -Debut single "...Baby One More Time", released and became an instant international success.
1999:
January -At the age of 17, Britney Spears' first album, ...Baby One More Time, was released and quickly reached the #1 spot on the pop charts.
April -Poses for her first major magazine publication, Rolling Stone.
December -She wins four Billboard Music Awards, including Female Artist of the Year.
Appears on ABC's sitcom Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, playing herself, and performed the song "(You Drive Me) Crazy", in a cross-promotion for the film Drive Me Crazy, which starred Sabrina star Melissa Joan Hart and was titled after the song.
2000:
January -She takes home the Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist award at the American Music Awards.
May: Release of 2nd album. Her second album, Oops!...I Did It Again sold millions.
Appears on Saturday Night Live as host and musical guest.
2001:
Pepsi gives Spears a multi-million dollar promotional deal which includes numerous television commercials, point-of-purchase promotions and Internet ties between Spears and the company.
November -Release of 3rd album, Britney.
November -Starts the "Dream Within a Dream Tour".
2002:
June -Opens restaurant "Nyla" in New York City, which serves Louisianan and Italian cuisine. However, she pulls out of the business venture in November as a result of debts and management issues. Nyla officially closes down in 2003.
Stars in movie, Crossroads. Receives a Razzie Award for Worst Actress and for Worst Original Song "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman".
Named by Forbes magazine as the world's most powerful celebrity.
Appears on Saturday Night Live as host and musical guest.
Ends four-year involvement with singer, Justin Timberlake.
Limp Bizkit frontman, Fred Durst, confirms he's in relationship with Britney.
2003:
2003 MTV Video Music Awards -Appears with Christina Aguilera performing the song "Like a Virgin", was later joined by Madonna. Spears locks lips with Madonna in a highly-publicized kiss.
November -Release of 4th album: In the Zone. The album's breakout single "Toxic" won Spears her first Grammy Award. It debuts at #1, making Spears the only female in music history to have her first four studio albums to debut at number one.
Toward the beginning of her career, she cultivates the image of virginal wholesomeness. This eventually gives way to a sexually suggestive, adult image, which causes many parents of teen and pre-teen female fans to lose the enthusiasm they had originally shown toward Britney's more respected image.
Her sexually suggestive music videos received nearly constant coverage by MTV, and, combined with her concert tours containing raunchy dance numbers, causes Britney Spears to become a symbol of overcharged teen sex in the late 1990s and early 21st Century.
Appears on Saturday Night Live as host and musical guest.
In an interview with Tucker Carlson of CNN, on the subject of the Iraq War, Spears says, "Honestly, I think we should just trust our president in every decision he makes and should just support that, you know, and be faithful in what happens." Footage of interview later appears in Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11.
2004:
January 3 -Marries childhood friend Jason Allen Alexander, at The Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas. The marriage lasts 55 hours, ending with an annulment stating that Spears "lacked understanding of her actions to the extent that she was incapable of agreeing to marriage because before entering into the marriage the Plaintiff and Defendant did not know each others' likes and dislikes, each others' desires to have or not have children, and each other's desires as to State of residency."
March -"The Onyx Hotel Tour" begins to promote the album "In the Zone". The tour's choreography generates much controversy and criticism, with the presence of young children in the audience.
May -Meets Kevin Federline.
June -"The Onyx Hotel Tour" cancels after Spears injures knee filming the video for "Outrageous".
July -Announces engagement to Federline.
September 18 -She marries backup singer and stage dancer Kevin Federline at a wedding chapel in Las Vegas. Several months after the wedding, tabloids begin wondering about her alleged weight gain, sparking rumors of a pregnancy.
September -Becomes involved in the Kabbalah Centre through her friendship with Madonna.
November -Release of her first greatest hits collection, Greatest Hits: My Prerogative.
Endorses an Elizabeth Arden fragrance, "Curious", for which she earns a reported $12 million. After one year of sales, the product nets more than $100 million, and is named the best selling perfume of 2004.
2005:
April - The rumors end on April 13, 2005, with the announcement that Britney Spears is, indeed, pregnant with child.
May -Announced that Britney and her husband will host a reality television show revolving around their lives. The show debuts on May 17.
September -Releases fragrance, "Fantasy" for Elizabeth Arden.
September -Britney and Kevin's son, Sean Preston Federline, born by caesarian section on September 14, 2005.
November -Spears releases her first remix album, B In The Mix: The Remixes. The album ranges from "...Baby One More Time" to "Toxic".
2006:
April -Releases "In Control" fragrance.
May -Announces her second pregnancy on the David Letterman Show.
August -Appears nude and pregnant on cover of Harper's Bazaar magazine.
September -On September 12, 2006, Spears gives birth to second son, Jayden James Federline.
November 7 -Files for divorce from her husband.
December -Releases another perfume, "Midnight Fantasy".
Turns into a party girl, hanging out with Paris Hilton, and, like Paris, takes to clubbing in public places without underwear. The paparazzi have a field day taking pictures of her without her panties. A partially nude Britney Spears--quite a change for a Mouseketeer girl who once claimed a wholesome, virginal appeal to teen girls.
Guest stars on NBC's Will & Grace in an episode entitled "Buy, Buy Baby". She plays a closeted lesbian to co-host with Jack McFarland on his talk show.
2007:
January 21 -Spears's aunt Sandra Bridges Covington, with whom she had been very close, dies of ovarian cancer.
February 16 -Stays in an off-shore drug rehabilitation facility in Antigua for less than 24 hours.
February 17 -At a hair salon in Tarzana, California she shaves her head bald with electric clippers.
February -Gets tattoo on neck.
February 20 -Admits herself to another treatment facility in Malibu, California.
February 21 -Leaves Malibu facility briefly.
February 22 -Returns to Malibu treatment facility.
March 20 -Leaves Malibu, her manager states, "she was released after "successfully completing their program."
January-February -Throughout January and February of 2007, the media reports on Britney's increasingly odd behavior, as she is spotted at many party locations on both coasts.
March -Reaches global settlement with Federline on divorce.
May -Spears produces a mini-tour for the House of Blues under the name "The M+M's", with 6 shows altogether. Does not sing live in the 15 minute shows.
May -Records 5th album "Blackout".
July 30 -Divorce final.
August -Allegedly involved in a hit-and-run.
September -Releases newest perfume, "Believe" for Elizabeth Arden.
September -Official findings in Spears's custody battle were announced by the court. She was ordered to undergo random drug and alcohol testings and to attend parenting counseling. Spears and Federline continued to share joint custody of their two children on a conditional basis.
September -Officially charged with misdemeanor hit-and-run and driving without a license. If convicted, she could face a year in jail.
October 1 -Loses physical custody of her children to Federline.
October 15 -Booked for the hit-and-run charges by the Los Angeles Police Department.
October -Spears released a new album, Blackout, in October, 2007, to positive reviews.
2008:
January 3 -Spears' attorneys in her child custody battle with Kevin Federline, asked the judge to excuse them from the case. The attorneys cited an inability to communicate with their client.
January 3 -Refuses to hand over her children for a court-sanctioned visit with Federline, barricading herself in her home until the police, after a three-hour standoff, are able to access her and take the children. Taken by ambulance to a hospital psychiatric ward, where she tests "negative" for illicit substances.
January 4, 5 -Held for psychiatric evaluation for two days.
January 14 -Visitation rights suspended indefinitely.
January 31 -A Court places Spears under temporary conservatorship of her father James Spears, giving him complete control of her assets. As a result of an order placed by her psychiatrist, she is taken to UCLA Medical Center to be put on a 5150 Involuntary psychiatric hold for the second time in January.
February 1 -A restraining order is issued against Sam Lutfi, a prominent figure in Spears's life.
February 6 -Leaves hospital and her parents express disappointment with her decision.
According to Zomba Label Group, Spears has sold over 83 million records worldwide. The RIAA ranks her as the eighth best-selling female artist in American music history, having sold 31 million albums in the U.S.
compiled by Mondoreb
ALSO at DBKP: Britney's Rough Night Out: Today and Yesterday
Images:
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Sources:
* Biofiles: Britney Spears
* Wikipedia - Britney Spears
* Britney Spears' Biography
Death by 1000 Papercuts Front Page.
