On This Day ... in 1581 & Others
Francis Drake was knighted onboard the Golden Hind following his circumnavigation of the world
Drake at once sent a message to tell the Queen of his return. He was told he had nothing to fear, and was summoned, to Court. He took with him some horseloads of gold and silver and jewels. The Queen treated him with great favour, and refused to take the advice of Burghley and others, who wished to send the treasure back to Spain. Unlike them she took her share of the profits, and also the fine gifts Drake had brought for her. "But it grieved him not a little," we are told, "that some prime courtiers refused the gold he offered them, as gotten by piracy." He and his men had made golden fortunes.
The Spanish Ambassador naturally "burned with passion" against Drake, and considered his presence at Court an insult to his king. "For he passes much time with the Queen," he wrote to Philip, "by whom he is highly favoured."
1884: Yamamoto Isoroku, perhaps Japan's greatest strategist and the officer who would plan the surprise air attack on US naval forces at Pearl Harbour, was born.
A graduate of the Japanese naval academy in 1904, Yamamoto worked as a naval attaché for the Japanese embassy in Washington, D.C., from 1926 to 1927. During the next 15 years, he saw several promotions, from vice minister of the Japanese navy to commander in chief of Japan's Combined Fleet in August 1941.
Despite worsening Japanese-American relations (especially in light of Japan's alliance with Germany and Italy), Yamamoto initially opposed war with the US, mostly out of fear that a prolonged conflict would go badly for Japan. But once the government of Prime Minister Tojo Hideki decided on war, Yamamoto argued that only a surprise attack aimed at crippling US naval forces in the Pacific had any hope of victory. He also predicted that if war with America lasted more than one year, Japan would lose.
He meticulously planned and carried out the air strike on the US naval base at Pearl Harbour. Waves of dive-bombers, torpedo planes, and fighters descended on US battleships, capsizing, destroying, or immobilizing several US battleships within the first 30 minutes of the raid.
US forces finally caught up with Yamamoto when they ambushed his plane and shot it down over Bougainville Island in 1943. Yamamoto died having been right about two things - the effectiveness of aircraft carriers in long-range naval attacks and that Japan would lose a drawn-out struggle with the United States.
1922: The new RAF Staff College was opened at Andover.
1949: The North Atlantic Treaty was signed, the basis for NATO.
Comments
Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe in 1581. Knighted by Queen Elizabeth I
Charles Stuart issued the Declaration of Breda 1660 which set out his conditions for accepting the crown of England as Charles II
Sir Henry Walpole becomes first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1721.
Posted by: Gallimaufry | April 4, 2008 11:24 AM
NATO....it was once a great thing. Now some members are combat shy.
Posted by: Yank in Germany | April 4, 2008 4:05 PM