Thoughts from the White Board - June 6

Today is an interesting day in the history of this planet.  As such, I thought I'd lay a little of the past upon you, gentle reader.

First up, today is the 68th anniversary of the Allies landing at Normandy, also known as D-Day.  Luckily for you though, I won't wax pedantic about it.  If you want to know more about the significance of the event, go look it up.  I will only say that D-Day both spelled the eventual doom of the Third Reich, since it opened up a true second front for the Nazis, but can also be said to have helped save the beleaguered Soviet Union, which would then go on to be the great opposite of the Cold War.  I guess you could say that no good deed goes unpunished.

The Soviets practiced human wave-style attacks in which the man in front was given a rifle and a few bullets and the men behind him were instructed that when that armed man went down, the next guy was to pick up the gun and keep up the charge.  This was just one variation of the Soviets defensive strategy employed in the cataclysmic Battle of Stalingrad / Source: Original artwork by David Pentland featured for sale at Cranston Art.co.uk

Speaking of the Soviet Union, also on this date the Soyuz 11 lifted off for its rendezvous with the first man-made space station in Earth's orbit.  This is significant because Soyuz 11 is the only recorded incident of human deaths which occurred in actual outer space (as opposed to in the high atmosphere).

 
The newsreel footage includes Khrushchev's death announcement, which didn't actually occur until September of '71. 

And then there are two other deaths, one on this date in 1968 and one only yesterday, which ought to be noted.  The man who died on this date in 1968 was Robert F. Kennedy, known to many as "Bobby."  The other who passed on June 5th was acclaimed author Ray Bradbury.  What do the two have in common?  Hmmm... let me see if I can come up with something.

Well, Robert Kennedy's brother John F. Kennedy stated in his Special Needs address (given on May 25, 1961) that we ought to make it a priority to put a man on the moon.  Some at the time would have said this was Science Fiction.  Both Jack Kennedy and his brother Bobby would be dead before this historic event came to pass in the summer of 1969.

Robert F. Kennedy, November 20, 1925 to June 6, 1968.  Shot by Jordanian national Sirhan Sirhan, he died 26 hours later.  It is argued that the killing was the first assassination in the United States directly related to the Arab-Israeli Crisis in the Middle East. / Source: Wikipedia

And Bradbury?  His contribution to science fiction is certainly nothing to sneeze at, as the saying goes.  Fahrenheit 451 is a classic and, in my humble opinion, should be included in a teenager's educational reading list while they are in High School.  It's not only "educational," but it's a really good read too!  The world lost a talented writer with Bradbury's passing.  Although I personally am unaware of any direct connection between Bradbury and space travel fiction, as I noted about the moon landing, that event would only be something in the mind of a dreamer until made "flesh" by Kennedy's initiative in 1961.  Cool stuff.

You will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world. Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped, and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely....The free men of the world are marching together to victory. I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory. Good luck, and let us all beseech the blessings of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking." - General Dwight D. Eisenhower, giving the D-Day order on June 6, 1944.

I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving a goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth. - John F. Kennedy, to a special joint session of Congress, 1961.

Science fiction is any idea that occurs in the head and doesn’t exist yet, but soon will, and will change everything for everybody, and nothing will ever be the same again. As soon as you have an idea that changes some small part of the world you are writing science fiction. It is always the art of the possible, never the impossible. - Ray Bradbury, to the Paris Review in 2010.

The parting comment:

Source: Lol snaps.com

Written on K-Mart stationary of some sort.  The man (or woman) has a point.

One last thing, Happy Fifty Posts to What Went Wong!  And thanks for reading.