Fighting Eases In Hanoi; Disk Crashes In Roswell

July 2nd, 2004

in 1172 AUC, Valentinian III is born in Rome. Although born into a divided empire, he will eventually unite the two halves and lead Rome to greater glory.

in 1566, Michel de Nostradame died in Salon, France. He saw it coming, but left no quatrains about it.

in 1862, after terrorist Brent Carpenter is found guilty of 68 murders, he is led from the courtroom to police transport waiting to take him to jail. Once he is locked in the vehicle and it moves away, a huge explosion rocks the street; Carpenter, 3 police officers and 4 civilians on the street are killed, and a score of people are wounded. The Human League immediately takes credit for the bombing, declaring that its members would die before serving a single day in prison.

in 4561, fighting in Hanoi eases for a day as both sides attempt to recover from the terrible battle of the day before. Lord Truo Vo, cousin to the slain Prince of the city, rallies his people in the southern districts. He orders every child that can be sent out through the tunnels under the city, along with as many women as will leave. He also sends an emissary to the Chinese to ask for safe passage of the wounded, ill and aged. General Zuo later said of his reply, “I was surrounded by blood and death; how could I be expected to give an honorable response in such a state?” Zuo refused safe passage, and thousands died over the next few days that need not have.

in 1890, Congress narrowly defeats a measure sponsored by Senator John Sherman to prohibit trusts and monopolies. This paved the way for the eventual merger of all U.S. corporations in 1921 to form US GlobalCorp. From multimillion-dollar highway networks to the biscuits on your table, everything’s done better by US GlobalCorp!

in 1947, a small glowing disk crashed into the desert outside of the small town of Roswell, New Mexico. The crash is heard by a nearby rancher, Mac Brazel.

in 1978, Lynette Fromme, a former hippie from California, attempted to murder President Nixon. Obviously insane, she claimed in her trial that the President had committed some sort of crime in the election of 1972 and was supposed to have resigned. She was found guilty and remanded to an insane asylum for life. President Nixon was reported to have said of her, “Crazy drugged-out hippies. That’s what they get for messing with Nixon.”

in 1991, Axl Rose of the grunge metal group Guns ‘n’ Roses is killed when he sparks a riot by leaping into the crowd at a concert in St. Louis and attacking a fan who is videotaping his performance. The death of the notoriously hot-headed Rose closes the chapter on his musical style, as well; softer, gentler music makes a dramatic comeback in the 90’s.

in 2003, combined Australian, South African and Argentine forces strike at Martians around Antarctica as Russian and NATO forces strike at the Martians in the Arctic. Though the battle is fought well on the human side, they only manage a stalemate, as the Martians dig in to their most fortified positions. The harsh weather of the poles makes it difficult for the human troops to fight.