Vo Surrenders In Hanoi

July 6th, 2004

in 1189, Pope Henry II of the Holy British Empire dies. His 35 years in office was the longest reign of any pope within memory; the College of Cardinals could barely remember how to elect a successor. So, they chose his son, Richard Plantagenet, to follow in his footsteps. And, follow he did – he also reigned for 35 years, until his death in 1224.

in 1535, 52 years after the King he so unfairly maligned was crowned, Sir Thomas More was executed for treason. In his final statement, he declared that everything he had written about Richard III was a lie; that Henry Tudor had slain the two young princes in the Tower of London; and that the true king was Richard’s only living son, Richard Plantagenet. His statement reignited the War of the Roses, leading to more years of bloodshed as the British Crown was once again in dispute.

in 4561, General Pham Tat Tran is killed by Siamese troops as he guards Lord Vo’s flank. Vo is surrounded and overcome. He tries to be killed in combat, but General Zuo has ordered that Lord Vo is to be taken alive. The Siamese pummel him into unconsciousness and spirit him out of Hanoi to the Chinese General’s headquarters. Here, Vo is forced to accept the Chinese terms of surrender; all soldiers are to give up their arms, and the officers are to be taken to Beijing to be tried for treason.

in 1885, Louis Pasteur inoculates a human patient for the first time. However, the inoculation makes the patient’s rabies mutate into something even worse; and soon, an epidemic is raging throughout France. Rabid people turn wild in the streets and have to be shot for the common good. Pasteur is forever disgraced, as are his theories.

in 1923, future First Lady Ann Frances (Robbins) Reagan was born in New York City. First Lady from 1977-1981, she was remembered for her anti-drug campaign (somewhat ridiculed by people who had experienced quite a few drugs first hand), and her personal belief in astrology, which many claim hurt her conservative husband Ronald politically. He never did, saying that it was a weak politician who blames his wife for his defeats. She left office when her husband was voted out in 1980, following the Iranian Hostage Crisis.

in 1947, rancher Mac Brazel shows the 3-day old debris on his ranch to Sheriff George Wilcox. Wilcox has no idea what it might be, and doesn’t know what to make of the mutilated bodies, so he puts in a call to a friend of his at the Roswell Army Air Base, Major Jesse Marcel. The Major promises that he will get over to the ranch the next day to look at the debris, but assures Wilcox that no military planes have been downed in the area.

in 1995, the prosecution rested its case in the O.J. Simpson murder trial. It had apparently done its job; after the defense had rested, the jury found Mr. Simpson guilty after a mere 2 hours of deliberation.

in 1379, Malik al-Hajj al-Shabazz is brutally slain as he speaks to a meeting of his followers. The assassins are nearly killed before the Caliph’s men arrive to arrest them; they confess that they did it in order to still the stirrings of rebellion against Islam that al-Shabazz was causing. While the Caliph is sympathetic, he knows that he would have riots on his hands if he let them go, and so he has them executed.