Pope Richard II Resigns; Gathering Moss' 1st Tour

September 29th, 2004

in 1399, Pope Richard II of the Holy British Empire became the first of the British Popes to resign from office. He was replaced by his cousin Henry, Bishop of Bolingbroke, who had often persecuted Richard’s supporters. This precipitated nearly a century of war between the Lancastrian branch and the Yorkist branch of the Plantagenet Popes.

in 1758, pilot Horatio Nelson was born in Burnham Thorpe, United Kingdom. Even as a child, Nelson had an affinity for the Mlosh aerial ship designs, and became a pilot in His Majesty’s Air Corps. Nelson was the first British man to leave the solar system.

in 1829, Scotland Yard is formed, paradoxically, in London. An investigative wing of His Majesty’s police force, the Yard is instrumental in solving many crimes during the middle of the century. After its failure to solve the infamous Jack the Ripper cases, though, it is reorganized as the Royal Ministry of Investigation under Lord Reginald Townshend.

in 1907, Orvon Autry was born in the small town of Tioga, Texas. He moved to New Jersey as an adult and, since he had been a cowboy in Texas, performed in many of Dynamic Pictures’ westerns. He was the comic foil in Plainsgirl opposite Carla Lambert.

in 1916, capitalist counter-revolutionary John Rockefeller used his vast, ill-gotten wealth to leave the then-United States of America for the United Kingdom. “A businessman can no longer thrive in the communist environment of the United States,” Rockefeller said in the press conference announcing his defection. Socialist President Woodrow Wilson denounced Rockefeller’s reactionary statement and froze all of Rockefeller’s assets still in the U.S.

in 1963, the Moss go on their first tour, as an opening act for Buddy Holly and Bo Diddley. Programs and fliers mentioning the opening act of this tour, the Gathering Moss, are worth a fortune on ebay today.

in 1969, scientist Erika Eleniak was born in Glendale, California. The child of a Ukrainian immigrant who had moved to Hollywood to be an actor, Eleniak was saved from a life of drug abuse in high school by a teacher who showed her that science could give her a better high than any drug. After getting degrees in astronomy and physics, she became well-known as a popularizer of science with her television series, How Do They Do That?.

in 4697, Admiral Wu’s sihps detect new activity happening in the asteroid belt. Unwilling to wait to see what the Y’T’T’li have in store for humanity, Wu orders his ships to begin bombardment of the belt with outlying asteroids. The chaos of the next few days allows some Y’T’T’li ships to escape Wu’s blockade.