Elizabeth Hodges - Astro-Woman

November 30th, 2004

in 723 AUC, the alliance of Rome and Egypt ended the rebellion of Marcus Antonius, who had ruled in a triumvirate with Octavian and Marcus Lepidus, but had attempted to seize power for himself in 721. Cleopatra VII, ruler of Egypt, had flirted briefly with the idea of allying with Antonius before a personal plea from Octavian brought her back into Rome’s camp.

in 1667, future Bishop Jonathan Swift was born in Dublin, Ireland. Bishop Swift arose to his position by his harsh treatment of his native countrymen; during a particularly terrible famine in Ireland, he even suggested to Pope William that the Irish could use their young as a source of food. Of all the Archbishops the Holy British Empire appointed to oversee Dublin and Ireland, none was hated more than Bishop Swift.

in 1835, Samuel Clemens, who wrote under the nom de plume of Mark Twain, was born in Florida, Missouri, North American Confederation. Clemens was a noted humorist in his day, but is chiefly remembered today for his invention of the Scientific Romance with such novels as the time-travelling tale A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court and the Mlosh-inspired novel Letters From Earth, an imagined conversation between a Mlosh on our planet who had managed to invent a machine capable of transmitting back to their homeworld and friends of his back there.

in 1947, Jewish and Muslim settlements in Madagascar were attacked by New Reich marine forces. The soldiers of the island nation fought bravely, as did the settlers themselves, but the threat of nuclear weapons that the New Reich levied against them forced Madagascar to surrender their Semitic population. Some managed to escape, but most of the 24,000 Semites on the island were put to the death.

in 1947, playwright David Mamet was born in Chicago, Illinois. Mamet was famous for his family-friendly plays and movie scripts. He was known to remark, “if you have to swear to say something, it really wasn’t worth saying, was it?”

in 1954, the course of human evolution was altered when Mrs. Elizabeth Hodges of Sylacauga, Alabama, was struck by a meteorite. The powerful energies contained in the rock from outer space transformed her into the being known today as Astro-Woman. Seemingly immortal, this crime-fighting Alabaman has been foiling evil ever since, and along with her children, Astro-boy and Comet-girl, and their dog Shooting Star, she has kept the American south safe for two generations.

in 1965, Security Advisor Jake Russell warns Comrade President Gus Hall of encroachments by the capitalists throughout the American sphere of influence. Soviet American troops currently stationed in North Chile were fighting a civil war against the reactionary forces of the South, supplied by the monarchies of Europe. Comrade Russell advised Comrade President Hall to increase the number of troops in North Chile; failure to defend fellow communists would result in a domino effect of nation after nation succumbing to the lures of capitalism.

in 1965, during their first American tour, the Gathering Moss were honored by the Colorado state legislature with their own day. Stones throughout Denver were decorated with moss for the band’s concert that evening.