The FReeper Foxhole Profiles George Washington

The Focal Point:
Reverence and Resentment in Washington's Lifetime

Long before his death and even before he served as president, the country loved George Washington. As Commander-in-Chief, he was escorted to the battlefields by parades of cheering supporters. Even before winning anything, Washington was showered with accolades, including an honorary Doctor of Laws from Harvard. After achieving victory at Yorktown, celebrations and parades overwhelmed him in every large town as he slowly made his way back north.

At the time, a handful of lawmakers expressed reservations about Washington's fame. John Adams and Alexander Hamilton worried that such excessive worship of one man could lead to dangerous abuses. Adams pleaded for calm and reason instead of the "superstitious veneration" paid to Washington. Hamilton chose to keep quiet regarding Washington's unsettling rise to power, but privately suggested the Washington had horded the fame for himself (Schwartz, 88). Thomas Jefferson criticized Washington for his slow intellectual capacities and mind not "of the very first order."

Outside the closed doors of statesmanship, however, the public's declarations of Washington's greatness drowned out any allegations of power-mongering or murmurs of resentment. Washington himself was very concerned about his own reputation and cringed in evident pain at attacks on his motives and character. But the cheers and accolades that accompanied any visit he made to an American town helped to reassure him that the people themselves held him in the highest regard. Several, in fact, wished that he would crown himself king--an ironic example of the lingering traces of respectability to which the idea of monarchy still made some claim in America.

One telling exception to such seemingly unqualified adoration, however, is noted by Martin Van Buren in his Political Parties in the United States. In May 1783 there was established the "Society of the Cincinnati," which consisted of the former "officers of the army" of the Revolutionary War, and at whose head Washington was placed. It was a group "desirous of perpetuating the memory of the relations of respect and friendship" that had developed among the soldiers during the war, but a problem arose in that it "made the honor of membership hereditary" (Van Buren, p.21). According to Van Buren, the monarchical or quasi-aristocratic tendencies of the general public had not surged enough even to let such an unexeptionable proposal pass unchallenged: "The measure was assailed in all the forms in which an offended public opinion finds vent." Washington, "justly alarmed at the consequences it might produce," did all he could "to arrest its progress," and accordingly proposed to the Society that it should "'discontinue the hereditary part in all its connections'" (Van Buren, pp.21,22). For a group self-consciously fashioning itself after an image of the selfless farmer-hero, the underlying potential for a self-serving elitism (reminiscent of problems with later heridtary organizations such as the D.A.R.) was too close to the surface. Washington, whose apparently fine-honed sense of popular opinion led him to counteract popular "'suspicion,'" once again proved the able leader--this time, of a movement which provided the organizational space for an important facet of his own developing image. His proposal was accepted, and public anger abated.

Historian Barry Schwartz argues that the adoration of Washington was built not only on what he did, but when he did it. Washington's upstanding, unflinching, moderate temperament secured the public's respect, but it was the crisis and collective fervor of the moment that propelled Washington's image beyond the realm of his reputation. The people of the country, in Washington's time, needed him. They needed a symbol that would unite their varying and disjuncted regions and stand for something that all could be proud of. They needed an incorruptible soul who would disdain the thought of monarchy but still promote strong rule. They embraced Washington as the man sent to them to do just that.

The fact that a man could embody just what the public demanded of their new country--a sense of freedom and indifference to individual power--validated their cause and proved it could be realized. If Washington could exist, then so could their hoped- for liberty from Britain.

The Moral Washington: Construction of a Legend

George Washington's reputation as a man of moral fortitude reveals more about America's view of morality than it does about the man himself. Washington was an exceedingly bland heroic leader, embodying an eighteenth-century ideal of republican virtue that emphasized duty, sacrifice and honorable disinterest. Flamboyance and daring were emphatically not required. Washington's virtue was admirable, but not overly interesting.

Perhaps this is why the most famous example of his fortitude of character is, in fact, just fiction. The story of Washington and the Cherry Tree, a tale which still lingers through probably every grammar school in the U.S., was invented by a parson named Mason Locke Weems in a biography of Washington published directly after his death. Saturated with tales of Washington's selflessness and honesty, A History of the Life and Death, Virtues and Exploits, of General George Washington(1800) and The Life of George Washington, with Curious Anecdotes Laudable to Himself and Exemplary to his Countrymen(1806) supplied the American people with flattering (and often rhyming) renditions of the events that shaped their hero. Weems imagined everthing from Washington's childhood transgression and repentence to his apotheosis when "at the sight of him, even those blessed spirits seem[ed] to feel new raptures" (Weems, 60). According to historian Karal Ann Marling, Weems was struggling to "flesh out a believable and interest ing figure ... to humanize Washington" who had been painted as "cold and colorless" in an earlier, poorly-selling biography. While it is likely that some readers of the time questioned the authenticity of the tales, Weems' portraits soared in popularity in the early 1800s.

John McRae, "Father, I Can Not Tell a Lie; I Cut the Tree," 1867 engraving after a painting by G.G. White

More than a century later, Weems would be vigorously debunked by a new corps of biographers intent on resurrecting the real truth of Washington's life. Some favored dismantling the myth wholesale and dismissing it from the record. Others, however, intended to portray the story as apocryphal, but commend its inspirational value anyway. As Marling quotes from a woman who remembered every verse of the story from her days as school, "If the tale isn't true, it should be. It is too pretty to be classified with the myths" (Marling, 310).

In considering the virtues associated with Washington throughout the 19th century, Weems' stories help to unravel what attributes Americans cherished at that time. Piety, for example, stood foremost in the minds of many citizens, especially in the early to mid 1800s, and biblical references were known to everyone. During his lifetime, Washington was often associated with the figure of Moses, leading his people to freedom, a story the people knew well. After his death, perceptions of Washington's relation to God grew. Weems, a parson himself, may have chosen to attach a serene religiosity to Washington as a way to provide a venerated example to the public. One of his best known stories of Washington's piety comes from Weems' account of Washington praying at Valley Forge. Weems tells of a man named Isaac Potts who silently witnesses an unsuspecting Washington, kneeling humbly in the snow, praying for God's blessing of his troops. Although the story was questioned as early as the 1850s, it became emblazoned on the American memory by a painting by Henry Brueckner in the 1860s. Several imitations followed, including the cover of the Saturday Evening Post in 1935 and an image on a 1977 postage stamp commemorating Christmas (Marling, 2).

But Washington may not have been as pious as Weems suggests. While Washington regularly attended a Christian church, he would not take communion. On his deathbed, he did not request a minister to be present and asked for no prayers. Biographer Barry Schwartz reports that Washington's "practice of Christianity was limited and superficial, because he was not himself a Christian. In the enlightened tradition of his day, he was a devout Deist--just as many of the clergymen who knew him suspected" (Schwartz, 175).

Honesty and humility also stood as strong 19th-century virtues. The American public may have known that Parson Weems' story of young Washington and his cherry tree rang false, but for the citizenry of the early United States of America, the idea behind the fable declared what they believed was true: Washington equaled honesty. I have no desire to hold onto my power, Washington told the people, and then he kept his word, proving no intention to deceive.

As early as 1799, artists picked up on the persuasive imagery of this act. Alexander Lawson's "General Washington's Resignation" (seen below) depicts Washington, in undecorated military garb, standing a few steps down from the strong female form of Liberty. He has just handed her his resignation and his left hand points downward toward the idlyic countryside. He takes no notice of the elevated power (symbolized by the towers above) he is giving up; his face instead looks pensively outward toward the foregrounded Eagle symbolizing his country's escape from tyranny.

"General Washington's Resignation (1799)," by Alexander Lawson after a design by John Barralet (in Schwartz's George Washington, reprinted from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

The Capitol Rotunda's historical painting by John Trumbull entitled, George Washington Resigning His Commission to Congress as Commander in Chief of the Army at Annapolis, Maryland, December 23, 1783, creates the same effect. Washington's relinquishing power became an essential symbol of America's self-enacted defense from tyranny.

His selflessness appealed to the new American citizenry as well. Washington never requested the appointments he received. When asked to head the Continental Army in 1775, Washington worried aloud if he had the ability to carry out the task. When asked to preside over the Constitutional Convention in 1789, he went reluctantly, leaving a Mount Vernon retirement of rest and domesticity. By the time the Constitutional Convention ended, it was clear that Washington was the best man for the position of President of the United States. But he really didn't want the job. The American public knew that he took it because of an overriding and sacrificial sense of duty to his country.

'The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed, and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no human efforts will deliver them. The fate of unborn millions will now depend on God, on the courage and conduct of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of brave resistance, or the most abject submission. We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or die.'

-- George Washington

'Do not let any one claim to be a true American if they ever attempt to remove religion from politics.'

-- George Washington

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One of my favorite subjects. Funny because just last night I was journaling in our scrapbooks about our trip to Mt. Vernon.

I won't be around much today. We're going to the Scottish Highland games today. I'll check back in later. Love and hugs. Have a good day everyone.

                      WASHINGTON

verse 8

Some shone alone in council seat;
Some gloried much in wisdom's feat:
            And some in battle won.
But, "first in war and first in peace,"
We sing,in songs that never cease'
            The praise of WASHINGTON.

Samuel C. Frey
From "Autumn Leaves"
1921,York, PA
Dispatch Print

Morning Spooky. You get to open the Foxhole today. Leave some donuts and Beavertails for everyone else.

Morning Larryjohnson. Keep an eye on Spooky, make sure she leaves some donuts.

Birthdates which occurred on February 22:
1403 Charles VII king of France (1422-61), drove out English
1440 Ladislaus V Posthumus King of Hungary/Bohemia
1514 Tahmasp I shah of Persia (1524-76)/author (Tazkire-i Shah)
1533 Péter Bornemisza Hungarian vicar/author/publisher (Tragoedia)
1542 Santino Garsi composer
1573 Gemignano Capilupi composer
1599 Anthony Van Dyck Antwerp Belgium, painter
1634 Petrus "Pieter" van Schooten fortress architect
1684 William Pulteney London, statesman (Earl of Bath)
1705 Peter Arctedius [Artedi], Swedish biologist
1732 George Washington Virginia, Father figure, 1st American President (1789-97)
1745 Joao de Sousa Carvalho composer
1749 Johann Nikolaus Forkel musicologist/1st biographer of Bach
1761 Erik Eriksson Tulindberg composer
1761 Jacob Kimball composer
1764 Alexander Campbell composer
1770 Jan Matyas Nepomuk August Vitasek composer
1772 Joseph Lipavsky composer
1772 Karl Jacob Wagner composer
1773 Matthijs I van Bree Flemish (court)painter
1778 Rembrandt Peale portrait/historical painter (Court of Death)
1779 Joachim Nicolas Eggert composer
1788 Arthur Schopenhauer Germany, philosopher (Great Pessimist)
1796 Adolphe Quetelet Belgium, mathematician/astronomer/statistician
1797 William I Berlin, King of Prussia (1861-88)/German Emperor (1871-88)
1798 Charles Mynn Thruston Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1873
1810 Frédéric F Chopin Polish/French pianist/composer
1810 Holger Simon Paulli composer
1814 Henryk Oskar Kolberg composer
1817 Niels Wilhelm Gade Danish violinist/composer/conductor
1819 James Russell Lowell poet/critic/diplomat/abolitionist
1819 Bernardo Calvo Puig composer
1821 Giovanni Bottesini composer
1822 Adolf Kuszmaul German physician (stomach pump, Kuszmaul disease)
1827 James Barnet Fry Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1894
1828 Robert Alexander Cameron Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1894
1833 Josef Foerster composer
1834 Albert Heinrich Zabel composer
1836 Eduard Wachmann composer
1838 Pierre Jules Cesar Janssen discoverer of hydrogen in Sun
1840 F August Bebel German social-democrat
1842 Carl Rosa Hamburg Germany, founder (Rosa opera company)
1842 Léon Vanderkindere Belgian historian/mayor (Ukkel)
1843 Affonso de Escragnolle Taunay France/Brazil writer (Inocencia)
1844 Kazamierz Julian Kratzer composer
1850 Isaac L Rice Germany, (namesake of Columbia University's Rice stadium)
1852 Pieter K Pel internist (Pel-Ebstein fever)
1857 Heinrich Hertz physicist, 1st to broadcast & receive radio waves
1857 Lord Robert Baden-Powell founder (Boy Scouts, Girl Guides)
1862 Connie Mack baseball manager (Philadelphia A's 1900-1950)
1862 Karen Hulda Garborg[-Bergersen] Norwegian playwright (Mot Solen/Eli)
1864 Jules Renard France, writer (Poil de Carotte)
1865 Otto Modersohn German painter
1868 Henri Polak union leader/politician (Social-Democrat)
1873 Muhammad Iqbal Dutch East Indies lawyer/poet/philosopher
1877 Yme C Schuitmaker Dutch potato salesman/dramatist
1879 Johannes Brønsted Danish physical chemist (acid-base reactions)
1882 Eric Gill England, sculptor/engraver/typographer (Perpetua)
1883 Alfred Wikenhauser German Roman Catholic exegetist (John-Apokalyps)
1883 Jaroslav Kocian composer
1883 Marguerite Clark voice (Snow White)
1884 Abraham "Abe" Attell boxing hall of famer
1886 Hugo Ball German playwright/co-founder Flametti
1887 Mary Ellen Chase educator/author (Windswept, 1959 Sarah Hale Award)
1889 Robin G Collingwood English philosopher (Roman Britain)
1891 "Chico" Marx New York NY, actor/comedian (Marx Brothers, Animal Crackers)
1891 Jan Wils Holland, architect/designer (Amsterdam's Olympics Stadium)
1891 Lucien Cailliet composer
1892 David Dubinsky labor leader (Freedom Award, 1969 Medal of Freedom)
1892 Edna St Vincent Millay poet/writer/feminist (Harp Weaver-Pulitzer Prize)
1894 Alexander Spitzmuller-Harmersbach composer
1895 Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre founder (Peruvian Aprista Party)
1896 Edvin Wide Sweden, 10K runner (Olympics-silver-1924)
1896 Enid Markey Dillon CO, actress (Aunt Violet-Bringing Up Buddy)
1896 Nacio Herb Brown US composer
1896 Paul Van Ostaijen Flemish poet/writer/critic (Occupied City)
1898 Anton de Kom Surinam/Dutch worker's union leader/resistance fighter
1899 Dwight Frye Salina KS, actor (Black Camel, Dracula, Frankenstein)
19-- Geoffrey Scott Hollywood CA, actor (Secret Empire, Dynasty)
1900 Giorgios Seferis Greece, poet (Nobel 1963)
1900 Luis Bruñel Calanda Spain, director (Tristana, Phantom of Liberty)
1900 Evald Aav composer
1900 Sean O'Faolain [John Whelan], Ireland, writer (Murder at Cobbler's Hulk)
1901 Charles E Whittaker Kansas, US Supreme Court justice (1957-62)
1901 Mildred Davis PA, actress (Grandma's Boy)
1901 Stefan Lorant writer
1902 Hanns Neupert German piano builder/author (Das Klavichord)
1903 Morley Callaghan Canada, author (Toronto Star, Native Argosy)
1904 Peter Hurd Roswell NM, painter (Portrait of José Herrera)
1905 Luis Sandi composer
1906 Edmund von Borck composer
1907 Robert Young Chicago IL, actor (Father Knows Best, Marcus Welby MD)
1907 Sheldon Leonard New York NY, actor/director (Danny Thomas Show, Big Eddie)
1908 John Mills England, actor (Big Sleep, King Rat, War & Peace)
1908 Rómulo Betancourt President of Venezuela (1945-48, 1958-64)
1909 Roderick Barclay diplomat
1910 Al Sears jazz performer
1910 Muriel Monkhouse Red Cross worker
1910 Nicholas Monsarrat Liverpool England, novelist
1915 Dan Seymour Chicago IL, actor (We the People, Sing it Again)
1915 Gus Lesnevich light heavyweight boxing champion (1947 fight of year)
1917 Harmen van Rossum civil servant/resistance fighter (WWII)
1917 Jack Robertson cricketer (superb England batsman only played 11 Tests)
1917 Jane Bowles writer
1918 Charles O Finley baseball team owner (Oakland A's)
1918 Robert Wadlow Alton IL, tallest known human (2.72 m, 8' 11.1")
1918 Sid Abel NHLer (1948-49 Hart Trophy)
1918 Don [Dominic G] Pardo Westfield MA, TV announcer (Jeopardy, Saturday Night Live)
1919 Jiri Pauer composer
1920 Bettina Vernon-Warren dancer
1920 Del Wood singer
1920 Giulietta Masina Italy, actress (La Strada, Swindle, White Sheik)
1921 Jean-Bedel Bokassa dictator
1922 Andre Asriel composer
1922 Felix Werder composer
1925 Edward Gorey Chicago IL, author/artist (The Curious Sofa)
1925 Gerard Hoffnung Berlin Germany, artist/humorist/musician
1925 Guy Mitchell Detroit MI, actor (Red Garters, 3 Redheads from Seattle)
1925 Raymond Joseph Cecil British architect
1926 Bud Yorkin producer (All in the Family, 1959, 1960 Emmy)
1927 Donald May Chicago IL, actor (Adam-Edge of Night, Colt .45)
1927 David Ahlstrom composer
1928 Paul Dooley Parkersburg WV, actor (16 Candles, Strange Brew, Wedding)
1928 Bruce Forsyth London England, comedian/TV host (Generation Game)
1929 Ryne Duren New York Yankee near-sighted pitcher
1929 Marni Nixon singer (for Audrey Hepburn, Natalie Wood & Deborah Kerr)
1930 Allison Hayes Washington, actress (Attack of the 50 Foot Woman)
1930 JPS van Neerven Dutch economist/editor (Limbourg Daily)
1932 Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy (Senator-D-MA, 1962- ), (Don't let him drive)
1932 Piper Laurie Detroit MI, actress (Days of Wine & Roses, Carrie)
1933 Katharine Lucy Mary Worsley England, Duchess of Kent
1934 George "Sparky" Anderson South Dakota, baseball manager (Reds, Tigers)
1934 Thomas Paul Chicago IL, bass (NYC Opera 1963-70)
1935 Ineke [R M] Haas-Berger Dutch MP (PvdA)
1936 Ernie K-Doe [Ernest Kador Jr], New Orleans LA, rocker
1937 Dubravko Detoni composer
1937 Joanna Russ US, sci-fi author (Hugo, Female Man, Alyx)
1937 Noel Murphy British rugby player
1937 Samuel Whitbread English brewer/multi-millionaire
1937 Tommy Aaron Gainesville GA, PGA golfer (1973 Masters, 1969 Canadian Open)
1938 Ishmael Reed US, author (Last Days of Louisiana Red)
1938 Bobby Hendricks US soul vocalist (Itchy Twitchy Feeling)
1939 Steve Barber pitcher (Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees)
1940 Chet Walker NBA all-star forward (Chicago Bulls)
1940 Julian Chagrin London, mime/actor (Golddiggers)
1940 Johnson P Mlambo South African leader (Pan-African Congress)
1943 Dick Van Arsdale NBA all-star (New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns)
1943 Tom Van Arsdale NBA all-star (Detroit, Cincinnati, Kansas City-Omaha, Philadelphia)
1943 David E Skaggs (Representative-D-CO)
1943 Louise Lopez singer
1944 E J Peaker Tulsa OK, actress (That's Life)
1944 Jonathan Demme Baldwin NY, actor/director (Caged Heat, Swing Shift)
1944 Ranjit Fernando Sri Lankan cricket wicketkeeper (1975 World Cup)
1944 Tom Okker tennis star
1945 Oliver singer (Good Morning Starshine, Jean)
1947 John Bryant (Representative-D-TX, 1983- )
1948 Dennis Awtrey NBA center (Chicago Bulls, Suns)
1949 Leslie Charleson Kansas City MO, actress (Monica-General Hospital)
1949 Nikki Lauda Austria, formula 1 auto racer (world champion 1975, 77, 84)
1950 Ellen Greene Brooklyn NY, singer/actress (Little Shoppe of Horrors, One Fine Day)
1950 Julius Erving ABA/NBA forward (Virginia Squirers, New York Nets, Philadelphia 76ers)
1950 Julie Walters England, actress (Educating Rita, Prick Up Your Ears)
1950 Sylvette "Miou-Miou" Hery Paris France, actress (Bottom Line, Menage, Dog Day, My Other Husband)
1951 Harley O Staggers Jr (Representative-D-WV, 1983- )
1952 James Philip Bagian Philadelphia PA, MDPE/astronaut (STS 29, STS 40)
1952 Wayne John Levi Little Falls NY, PGA golfer (1983 Buick Open)
1955 Tim Young athlete
1956 Amy Alcott Kansas City MO, LPGA golfer (1983 Nabisco Dinah Shore, Vare Trophy 1980, 83)
1958 Kyle MacLachlan Yakima WA, actor (Blue Velvet, Dune, Twin Peaks, The Hidden)
1959 Susan Benjamin actress (Tracy-Accidental Family)
1961 Debbie Linden Glasgow Scotland, actress (Kenny Everett Show)
1961 Don Van Spall guitarist (Sleeze Beez)
1961 Marla O'Hara Gardena CA, WPVA volleyballer (Santa Cruz-3rd-1991)
1961 Mike Morris NFL center (Minnesota Vikings)
1962 Lenda Murray Detroit MI, body builder (4X Ms Olympia)
1962 Lisa Jacquin equestrian show jumper (Olympics-96)
1963 Dave Besteman Madison WI, speed skater (Olympics-1994)
1963 Devon Malcolm cricketer (in Jamaica England fast bowler 1989-95)
1963 Vijay Singh Lautoka Fiji, PGA golfer (1993 Buick Classic)
1964 James Wlcek New York NY, actor (Trent-Walker Texas Ranger, Linc-As The World Turns)
1964 Gigi Fernandez [Beatriz], San Juan PR, US tennis star (Olympics-gold-96, 1988 US Open Doubles)
1965 Pat LaFontaine St Louis MO, NHL center (Olympics-1984, New York Islanders, New York Rangers)
1965 Chris Dudley NBA center (New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers)
1965 Joe Reekie Victoria, NHL defenseman (Washington Capitals)
1966 Sheila Riggins Trussville AL, Miss Alabama-America (1990)
1966 Brent Severyn Vegreville Alberta Canada, NHL defenseman (New York Islanders)
1966 Suave singer
1966 Thorsten Kaye soap actor (Patrick-One Life to Live, Silencers)
1967 Marianne Ihalainen ice hockey right wing (Finland, Olympics-98)
1967 Steve Broussard NFL running back (Seattle Seahawks)
1968 Abeyratne Samarasekera UAE cricket all-rounder (1996 World Cup)
1968 Jayson Williams NBA center (New Jersey Nets)
1968 Jeri Ryan actress (7 of 9-Star Trek Voyager)
1968 Johanne Samarasekera UAE cricket opening bowler (96 World Cup)
1968 Reggie Rivers NFL running back (Denver Broncos)
1969 Kahryn Tough Calgary Alberta, volleyball (Olympics-96)
1969 Leslie Spalding Billings MT, golfer (Montana Women's Amateur-90, 91)
1969 Mark Chmura NFL tight end (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31)
1969 Shawn Jefferson NFL wide receiver (San Diego Chargers, New England Patriots)
1970 Adam Keefe NBA forward (Utah Jazz)
1970 Dominic Roussel Hull, NHL goalie (Winnipeg Jets)
1970 Leo Stefan hockey forward (Team Germany 1998)
1971 Barry Smith 100 meter/200 meter runner
1971 Gilbert Brown NFL defensive tackle (Green Bay Packers-Superbowl 31)
1971 Jason Marshall Cranbrook British Columbia Canada, NHL defenseman (Anaheim Mighty Ducks)
1971 Lea Salonga Manila Philippines, singer/actress (Miss Saigon)
1971 Lisa Fernandez Lakewood CA, softball pitcher (Olympics-gold-96)
1971 Max Lane NFL tackle (New England Patriots)
1971 Mohammed Sylla soccer player (Willem II, FC Martigues)
1971 Rico Mack WLAF linebacker (Amsterdam Admirals)
1972 Christin Didier Miss Montana-USA (1997)
1972 Michael Chang Hoboken NJ, tennis star (1989 French Open)
1973 James Christensen NFL guard (Atlanta Falcons)
1973 Kate Sage Australian field hockey forward (Olympics-96)
1973 Kimberly Davies Melbourne Australia, actress (Baywatch)
1973 Ntala Skinner Sun Valley ID, biathlete (Olympics-1994)
1974 Aaron Gavey Sudbury, NHL center (Tampa Bay Lightning)
1974 Kyoko Nagatsuka Shizuoka Prefecture Japan, tennis star (1996 Hobart)
1975 Charles O'Bannon NBA guard (Detroit Pistons)
1975 Drew Barrymore Los Angeles CA, actress (ET, Firestarter, Poison Ivy, Altered States)
1975 Gregory Maddalone Schenectady NY, dance skater (& Demkowski)
1977 Melanie Schnell Radstadt Austria, tennis star (1994 semi Surabaya)
1979 David Lopez Queens NY, actor (and God Created Women, Ghostwriter)

Deaths which occurred on February 22:
0606 Sabinian Italian Pope (604-06), dies
1071 Arnulf III earl of Flanders/Hainault (Arnulf I), dies in battle
1076 Godfried III with the Hump, duke of Lower Lorraine, murdered
1078 Johannes van Fécamp Italian mystic writer, dies
1078 John of Fécamp Italian mystic writer, dies
1213 Wibert of Gembloers benediction/writer/abbot of Gembloers, dies
1371 David II Bruce king of Scotland (1331-71), dies at 46
1478 Hendrik Herp (Herpius/Harphius) writer (Spieghel volcomenheit), dies
1512 Amerigo Vespucci Italian explorer (America), dies at 61
1674 John Wilson composer, dies at 78
1687 Jean-Baptiste Lully Paris, composer
1690 Charles Le Brun classical painter (Academie de Peinture), dies at 70
1695 Robert Southwell English poet, hanged for becoming a Catholic priest
1727 Francesco Gasparini composer, dies at 58
1731 Frederik Ruysch Dutch anatomist, dies at 92
1750 Pietro Filippo Scarlotti composer, dies at 71
1770 Christopher Snider 11, Boston, becomes 1st martyr of US Revolution
1788 Franz Joseph Oehlschlagel composer, dies at 63
1816 Adam Ferguson Scottish sociologist/historian, dies at 92
1822 Johann Ignaz Walter composer, dies at 66
1824 John Davy composer, dies at 60
1829 Adam A earl von Neipperg Austrian General, dies at 53
1832 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe poet, Weimar, Germany
1836 John Clarke-Whitfeld composer, dies at 65
1838 Friedrich Johann Eck composer, dies at 70
1846 Carolus Antonius Fodor composer, dies at 77
1846 Nikoli A Poveloi Russian writer/publisher, dies at 49
1849 Alexander Ernst Fesca composer, dies at 28
1875 Charles Lyell British geologist (Elements of Geology), dies at 77
1878 Franz Hunten composer, dies at 84
1896 Thomas Hughes politican/author of Tom Brown's Schooldays, Brighton
1903 Frederick William Farrar writer/dean (Canterbury 1895-1903), dies
1903 Hugo Filipp Jakob Wolf Austrian composer (Corregidor), dies at 42
1912 Richard Andree German geographer (Andree's Handatlas), dies at 76
1913 Suarez Mexican vice President, assassinated in a military coup
1913 Ferdinand Mongin de Saussure Swiss linguist, dies at 55
1913 Francisco Indalecio Madero Mexican President, assassinated in military coup at 39
1925 Georges/Joris Helleputte Belgian Catholic minister, dies at 72
1925 Nina David [Mrs Radcliffe N Salomon], poet/author, dies
1925 Thomas C Allbutt English physiologist, dies at 88
1930 Godfried van Daalen Dutch General/governor of Atjeh, dies at 66
1934 Willem Kes violinist/composer/conductor, dies at 78
1936 Johan M Skjoldborg Danish writer (Dynaes Digte), dies at 74
1943 Christoph Probst German resistance fighter (That Weisse Rose), dies
1943 Hans Scholl German resistance fighter (White Rose), beheaded at 24
1943 Sophie Scholl German resistance fighter (Die Weisse Rose), beheaded
1949 Russell Porter actor (Betsy, Hanna's War, British Empire), dies
1956 Paul Léautaud [Maurice Boissard], French writer (Petit ami), dies at 84
1957 Harry Sothern actor (Dr Huer-Buck Rogers), dies at 72
1958 Michael Todd film magnate, killed in an New Mexico air crash
1959 Helen Parrish actress (Hour Glass), dies of cancer at 36
1960 Hubert Cuypers composer/choir conductor (Missa Populi), dies at 86
1961 George de las Cuevas Bustillo y Teheran Chilean marquis, dies at 75
1964 Edie Martin actor (Titfield Thunderbolt), dies at 84
1966 Paul de Keyser Flemish philologist/folklorist, dies at 74
1967 Joe Forte actor (Horwitz-Life With Luigi), dies at 70
1967 Fritz Erler German politician (SDP), dies at 53
1968 Omer CFL Tulippe Belgian geographer, dies at 71
1971 Barry Macollum actor (On the Waterfront), dies at 81
1971 Matt McHugh actor (Taxi, Freaks, Barbary Coast), dies at 77
1971 Rudolf Mauersberger composer, dies at 82
1972 Walter Sande actor (Adventures of Tugboat Annie), dies at 65
1973 Elizabeth Bowen Anglo-Irish novelist (Cat Jumps), dies in London at 72
1973 Katina Paxinou actress (For Whom the Bell Tolls, Zita), dies at 72
1973 Winthrop Rockefeller US Governor (Arkansas), dies at 60
1976 Angela Baddeley actress (Mrs Kate Bridges-Upstairs, Downstairs), dies from pneumonia at 71
1976 Florence Ballard rocker (Supremes), dies of a heart attack at 32
1976 Michael Polany Hungarians/English chemist/sociologist, dies at 84
1977 Edith Barrett actress (Molly & Me, Ghost Ship), dies at 64
1977 Jack O'Connor cricketer (batted in 4 Tests for England 1929-30), dies
1978 Ilka Chase actress (Masquerade Party, Trials of O'Brien), dies at 74
1978 Phyllis McGinley US poetess (Pulitzer 1961), dies at 72
1980 Alfred Andersch German writer (Red Head), dies at 66
1980 Oskar Kokoschka Austria/British painter/graphic artist, dies at 93
1980 Richard Kallman actor (Verboten, Hell Canyon Outlaws), dies at 46
1982 Murray "the K" Kaufman NYC DJ (The 5th Beatle), dies at 60
1983 Christina E "Christine" Auwen singer/wife of John Kelly, dies at 75
1983 Romain Maes Belgian bicyclist (Tour de France 1935), dies at 70
1984 David spent most of his life in a plastic bubble, dies at 12
1985 Alexander Scourby actor (Victory at Sea, Ransom), dies at 71
1985 Efrem A Zimbalist Russian/US composer/violinist, dies at 95
1987 David Susskind TV host (Open End, David Susskind Show), dies at 66
1987 Andy Warhol pop artist, dies from complications following gall bladder surgery at 58
1987 David Susskind TV host (Open End, David Susskind Show), dies at 66
1987 Glenway Wescott US writer (Apartment in Athens), dies at 85
1989 Joan Woodbury actress (Super Sleuth, Northwest Trail), dies
1990 Stephen Burns actor (Casey's Shadow), dies
1992 Richard Sheldon dies at 59
1993 Jean Lecanuet French UDF-presidential candidate, dies at 72
1993 Pieter A H Bos Dutch lawyer/procureur-General (Aruba), dies at 63
1994 "Papa" John Creach US jazz musician (Papa Blues), dies at 76
1995 Ed Flanders actor (Dr Westphall-St Elsewhere), commits suicide at 60
1995 Elfi Althoff-Jacobi Austrian circus director, dies at 80
1995 Lembarek Boumaarafi Algerian murderer of President Boudiaf, dies
1996 Helmut Schoen soccer coach, dies at 80
1996 Niall MacDermott lawyer/politician, dies at 79
1997 Austin Andrew Wright sculptor, dies at 85
1997 Frank Launder director/scriptwriter, dies at 91
1998 Grandpa [Louis Marshall] Jones country singer (Hee Haw), dies at 84
1998 Jose Maria de Areilza Spanish minister of foreign affairs (1975-76), dies
1998 Sandy Hume correspondent (Fox News), commits suicide at 28

On this day...
0057 -BC- Origin of Vikrama Samvat Era (India)
0606 Sabinian ends his reign as Catholic Pope
0896 Pope Formosa crowned king Arnulf of Karinthie/French emperor
1071 Battle of Cassel-Robert I the Frisian defeats Arnulf III/I
1281 Simon de Brion elected Pope Martinus IV
1288 Girolamo Masci elected Pope Nicolas IV
1300 Pope Boniface VIII delegates degree
1349 Jews are expelled from Zurich Switzerland
1495 French King Charles VIII enters Naples to claim the crown
1561 William of Orange appointed viceroy of Burgundy/Charolais
1630 Indians introduce pilgrims to popcorn, at Thanksgiving
1656 New Amsterdam granted a Jewish burial site
1744 Battle at Toulon English-French & Spanish fleet
1746 French troops conquer Brussels
1746 Jakobijnse troops vacate Aberdeen
1774 English House of Lords rules authors do not have perpetual copyright
1775 1st US joint stock company (to make cloth) offers shares at £10
1775 Jews expelled from outskirts of Warsaw Poland
1784 1st US ship to trade with China, "Empress of China", sails from New York
1819 Spain renounces claims to Oregon Country, Florida (Adams-Onís Treaty)
1821 Spain sells (east) Florida to United States for $5 million
1825 Russia & Britain establish Alaska-Canada boundary
1828 Russia & Persia sign Peace of Turkmantsjai
1835 HMS Beagle/Charles Darwin leave Valdivia Chile
1836 Dutch garrison evacuates fort Du Bus New Guinea
1847 Battle of Buena Vista US troops beat Mexican army
1854 1st meeting of the Republican Party, Michigan
1856 1st national meeting of the Republican Party (Pittsburgh)
1858 Dion Boucicault's "Jessie Brown" premieres in New York NY
1860 Organized baseball played in San Francisco for the 1st time
1860 Shoe-making workers of Lynn MS, strike successfully for higher wages
1861 On a bet Edward Weston leaves Boston to walk to Lincoln's inauguration
1864 2nd/last day of Battle of Okolona MS
1864 Battle at Dalton, Georgia
1864 Skirmish at Calfkiller Creek (Sparta) Tennessee
1865 Tennessee adopts a new constitution abolishing slavery
1865 Battle of Wilmington NC (Fort Anderson) occupied by Federals
1872 1st national convention of the Prohibition Party (Columbus OH)
1872 Labor Reform Party formed at Columbus OH
1876 Johns Hopkins University opens
1878 Greenback Labor Party formed (Toledo OH)
1879 1st 5¢ & 10¢ store opened by Frank W Woolworth in Utica NY
1882 With 120 miles James Saunders wins NYC's 24 hour race & $100 prize
1887 Union Labor Party organized in Cincinnati
1888 John Reid of Scotland demonstrates golf to Americans (Yonkers NY)
1889 Dakotas, Montana & Washington admitted to the union
1889 President Cleveland signs bill to admit Dakotas, Montana & Washington state
1892 "Lady Windermere's Fan" by Oscar Wilde premieres at St James Theater (London)
1892 Manitoba Rugby Football Union forms
1898 Black postmaster lynched, his wife & 3 daughters shot in Lake City SC
1900 Battle at Wynne's Hill, South-Africa (Boers vs British army)
1900 Hawaii became a US territory
1903 Due to drought the US side of Niagara Falls runs short of water
1906 Black evangelist William J Seymour arrives in Los Angeles CA
1907 1st cabs with taxi meters begin operating in London
1907 Leonid N Andreyev's "Zhizn Cheloveka" premieres in St Petersburg
1909 Great White Fleet, 1st US fleet to circle the globe, returns to Virginia
1912 J Vedrines makes 1st airplane flight over 100 mph-161.29 kph
1913 Lowell High School, San Francisco opens (on its 1st campus)
1915 Germany begins "unrestricted" submarine war
1917 German Navy torpedoes 7 Dutch ships
1918 Germany claims Baltic states, Finland & Ukraine from Russia
1920 1st artificial rabbit used at a dog race track (Emeryville CA)
1922 Congress authorizes Grant Memorial $1 gold coin
1923 Transcontinental airmail service begins
1923 1st successful chinchilla farm in US (Los Angeles CA)
1924 1st presidential radio address (Calvin Coolidge)
1927 ARC soccer team forms in Alphen on the Rhine
1927 Baruch Spinosa's house of mourning opened as a museum
1928 1st solo England to Australia flight lands (Bert Hinkler)
1932 Purple Heart award re-instituted
1933 Göring forms SA/SS-police, shoots 40-50
1934 "It Happened One Night" opens at New York's Radio City Music Hall
1935 Airplanes are no longer permitted to fly over the White House
1936 Construction on Ypenburg Netherlands airport begins
1939 Netherlands recognizes Franco-regime in Spain
1940 Finnish troops vacate Koivisto island
1940 German air force sinks 2 German destroyers, killing 578
1941 Arthur T "Bomber" Harris becomes British Air Marshal
1941 German assault on El Agheila Libya
1941 I G Farben decides building Buna-Werke in Auschwitz Concentration Camp
1941 Nazi SS begin rounding up Jews of Amsterdam
1941 Paul Creston's 1st Symphony, premieres
1941 Roy Harris' "Ballad of a Railroad Man" premieres
1944 US 8th Air Force bombs Enschede, Arnhem & Nijmegen by mistake/800+ die
1945 Arab League forms (Cairo)
1945 British troops take Ramree Island, Burma
1945 Canadian 3rd Division occupies Moyland
1948 Arabs bomb attack in Jerusalem, 50 die
1950 Brockway & Weinstock publish "Men of Music" (revised edition)
1955 British aircraft carrier Ark Royal sets sail
1956 Elvis Presley's 1st hit in Billboard's top 10 "Heartbreak Hotel"
1956 1st British soccer match at Kunstlicht Portsmouth vs Newcastle United
1957 Jockey Ted Atkinson, 3,500th win
1957 Walter O'Malley says Dodgers may play 10 exhibitions in California in 1958
1958 Australian swimmer Jon Konrads sets 6 world records in 2 days
1958 "Portotino" closes at Adelphi Theater NYC after 3 performances
1958 Egypt & Syria form United Arab Republic (UAR)
1958 Indonesian air force bombs Padang, Sumatra/Menado, Celebes
1959 1st Daytona 500 auto race-Lee Petty wins (135.521 MPH)
1962 Wilt Chamberlain sets NBA record with 34 free throw attempts
1963 Beatles begin their own music publishing company (Northern Songs)
1964 Beatles arrive back in England after their 1st US visit
1965 USSR launches Kosmos 57 into earth orbit (Voskhod Test)
1966 Soviets launch Kosmos 110 with Veterok & Ugolek, 1st 2-dog crew
1967 25,000 US & S Vietnamese troops launched Operation Junction City, offensive to smash Viet Cong stronghold near Cambodian border
1967 Barbara Garson's "MacBird" premieres in New York NY
1967 Sling-shot goal post & 6' wide border around field are standard in NFL
1968 Rock group Genesis release their 1st record "The Silent Sun"
1969 1st female US thoroughbred pari-mutuel jockey win (Barbara Jo Rubin)
1970 "Charles Aznavour" closes at Music Box Theater NYC after 23 performances
1971 Lieutenant General Hafiz al-Assad becomes President of Syria
1972 Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani becomes Amir & Prime Minister of Qatar
1972 President Nixon, meets with Chinese Premier Chou En-Lai in Beijing
1973 Israeli fighter planes shoot down a civilian Libyan Arab Airlines Boeing 727 killing 108
1973 US & China agree to establish liaison offices in Beijing & Washington DC
1974 Ethiopian police shoot at demonstrators
1976 Kathy Whitworth wins LPGA Bent Tree Golf Classic
1978 2 tankers with propane gas explode killing 15 at Waverly TN
1979 Billy Martin named manager of Oakland A's
1979 St Lucia gains independence from Britain
1979 Cleveland Metroparks Zoo's Primate & Cat Building is dedicated
1980 Afghanistan declares martial law
1980 USA beats USSR in Olympics hockey 4-3 en route to a gold medal
1981 Amy Alcott wins LPGA Bent Tree Ladies Golf Classic
1982 NYC Mayor Koch announces he will run for New York governor (unsuccessful)
1983 Vladimir Salnikov (USSR) sets 1500 meter freestyle swimming record
1983 Harold Washington wins Chicago's Democratic mayoral primary
1983 Hindus kill 3000 Moslems in Assam, India
1984 Brothers Anton & Peter Stastny score 8 points each for NHL Québec
1987 Bruno Marie-Rose runs world record 200 meter indoor (20.36 seconds)
1988 Bonnie Blair skates world record 500 meter (39.10 seconds)
1989 1st Spanish commercial on network TV (Pepsi-Cola-CBS Grammy Award)
1989 UK physicist Stephen Hawking calls Star Wars a "deliberate fraud"
1989 US authors demonstrate against Iranian death treats against Salman Rushdee, author of "Satanic Rituals"
1989 31st Grammy Awards Don't Worry Be Happy, Faith, Tracy Chapman
1989 Fins ministry of Public health installs sex vacation to thwart stress
1989 New York Lotto pays $26.9 million to one winner (#s are 1-5-12-19-44-50)
1990 1st day India vs New Zealand cricket at Auckland New Zealand 5-78 at lunch, 9-387 stumps
1991 Actor Bill Bixby (57) weds Laura Michael (32)
1991 Bush & US Gulf War allies give Iraq 24 hours to begin Kuwait withdrawal
1991 Kelli McCarty, 21, (Kansas), crowned 40th Miss USA
1991 Test Cricket debut of Sanath Jayasuriya, vs New Zealand at Hamilton
1992 "Park Your Car in Harvard Yard" closes at Music Box NYC
1992 Barry Diller resigns as CEO of Fox
1992 Ed McMahon, 69, weds Pamela Hurn, 37
1992 Lisa Walters wins LPGA Itoki Hawaiian Ladies Open Golf Tournament
1992 Rockers Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) & Courtney Love (Hole), wed
1993 Vinod Kambli scores 224 vs England at Bombay, 411 balls, 23 fours
1994 "Les Miserables" opens at Chunichi Theatre, Nagoya
1995 Algiers police kill at least 99 prison rioters
1995 Steve Fossett completes 1st air balloon over Pacific Ocean (9600 km)
1996 "Bus Stop" opens at Circle in Square Theater NYC for 29 performances
1996 Actress Halle Berry files for divorce from David Justice
1996 STS 75 (Columbia 19), launches into orbit
1997 Annika Sorenstam wins LPGA Cup Noodles Hawaiian Ladies Open
1998 "King & I" closes at Neil Simon Theater NYC after 781 performances
1998 18th Winter Olympics games close at Nagano Japan

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

British Commonwealth : Girl Guides Thinking Day (1857)
Central African Republic : President's Birthday
Egypt, Syria : Unity Day (1958)
India : Mothers Day
México : National Mourning Day (Francisco I Madero-1913)
Qatar : Amir's Assumption of Amirship (1972)
St Lucia : Independence Day (1979)
Virgin Island : Donkey Races Day
World : Brotherhood Day (1934) - - - - - ( Sunday )

Religious Observances
Christian : Feast of Blessed Isabel
Moslem-Qatar : Amir's Assumption of Amirship
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of Chair of St Peter at Antioch
Roman Catholic : Commemoration of St Margaret of Cortona, Franciscan tertiary

Religious History
1680 Death of Thomas Goodwin, 79, famed English Congregational Nonconformist preacher. His last words were: 'Ah, is this dying? How I have dreaded as an enemy this smiling friend.'
1805 Birth of Sarah Flower Adams, English religious writer. Her most enduring verses today comprise the lyrics to the hymn, "Nearer, My God, To Thee."
1906 Black evangelist William J. Seymour first arrived in Los Angeles and began holding revival meetings. The "Azusa Street Revival" later broke out under Seymour's leadership, in the Apostolic Faith Mission located at 312 Azusa Street in Los Angeles. It was one of the pioneering events in the history of 20th century American Pentecostalism.
1944 English apologist C.S. Lewis wrote in a letter: 'Heaven enters wherever Christ enters, even in this life.'
1980 American Presbyterian apologist Francis Schaeffer wrote in a letter: 'None of us are normal, even after we are Christians if we mean by that being perfect. What is possible, however, is for us to live in the fullness of life in the circle of who we are, constantly pressing on the border lines to try to take further steps.'

Thought for the day :
" Make a wish, it might come true. "

Oops. Was I suppose to share them? Too late now. They are in my tummy. I don't share donuts. :)

1732 George Washington Virginia, Father figure, 1st American President (1789-97)

It's a shame the Congress decided to take away his holiday.

Well, we're off. Y'all have a good one. We are expecting terrible rain storms today, so we might be home early.

Buy more donuts!!!

Amazing what one can find out there:

George Washington's battle sword and scabbard, 1770s

Washington carried this sword as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. He willed the sword to his nephew, Samuel Washington, a U.S. Army captain, with orders to use it "only in self-defense or in the defense of country and its rights." In 1843 Washington's grandnephew donated the sword to the U.S. government, and in 1922 it was transferred from the State Department to the Smithsonian.

Thanks facedown, nice find.

Where'd you find that picture? I never saw that one before.