So, today marks the anniversary of the opening day of the Battle of the Somme, the longest battle in history and, with all the various actions taken as one, the bloodiest military action in history as well. Today's the anniversary of the single costliest day for the British armed forces, but that one fact seems to pale when you take the whole thing in context. From wikipedia, in an analysis of the entire operation: "The British themselves had gained approximately only two miles and lost about 420,000 soldiers in the process, meaning that a centimetre cost about two men." ... and the kids today wonder why we need to keep observing armistace day.
Today's also the anniversary of the opening day of the Battle of Gettysburg. on this day in 1863, an ancestor of mine took a bullet through the thigh at the rail cut northwest of town. by two days later, the south had effectively lost the war, but it'd be another two years before they would be defeated.
The 2nd of July is the day Ernest Hemingway committed suicide in 1961, He'd been having electroshock therapy at the Mayo clinic but it just took his ability to read and write away without providing relief from his depression. His wife said the noise that woke her up sounded like a drawer being slammed shut. He'd been having great diffuculty writing since he was in WWII. War is hell. never forget that.
Hemmingway's wife knew he was suicidal and yet still gave him the key to his gun locker when he asked for it. Not sure which of em had more issues.
