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#11
The Tailgate / Today in history 1-19
Last post by remrogers - January 19, 2026, 11:59:16 AM1807
Jan 19
Robert E. Lee born
Confederate General Robert Edward Lee is born in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Lee commanded the Army of Northern Virginia during most of the Civil War and his battlefield leadership earned him a reputation as a renowned military leader.
Lee was born at his family home of Stratford Hall in northeastern Virginia on January 19, 1807. A member of the state's aristocracy, Lee enrolled at West Point at the age of 18. He was second in his graduating class and attained top marks in artillery, infantry and cavalry studies.
Once Lee graduated, he married Mary Custis, the great-granddaughter of Martha Washington from her first marriage, in 1831. The family raised seven children including three sons and four daughters.
In 1846, Lee served the U.S. military in its war against Mexico, where he stood out as a brave commander and brilliant tactician. In the aftermath, Lee was hailed a hero and rose to military prominence.
Lee was added to a shortlist of names to lead the Confederate army should the country go to war with itself around October 1859. Lincoln later offered Lee the post of Union commander during the war, but he turned it down to attend to matters at home. It was only after Virginia voted to secede from the nation on April 17, 1861, that Lee decided to help lead Confederate forces.
Lee challenged Union forces during the war's bloodiest battles, including Antietam and Gettysburg, before surrendering to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in 1865 at Appomattox Court House in Virginia, marking the end of the devastating conflict.
He died at age 63 on October 12, 1870, following a stroke.
Jan 19
Robert E. Lee born
Confederate General Robert Edward Lee is born in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Lee commanded the Army of Northern Virginia during most of the Civil War and his battlefield leadership earned him a reputation as a renowned military leader.
Lee was born at his family home of Stratford Hall in northeastern Virginia on January 19, 1807. A member of the state's aristocracy, Lee enrolled at West Point at the age of 18. He was second in his graduating class and attained top marks in artillery, infantry and cavalry studies.
Once Lee graduated, he married Mary Custis, the great-granddaughter of Martha Washington from her first marriage, in 1831. The family raised seven children including three sons and four daughters.
In 1846, Lee served the U.S. military in its war against Mexico, where he stood out as a brave commander and brilliant tactician. In the aftermath, Lee was hailed a hero and rose to military prominence.
Lee was added to a shortlist of names to lead the Confederate army should the country go to war with itself around October 1859. Lincoln later offered Lee the post of Union commander during the war, but he turned it down to attend to matters at home. It was only after Virginia voted to secede from the nation on April 17, 1861, that Lee decided to help lead Confederate forces.
Lee challenged Union forces during the war's bloodiest battles, including Antietam and Gettysburg, before surrendering to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in 1865 at Appomattox Court House in Virginia, marking the end of the devastating conflict.
He died at age 63 on October 12, 1870, following a stroke.
#12
The Tailgate / Re: Get your long underwear ou...
Last post by Okanagan - January 19, 2026, 10:46:03 AMBeen wearing mine for a couple of weeks. Our damp wet coastal cold is merely miserable, not like the sharp dry cold we lived in for years in inland Canada. Deep dry cold is pain. Wet coastal cold is long term misery. Pick your poison! 
Feel for you, Jim, as you live through 17 below. Our weather forecasts have consistently missed lately. For the past four days it keeps telling us it will get down to a low of 40 F -- and every morning we wake up to heavy ice on roads and everything. It is more a layer of ice than normal frost. My old bod never seems to get warm. A few nights it rains at midnight and then is frozen solid by morning. The ground has been utterly saturated for almost two months now, puddles on lawns and level ground, rivers in and out of flood levels. A wheel that strays off of a hard driveway onto lawn will bog to the rim or deeper.
I'll take this wet cold over your cold below zero. Need our late friend John to show us pics of sunshine tea in warm Arizona.
Feel for you, Jim, as you live through 17 below. Our weather forecasts have consistently missed lately. For the past four days it keeps telling us it will get down to a low of 40 F -- and every morning we wake up to heavy ice on roads and everything. It is more a layer of ice than normal frost. My old bod never seems to get warm. A few nights it rains at midnight and then is frozen solid by morning. The ground has been utterly saturated for almost two months now, puddles on lawns and level ground, rivers in and out of flood levels. A wheel that strays off of a hard driveway onto lawn will bog to the rim or deeper.
I'll take this wet cold over your cold below zero. Need our late friend John to show us pics of sunshine tea in warm Arizona.
#13
The Tailgate / Re: Get your long underwear ou...
Last post by Hawks Feather - January 19, 2026, 08:33:48 AMYou always have better weather than here. I mean, we started at 4 above and are already up to 15, but the 23 mph wind with gusts up to 37 do make it feel a little brisk. ❄️
#14
The Tailgate / Get your long underwear out
Last post by FinsnFur - January 19, 2026, 05:33:23 AMJack frost is coming
5 below zero this morning. They're saying 17 below by Thursday.
Winter has arrived!
I guess be thankful were not in Russia. Anyone see the pics of their storm? Cars buried in 8 feet of snow. Drifts up on the buildings 4 stories high
5 below zero this morning. They're saying 17 below by Thursday.
Winter has arrived!
I guess be thankful were not in Russia. Anyone see the pics of their storm? Cars buried in 8 feet of snow. Drifts up on the buildings 4 stories high
#15
The Tailgate / Today in history 1-18
Last post by remrogers - January 18, 2026, 10:27:09 AM1803
Jan 18
President Jefferson requests funding for Lewis and Clark expedition
On January 18, 1803, Thomas Jefferson requests funding from Congress to finance the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Jefferson officially asked for $2,500 in funding from Congress, though some sources indicate the expedition ultimately cost closer to $50,000. Meriwether Lewis was joined by his friend William Clark and 50 others on the journey, including an enslaved African American and a female Native American guide named Sacagawea. The team, which Jefferson called the Corps of Discovery, first surveyed the territory that comprised the Louisiana Purchase, a vast expanse that reached as far north as present-day North Dakota, south to the Gulf of Mexico and stopped at the eastern border of Spanish territory in present-day Texas. The team then crossed the Rockies and navigated river routes to the Pacific coast of present-day Oregon. Upon their return, the duo's reports of the exotic and awe-inspiring new lands they had encountered sparked a new wave of westward expansion.
Jefferson first proposed the exploratory expedition even before Napoleon offered to sell France's American territory, which would become known as the Louisiana Purchase, to the United States and had authorization from Congress to launch a survey of the area when news of Napoleon's offer to sell reached Washington. In a stroke of luck for the United States, Napoleon had abandoned plans to establish a French foothold on America's southern flank and sold the land to the U.S. to subsidize his conquest of Europe.
Though he did not disclose his intentions to Congress, Jefferson planned to send Meriwether Lewis, his private secretary, on a reconnaissance mission that far exceeded the boundaries of the Louisiana Purchase to determine how far west the U.S. might extend commerce in the North American fur trade and to assess the viability of future territorial expansion into the west. In misleading Congress, Jefferson had temporarily stifled his distaste for abuse of executive privilege to achieve a strategic goal. A product of the Enlightenment, Jefferson was a man with strong political principles, but he was also fascinated by what the expedition might yield in terms of scientific discovery and adventure. Jefferson sought to claim more territory for the United States, eliminate foreign competition and convert the Indian nations to Christianity, viewing westward expansion as a way for the nation to maintain its agrarian values and to ward off the same political perils that plagued what he saw as an increasingly overcrowded Europe.
Jan 18
President Jefferson requests funding for Lewis and Clark expedition
On January 18, 1803, Thomas Jefferson requests funding from Congress to finance the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Jefferson officially asked for $2,500 in funding from Congress, though some sources indicate the expedition ultimately cost closer to $50,000. Meriwether Lewis was joined by his friend William Clark and 50 others on the journey, including an enslaved African American and a female Native American guide named Sacagawea. The team, which Jefferson called the Corps of Discovery, first surveyed the territory that comprised the Louisiana Purchase, a vast expanse that reached as far north as present-day North Dakota, south to the Gulf of Mexico and stopped at the eastern border of Spanish territory in present-day Texas. The team then crossed the Rockies and navigated river routes to the Pacific coast of present-day Oregon. Upon their return, the duo's reports of the exotic and awe-inspiring new lands they had encountered sparked a new wave of westward expansion.
Jefferson first proposed the exploratory expedition even before Napoleon offered to sell France's American territory, which would become known as the Louisiana Purchase, to the United States and had authorization from Congress to launch a survey of the area when news of Napoleon's offer to sell reached Washington. In a stroke of luck for the United States, Napoleon had abandoned plans to establish a French foothold on America's southern flank and sold the land to the U.S. to subsidize his conquest of Europe.
Though he did not disclose his intentions to Congress, Jefferson planned to send Meriwether Lewis, his private secretary, on a reconnaissance mission that far exceeded the boundaries of the Louisiana Purchase to determine how far west the U.S. might extend commerce in the North American fur trade and to assess the viability of future territorial expansion into the west. In misleading Congress, Jefferson had temporarily stifled his distaste for abuse of executive privilege to achieve a strategic goal. A product of the Enlightenment, Jefferson was a man with strong political principles, but he was also fascinated by what the expedition might yield in terms of scientific discovery and adventure. Jefferson sought to claim more territory for the United States, eliminate foreign competition and convert the Indian nations to Christianity, viewing westward expansion as a way for the nation to maintain its agrarian values and to ward off the same political perils that plagued what he saw as an increasingly overcrowded Europe.
#16
The Tailgate / Today in history 1-17
Last post by remrogers - January 17, 2026, 10:55:20 AM1961
Jan 17
President Eisenhower warns of military-industrial complex
On January 17, 1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower ends his presidential term by warning the nation about the increasing power of the military-industrial complex.
His remarks, issued during a televised farewell address to the American people, were particularly significant since Ike had famously served the nation as military commander of the Allied forces during WWII. Eisenhower urged his successors to strike a balance between a strong national defense and diplomacy in dealing with the Soviet Union. He did not suggest arms reduction and in fact acknowledged that the bomb was an effective deterrent to nuclear war. However, cognizant that America's peacetime defense policy had changed drastically since his military career, Eisenhower expressed concerns about the growing influence of what he termed the military-industrial complex.
Before and during the Second World War, American industries had successfully converted to defense production as the crisis demanded, but out of the war, what Eisenhower called a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions emerged. This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience Eisenhower warned, "[while] we recognize the imperative need for this development...We must not fail to comprehend its grave implications we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence...The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist." Eisenhower cautioned that the federal government's collaboration with an alliance of military and industrial leaders, though necessary, was vulnerable to abuse of power. Ike then counseled American citizens to be vigilant in monitoring the military-industrial complex.
Ike also recommended restraint in consumer habits, particularly with regard to the environment. "As we peer into society's future, we–you and I, and our government–must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow," he said. "We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without asking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage."
Jan 17
President Eisenhower warns of military-industrial complex
On January 17, 1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower ends his presidential term by warning the nation about the increasing power of the military-industrial complex.
His remarks, issued during a televised farewell address to the American people, were particularly significant since Ike had famously served the nation as military commander of the Allied forces during WWII. Eisenhower urged his successors to strike a balance between a strong national defense and diplomacy in dealing with the Soviet Union. He did not suggest arms reduction and in fact acknowledged that the bomb was an effective deterrent to nuclear war. However, cognizant that America's peacetime defense policy had changed drastically since his military career, Eisenhower expressed concerns about the growing influence of what he termed the military-industrial complex.
Before and during the Second World War, American industries had successfully converted to defense production as the crisis demanded, but out of the war, what Eisenhower called a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions emerged. This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience Eisenhower warned, "[while] we recognize the imperative need for this development...We must not fail to comprehend its grave implications we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence...The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist." Eisenhower cautioned that the federal government's collaboration with an alliance of military and industrial leaders, though necessary, was vulnerable to abuse of power. Ike then counseled American citizens to be vigilant in monitoring the military-industrial complex.
Ike also recommended restraint in consumer habits, particularly with regard to the environment. "As we peer into society's future, we–you and I, and our government–must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering, for our own ease and convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow," he said. "We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without asking the loss also of their political and spiritual heritage."
#17
The Tailgate / Today in history 1-16
Last post by remrogers - January 16, 2026, 12:03:02 PM1605
Jan 16
Groundbreaking novel "Don Quixote" is published
On January 16, 1605, Miguel de Cervantes' El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha, better known as Don Quixote, is published. The book is considered by many to be the first modern novel and one of the greatest novels of all time.
The protagonist is a minor noble, Alonso Quixano, whose obsessive reading of chivalric romances drives him mad. He adopts the name Don Quixote and, along with his squire Sancho Panza, roams around La Mancha, a central region of Spain, taking on a number of challenges that exist entirely in his mind. Quixote attacks a group of monks, a flock of sheep, and, most famously, some windmills he believes to be giants. The episodic story is intentionally comedic, and its deliberately archaic language contributes to its satirization of older stories of knights and their deeds.
Although Cervantes made only a modest profit off of its publication rights, the novel was re-published across Spain and Portugal within the year. Over the next decade, it was translated and re-published across Europe and widely read in Spain's American colonies. Over the subsequent centuries, critics have continued to praise, analyze, and re-interpret Don Quixote. Many analyses focus on the theme of imagination and the more subversive elements of the text, which has been taken as a satire of orthodoxy, chivalry, patriotism and even the concept of objective reality. The novel gave rise to a number of now-common idioms in Spanish and other languages, including the English phrase "tilting at windmills" and the word "quixotic." Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy, another novel frequently called one of the greatest of all time, was heavily influenced by Don Quixote, as was Mark Twain's enormously influential The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which explicitly references Cervantes' work. Cerebral, comedic and groundbreaking, Don Quixote has endured in a way that only a select few novels could.
Jan 16
Groundbreaking novel "Don Quixote" is published
On January 16, 1605, Miguel de Cervantes' El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha, better known as Don Quixote, is published. The book is considered by many to be the first modern novel and one of the greatest novels of all time.
The protagonist is a minor noble, Alonso Quixano, whose obsessive reading of chivalric romances drives him mad. He adopts the name Don Quixote and, along with his squire Sancho Panza, roams around La Mancha, a central region of Spain, taking on a number of challenges that exist entirely in his mind. Quixote attacks a group of monks, a flock of sheep, and, most famously, some windmills he believes to be giants. The episodic story is intentionally comedic, and its deliberately archaic language contributes to its satirization of older stories of knights and their deeds.
Although Cervantes made only a modest profit off of its publication rights, the novel was re-published across Spain and Portugal within the year. Over the next decade, it was translated and re-published across Europe and widely read in Spain's American colonies. Over the subsequent centuries, critics have continued to praise, analyze, and re-interpret Don Quixote. Many analyses focus on the theme of imagination and the more subversive elements of the text, which has been taken as a satire of orthodoxy, chivalry, patriotism and even the concept of objective reality. The novel gave rise to a number of now-common idioms in Spanish and other languages, including the English phrase "tilting at windmills" and the word "quixotic." Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy, another novel frequently called one of the greatest of all time, was heavily influenced by Don Quixote, as was Mark Twain's enormously influential The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which explicitly references Cervantes' work. Cerebral, comedic and groundbreaking, Don Quixote has endured in a way that only a select few novels could.
#19
The Tailgate / Today in history 1-15
Last post by remrogers - January 15, 2026, 12:20:54 PM1919
Jan 15
Boston shocked by deadly molasses flood
Fiery hot molasses floods the streets of Boston on January 15, 1919, killing 21 people and injuring scores of others. The molasses burst from a huge tank at the United States Industrial Alcohol Company building in the heart of the city.
The United States Industrial Alcohol building was located on Commercial Street near North End Park in Boston. It was close to lunch time on January 15 and Boston was experiencing some unseasonably warm weather as workers were loading freight-train cars within the large building. Next to the workers was a 58-foot-high tank filled with 2.5 million gallons of crude molasses.
Suddenly, the bolts holding the bottom of the tank exploded, shooting out like bullets, and the hot molasses rushed out. An eight-foot-high wave of molasses swept away the freight cars and caved in the building's doors and windows. The few workers in the building's cellar had no chance as the liquid poured down and overwhelmed them.
The huge quantity of molasses then flowed into the street outside. It literally knocked over the local firehouse and then pushed over the support beams for the elevated train line. The hot and sticky substance then drowned and burned five workers at the Public Works Department. In all, 21 people and dozens of horses were killed in the flood. It took weeks to clean the molasses from the streets of Boston.
This disaster also produced an epic court battle, as more than 100 lawsuits were filed against the United States Industrial Alcohol Company. After a six-year-investigation that involved 3,000 witnesses and 45,000 pages of testimony, a special auditor finally determined that the company was at fault because the tank used had not been strong enough to hold the molasses. Nearly $1 million was paid in settlement of the claims.
Jan 15
Boston shocked by deadly molasses flood
Fiery hot molasses floods the streets of Boston on January 15, 1919, killing 21 people and injuring scores of others. The molasses burst from a huge tank at the United States Industrial Alcohol Company building in the heart of the city.
The United States Industrial Alcohol building was located on Commercial Street near North End Park in Boston. It was close to lunch time on January 15 and Boston was experiencing some unseasonably warm weather as workers were loading freight-train cars within the large building. Next to the workers was a 58-foot-high tank filled with 2.5 million gallons of crude molasses.
Suddenly, the bolts holding the bottom of the tank exploded, shooting out like bullets, and the hot molasses rushed out. An eight-foot-high wave of molasses swept away the freight cars and caved in the building's doors and windows. The few workers in the building's cellar had no chance as the liquid poured down and overwhelmed them.
The huge quantity of molasses then flowed into the street outside. It literally knocked over the local firehouse and then pushed over the support beams for the elevated train line. The hot and sticky substance then drowned and burned five workers at the Public Works Department. In all, 21 people and dozens of horses were killed in the flood. It took weeks to clean the molasses from the streets of Boston.
This disaster also produced an epic court battle, as more than 100 lawsuits were filed against the United States Industrial Alcohol Company. After a six-year-investigation that involved 3,000 witnesses and 45,000 pages of testimony, a special auditor finally determined that the company was at fault because the tank used had not been strong enough to hold the molasses. Nearly $1 million was paid in settlement of the claims.
#20
The Tailgate / Today in history 1-14
Last post by remrogers - January 14, 2026, 12:30:56 PM1973
Jan 14
Miami Dolphins win Super Bowl VII to cap NFL's only perfect season
On January 14, 1973, the Miami Dolphins achieve something no NFL team has repeated: a perfect season. Despite a gaffe by kicker Garo Yepremian that has earned its own place in history, the Dolphins hold on to beat Washington, 14-7, in Super Bowl VII, capping a 17-0 season.
The Dolphins, 10-3-1 the previous season, were the defending AFC champions. Despite being blown out by the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl VI, they were early favorites to win the relatively weak AFC East. Miami survived close calls with the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills early in the season and lost their starting quarterback, Bob Griese, to injury in Week 5.
With veteran backup Earl Morrall leading the offense, the Dolphins forged ahead, piling up wins and then turning heads with their 52-0 victory over the New England Patriots—head coach Don Shula's 100th NFL win.
The team benefitted from depth at running back, as Larry Csonka and Eugene "Mercury" Morris became the first teammates to rush for 1,000 yards each in a season. Shula pulled Morrall in favor of Griese midway through the AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, won 21-17 by the Dolphins in Pittsburgh.
Two weeks later, Super Bowl VII took place before 90,182 fans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Neither team's quarterback played well—Griese passed for only 88 yards, and Washington's Billy Kilmer set a Super Bowl record by throwing three interceptions.
Shula and his kicker nearly combined to ruin the perfect season with a decision the Miami head coach later admitted was based on his desire to cap a 17-0 season with a 17-0 win.
With just over two minutes left, instead of going for it on fourth-and-4 in Washington territory, Shula had Yepremian attempt a 42-yard field goal. The kick was blocked, and Yepremian's attempt to salvage the play resulted in a fumble, which cornerback Mike Bass returned 49 yards for a touchdown.
"I shoulda just fallen on the ball," Yepremian told reporters. "I shoulda ate it, but I made a mistake."
Dolphins safety Jake Scott, who had two interceptions, was named MVP of the game.
The Dolphins were the first team to reach the Super Bowl with a perfect record. The second team to do so, the 2007 Patriots, rode an 18-game winning streak into Super Bowl XLII but lost that game, 17-14, to the New York Giants.
Jan 14
Miami Dolphins win Super Bowl VII to cap NFL's only perfect season
On January 14, 1973, the Miami Dolphins achieve something no NFL team has repeated: a perfect season. Despite a gaffe by kicker Garo Yepremian that has earned its own place in history, the Dolphins hold on to beat Washington, 14-7, in Super Bowl VII, capping a 17-0 season.
The Dolphins, 10-3-1 the previous season, were the defending AFC champions. Despite being blown out by the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl VI, they were early favorites to win the relatively weak AFC East. Miami survived close calls with the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills early in the season and lost their starting quarterback, Bob Griese, to injury in Week 5.
With veteran backup Earl Morrall leading the offense, the Dolphins forged ahead, piling up wins and then turning heads with their 52-0 victory over the New England Patriots—head coach Don Shula's 100th NFL win.
The team benefitted from depth at running back, as Larry Csonka and Eugene "Mercury" Morris became the first teammates to rush for 1,000 yards each in a season. Shula pulled Morrall in favor of Griese midway through the AFC Championship Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, won 21-17 by the Dolphins in Pittsburgh.
Two weeks later, Super Bowl VII took place before 90,182 fans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Neither team's quarterback played well—Griese passed for only 88 yards, and Washington's Billy Kilmer set a Super Bowl record by throwing three interceptions.
Shula and his kicker nearly combined to ruin the perfect season with a decision the Miami head coach later admitted was based on his desire to cap a 17-0 season with a 17-0 win.
With just over two minutes left, instead of going for it on fourth-and-4 in Washington territory, Shula had Yepremian attempt a 42-yard field goal. The kick was blocked, and Yepremian's attempt to salvage the play resulted in a fumble, which cornerback Mike Bass returned 49 yards for a touchdown.
"I shoulda just fallen on the ball," Yepremian told reporters. "I shoulda ate it, but I made a mistake."
Dolphins safety Jake Scott, who had two interceptions, was named MVP of the game.
The Dolphins were the first team to reach the Super Bowl with a perfect record. The second team to do so, the 2007 Patriots, rode an 18-game winning streak into Super Bowl XLII but lost that game, 17-14, to the New York Giants.