Welcome back to another installment of the Watercooler, RedState’s daily Open Thread! Today, we’ve got…

Weird News

• Jan. 4’s blizzard blew a historic landmark building in Maine into Canadian waters. Maine wants it back, but Canadians say “your history, our firewood.”
• Weird German traffic: Someone hit you? Hit ’em back!
• Geezer Thieves Strike Again: this time, in Arizona!
• Surprising discovery on prized pirate treasure: BOOKS!

This Week In History

• Sunday, 1/14: Connecticut adopts first written constitution, 1639; Treaty of Paris ratified, 1784; Casablanca Conference begins, 1943; NBC’s Today show debuts, 1952
• Monday, 1/15: Vermont declares independence, 1777; USS President captured, 1815; Coca-Cola incorporated, 1889; Super Bowl I, 1967
• Tuesday, 1/16: Virginia enacts Jefferson’s religious-freedom statute, 1786; Pendleton Act establishes modern Civil Service system, 1883; Prohibition ratified, 1919
• Wednesday, 1/17: Battle of the Cowpens, 1781; Thurston overthrows Hawaiian government, 1893; Desert Storm begins, 1991
• Thursday, 1/18: Ely makes first shipboard aircraft landing, 1911; Boston Strangler convicted, 1967; DC mayor Barry busted for drugs, 1990
• Friday, 1/19: First major CSA loss at Mill Springs, 1862; Senate votes down League of Nations, 1920; US-Japan Mutual Security Treaty signed, 1960
• Saturday, 1/20: Senate authorizes lease of Pearl Harbor for Navy base, 1887; FDR marks first Jan. 20 (20th Amendment) inauguration, 1937; MLK Day first observed as Federal holiday, 1986

Today’s Birthdays: Founding father Benjamin Franklin, 1706; filmmaker Carl Laemmle, 1867; airman-engineer Glenn Martin, 1886; actor James Earl Jones, 1931.

Holidays Around the World: The Spanish island of Menorca celebrates its National Day, and the city of Patras in Greece kicks off Patras Carnival today.

This Week In History is compiled with assistance from History.com and Wikipedia. Something interesting not listed here? Please share in the Comments section–this is an Audience Participation Encouraged featurette.

Gratuitous Gun Giveaways

• *American Handgunner magazine, for a Les Baer Premier II longslide 1911 or SCCY CPX-3 .380 pistol package: http://americanhandgunner.com/giveaway/
• *Guns Magazine, for a Ruger Mk IV scoped .22 target pistol, Devil Dog Arms RIS-15 AR-pattern rifle or Auto-Ordnance 1911BKOW WWII-style .45 pistol package: http://gunsmagazine.com/giveaway/
• Davidson’s Gallery of Guns, for an ATI replica WWII MP40 or 9mm AR15 pistol: https://ggg.galleryofguns.com/
• Aero Precision, for a custom AR15: http://gvwy.io/kcq7rcw
• GrabAGun, for a Springfield TRP Operator 10mm 1911 pistol: http://grabagun.com/giveaway
• Springfield Armory, for a Saint 5.56mm AR15 pistol and two XD-S Mod.2 compact .45s: http://www.springfield-armory.com/resources/giveaways/

*Note: FMG Publishing giveaways require you to provide an FFL dealer’s info at entry. Aero Precision giveaways give me one entry each per person who uses my referral link.

Quote of the Day

I cannot remember if I’ve used this one previously, but it seems relevant to goings-on right now so I’m dropping it anyway.

“There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit.”–Ronaldus Maximus

As always, the Watercooler is an Open Thread. And as so eloquently coined by ntrepid, “Thanks for the click! Your effort helps fund future posts of this nature.”

“It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong.”–Voltaire

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