Welcome back to another installment of the Watercooler, RedState’s daily Open Thread! Today, we’ve got a double-barrel dose of This Week in History to make up for my unplanned absence last week.

Last Week In History

• Sunday, 3/25: Maryland settled, 1634; Cheyenne chief Little Wolf surrenders, 1879; Triangle Shirtwaist fire, 1911
• Monday, 3/26: Boston Gazette cartoonist coins “Gerrymander,” 1812; Iwo Jima declared secure, 1945; Vietnam Vets Memorial groundbreaking, 1982
• Tuesday, 3/27: Jefferson elected to Continental Congress, 1775; Japanese cherries planted along Potomac, 1912; FDA approves Viagra, 1998
• Wednesday, 3/28: Jackson censured, 1834; westernmost Civil War action at Glorieta Pass, 1862; Three Mile Island accident, 1979
• Thursday, 3/29: Grant kicks off Checkmate for the CSA with Appomattox Campaign, 1865; Patton takes Frankfurt, 1945; withdrawal from Vietnam, 1973
• Friday, 3/30: First use of ether anesthesia, 1842; Missouri Border ruffians invade “Bleeding Kansas” and force election of pro-slavery legislature, 1855; “Seward’s Folly,” 1867
• Saturday, 3/31: British close port in Boston, 1774; Japan opened to US trade, 1854; US buys Virgin Islands from Denmark, 1917; Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific RR shuts down, 1980

This Week In History

• Sunday, 4/1: First April Fool’s Day, 1700; Muhlenberg elected first Speaker of the House, 1789; Tombstone founder starts prospecting, 1877
• Monday, 4/2: Florida discovered, 1513; Wilson asks Congress to enter WWI, 1917; murder charges finally stick to “Teflon Don,” 1992
• Tuesday, 4/3: Privateers set to war against British shipping, 1776; first ride of Pony Express, 1860; Truman signs Marshall Plan, 1948
• Wednesday, 4/4: Washington marches for New York, 1776; Lincoln tours Richmond, 1865; North Atlantic Treaty (NATO) signed, 1949
• Thursday, 4/5: Mayflower departs Plymouth, 1621; Washington uses veto power for first time, 1792; Rosenbergs sentenced to the chair, 1951
• Friday, 4/6: New York Slave Revolt, 1712; Battle of Shiloh begins, 1862; American League first uses Designated Hitters, 1973
• Saturday, 4/7: First permanent settlement in then-Northwest Territory, 1789; Lewis & Clark break camp with Mandans and continue West, 1805; Teapot Dome, 1922

Today’s Birthdays: Dance teacher Arthur Murray, 1895; musician Muddy Waters, 1913; film-music composer Elmer Bernstein, 1922; actor Robert Downey Jr., 1965

Holidays Around the World: Senegal celebrates their Independence Day, Angola has Peace Day, and it’s Children’s Day in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

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 Springfield SAINT AR15 pistol package: http://americanhandgunner.com/giveaway/
• *Guns Magazine, for an Aero Precision M4E1 rifle, Midland Arms 4-shotgun family-pack, KRISS .22LR AR-pattern rifle: http://gunsmagazine.com/giveaway/
• Davidson’s Gallery of Guns, for a .22LR Ruger Precision Rifle or 9mm Ruger PC Carbine Takedown: https://ggg.galleryofguns.com/
• *Aero Precision, for a custom AR15: http://gvwy.io/mvr6mia
• GrabAGun, for a Ruger AR-556 5.56mm AR15: http://grabagun.com/giveaway
• Springfield Armory, for an M1A rifle or a package of an M1A SOCOM plus 9mm and .45 XD pistols: 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.

Public Service Announcement for “Sanctuary State” Residents
If you would like to report illegal aliens, please call Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at 1-866-DHS-2ICE (347-2423). They will need to know names, locations (either work place or residence) and any other specific information you can provide. Visit http://www.ice.gov for more information.

Quote of the Day

Too bad the only people who know how to run the country are busy driving cabs and cutting hair.–George Burns

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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