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

Weird News

• Convict escaped prison in 1981, finally caught… thanks to his mother’s obituary.
• Gym shuts down over bomb scare. Cause? The name of a wireless access point.
• Want some tarantula on your burger? Me, I’ll just stick to charred beef…
• Capitalism in Communism: Karl Marx’s birthplace cashes in on his 200th birthday with everything from bearded, manifesto-carrying rubber ducks to portrait-bearing novelty Zero Euro banknotes.

This Week In History

• Sunday, 4/15: Congress ratifies peace with Britain, 1783; General Electric formed, 1892; Robinson breaks MLB color barrier, 1947
• Monday, 4/16: Rush-Bagot Treaty fixes US-Canada border, 1818; Porter runs Vicksburg gauntlet, 1863; Texas City disaster, 1947
• Tuesday, 4/17: Battle of Plymouth, NC, 1864; Ford Mustang rolled out, 1964; Apollo 13 splashdown, 1970
• Wednesday, 4/18: Revere’s Midnight Ride, 1775; Great SFO Quake, 1906; Doolittle Raid, 1942
• Thursday, 4/19: Battles of Lexington and Concord, 1775; USS Iowa gun-turret explosion kills 47, 1989; OKC bombing, 1995
• Friday, 4/20: Lee resigns from Army, 1861; war declared on Spain, 1898; Detroit Tiger Stadium and Boston Fenway Park open, 1912
• Saturday, 4/21: Battle of San Jacinto, 1836; first observance of Secretary’s Day, 1952; Seattle World’s Fair opens, 1962

Today’s Birthdays: “Cliffs Notes” creator Clifton Hillegass, 1918; politician Henry Hyde, 1924; actor James Woods, 1947.

Holidays Around the World: Japan celebrates Invention Day and Poland observes Coma Patients’ Day. It’s also InternationalDay For Monuments and Sites.

In Memoriam: War correspondent Ernie Pyle, killed in action on Ie Shima today in 1945.

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, or KRISS .22LR AR-pattern rifle: http://gunsmagazine.com/giveaway/
• Davidson’s Gallery of Guns, for a Walther PPQ Q4 TAC or PPQ M2 SC 9mm pistol: 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.

A Request To The Readership

Since the Watercooler is your Open Thread, what kinds of stories would you like to see more of? I have a Gear Review or two coming, but they can’t be finished for press until I can get out to the range.

Public Service Announcement for “Sanctuary State” Residents
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Quote of the Day

Rest satisfied with doing well, and leave others to talk of you as they please.–Pythagoras

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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