With Veterans Day/ Armistice Day approaching, here is Balladeer’s Blog’s handy guide to some differences and key players between World War One and World War Two.
WW I – Lasted from 1914 to 1918 *** WW II – Lasted from 1939 to 1945
WW I – America entered the war in April, 1917 *** WW II – America entered the war in December, 1941
WW I – Italy and Japan fought on the side of the Allied Powers *** WW II – Italy and Japan fought on the side of the Axis Powers
WW I – Germany, under Kaiser Wilhelm, led the Central Powers *** WW II- Germany, under Adolf Hitler, led the Axis Powers
WW I – Sinking of the Lusitania *** WW II – Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
WW I – The Allied disaster at Gallipoli *** WW II – The Allied disaster Operation: Market Garden
WW I – Douglas MacArthur is an American Commander in charge of the Rainbow Division in Europe *** WW II – Douglas MacArthur is Commander in Chief of the entire Pacific Theater of Operations
WW I – George S Patton is an American Cavalry Officer who eventually becomes a tank commander *** WW II – George S Patton is an American Army commander leading troops in North Africa, Italy and France Continue reading
*** Originally called the Escadrille Americaine, the unit had to drop that name when Germany, the Ottoman Turks and other Central Powers nations complained to the U.S. stating such a name indicated a violation of its official neutrality at that point in the war. The new name was the Lafayette Escadrille in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, the French aristocrat who served in America’s Revolutionary War. 
*** Two lion cubs became the escadrille’s mascots. The pilots named them Whiskey and Soda.
It’s a Monday current events roundup from 
REMINDER: 2014 – In the midterm elections of Barack Obama’s second term, the Democrats were massively blown out and lost SIXTY-THREE seats in the House and NINE MORE in the Senate. Republicans claimed Obama had been “rebuked for all time” and would be remembered as the man whose presidency was the nail in the coffin for leftism in America. FOR MORE REMINDERS OF RIDICULOUS OVERREACTIONS LIKE WHAT WE’RE SEEING THIS YEAR CLICK 
THE MAN FROM SATURN (1890) – By an unknown author. This work also appeared under the title Willmoth the Wanderer, a cutesy reference to the classic Melmoth the Wanderer. A young, unnamed American encounters Willmoth, a male humanoid who states he is from the planet Saturn and is hundreds of thousands of years old. 
NUMBER TWO TAKES A FALL – In NCAA Division 3, the number 4 UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN AT WHITEWATER WARHAWKS visited the 2nd ranked UW-PLATTEVILLE PIONEERS. A 7-7 1st Quarter tie became a 21-7 advantage for the Warhawks by the midpoint. The Pioneers made it a 21-14 game in the 3rd Quarter. UW-Whitewater held on in the 4th for a 24-21 victory
DOWN GOES NUMBER THREE – Up in NCAA Division 2, the 21st ranked AUGUSTANA (SD) VIKINGS welcomed the nation’s number 3 team – the MINNESOTA STATE MAVERICKS. By Halftime the Mavericks led Augustana 20-14 and 27-17 to end the 3rd Quarter. In the 4th, the Vikings charged back to win the game by a final score of 31-30. 
OKUNINUSHI – The Shinto god of medicine who eventually became the ruler of the Izumo area of Japan. Okuninushi lived in Izumo, which was under the control of the extended family of deities of the exiled storm god Susanowo.
ALL WINNERS COMICS #4 (Mar 1942)
HERE AT BALLADEER’S BLOG I USED TO RUN THIS ITEM EVERY FEW YEARS. IT’S ABOUT THE WAY BOTH MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES – AND MANY OF THEIR VOTERS – DRASTICALLY OVERREACT TO ELECTION RESULTS. The words below have reflected my effort to cheer up the losing party and temper the gloating of the winning party ever since 2012. Here we go: 
“THE REALITY: The Democrats GAINED congressional seats in the 1996 election and Bill Clinton won a second term by trouncing Republican Bob Dole.
THE MASTER MYSTERY (1918-1919) – The first film footage of Harry Houdini performing his stage act dates to 1907, but it wasn’t until this 15-part serial that he hit the big screen in a series of adventures. Chapter One of The Master Mystery debuted on November 18th, 1918 and starred Houdini as a federal agent named Quentin Locke. 
Every cliffhanger ending for the chapters of the serials involves a deathtrap which Houdini escapes from at the start of the following installment. 
