Histortweet Week in Review - W/E August 8, 2009

[SFX: CHURCHBELL] Greetings, History Lovers! Welcome to This Tweet in History, the Week In Review, podcasting to you on tape delay from our North American Studios.

Here are your top stories for the week ending August 8, 2009:

[SFX: SOUND827]World: DATELINE Japan, August 6, 1945: Unprecendented destruction as Enola Gay drops A-Bomb Hiroshima: http://bit.ly/12Wabe
The Back-Story:
[SFX: Japanese Monks] In a devastating exclamation point to World War II, the lone bomber, Enola Gay, named after the pilot’s mother, flew over Hiroshima, a city chosen because of a favorable weather forecast, and unleashed “Little Boy,” the first atomic weapon ever deployed in combat, making good on an ultimatum, that was ignored by the Japanese government. All told, as many as 140,000 died in the blast, and another 80,000, in Nagasaki days later, before Japan announced its unconditional surrender.

[SFX: SOUND827]Technology: DATELINE The Moon, August 2, 1971. 1971 – Scott and Irwin, dune buggying on the moon, turn up the Genesis rock: http://bit.ly/14mseq [SFX: Fly me to the moon]
The Back-Story:
[SFX: Everyone’s gone to the moon] While Neil Armstrong may have walked on the moon, his successors tooled around in moon buggies. These were no joy rides, though: They were there to work. On August 2, 1971, astronauts David Scott and James Irwin were off on a mission to find a specimen from the primitive lunar crust, the first material to solidify from the moon’s molten outer layer. After roaming for an hour, taking pictures, they had their eureka moment and returned home with the Genesis rock. [SFX: It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown].

[SFX: SOUND827]In Other News: DATELINE Italy, August 9, 1048: [SFX: Kyrie] Brixen’s Bishop goes from Poppo to Pope to the grave in 23 days: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04614a.htm
The Back-Story:
[SFX: Mo Money Mo Problems]After the death of Pope Clement II, the Tusculan faction asserted their power to have Benedict II restored to the papacy. He, in the words of the Catholic dictionary, “disappeared entirely from history” after 8 months. Henry III, apprised of Clement’s death, appointed Poppo, Bishop of Brixen, and, upon the removal of Benedict, Poppo was enthroned as Damascus II. A short 23 days later, Poppo was dead, victim of malaria or poisoning, depending whom you believe..[SFX: Poison]

[SFX: SOUND827]This week’s birthdays:[SFX: In the Club]
August 2: Novelist James Baldwin
August 3: Singer Tony Bennett
August 4 The President of the United States, Barack Obama
August 5: First Man on the Moon Neil Armstrong
August 6: Artist Andy Warhol
August 7: Archaelogist Louis Leakey
And August 8: Polar Explorer Matthew Henson

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