Trivia Page of Wireclub. (Page 228)

chronology: Ali versus George Forman.

With this being Black History Month, no mention can be more memorable than Muhammad and George Formans fight in the Congo Republic back in 1974.

It is still called 'the greatest sporting event of the 20th century' . One quarter of the worlds population watched the fight live on TV. In Great Britain, over half the entire population of the country watched it live on the BBC.

Ali was the surprise winner of the fight, he was widely expected to be beaten by the devastating punches of George Forman. Ali won by a knockout in the 8th round.

chronology: Beware Friday the 13th.

This date in 1307 probably the biggest scandal ever in the history of France begins with the mass arrests of the Knights Templar.

The Knights were accused of everything from witchcraft to sodomy to blasphemy.

The Trials created indignation across Europe with people denouncing them as malicious targeted accusations. However some people supported the French Authorities in their actions saying the Templar's had become drunken debauched backslider's.

To this day people in France still argue over the Templar's attest and execution. Most historians agree with the Vatican's view of the accusations against the Templar's at the time. The Vatican believed the Templar's may have been guilty of debauched lifestyles, but the accusations of Devil worshipping and witchcraft were unproven.

Zanjan: "The Knights were accused of everything from witchcraft to sodomy to blasphemy."

Yeah, and what does that say about the guy who commissioned these monks, making them ALL Knights in the first place? If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a boss who wont let the employee do their job; same person who throws them under the bus.

They can't pull the wool over our eyes that easily.

chronology: Interesting comments as ever Zan

chronology: This date in 1974 Norman Mailer walks with a constant dread in Zaire.

Along with many American Media Elite Norman Mailer was in Zaire for the big fight of the century between Ali and George Foreman.

Norman Mailer would watch George Foreman training and could almost feel the powerful punches Mr Foreman smashed into the Training bag. 'You could almost feel the power of those punches as they smashed into the training bag. Thump...thump.....thump. the impact just traveling across the gym. Just one of those punches would have smashed the average man's rib cage' he recalled later.
Most of the American's in Zaire at the time feared Ali would be destroyed by George Foreman to such an extent he would never fight again. They even feared he would be killed. But Mr Mailer also watched Ali's training. 'He was condensing both art and Metaphysics, dancing around the gym' remembered Mr Mailer, but he recalled how Ali never once looked at the deep dents left in the training bag.

Around the world hundreds of millions of people eagerly awaited the big fight with almost tangible excitement. But for Mr Mailer each day he felt dread as the fight approached.

You can see the event on'When we were King's' the DVD.

chronology: The British are coming.

This date in 1910 British dare devil Claude Graham White lands his biplane on the streets of Washington DC.

Americans however rather than charge him with any offences decided to cheer him on. But Officials is Washington DC made it clear they did not want the City being used as a landing strip.

chronology: So long Germany.

U.S. Military beginning pull out from Europe. Europeans have mixed feelings about the American military in Europe. Like all people they do not enjoy traffic jams caused by troop convoys, they also don't enjoy the noise of high power American jet's. But most European folks know that the USA packs more firepower than any other Nation on earth and is a real base for stability in Europe. So with Europe happy to have American Forces resident, and Americans happy to protect Europe, why are American service's beginning to pack their bag's? The reason is all the red ink in American Government books. The U.S.A. just doesn't have the money any more. And Mr Trump doesn't mind telling Europe that American taxpayers can't keep picking up the Bill for European defence. So he has cut back on U.S. Forces in Germany.

It is hoped that Germany will pick up the slack and deploy, or at least purchase more jet fighters and recruite more troops. But Germany has among the world's highest pension for elderly citizens, and first rate health care systems. Any cuts to them to pay for a increase in military spending will not be popular. Raising taxes may be the only solution.

Folks in Germany are probably missing the United States military already.

Zanjan: Germany is paying for the US troops to be there; they've spent 1.1 billion dollars over the last decade to cover those costs but the US President says it's not enough and was demanding more, saying that Germany needs to increase its defense budget.

Germany didn't want them to go because it benefits from Americans spending there. Up until now, it's been a win-win deal.

If the USA can't find a wealthier country to buy their services, they'll face massive employee layoffs. It's not like America has any work for them at home.

chronology: Don't know Zan. I always said that the attitude in the Middle East to Western military is a real tragedy. The United States could provide peace keeping forces there paid for by the super rich Oil countries. But people in those countries just go postal every time Western troops set foot on what they call their sacred soil.

Fair enough, but the United States Navy could have a carrier fleet there paid for by locals. It would provide stability and prevent these wars breaking out.

Right now you have pirates hijacking shipping, people taking pot shots at super tankers, and now and then wars breaking out like in Yemen.

Even Russia, awash with billions in Oil money could not protect peace in the region. Moscow had to scrap two of it's super submarines a few year's ago because there the costs of safety refits would have amounted to it's entire defence budget.

Zanjan: Russia didn't scrap the subs - they sold them to Canada, which has the UN's Peace Keeping force.

America wasn't in Germany to keep peace - the troops did a fair bit of construction but the coun try was a strategic military location for sending fire to the Middle East. Now, they've lost that.

I agree, they could be used for so many other things, if sombody pays them - just not at home. Personally, I'm all for letting these countries tear themselves apart - they're older than we are so can find a way to govern themselves eventually. We only need to prevent the 'infection' from escaping that bubble.

chronology: I think we are talking about different submarines Zan. Not even the U.S. Navy could afford to refit the Russian super subs. To safety refit each sub would cost 5 billion dollars each, thats 10 billion, it would cost even more in Canada.

They are awsomne Boats, never call a sub a ship, but even so, even the Pentagon would think them way out of the price range.

chronology: Zan, just checked. Russia only has one Typhoon Class submarine left in service, and that is in permanent Dry Dock, too expensive to refit, and too dangerous to sail.

chronology: Heads up Breaking Bad Fans.

El Camino will be out on DVD and Blu Ray on 2 November. So you can pre order to receive a copy when it is out. Fans are swamping the On Line Stores with Pre Bookings.

You can watch the movie right now on Netflix, but some fans will only watch the film on their Home Cinema.

Fractured fairy tale: Germany Is More of a strategic Base For America Agaist Russia , wasn"t it Zanjan they stll haven"t left , like So many places Go in under the Guze of "peace keeping" But Really There Strategic Bases to Rule the World

Fractured fairy tale:

Zanjan: I wouldn't bother with the 'what ifs' on the outcome of war because there's no real victor. War is always a lose-lose situation plus an embarassment to mankind's intelligence. It's not a board game, it's the result of massive human failure in governance.

Everything that happened in the 20th century will stand out on mankind's *total* history, past and future, as the crucible of hard-learned lessons and genuine innovation. No other century can or will ever match it because it reflects humanity's painful and awkward emergence from puberty.

chronology: Zan. Don't know, people have a habit of forgetting experience. In 600 AD there was the biggest explosion ever since Humans have walked on this planet. It threw up so much dust that it shaded out the sun for a year creating abnormally cold weather and crop failure. Virtually all memory of that event was lost, it was only rediscovered in this century. The mass starvation and weather chaos brought with it the Black Death in Europe which came close to wiping out Europeans combined with the mass starvation.

Yet people in Europe only remembered the plague.

Let's hope that never happens in our lifetimes again Zan. The super explosion changed wind patterns for a decade, and you can kiss goodbye to Solar power for at least 2 year's.

chronology: Joe Biden still favourite to win U.S. election.

Bookmakers are placing Joe Biden as a clear winner in the imminent American elections, but take nothing for granted.

Ms Clinton may have been disappointed with loosing the 2016 , but the Stateswoman was no where near as disappointed as the millions of gamblers who had backed her to win. Billions of dollars were lost around the world by punter's who thought she would walk the election.

After the wipe out in the last election, gambler's are being careful, but Mr Biden seems most likely at the moment. It is a complete turn around from January when Mr Trump was the unbeatable stallion on grass.

Bets on American elections are often high end bets which see gambler's placing a hundred thousand dollar bet. But billions of dollars will be staked on the election.

Bookmakers are savvy folks. They are also among the most poker faced people in society, but it would be fair to assume right now they are pretty nervous. Mr Trump is unpredictable, and Americans have been mostly unpredictable in their voting. But bookmakers know they face Big time wins or losses in a few weeks.

chronology: This date in 1917 Mata Hari is executed in France after being found guilty of Spying.

Newspapers in France had carried sensational stories of how Mata Hari was personally responsible for the death's of 50000 French soldiers and the loss of the honour of France.

However today she is virtually recognised as a scapegoat for the Allie's defeats in battle. According to British record's declassified 3 year's ago she was definitely innocent of the charges she was accused of.

chronology: Cash Landrum case. Bewildering still.

While most people have been pretty unkind to Betty and Vicki, the two witnesses of a strange event in Texas in 1980. At least one man anyway has been a little more charitable to the two ladies.

First what did the two ladies report seeing that December in Texas? Well they said they saw a UFO being escorted by a number of U.S. helicopters.

One man at least has another take on what was seen. A UFO? no, he is convinced that the two ladies in Texas actually were seeing a Top Secret exercise being planned to rescue Americans in Iran at the time.

He believes that the dazzling bright object was a payload on a sling beneath a helicopter, and the other chopper's were part of the rescue mission.

It seems to have been some kind of Top Secret Operation run by the Army or Navy that was planned to be used against the fanatics in Iran at the time.

He believes the two Texas ladies may have been affected by some kind of sonic device designed to disorient people without harming them.

But we will never know. That kind of Top Secret stuff just stays Top Secret. If you asked a Navy SEAL he would probably just give you a blank look.

chronology: Kamala Harris is forced to return home during exhausting campaign visits due to Covid.

Ms Harris has had to return home to California after an Aid tested positive for Covid. The Vice President nominee has been traveling hard to support the Democrats campaign, but even politics has to obey health restrictions rules.

But there will be little rest for Ms Harris at home. An endless schedule of Web based meetings and strategy talks with fellow Democrats late into every night awaits her there.

GOP members are also battling Covid threat's to get their message over. Mr Trump remains the centre of all political attention at the moment. Right up to the election Day he is the Master Showman.

chronology: Airship America sets off this date to attempt the first powered air crossing of the Atlantic in 1910. Ships Mascot Kiddo the Cat went along too.

The attempt had to be abandoned due to bad weather. The crew and Kiddo were rescued at sea.

These were heddie days for Airship attempted Flight's. An Italian Airship a few year's later became the first to fly over the North Pole. But the two man crew spent most of their time over the Pole patching up the airframe which was being ripped apart by chuncks of ice being thrown off the propellers.

Hats off to the early American and Italian Adventures wirreclubbers. And let's not forget Kiddo the Cat. The first American feline to fly out over the Atlantic.

chronology: This date in 1928 Germany's giaganatic Airship the Zeppelin fly's over New York City after completing the first successful Atlantic crossing.

The Airship became a symbol of Germany's Aviation excellence and its ability to operate such complex international business.

chronology: Still no sign of Katherine.

Katherine is a sassy American girl who likes fish and has thousands of Twitter fans. She hangs out on the East Coast mainly, which is normal as she is a Great White shark.

Katherine was tagged with GPS Tracking around 4 year's ago and was delighting her fans as she roamed America's East Coast. But about a year ago thousands of her devoted pals on Twitter were saddened when nothing was heard of this American Twitter Icon as she roamed the Atlantic Ocean. Her Twitter chums presumed the worst. But then early this year there were a few pings from her Tracking, Katherine was still alive well off the coast of the Carolina's. But since then silence.

She can live to around 75 years old, so there is plenty of life left in her yet. But her Twitter fans around the world are hoping to hear from her at least a few more times just to know she is safe and swimming.

chronology: This date in 1998 General Pinochet is arrested in London by British Police acting on an Spanish Arrest Warrent.

The General had been a regular visitor to Great Britain and had been a frequent guest of Lady Thatcher, Britain's former Prime Minister.

The Arrest Warrent had been issued by Spain to begin Extradition to Spain for the General to be placed on Trial for the suspicion of having murdered Spanish Human Rights Activists.

United States Authorities also issued Papers for the General to be questioned regarding accusations of Cocain trafficking and money laundering.

In Chile there was outrage at the arrest and demands made that the General be released. However Great Britain's House of Lords ruled that the General could be detained in England until Spanish extradition negotiations be resolved.