INSIDE:

No summer—Frost and sleet in June are not especially rare in certain places. But Summer 1816 was . . . different.

Whatever
happened
to Leon Trotsky?

Wisconsin's
many spellings.

The Taj Mahal, India's lavish tomb.

Washington
Seasons of Bleakness
Before the Victory

Gen. George Washington had almost as much trouble contending with his own army as with that of the British during the American Revolution. His legendary crossing of the icy Delaware River and capture of the Hessian garrison at Trenton, NJ, on Christmas morning, 1776, wasn't the kind of maneuver he particularly favored. Nor was he at all certain of victory. True: He had 2,400 troops against Col. Johann Rahl's 1,550 Hessians. But the enemy were the fixed defenders. They were professional, ruthless, highly effective warriors, supported by artillery. Total surprise, Washington knew, was his only hope—not just for victory in this single battle, but for averting defeat in the overall struggle for independence. Hungry, sick, ragged, freezing and unpaid, many of his soldiers were ready to give up. Two days before the attempt at Trenton, Washington wrote that "dire necessity will, nay must, justify our attack."

Happily, Rahl's force indeed were surprised. Although of nominal value strategically, the victory was a desperately needed boost to patriot morale. Washington had quieted his critics . . . for a little while.

Til the end of the Revolution, maintaining the spirits of the Continental Army—at times, maintaining an army at all—was a daunting challenge for the commander-in-chief. It continued after the war had been all but won. In Spring 1783, long after Lord Cornwallis' decisive surrender at Yorktown, Washington and his main army were headquartered in Newburgh, NY, waiting impatiently for the peace treaty to be concluded in Paris. By then, some of his men had not been paid for six years. They were poorly clothed, poorly fed and eager to get on with their lives. They wanted to march on the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, with Washington at their head, and demand fair treatment. Many historians believe Washington at that moment in history could have made himself the "American Napoleon," if he'd been so inclined. Instead, he delivered his famous Newburgh Address. Donning his spectacles, which few people ever had seen him wear, he stirred overwhelming sympathy as he pleaded modestly for patience. Hardened soldiers wept at the pitiable sight of their aging, vision-impaired leader. The new nation's future as a democracy, not a dictatorship, was secured by a pair of granny glasses.

The Great Blithering Antiquity Quiz: January/
February

1) India's capital, New Delhi, was built in what century?
a) 2nd
b) 9th
c) 14th
d) 20th

2) True or false: Walter Piston (1894-1976) was an innovator in automotive mechanics.

3) In World War I, the SPAD biplane was developed by what country?
a) England
b) Russia
c) France
d) USA

4) According to Greek legend, Cassandra was the disappointed princess of what domain?

5) True or false: Mongol hordes never raided India.

CHECK YOUR ANSWERS

Logical "Defy"-nitions

Drop an egg from a helicopter 600 feet above the ground. It should splatter. Nevertheless, two men in 1974 dropped one from just that height. The egg sort of bounced and rolled, not breaking. Those who believe in absolute logic attribute this to the forward motion of the helicopter and, in consequence, of the egg. (That would be the Bowling Ball Principle, which explains why repeated assaults with heavy bowling balls don't destroy the wooden lanes.)

How many hands can you shake in a day? A thousand? Three thousand? Six thousand? Six thousand hands in, let's say, a 15-hour handshaking day (skipping lunch) would be 400 per hour, or one every nine seconds. This is about enough time to grin and say affectionately, "Hi. Nice seein' ya today. Now go away." (Forget mentioning the weather or asking about the spouse and children.) The world handshake record is believed to be held by President Teddy Roosevelt, who greeted exactly 8,513 well-wishers at the White House on New Year's Day 1907. Now, let's do THAT math: If he shook for 18 hours (not just 15) and skipped both lunch AND supper (unlikely), he would have greeted 473 people per hour. (About long enough for "Hi. Nice seein' ya today. Now. . . .") Perhaps this is partially why we think of him as the "bully" president.

Stilts—how tall can they be made and maneuvered effectively? Would you believe 21 feet? Those were the ones worn by an Englishman named Harry Sloan (died 1971).

Finally, we generally think of judges as comparatively old individuals (reflecting, we hope, experience). Just how long might one of them logically be expected to preside? Probate Judge Albert R. Alexander of Missouri defied judicial logic. He retired in 1965, going on 106 years old.