On this day in 1864, the destruction of Atlanta began. On November 11, 1864, on orders from Union General William T. Sherman, Union soldiers begin destroying all railroads, factories and commercial buildings in Atlanta, Georgia. Also on this day in in 1918, at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, the War to End All Wars ended. At 5 a. m. that morning, Germany, exhausted of manpower and supplies and faced with imminent invasion, signed an armistice agreement with the Allies in a railroad car outside Compiégne, France. Originally celebrated as Armistice Day, in 1954 it became Veterans Day in the United States when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation officially changing the name to honor all American veterans, not just those of World War I. And so today we honor all of those who have put their lives on the line defending ours. Also on this day in 1922, author Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. Vonnegut blended fantasy, science fiction and postmodernism is satirical novels like 1969’s “Slaughterhouse-Five”: a novel which came out of his own horrific experience being a prisoner of war in the city of Dresden, Germany when it was firebombed during the War That Proved World War I Was Not The War To End All Wars. Today’s video is Vonnegut’s brilliant explanation of the “shape of stories”. Digby’s Hullabaloo: Spelunking With Democrats. read more.
