Hirschi Law Group PLLC

August 12 - 18

This Week in History
Night of the Murdered Poets

August 12, 1952 - Under the orders of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin 13 prominent Jewish intellectuals were executed in the basement of the infamous Lubyanka  prison in Moscow. Known as the Night of the Murdered Poets, the massacre was a precursor to stepped up persecution of Soviet Jews. The murdered intellectuals were members of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee, which, ironically, was tasked with bolstering support for the Marxist ideology and the Soviet movement. Despite their loyalty to communism and the Soviet Union, Stalin  began to see the Committee's international work as a threat. Beginning in 1948 members of the Committee were arrested on charges of espionage and treason. For the next several years they were incarcerated in Lubyanka were they were tortured, beaten and held in isolation before they were tried and executed for their alleged capital offenses.

Check Please!

Roosevelt SigningAugust 14, 1935 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the United States Social Security Act into law, creating a government pension system for the retired, widowed and disabled. The program has been controversial throughout its 75-year history but has come to be seen as a right by many of those receiving benefits. The first benefits under the new program were paid out in 1937 and averaged $24 per year to the 1.3 million recipients. In comparison, nearly 51 million individuals received Social Security benefits in 2008, with the average payment of $12,089 per year.

Shipping Short-Cut

Panama Canal construction

August 15, 1914 - The Panama Canal officially opened to shipping traffic. The first to make the 48-mile trip was the cargo ship SS Ancon. The concept of building a canal across the Isthmus of Panama dates back to 1534, when the King of Spain ordered a survey for a route through Panama that would ease the voyage for ships traveling to and from Spain and Peru. Construction on the canal was started by the French in 1880, who attempted to build the entire canal at sea level. However, after 13 years and more than 22,000 deaths from malaria and yellow fever, the French abandoned the project. In 1903 under the leadership of President Theodore Roosevelt the United States secured the rights to build the canal from the newly independent government of Panama. American construction began in 1904 and was completed in 1914, two years ahead of schedule. Unlike the French design, the Americans used a series of locks and dams to move ships through the canal. In 1999 the United States turned over control of the canal to Panama pursuant to a controversial 1977 treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter. The average toll for a ship to cross the Panama Canal is $54,000. The most expensive toll ever charged was $331,200, charged on May 16, 2008 to the cruise ship Disney Magic. The least expensive toll ever charged was 36 cents to American adventurer Richard Halliburton, who swam the canal in 1928.

Jazz Genius

August 17, 1959 - Jazz legend Miles Davis released his highly acclaimed album Kind of Blue, which went on to become not only the best-selling jazz record of all time but also what many regard as the greatest jazz album of all time. The album's influence on music extends beyond jazz and includes rock and classical music. In October 2008 the Davis's masterpiece was certified quadruple platinum, meaning more than 4 million copies have been sold. To hear a clip of Davis's magnum opus click here.

"Death solves all problems -- no man, no problem."

- Joseph Stalin

Heath is Listening to

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue

Miles Davis
Kind of Blue

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