This Week in History- February 17th – February 23rd

(2000s – Present) Late-Night Watching: Jimmy Fallon Joins the Tonight Show, 2014

 

The Tonight Show is one of the most popular late-night television shows, and on February 17th, 2014, Jimmy Fallon became the new host. After a long television career as a cast member on shows like Saturday Night Live, Fallon took over from Jay Leno as the host of The Tonight Show. Fallon brought a new style to the show, revamping it with an emphasis on recurring comedic bits and sketches throughout its episodes.

The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa published a multi-page feature in honor of Jimmy Fallon stepping into his new role as the host of The Tonight Show. They described him as “the least tortured comic in show biz”, and provided a small biography of Jimmy’s life and career leading up to this point. They share how Jimmy was a very smiley kid, always running and happy, and how that is still true today. The writers share their excitement for the “boyish enthusiasm” that Jimmy Fallon would bring to the show, and back this up by sharing some of their favorite performances he gave on other shows. I found this feature to be a fun look at the life of the television host, and is worth the read for any fans of The Tonight Show!

(1980s – 2000s) Mammal Mania: First Genetically Cloned Sheep, 1997

 

Cloning is a concept that seems so far from reality, exclusive to science fiction like flying cars. However, we are closer to understanding the processes of cloning than ever before. The first successful mammal cloning was revealed to the world on February 22, 1997, in the form of a fuzzy little lamb. Named after the country music star Dolly Parton, Dolly the sheep was grown entirely from a cell of an adult sheep.

In The Gazette, published in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on February 27th, 1997, columnist Mike Duepree expressed his concerns about the news of Dolly the sheep. He expressed that there would undoubtedly be difficult ethical discussions surrounding the news that genetic cloning was in fact possible. He explains that while this is a scientific breakthrough, many are worried about the implications it would have on human technology. Would people try to clone humans? Is there an ethical way to do so? What impact would this have on our society? Mike then predicts how the issue will go down, beginning with a serious guess that cloning will be banned altogether, and slowly transitioning to less serious predictions like Al Gore being cloned several hundred times.

My initial thoughts on this matter stem from the environmental science classes I have been taking, which is that this sounds like a more advanced version of artificial selection. The process of artificial selection is when humans decide which traits are genetically favorable to pass on to the next generation. This can range from choosing tomato plants that produce more than others to breeding dogs to look a specific way. However, the research that led us to Dolly was not simply focused on isolating and encouraging the reproduction of a particular trait, but rather on introducing new genes that would then be passed hereditarily. 

As Dolly grew older, she began to suffer from arthritis, a condition that is common in mammals both human and animal alike. Despite its commonality, Dolly’s condition raised questions about the health effects that genetic cloning had. The cause of her arthritis was never found, and with the help of anti-inflammatory medication, Dolly returned to her normal sheep life. That was until there was a larger concern on their hands– tumors– which had plagued another genetically cloned sheep. A sheep named Cedric had died from an incurable disease that caused the growth of tumors in his lungs. Almost 2 years after Cedric’s death, Dolly began to show signs of potential tumor growth, and a CT scan confirmed that their worst fears were true. The team of scientists and veterinarians who were tasked with her care made the difficult decision to put her to sleep to prevent needless suffering, and Dolly passed at the young age of six (about half the expected lifespan of a sheep). Nonetheless, Dolly greatly impacted our biological knowledge in her six years of life and has advanced genetic research greatly. 

(1945 – 1980s) Fighting Back: Malcolm X Assassination, 1965

 

When we talk about the civil rights movement, our focus lands primarily on figures like Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, Ruby Bridges, The Little Rock Nine, and more. And rightfully so, the individuals on that short list had major roles in the fight for equality. There is another figure who played an important role but is often overlooked for less peaceful rhetoric. Malcolm X was a figurehead for much of the ideology in the civil rights movement, more specifically among black youth. He was an advocate for race pride and economic self-sufficiency, encouraging other people of color to fight for their equality. 

Likely part of the reason we do not learn much about Malcolm X is that he was and continues to be a controversial subject. Many argue that he was too violent, too critical, too divisive. Dr. King was one of his critics, speaking against the notion that violence is the answer to injustice. On the other hand, some will argue that the anger Malcolm X expressed was justified after years of mistreatment. Regardless of where you stand on Malcolm, it is undeniable that his work had a significant impact on the Civil Rights Movement. Like Dr. King would be three years later, Malcolm X was assassinated for his activism on February 21st, 1965. 

I found a few interesting pieces from the Guernsey Memorial Library CHA which painted a clear picture of the mindset many journalists had regarding the civil rights movement at this time. One article was published the day after Malcolm was assassinated, and described how he had “a life full of crime and hate”. What particularly stood out to me was the clear stereotyping of African Americans when the author wrote that Malcolm “learned the city negros ways…[and] went from peddling marijuana…to large scale burglaries to keep a dope habit”. This statement is a blatant example of the harmful racial stereotypes that circled the media, where Americans who weren’t white were labeled as dangerous and criminals, while their white-collar counterparts were not. Another article criticized a “communist Chinese newspaper” for arguing that the assassination of Malcolm X was linked to segregation in the United States. They mention that the article failed to acknowledge Malcolm’s assassin was another man of color as if that completely erased all links that Malcolm X had to the civil rights movement. While the cause of his assassination most directly links to his conflicts with the Nation of Islam, it is undeniable that his activism in the civil rights movement played a significant role in his death and the lack of sympathy for it. These articles really put into perspective for me how much negative rhetoric can impact the reader’s opinion. The parts they chose to emphasize, like the fact that the assailant was another person of color, change the message readers take away about what happened. 

Instantly recognizable and one of the most iconic photographs from World War II is “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima”. Captured by Joe Rosenthal, this image is centered on four American soldiers raising an American flag after capturing the island. So many of us know this picture, which is from the Second World War, but are unfamiliar with its story. 

The Battle of Iwo Jima began on February 19th, 1945 as the United States launched an amphibious invasion of the island. Iwo Jima was a point of interest for the American forces as it held two airfields that would be beneficial in upcoming battles on the Pacific front. Before troops landed, an effort was made to weaken the Japanese forces on the island, but their attempt was hindered by a lack of resources and poor weather. On February 19th, 1945, The Newark Evening News published the headline “Yanks Reach Iwo Airfield From Two Mile Beachhead”, describing the start of the invasion. The scene is described as having wave after wave of reinforcements as they battled their way through the island, some even facing Japanese troops who were hiding out in caves in between shots. They emphasized through their ever-supportive word choice that while the Marines faced heavy fire, they believed the Americans could win.  The conflict was one of the bloodiest in the history of the Marine Corps, with large casualty numbers on both sides. The island had rough terrain, making an already difficult battle even more challenging. Despite the setbacks, the American forces secured control of the island on March 26th, 1945, after killing or capturing almost 21,000 Japanese soldiers. Their victory did not come without a cost, as the Americans lost approximately 7,000 marines, and over 19,000 more were wounded. 

The victory in Iwo Jima was a significant gain for the Allied forces on the Pacific front. With its two airfields strategically close to mainland Japan, the island became an important step in future invasions. Not only did it help the military strategically, but it also brought renewed confidence in the strength of American forces. The image of the soldiers raising the flag was included in important rhetorical conversations, promoting a sense of patriotism and united strength both in troops overseas and citizens back home. 

Did you know that during the Civil War, there were technically two American presidents? Abraham Lincoln was the President of the United States and the leader of the union. Jefferson Davis was the first and only president of the Confederate States of America, a group of states that had seceded from the rest of the country most commonly referred to as simply the Confederacy. 

Born in Kentucky, Davis spent most of his life in Mississippi, even becoming a plantation owner for some time. Before his ‘presidency’, he had served in both the United States Senate and House of Representatives. He was also the US Secretary of War from 1853-1857. His run in politics before the confederacy ended when he resigned from the senate Mississippi’s secession from the United States. Upon his return, he was unanimously elected the President of the Confederate States of America. He then traveled to Alabama’s state capitol, where he was inaugurated on February 18th, 1861. He picked a member from each state of the confederacy to serve in his cabinet, and just two months later the Civil War began. 

During the war, it seems that the confederacy regarded his administration positively. In The Louisiana Democrat, I found a page published in Alexandria, Louisiana on September 10th, 1862, which shared thoughts on the current state of the trust in the president. The author writes “No man on this continent is so well adapted by nature and training to the presidency of this confederacy as Jefferson Davis”, a clear endorsement of his qualifications. They discuss how Davis spent much of his career in the public eye, recounting his victory in previous battles and emphasizing his fitness for the role. 

We all know that the war did not go in favor of the Confederacy, and thus Jefferson Davis was both the first and last president of the Confederacy. After the war, he was indicted for treason but never faced trial for his role in the conflict. He was released from prison on bail by some of the wealthiest Americans, including robber barons like Cornelius Vanderbilt. He lived out the rest of his life before passing away on December 6, 1889, from bronchitis complicated by malaria.

I hope you enjoyed learning something new about familiar topics! Join me again next week to discover more of history’s hidden gems and timeless tales.