This is an historic day (even more than usual)

In 413 BC, troops from Syracuse (no, not New York - the one on what is now Sicily) defeated the Athenians, which made Syracuse (Siragusa) briefly the center of the Hellenic empire. If you go to Siragusa, eat at the Medusa restaurant on the island of Ortygia. Those folks were really nice to us.

On this date in 1896, British troops battled some overmatched rebels in Zanzibar. The British had installed a territorial governor on the island a few years earlier, but some picky Zanzibarians objected. When they mounted a coup and took down the British-appointed government, the British decided the Zanzibarians had misbehaved badly, so they blasted the bloody hell out of the capital and took back the territory. The battle lasted 45 minutes (although some accounts put it closer to 30 minutes). Zanzibar is now a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania.

Then, on August 27, 1908, Lyndon Baines Johnson was born. Long story short: war cost him his job.

St. Paul's own Dave Frishberg wrote a song about Zanzibar.

Zanzibar was also the name of a funky little bistro in Red Wing, Minnesota. Alas, it closed a few years ago. Such is the march of history.

Prince visits Saint Paul (no, not that Prince)

On this day in 1948, Sweden's Prince Bertil was visiting Minnesota. He took the opportunity to unveil a bronze plaque in downtown St. Paul. The plaque honors Jacob Fahlstrom, allegedly the first Swede in Minnesota. A fur trader who arrived in the 1820s, Fahlstrom settled near Afton (20 miles due east of St. Paul on the banks of the beautiful St. Croix river) where he died in 1859. The plaque should probably be in Afton but convenience (especially for visiting royalty) trumps historical accuracy.

To commemorate the commemoration, here is one of my favorite songs.