On 30 April, 1975, the last troops and refugees were evacuated from Saigon, and the hideous failure known as the Vietnam War officially ended. I was a sophomore in high school. I remember this picture being circulated all over the news: people rushing (many in vain) to get out of Saigon before it fell to the North Vietnamese army.

Aircraft carriers were docked on the shore to accept all the refugees being flown in every hour. They didn’t have enough room on the carriers for all the people, so they ditched the choppers in the ocean.

My uncle Fred was a Marine and saw active duty over there. I remember my mother baking cookies to send to him. Earned a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. He could never talk about it. I can only imagine his nightmares…

If you want to see a truly disturbing, realistic account of what Vietnam did to men, rent The Deer Hunter. It was no slouch film: it won Best Picture at the Oscars the following year. But prepare to be shaken up. As I mentioned in a post awhile back, I had trouble sleeping for several nights after seeing it at the theater. The horror those guys experienced is something the more fortunate of us (the lucky ones who stayed stateside) can never hope to grasp.

American death toll: 50,000. The degree to which livelihoods and families were obliterated in one way or another: unfathomable.

When you have time, this story is amazing.

Twenty-two years ago tomorrow, the worst nuclear disaster in history took place in the Ukraine.

At around 1:00 a.m. on 26 April, 1986, a test of one of the reactors at the Chernobyl nuclear plant failed. The water used to cool the reactors began to get increasingly hot — close to boiling. In spite of the many red flags indicating that the test should be aborted, engineers continued.

Then, at around 1:23 a.m., a huge power surge occurred. Engineers called a shutdown to the test, but it was too late. A buildup of energy, increasing exponentially every few seconds, caused Reactor #4 to explode, spewing untold amounts of nuclear fuel and graphite into the atmosphere. Fires were everywhere; people were incinerated.

The reactor suffered a total meltdown. [Click pictures for larger views.] The main operator in charge was somehow rescued and taken to a Moscow hospital. With the exception of one small spot, his entire body was soaked in radiation. When he died, they buried him in a coffin lined with lead.

The Chernobyl explosion produced more radioactive contamination than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki — combined. The cities of Chernobyl and Priyapat (at one time, a thriving town of 50,000) are still deserted, 20+ years after the explosion.

As you might guess, the aftereffects have been ugly and long lasting, and children are the most affected.

Tumors, deformities, and other maladies plague many of the residents. Thyroid cancer runs rampant.

Although the death toll was officially listed at 50, estimates of the total dead in the Ukraine and Belarus as a result of the Chernobyl disaster could reach another 140,000, according to Greenpeace International. Even more horrifying: the Ukraine is once again planning to build nuclear reactors.

Unbelievable.

Just found this photo blog – amazing pictures of what is left of the city after 20 years.

Ok, last depressing post until Monday. Promise.

Ok, fiends. Lately, I’ve been reading Philippa Gregory’s series on the wives of Henry VIII, king of England from 1509-1547. I’ve never been much of a fan of historical fiction, but I’m enjoying these books a lot.

How much do you know about Henry Tudor, besides the fact that he had six wives? Here are some Fun Facts for your perusal:

Item: He wanted to divorce Catherine of Aragon (his first wife) so he could marry Anne Boleyn. The Pope said nothin’ doin’, so Henry simply broke ties with Rome and appointed himself head of the Church in England so he could have his way. Nice.

Item: Henry was a germophobe, and with good cause. “The sweat,” a flu that killed tens of thousands, scared the willies out of him, so he constantly went “on progress” from one castle to another during the hot summer months, trying to outrun the sickness. He succeeded.

Item: He is depicted as a bloated, nasty curmudgeon, gnawing on a big ol’ turkey leg, ordering people around and having folks beheaded. Actually, he was at his worst only in his later years, due mostly to a nagging leg wound that never healed, and, um…bowel issues. He also had a 52-inch waist, which exacerbated all the other problems. However, as a young man, he was very athletic, fit,  energetic, fun, and handsome. And boy, was he busy in the lady department…

And now, for your pleasure:

The Six Wives of Henry VIII — In Sentence Fragments

Meant to be Read Quite Fast

Catherine of Aragon – Daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain. Married to Henry’s older brother, Arthur. Arthur croaks. Henry marries Catherine. Married 20-some years. One daughter (Mary) but no sons. Lots of miscarriages. Henry wants out. Wants Anne Boleyn. Petitions Pope for divorce. No go. Tells Rome to take a dive. Divorces Catherine but keeps Mary. Catherine dies alone and penniless, while Henry parties with Anne. Cold.

Anne Boleyn – Strong willed. Argues lots with Henry but gets her way. Too big for her britches. Gives birth to daughter (Elizabeth I), but Henry wants sons. Later miscarries a son. Big mistake. Henry wants out. Wants Jane Seymour. Must get rid of nasty Anne. Trumps up charges (adultery, treason, incest). Off with her head.

Jane Seymour – Cute. Young. Doesn’t argue. Henry likes that. Pregnant at the time of Anne’s execution. Marries Henry directly after. Gives him long-awaited son (Edward VI). Henry ecstatic. Jane dies 12 days later. Henry inconsolable. Mourns for 2 years.

Anne of Cleves – German princess. Not too bright. Ugly, too, apparently. Henry sees her for the first time after marriage deal is made. Freaks. Marriage never consummated. Henry worries she won’t give him a divorce. He’s wrong. And happy. Divorces Anne but bankrolls her for life, treating her like a beloved sister. Maybe she not so dumm after all…

Kathryn Howard – 18 years old. Henry: 50. [Eww.] Nearly illiterate, but pretty. And “experienced.” Henry marries her anyway. Kathryn not satisfied with aging 300-pound ogre with gimpy leg. Has affairs. Gets caught. Convicted of adultery at 21 years old. Chop. Head in basket.

Katherine Parr – Widow. Engaged to Thomas Seymour (Henry’s ex bro-in-law). Henry proposes instead. She accepts. Nurses the old man in his ill health. Henry dies. Katherine is free. Marries Seymour. Dies after delivering a baby girl. Bummer.

And there you have it. Have a delicious Wednesday. That reminds me…I gotta go to the bakery this morning.

Fink out.