You Did What__ Mad Plans and Great Historical Disasters - Bill Fawcett [34]
The road to the White House had been rugged, and the candidate had given his all in hard-drinking, glad-handing, in-the-trenches campaigning, and even though he contended “I am not the old man on crutches nor the imbecile they say I am,” he was nonetheless sixty - five - plus years old and hadn’t really been paying attention to his health, leaving him quite drained, exhausted, and frail once the election was over.
Still the president-elect realized that it was the projected image that had won him the office, and he swore to himself that he would do his darnedest to maintain it.
The American people had not elected a frail old man.
They had elected a robust and rollicking war hero, and that was whom they were going to see take the oath of office.
Inauguration Day arrived, and with it a bout of bad weather. It was rainy, and when it wasn’t actually raining it was cold and damp.
But William Henry Harrison knew that first impressions counted, and this was his first opportunity to impress the American people as their new president. So, in an effort to show his fearlessness against the elements, the new president removed his hat and his coat despite the inclement weather, and proceeded to deliver one of the longest inaugural addresses in the history of the presidency.
He got an overwhelming ovation.
He also got a cold.
By the time he arrived at the presidential residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, he was completely worn-out and beset by chills, with a fever on the way. He ordered an alcohol rub and promptly went to bed.
The next day, however, there were favors to repay, and the White House was besieged by job seekers all hoping to receive some presidential appointment in exchange for all of their hard work. Harrison met with them, sometimes around the clock, and as he continued to strengthen his political ties, his own health deteriorated.
The Inauguration Day cold blossomed with every passing, exhausting day and in no time at all was a full-blown case of pneumonia.
Exactly one month after Harrison’s fearless display of heartiness and fortitude, the new president was pronounced dead from his respiratory infection.
The brave war hero was no match for the infection, nor was the actually frail old man a worthy opponent for the most basic common cold or a bit of chill and dampness in the air.
The bravado of the candidate resulted in the shortest presidency in American history.
You Set Loose What?
Some mistakes end in horrible consequences. Others go unnoticed. But most noteworthy are those mistakes that continue to reverberate and annoy millions for more than a century.
THOMAS AUSTIN AND THE GOVERNORS OF AUSTRALIA
AUSTRALIA, 1859
Keith R. A. DeCandido
Rabbits were introduced modestly to the continent of Australia when it became a dumping ground for British convicts in the eighteenth century. The First Fleet’s manifest in 1788 included one stallion, three mares, three colts, two bulls, five cows, twenty-nine sheep, nineteen goats, forty-nine hogs, twenty-five pigs, eighteen turkeys, twenty-nine geese, thirty-five ducks, one hundred twenty-two fowls, eighty-seven chickens — and five rabbits. More were brought to Sydney in 1791 aboard the Gorgon via South Africa, and others no doubt came in that have since gone unaccounted for.
These and other rabbits that were imported did not cause any major difficulties — at first. In the early part of the nineteenth century, rabbits were introduced to New South Wales, Tasmania, and even to their own island — a small island off Wilson’s Promontory was dubbed Rabbit Island since, according to accounts, two black-furred rabbits were left there by what one sailor called “a praiseworthy sealer,” and proceeded to overrun the island. By 1846, according to one account, whalers used to go to Rabbit Island for sport and food. Attempts were even made to breed them.
The dam broke in December 1859, thanks to an English tenant farmer named Thomas Austin of Barwon Park, Winchelsea, near Geelong. Austin had made a fortune in Australia and wished to have