Today is Juneteenth! I’d heard of Juneteenth before but had no idea what it meant until I wiki’d it. It’s really important! On this day 153 years ago, U.S. Army Gen. Gordon Granger announced the end of slavery to a crowd at the Ashton Villa hotel in Galveston, Texas. The Emancipation Proclamation was signed in 1862, but the the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Courthouse wasn’t until April 9, 1865.  Texans didn’t find out that the war was over until that day in June of 1865. Pretty big deal!

Other historically significant events that happened to occur on June 19 include the introduction of the Nicene Creed in 325 at the First Council of Nicaea, one of Mussolini’s first arrests by Swiss police in 1903, and the execution of Emperor Maximilian I in Queretaro in 1867 by firing squad. None of that stuff is as good as Juneteenth.

Anyway, we’ve got a game tomorrow that’s pretty important. I’ll have the standard March to the Match fare ready to go, but suffice it to say, this is a big game. I can’t wait!