This day in history July 17, 2019
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Started by metmike - July 16, 2019, 10:05 p.m.

Read about history and pick out a good one.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_17


1984 – The national drinking age in the United States was changed from 18 to 21.


This one is interesting for me, growing up in the Detroit Michigan area and turning 18 in 1974:

U.S. history of alcohol minimum purchase age by state

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._history_of_alcohol_minimum_purchase_age_by_state

Michigan?21[7]1972:
Lowered to 18 in 1972 (Jan 1)[50]
1978:
Raised to 19 in 1978 (Dec 3)[51][52]
1978:
Raised to 21 in 1978 (Dec 21), 18 days later.[8]
First state to raise age to 21 since it was lowered


I used to joke that they lowered the drinking age to 18 for me, then had to raise it back up to 21 a few years later because of people like me. 

After dropping the age to 18, drunk driving fatalities and incidents of 18-20 year olds went way up. Luckily, I didn't cause any fatalities but was pretty out of control with my alcohol use(abuse). 

It did seem sad that young people risking their lives(many dying) in the Vietnam war at 18,  in the 1960's would come home and not be able to drink beer legally. 

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By carlberky - July 17, 2019, 2:11 p.m.
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1944   – World War II: At Sainte-Foy-de-Montgommery.[1] in Normandy Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was strafed by allied aircraft while returning to his headquarters.

After the failed plot to kill him, Hitler knew that having Rommel branded and executed as a traitor would severely damage morale on the home front. He thus decided to offer Rommel the chance to take his own life.

Burgdorf informed him of the charges and offered him three options: he could choose to defend himself personally to Hitler in Berlin, or if he refused to do so (which would be taken as an admission of guilt), he would either face the People's Court—which would have been tantamount to a death sentence—or choose a quiet suicide. 

In the former case, his family would have suffered even before the all-but-certain conviction and execution, and his staff would have been arrested and executed as well. In the latter case, the government would claim that he died a hero and bury him with full military honors, and his family would receive full pension payments. Burgdorf had brought a cyanide capsule.

The official story of Rommel's death, as reported to the public, stated that Rommel had died of either a heart attack or a cerebral embolism—a complication of the skull fractures he had suffered in the earlier strafing of his staff car. To strengthen the story still further, Hitler ordered an official day of mourning in commemoration. As previously promised, Rommel was given a state funeral.