Fraternity-Testvériség, 1966 (44. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1966-12-01 / 12. szám

FRATERNITY

9

ALEXANDER SÁNDOR ASBOTH, HUNGARIAN-AMERiCAN SOLDIER

On December 18, 1811 — 155 years ago — Alexander Sándor Asboth, soldier and statesman, was born in Hungary. An officer in the army of Lajos Kossuth, the leader of the unsuccessful Hungarian revolution of 1848, Asboth, after a period of exile in Turkey, came to America with Kossuth, aboard the United States warship Mississippi, settled in this country and became a citizen. When the Civil War broke out, he offered his services to the government, was appointed General Fremont's chief of staff, and served brilliantly throughout the Civil War. Breveted a major-general in 1865, he was appointed minister to the Argentine Republic the same year. Asboth died in Buenos Aires in 1868 from the effect of wounds received during the war.

WASHINGTON'S RETREAT ACROSS THE DELAWARE

On Christmas eve, December 24, 1776 — 190 years ago — George Washington, after suffering military setbacks in New York in the early stages of the Revolutionary War, retreated across New Jersey and crossed the Delaware River. The American cause was at a low ebb. Washington’s main army, reduced to 3,000 men, seemed about to disintegrate. It now appeared that the British could easily march on Philadelphia. Congress moved to Baltimore. In this discouraging situation, Washington made a dramatic move that ended an agonizing campaign in a blaze of triumph. On the stormy night of December 25-26, he recrossed the Delaware, surprised the Hessian mercenaries of the British army at Trenton, and captured 1,000 prisoners. This brilliant move enabled him to occupy a striking position in central New Jersey, whereupon the British ceased offensive operations and pulled back to the vicinity of New York. America’s hopes revived and made victory ultimately possible.

THE FIRST RADIO BROADCAST

On December 31, 1906 — sixty years ago — Lee De Forest made the first successful use of his new invention, the audion vacuum tube. The experiment proved that the human voice, as well as the Morse code, could be transmitted by wireless. Scientists of many countries, including Branly of France, Hertz of Germany and Marconi of Italy, contributed their genius to the development of the radio tube. Of course, since that day sixty years ago, great strides have been taken in the development of wireless communication, bringing the daily miracle of radio to its present high state of development.