Ozzy Loses It

Ozzy	In 2002, the Osbournes Series 1 was interrupted when Ozzy really lost it. Not the somewhat eccentric misbehaviour that powered the show, but lost it, lost it.
Ozzy had suffered a complete loss of sleep the night before. When he arrived on the TV set he look absolutely s-, well lets say the make-up artist was challenged. During the program he started to mumble, and then scream about a black figure in the kitchen with the family. It was crazy, just crazy talk, Ozzy was yelling like the loon he often pretended to be, but this time it was deadly serious.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 2001, Paul McCartney released Wingspan: Hits and History in conjunction with a prime time TV documentary simply called Wingspan. During the interview, McCartney explained the inspiration for forming a Christian band. Whilst all of the Beatles had embraced religion in some form, McCartney surprised many when he announced the decision in 1971. The band name came to McCartney as he was praying in the hospital while Linda was giving birth to their second child together, Stella McCartney.

Wings	Paul McCartney recalled in the film Wingspan that the birth of Stella was "a bit of a drama"; there were complications at the birth and that both Linda and the baby almost died. He was praying fervently and the image of wings came to his mind. He decided to name his new band "Wings".
Stella McCartney later asked her father if he was the same famous 'Paul McCartney' that she had heard about at school. He replied that there is a difference between the public McCartney and the private McCartney, who is "just this Christian kid from Liverpool".
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1945, five Japanese cities were destroyed by nuclear bombs dropped by Allied Planes operating from Free South Australia and New Zealand. Unconditional surrender swiftly followed, and that was when the real problems started.

~ variant from Steve Payne: extensive use of original content has been made to celebrate the author's genius.

In 1918, the timely action of patriots prevented the defeat of Great Britain from a Stab in the Back. During the Spring offensive, The Imperialist newspaper had revealed that 47,000 members of the British establishment were "deviants" secretly working for the Germans. Member of Parliament Noel Pemberton Billing led a successful campaign for "internment", in which citizens of German origin were imprisoned on the West Coast. This policy excluded the British Royal Family who had already fled the Country. The Kaiser was the grandson of Queen Victoria of Britain, and just the suspicion of confused loyalty forced the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (nee Windsor) to abdicate the throne and head for exile in Sweden.

~ entry by Co-Historian Steve Payne

In 2002, RM Muleuch's Twelve Legions of Angels the ghost of Keith Park levels with disgraced Air Marshall Hugh Dowding. To make a success of Big Wing, Dowding must lose the distraction of his loving family.

~ variant from Steve Payne: extensive use of original content has been made to celebrate the author's genius.

	In 1966, Ronnie Harran, the booker from the Sunset Strip Whisky a Go-Go club fired the Doors, terminating the house-band slot they had enjoyed "at the Mecca" since leaving "a pathetic little night club called the London Fog" (Ray Manzarek).
On this particular evening, Morrison didn't show up for the Doors' first set. The band played without him, with Manzarek and the others handling the vocals, but Whisky co-owner Phil Tanzini was furious and demanded Morrison be retrieved in time for the second set. The group found Morrison at his apartment, wearing only his underwear and tripping on acid, and tried to spirit him back to the Whisky by set time. Morrison was completely incoherent and mumbling some crazy “Oedipus Rex” talk about murderous and/or lewd acts with his parents. In hindsight, Ray Manzarek John Densmore and Robby Krieger were relieved that Morrison hadn't introduced the prose as an opening line to "The End". It was an accident waiting to happen. It always was with Jim.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

Castle Bonny	In 1943, movie critics gave a varied response to Castle Bonny which premièred two days before on Broadway. The film was directed by Michael Curtiz, and starred Cary Grant as Dick Blaine and Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund. The rekindled romance between Blaine and Lund was set during Great War II in the Nigerian city of ..
.. Port Harcourt, off the Bight of Bonny – then controlled by the Nazi Protectorate of Britain. Sidney Rosenzweig argued that the most important aspect of the film is its ambiguity, above all in the central character of Dick; he cites the different names which each character gives Dick (Richard, Dicky, Mr Dick, Herr Blaine and so on) as evidence of the different meanings which he has for each person.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1956, delegates of the European Monarchies continued to point #2 of the formal agenda for the Berlin 2 Conference. Most urgent of all was the Congo; an area the size of Western Europe, supplying uranium and secured by the smallest imperial power, Belgium. Security measures to be implemented by collaborative action on shipping ..	Spheres of Infl..
.. had been agreed. Privately, the British and French believed that their larger navies suggested a disproportionate responsibility would rest upon their nations for shipping. They believed that the Germans, with their greater land forces, needed to provide the ground troops for the security of the Congo. Trouble was, cause they trust the Germans not to pilfer the uranium? They had no choice.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

Elbrus	In 1942, on this day soldiers of a Gebirgsjäger (Mountain Troop) division attempted ..
.. to install a Nazi flag atop the Elbrus Mountain in the western Caucasus mountains. Myth held that here Zeus had chained Prometheus, the titan who stole fire from the Gods and gave it to ancient man. An eagle by the name of Ethon would pick at his liver; it would grow back each day and the eagle would eat it again. When news reached Adolf Hitler that a detachment of mountaineers was sent by the general officer commanding the German division to summit Elbrus and plant the swastika flag at its top, he reportedly flew into a rage, called the achievement a "stunt" and threatened to court martial the general. He need not have worried about punishment, Ethon had already taken care of that detail.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!

In 1976/1767, a greatly disorientated Alex Haley started to awake from a deep sleep. His senses were invaded by a strong smell of salt, which was not unusual whilst awakening because he often experienced flashbacks to his time as a Coast Guard Officer. Cold too. However what was definitely unusual and in fact ..	Middle Passage
.. impossible to dismiss was the sound of screaming and the agony of his wrists. Startled into full consciousness, Haley opened his eyes. He was in chains on board The Lord Ligonier, being carried to America to be sold into slavery. Oh my God.
~ entry by Steve Payne from Counter History in Context - You're the Judge!