That'll make your bull run!

July 21st

On this day in 1861 the first battle of Bull Run occurred 30 miles outside of Washington DC. It was the first major battle of the war and resulted in a Confederate victory. It was at this battle that General Thomas Jackson received the nickname "Stonewall" after staying steadfast at his position in the face of numerous Union charges. The retreat of Union soldiers was so unorganized that they left everything on the battlefield and ran all the way to the capitol.

On this day in 2007 I, along with many other nerds, waited in line for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final book of the series. I proceeded to read it in less than two days. The hype and antici...pation for the book was so huge that all over the world kids and adults alike were dressing up like wizards and witches while they waited to conclude this series.

Hey! It's Hemingway's birthday! No, not that crappy actress:

But the actual talent in the family. A man who knew his alcohol about as well as the Dos Equis guy, Ernest Hemingway was able to use his life experience to paint a very realistic portrait of life through his characters.