According to my west coast brother today is "National Unicorn Day," "National Pimento Cheese Day" and "Jenkins' Ear Day." I do like unicorns so I am happy to celebrate their day; Pimento cheese not so much. Pimentos should stay in olives where they belong.
As far as Jenkins' Ear is concerned. That little misunderstanding led to nine years of war. On April 9, 1731, Spanish coast guards sailing off the coast of Florida boarded British captain Jenkins ship, the Rebecca, accused Jenkins of smuggling and cut off his left ear with a threat that the same could happen to the British king. Jenkins took his pickled ear back to England, delivered his message to the king and parliament stirred up public outrage against the Spanish. For this and other reasons Britain declared war against Spain in 1739. The fighting went on until 1748, in the Caribbean and off the coast of Florida. The most serious consequences of this war were that King George was ousted as King of England and Great Britain temporarily ceded Georgia to Spain. So now you know about the War of Jenkins' Ear. If you're wondering, as I am, why we never heard of this in high school US History classes, I suspect it was over-shadowed by a little conflict we call the Revolutionary War.
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