"Abyssinia, Henry" is the 72nd episode of the M*A*S*H television series, and the final episode of the series' third season. First aired on March 18, 1975, and written by Everett Greenbaum and Jim Fritzell, the highly rated episode was most notable for its shocking and unexpected ending. The plot of the episode centers on the honorable discharge and subsequent departure of the 4077th MASH's commander, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Blake (played by McLean Stevenson). The highly controversial ending to the episode, which has since been referenced and parodied many times, prompted an estimated 1,000-plus letters to series producers Gene Reynolds and Larry Gelbart, and drew fire from both CBS and 20th Century Fox. After the production of this episode, both Stevenson and Wayne Rogers, who played the character of Trapper John McIntyre, left the series to pursue other interests. These combined departures and their subsequent replacements signaled the beginning of a major shift in focus of the M*A*S*H series as a whole. (more...)

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_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1229:

Sixth Crusade: Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II crowned himself King of Jerusalem, although his wife Yolande had died, leaving their infant son Conrad as the rightful heir. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_II%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor

1314:

King Philip IV of France had Jacques de Molay , the last Grand Masters of the Knights Templar, burned at the stake. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_de_Molay

1892:

Canadian Governor General Lord Stanley of Preston pledged to donate what would become the Stanley Cup, today the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, as an award for Canada's top-ranking amateur ice hockey club. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Cup

1906:

Romanian inventor Traian Vuia became the first person to fly a heavier-than-air craft with an unassisted takeoff. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traian_Vuia

2005:

As per a court order, the feeding tube of Terri Schiavo, an American woman who suffered brain damage, was removed at the request of her husband, fueling a worldwide debate on euthanasia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terri_Schiavo_case

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

tribology (n): (physics, engineering) The science and technology of friction, lubrication, and wear http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tribology

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Courage was mine, and I had mystery; Wisdom was mine, and I had mastery;

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