First Use Of “OMG”

First Use of “OMG”

September 9 1917, London–Although their relationship had become highly strained over the course of the Dardanelles campaign, Churchill and Lord Fisher remained close friends afterwards. Churchill even subjected himself to some political humiliation by making an appeal in Parliament to return Fisher to the Admiralty. The two maintained a regular correspondence, and on September 9, Fisher sent Churchill a short letter. Most of it discussed German naval preparations in the Baltic. With the fall of Riga, the Germans wanted to push north, putting further pressure towards Petrograd. To do so by land seemed relatively infeasible at the time, and Riga’s usefulness as a port was limited by Russian control of the large islands in the Gulf of Riga.

The Germans planned landings on these islands, with major assistance from large portions of the High Seas Fleet (brought through the Kiel Canal for the purpose). Although their exact plans were unknown, the movement of German ships and their intention to carry out amphibious operations north of Riga were well-known enough to appear in British papers. Fisher lamented that the Germans were poised to do with a small force what the British had not been able to do the entire war (despite Churchill’s plans):

We are five times stronger at Sea than our enemies and here is a small Fleet that we could gobble up in a few minutes playing the great vital Sea part of landing an Army in the enemies’ rear and possibly capturing the Russian Capital by Sea!…Are we really incapable of a big Enterprise?

Fisher concluded his short note with this line:

I hear that a new order of Knighthood is on the tapis–O.M.G. (Oh! My God!)–Shower it on the Admiralty!!

This is the first documented use of OMG as an abbreviation for “Oh My God” in the English language.

Today in 1916: Hindenburg & Ludendorff Discuss Full Economic War Mobilization Today in 1915: US Demands Recall of Austrian Ambassador for Fomenting Strikes Today in 1914: Lieutenant Colonel Hentsch Orders a German General Retreat

Germany Agrees to Sign the Peace Treaty

Gustav Bauer, German Prime Minister (Chancellor after the Weimar Constitution was adopted in August).

June 23 1919, Paris–After two tense days, President Ebert had finally managed to form a government under Gustav Bauer of the SPD, in coalition with Erzberger’s Zentrum party, on June 22. The National Assembly agreed that evening to sign the treaty, on condition that Sections 227-231 be struck; these were the clauses on Allied military tribunals for the Kaiser and German war criminals, and on “the responsibility of Germany and her allies for causing all the loss and damage to…the Allied and Associated Governments…as a consequence of the war imposed upon them by the aggression of Germany and her allies.”

The Allies quickly rejected this reservation, however: “The German government must accept or refuse, without any possible equivocation, to sign the treaty within the fixed period of time.” On the morning of the 23rd, they made it clear that there would be no further extension of the deadline; the scuttling of the German High Seas Fleet had hardened the Allied position. The outcome was only made clear once General Groener (Hindenburg having left him this thankless job) told the government that a resumption of the war would be “hopeless” and that the Army advocated that the treaty be signed. The National Assembly approved the treaty in full that afternoon, and by a broader margin resolved that the patriotism of those who voted for the treaty, in order to prevent an Allied invasion occupation of the country, would not be doubted.

Official word reached Paris at 5:40 PM, only 80 minutes from the deadline; a resumption of the war was only narrowly averted.

Sources include: Margaret MacMillan, Paris 1919.

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nchsman

5 years ago

Oddly, the game most prevalent in my country is one of the few that I don't play

Most popular Paradox game by country.

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nchsman

6 years ago

Jan 5 1919 Spartacist Uprising Or German Civil War Starts. Was Power Struggle Between The Moderate Social

Jan 5 1919 Spartacist uprising or German Civil War starts. Was Power struggle between the moderate Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the radical communists of the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) https://t.co/o4m2lLbv50 https://t.co/g3xJhIvRDz http://twitter.com/ThisDayInWWI/status/1081582664249790464

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nchsman

6 years ago

Both world wars were started by some Austrian guy being in the wrong place

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nchsman

6 years ago

Captain America on America

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nchsman

4 years ago

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nchsman

4 years ago

On this day 94 years ago, “Metropolis” (1927) premiered in Germany. The expressionist sci fi collaboration between Thea von Harbou and Fritz Lang remains one of the greatest achievements of the era of silent cinema and, indeed, of cinema in general.

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nchsman

9 years ago

That look, it says, someone is gonna get cut before this is over