“First Medal of Honor” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” - This Day in History – Feb 13th

First Medal of Honor awarded

Back in 1861, the First Medal of Honor award was given to assistant army surgeon, Colonel Bernard J.D. Irwin for his volunteered action to rescue Second Lieutenant George N. Bascom from Chiricahua Apaches. 

History.com commented that, “Irwin and 14 men, initially without horses, began the 100-mile trek to Bascom's forces riding on mules. After fighting and capturing Apaches along the way and recovering stolen horses and cattle, they reached Bascom's forces on February 14 and proved instrumental in breaking the siege.”

This battle started the first of the Apache wars due to engaging against Cochise, the Chiricahua Apache chief.  History.com acknowledged that, “although Irwin's bravery in this conflict was the earliest Medal of Honor action, the award itself was not created until 1862, and it was not until January 21, 1894, that Irwin received the nation's highest military honor.”

Director Ang Lee scores 10 Oscar nominations with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Back in 2001, the Hollywood film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon proved golden for director Ang Lee who scored 10 Oscar nominations. 

History.com stated that the premise of this movie is, “based on the traditional Chinese martial-arts genre known as wuxia, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon starred Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh as warriors in 19th-century China, during the Qing dynasty. Kept apart by honor, the two yearn for each other even as they become involved with a heated drama surrounding two younger lovers, played by Zhang Ziyi and Chang Chen. Aside from the touching love story at its center, the film boasted incredibly beautiful scenery, haunting music and--last but by no means least--elaborate battle sequences, with fighters flying through the air and performing other impossibly acrobatic feats. The film’s fight choreography was by Yuen Wo-Ping, who directed the action sequences in the blockbuster hit The Matrix (1999).”

Mr. Lee’s director skills helped to give Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon the title of the highest grossing foreign-language film in American history with its proceeds of $100 million worldwide and $60 million in the U.S.

All History facts provided from the link below:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/league-of-nations-recognizes-perpetual-swiss-neutrality?catId=16