Today in History
What went down and why you should care.
jan 16 Learn More Operation Desert Storm Announced
On this day in 1991, Operation Desert Storm was announced by the White House. So why was the coalition effort codenamed Operation Desert Storm and not Operation Ninja Blizzard or Operation Thunder Buttons? It's all about public relations. General Norman Schwarzkopf originally wanted the sobriquet Operation Peninsula Shield. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said "Nope. Give us something clearer, tougher, more inspiring—something that will sound absolutely divine when it's mentioned on CNN 8 million times!" Peninsula Shield became Desert Shield, the codename for the first leg of the Gulf War...and the rest is history. We're still holding out hope for Operation Thunder Buttons, though.
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