A Brief History On September 7th, 1533, in what had to ironically have been one of the most disappointing births in history, the future Queen Elizabeth I of England made her grand entrance onto the world and political stage. Digging Deeper The first article of this series on the Six Wives of Henry VIII discussed the possibility that Catherine of Aragon might have lied about being a virgin at the time of her marriage to Henry. This article focuses on the consequences of Anne Boleyn denying Henry sex and what might have happened had she not. By divorcing Catherine of…
Author: Beth Michaels
Beth Michaels
Beth Michaels attended a private college in Northeast Ohio from which she earned a Bachelor’s degree in German with a minor in French. From there she moved to Germany where she attended the University of Heidelberg for two years. Additional schooling earned her certifications as a foreign language correspondent and state-certified translator. In her professional career, Beth worked for a leading German manufacturer of ophthalmological medical instruments and devices as a quality representative, regulatory affairs manager, and internal auditor.
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A Brief History On September 1st, 1914, Martha, the last known passenger pigeon, was found dead in her cage by her keepers at the Cincinnati Zoo. Digging Deeper Now extinct, passenger pigeons were once the most abundant bird in the entire world. Native to North America, it is estimated that there were 3-5 billion of them when Europeans first arrived. Today their closest living relative is the smaller mourning dove. Their demise was caused by deforestation and the commercialization of their meat. Losing more and more of their natural habitat, they were easy game for hunters. Their numbers already dwindling…
A Brief History On August 31st, 1997, Princess Diana died in a Paris hospital after being involved in an accident in which the car she had been riding in had been chased down and harassed by paparazzi before crashing into a wall and pillar of an underground tunnel. Digging Deeper This article discusses less the actual circumstances of the crash and its aftermath and more the impact Diana’s death had on the author of the article. Just a teenager at the time, the author had grown up with Princess Diana being omnipresent. From the time Diana got married as the author was a baby…
A Brief History On August 22nd, 1902, Helene “Leni” Riefenstahl was born in Berlin, Germany. Thirty years later she would meet Adolf Hitler, the man who helped her become the greatest female filmmaker of the 20th century, but that association would nearly destroy her as well. Digging Deeper A talented teenager, Leni (pronounced “Lay-Nee”) was enrolled in dance and ballet classes. She gained a reputation on the Berlin dance circuit and became a popular entertainer. Injuries to her feet and knees, however, threatened the future of her dancing career, so she transitioned into acting. She went on to have a prolific run as…
A Brief History On August 18, 1587, Virginia Dare was born in the Roanoke Colony in what is now North Carolina. Each year the current residents of Roanoke Island celebrate her birthday with an Elizabethan Renaissance Festival. Digging Deeper Whereas the date of death is often known for many famous people throughout history, their births were mostly insignificant and thus not recorded. For Virginia the exact opposite is true. As the first child born to English settlers on the North American continent, her birth is important. This is largely where her story also ends. In fact it is unknown if and when…