Author: Dr. Zar

A Brief History Action thriller fans, here is your chance to be among the first in Cleveland to see The Foreigner before it opens in theaters on October 13, 2017. Digging Deeper The Foreigner, starring Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan, is a timely action thriller from the director of Casino Royale.  The film tells the story of humble London businessman Quan (Chan), whose long-buried past erupts in a revenge-fueled vendetta when the only person left for him to love — his teenage daughter — is taken from him in a senseless act of politically-motivated terrorism.  In his relentless search for the…

A Brief History From August 29-30, 1813, The Battle of Kulm was fought near the town Kulm (Chlumec) and the village Přestanov in northern Bohemia, during the War of the Sixth Coalition, part of the Napoleonic Wars. Digging Deeper 32,000 French troops under Dominique Vandamme attacked an army of about 50-60,000 Austrians, Russians and Prussians under Alexander Ostermann-Tolstoy.  The French were defeated with heavy losses on both sides.  The French lost some 5,000 killed or wounded and another 7,000-13,000 captured, including Vandamme, while the Austrian, Prussian, and Russian casualties and losses numbered around a similarly horrific 11,000 total.   For perspective, the…

A Brief History This article presents a timeline of American history since the Civil War.  Please click on any of the dates to learn more about that date’s events. Digging Deeper I. Reconstruction – 1865-1877 On July 21, 1865, a real life showdown resulting in face to face gunplay happened for the first time, the first of the classic duels we have come to know as a Wild West gunfight. On November 10, 1865, the long sad saga of the Camp Sumter prisoner of war camp located in Andersonville, Georgia finally came to a conclusion of sorts when the Camp Commandant, Confederate Major…

A Brief History Pursuant to the British North America Act, on July 1, 1867, the colonies of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia joined to form the semi-autonomous federal Dominion of Canada, which began an accretion of provinces and territories to the mostly self-governing Dominion to the present ten provinces and three territories forming modern Canada.  Fairmont.com commissioned 10 hand-drawn GIFs in the style of Canadian Pacific’s vintage travel posters, each of which represents a fun fact about Canada. Digging Deeper 10. Apology Act 9. Polar Bears 8. Coins 7. Mac and Cheese 6. Ogopogo 5. Sunshine Village 4. Maple…

A Brief History Thomas Parker, described by Lord Kelvin as “the Edison of Europe”, built the first practical production electric car in London in 1884, using his own specially designed high-capacity rechargeable batteries. Today, over 130 years later, data from WeBuyAnyCar.com in the UK reveals that owning an electric car will make perfect sense for the average driver by 2022.  This year is the tipping point for when it will become cheaper to power a car with a battery rather than gas. Digging Deeper Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Have you ever owned an electric car? If you liked this article and…