Author: Dr. Zar

A Brief History History’s worst war and its associated genocide is an dark chapter in human history overflowing with bizarre episodes.  This article presents a timeline of the most notable such incidents, some depressing and others inspiring! Origins of World War II On September 24, 1884, Hugo Schmeisser was born in Jena, in what was then the German Empire. On August 22, 1902, Helene “Leni” Riefenstahl was born in Southern Bavaria in 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…

A Brief History World War I (and the revolutions that occurred during it) was without any doubt one of the largest, deadliest, and most significant war in human history.  It was also not without its more bizarre and epic moments… A Prologue On March 28, 1910, aviation history was made when French aviator, Henri Fabre, made the first take off by an airplane from water in a seaplane of his own design. On October 9, 1911, an accidental bomb explosion in China lead to the ultimate fall of China’s last imperial dynasty. On April 17, 1912, Russian Imperial soldiers fired on a crowd of…

A Brief History This weekend, two epic films set during Greco-Roman history vie for box office dominance: 300: Rise of an Empire (total worldwide gross as of March 10, 2014: $132,850,000) set during the Greco-Persian Wars and Pompeii (total worldwide gross as of March 10, 2014: $78,168,000) set during the height of the Roman Empire, but how accurate are they historically speaking? Digging Deeper: 300: Rise of an Empire Quite a bit of well put together articles have addressed the factual accuracy and inaccuracy of 300 (see for example here and here), but less has been written about the prequel/sidequel/sequel…

A Brief History Earlier today, we showcased an article on the first Automatic Street Light, but did you know that this invention was just one of many invented by brilliant Ohioans?  So, let us list 10 famous inventions by Ohioans. Digging Deeper 10. Safety Hood type Gas Mask (1912) Garett Morgan was born in Kentucky of former slaves, but lived in Ohio after age 14.  His device saved many lives of firefighters and miners, and was the basis for the gas masks of World War I.  He also invented hair care products and a successful traffic control signal.  Because of…

A Brief History As you may have read earlier on our site today, on February 14, 269, Saint Valentine reportedly experienced martyrdom.   He is but one of numerous saints whose lives and/or deaths can be considered unusual or “cracked”.  Traditionally, Christians commemorate the saints with what is generally known as a Calendar of Saints, marking the various feast days of saints.  We shall do similarly by providing our own Calendar of Saints featured on History and Headlines.  Whether you are a Christian or not, the stories of these individuals are nevertheless quite fascinating!  And yes, we are posting two Saint…