A Brief History On April 7, 1141, the daughter of King Henry I of England, Matilda, became the first female to rule England when she had already been known as “Empress Matilda.” Why the title “Empress?” Because she was the “Holy Roman Empress, Queen consort of the Romans.” Digging Deeper Born in England around 1102, she was sent to Germany to become the child bride of Holy Roman Emperor Henry V. Widowed at the age of 23, her father married her to Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou, known as “The Handsome.” The “Game of Thrones” that was the English monarchy…
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A Brief History On April 6, 2017, President Trump ordered an attack against Shayrat Airbase in Syria. The 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles sent by the US impacted early on April 7th and killed about 16 Syrian troops while destroying between 9 and 20 aircraft and a SAM missile battery. Digging Deeper Those cruise missiles cost a cool $2 million apiece to deliver 1,000 pounds of explosives as far as 2,500 km away. Modern weapons are not cheap, and even private citizens are aghast at the cost of rifle and pistol ammo at their local sporting goods stores. Some weapons’ prices…
A Brief History Romantic sports comedy-drama fans, here is your chance to be among the first in Cleveland, Ohio to see Challengers on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at 7:00 PM at Cinemark At Valley View and XD on 6001 Canal Rd. in Valley View, OH 44125! For your chance to get a pass, please go to https://mgmscreenings.com/CHALLENGEHH24. Passes are first-come, first-serve. Only 35 pairs of passes are available. The theater is overbooked slightly to ensure a full audience. Therefore, seating is not guaranteed. So, please arrive early! Saving seats for other parties is prohibited. Digging Deeper From visionary filmmaker Luca…
A Brief History On April 5, 2007, Hellenic Cruise Lines ship MS Sea Diamond struck a reef in the Aegean Sea and sank, taking the lives of two passengers. The Sea Diamond was 469 feet long, displaced 21,000 tons, and could carry 1,500 passengers. Some other recent cruise ship disasters may make you leery of taking a cruise, and include the incidents described below. Digging Deeper In 2010, luxury cruiser Celebrity Mercury was hit with a norovirus outbreak that left hundreds of passengers with severe vomiting and abdominal ailments. In 2012, the Costa Concordia ran aground off Italy and sank, leaving…
A Brief History On April 4, 2023, Finland became the 31st member of the NATO alliance, a pact originally meant to counter the threat from the USSR, consisting of 12 European and North American nations. NATO continued to grow after the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, and several more nations are awaiting acceptance into the alliance, including Ukraine, with more nations considering applying for membership. Digging Deeper Back when the Cold War was still a thing, the communist bloc countered NATO with the Warsaw Pact, an alliance of the USSR and seven other communist states. The Warsaw Pact dissolved…