Browsing: August 26

A Brief History On August 26, 1970, the Women’s Liberation movement spearheaded by Betty Friedan held the Women’s Strike for Equality.  The event, under the auspices of the National Organization for Women (NOW), was held on the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, the amendment that allowed women in the US to vote. Digging Deeper The idea of the strike, which featured a 20,000 person demonstration in New York City, was to champion equal rights for American women vis a vis employment (both positions and pay), access to abortion, free child care, marriage rights,…

A Brief History On August 26, 1968, the Democratic Party began their National Convention in Chicago at a time of great unrest in the United States.  Between national angst over the course of changes regarding Civil Rights, race relations and women’s liberation, the divisive nature of the war in Vietnam, and a general activist and non-conformist wave that had swept the young people of America, the situation was ripe for problems, and problems they had! Digging Deeper A couple of other Democratic National Conventions likewise rank as embarrassments to the Democratic Party, and here we tell you a bit about…

A Brief History On August 26, 2014, we ran a list of 10 Extremely Effective Weapons That Don’t Require Gunpowder or Explosives.  This year, we will propose another 10 such weapons that have proven themselves on the battlefield or in self defense against people and animals.  (Note: The order listed has no significance.) Digging Deeper 10. Ram, 1st Use Unknown. Useful against enemy fortifications, this can be a simple log carried by 1 or more people and used to batter down doors, walls, vehicles, ships and anything else in the way.  For centuries, ships were equipped with rams on the…

A Brief History On August 26, 1883, the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa began its 2-day eruption that was so massive that its effects were felt around the world.  Krakatoa is also the name of the island the volcano is situated on.  The explosive eruption was so great that 2/3 of the island is no longer there. Digging Deeper Prior to the eruption, the island was about 9 kilometers long by 5 kilometers wide.  After the eruption, the remaining island was only 3 kilometers long by 5 kilometers wide.  The mighty blast was heard by people as much as 3,000 miles away.  There were 4…

A Brief History On August 26, 1346, at the Battle of Crecy, English archers proved the superiority of the English longbow over the combination of armored knights and crossbowmen fielded by the French.  There have been many weapons throughout history that did not need either gunpowder or explosives to be effective.  Here 10 such weapons are listed in no particular order.   Digging Deeper 10. Hands, Feet, Teeth, 1st Use Unknown. The absolute simplest weapons: hands, feet and teeth can be used to strike, kick or bite an opponent quite effectively, even killing him or it (if an animal). For example, just…