Browsing: August 9

A Brief History On August 9, 1854, Henry David Thoreau published his book, Walden; or, Life in the Woods, a book about his life with nature and self-reliance, a reflective story of his own philosophy of Transcendentalism. Digging Deeper A leading proponent of Transcendentalism was Ralph Waldo Emerson, who along with Thoreau and other Americans decried the then current state of society in what they saw as senseless conformity and instead urged people to find their own individual way in the universe.  The Transcendentalists also developed an aversion to the institution of slavery. Emerson praised Plato, Moses, Jesus, Luther, Copernicus,…

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on August 9th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On August 9, 48 BC, Gaius Julius Caesar, known more familiarly to us as Julius Caesar or simply Caesar, won the Battle of Pharsalus in Central Greece against his arch enemy and former friend, Pompey, decisively winning the pivotal battle of the conflict known as “Caesar’s Civil War.” On August 9, 1854, Henry David Thoreau published his book, Walden; or, Life in the…

A Brief History On August 9, 2012, Shannon Eastin became the first woman to referee an NFL football game.  Like many professional football officials, she started out as a referee in high school and then college football games. Digging Deeper Eastin got her big break when the NFL and the referee union had contract troubles and the regular refs were locked out in 2012.  Some sports writers and the NFL Referees Association objected to her employment by the NFL, especially since she had participated in the World Series of Poker, and pro sports are highly sensitive to anyone with ties…

A Brief History On August 9, 1965, the city/state of Singapore was evicted from the country of Malaysia and became the only country that became independent against their own will. Digging Deeper Established as the British Crown Colony of Singapore in 1946, Singapore, a strategically positioned island near the Straits of Malacca, possesses a fine harbor and had a strong British presence since 1819.  An important Far East British possession, Singapore was fortified to the point where it was called “The Gibraltar of the Pacific.” After World War II, the world saw the gradual independence of many formerly colonized countries,…

A Brief History On August 9, 48 BC, Gaius Julius Caesar, known more familiarly to us as Julius Caesar or simply Caesar, won the Battle of Pharsalus in Central Greece against his arch enemy and former friend, Pompey, decisively winning the pivotal battle of the conflict known as “Caesar’s Civil War.”   Caesar’s Civil War was fought from 49 to 45 BC, pitting Caesar and his allies against the political bloc known as “The Optimates,” led by Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (known as Pompey the Great or merely just as Pompey) and representing the Senate of Rome and those Romans opposed to…