A Brief History On November 19, 1887, Emma Lazarus, the author of “The New Colossus,” a sonnet that appears on a plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty, died in New York city at the age of 38, possibly of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Despite her brief life, her famous poem is familiar to almost all Americans. Is it in fact the most famous American poem? Digging Deeper Here are some contenders for that title, and you can tell us if one of these poems is the most famous American verse or nominate your own in the comments section for…
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A Brief History This article contains a table of textual and video biographies of various Roman emperors and usurpers covered in De vita Caesarum (English: About the Life of the Caesars), commonly known as The Twelve Caesars, as well as notable works inspired by this ancient text, including the Historia Augusta (English: Augustan History) and Vita Karoli Magni (English: Life of Charlemagne). Digging Deeper Question for students (and subscribers): Who is your favorite Roman emperor or usurper? Please let us know in the comments section below this article. Please also read the following articles in the order indicated below and answer the questions posed within those…
A Brief History On September 5, 1980, the Gotthard Road Tunnel from Uri Canton to Airolo in Switzerland opened for travel, at the time the longest highway tunnel in the world at 10.5 miles long. Today, we look at some other real and fictional tunnels: Digging Deeper The Channel Tunnel, or, “Chunnel,” connecting France and England with an under the sea section of 23.5 of its 31 mile length. The Time Tunnel, a TV show from 1966 to 1967, featuring two lost time travelers going from one historical adventure to another. The Delaware Aqueduct, the longest tunnel in the world,…
A Brief History On August 22, 2006, Russian mathematician Grigori Perelman was awarded the Fields Medal for creating the proof of the “Poincaré conjecture,” but then he refused the award, explaining, “I’m not interested in money or fame; I don’t want to be on display like an animal in a zoo.” Digging Deeper Some other people that have refused awards include: Three people have refused their Oscar statuettes, including Dudley Nichols in 1936, George Scott in 1970, and Marlon Brando in 1973. Jean-Paul Sartre turned down the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964, as he previously refused France’s Legion of…
A Brief History On August 17, 2023, we went and saw Meg 2: The Trench in 3D (RealD) as big monsters certainly deserve a big screen! We strongly recommend seeing such epic flicks on the big screen to get the entire movie experience from the film. To kill the suspense, yes, we liked the movie. Digging Deeper Despite criticism from reviewers picking the movie apart, you must remember, the film is not a documentary. Based on the 1999 novel, The Trench, by Steve Allen, you have to have a willful suspension of disbelief such as with movies like Godzilla or…
