A Brief History On December 27, 1771, French engineer, Henri Pitot, died at the age of 76. Although you may not be familiar with him, his invention, the Pitot Tube, has probably served you well in your life, as it is the primary instrument used for measuring the speed of aircraft and boats, as well as other liquids and gases. Today, we take time to remember some of the famous folks that died on December 27th. Digging Deeper 1834: Charles Lamb, English essayist and poet. 1836: Stephen Austin, known as “The Father of Texas” and the namesake of the state’s…
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A Brief History On October 21, 2022, another blockbuster film in the DC Extended Universe is being released to the American public, and after spending $200 million on the budget and providing a tantalizing series of commercials and trailers we have to think the movie will be a big success at the box office. Digging Deeper Right off the bat, we will address some criticisms leveled by other reviewers. (We got to see the film in advance on October 19, 2022.) First of all, the not quite adherence to the comic book storyline, including changing the ethnicity of some characters. …
A Brief History On September 6, 2022, we celebrate National Read a Book Day, one of the truly worthwhile “days” of the year, when we are all reminded that there is more to life than television and the internet. Digging Deeper Here are a few book related facts you might find interesting: The longest book, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, is Marcel Proust’s elephantine Remembrance of Things Past, boasting an incredible 9,609,000 characters, meaning letters and spaces. The Oldest Book might be The Epic of Gilgamesh, which dates back to 2100 BC, though dates on ancient books…
A Brief History On July 31, 1970, the British Royal Navy experienced one of the darkest days in their long and glorious history, Black Tot Day. On that day, the RN ended its long tradition of giving each sailor at sea a drink of rum. Digging Deeper While you may not personally miss this bygone practice, we ask, “What do you miss the most?” Some possible answers could be: (for Catholics) The Latin Mass School Dress and Grooming Codes Drive-in Movies Decent Meals and Service on Airliners Polaroid Cameras Phone Booths The Milkman Vinyl Records Sears Catalog Cheap Gasoline Hot…
A Brief History On July 28, 1866, Helen Beatrix Potter was born in London, England, to a moderately well to do family of Unitarians. Her father was a barrister and her mother came from a wealthy cotton trading and shipbuilding family. (See our other articles about some great women.) Digging Deeper Potter is most famous as the author of the classic children’s book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, published in 1902. Potter was also renowned as an illustrator, a talented artist that designed greeting cards and contributed illustrations to the books of other authors. She was also a keen businesswoman…
