A Brief History On February 1, 1796, the British government changed the capital of Upper Canada from Newark to York. Oddly named to the casual observer, the province of Upper Canada is actually the furthest South of all parts of Canada, and no, it does not have a high elevation, either. Digging Deeper Occupying the central area of British Canada (Canada became independent in 1867, and the French claimed a large portion called New France until after the Seven Years War), Upper Canada was a province that today is the southern part of Ontario, from the 1000 Islands region North…
Browsing: February 1
A Brief History On February 1, 2009, a milestone in LGBT rights occurred when the Icelandic Althing (their version of a Parliament) elected Johanna Siguroardottir Prime Minister, age 66, an openly lesbian woman, the first head of government in the world to be openly LGBT. Digging Deeper The ascension of Johanna in 2009 placed her in the Forbes List of 100 Most Powerful Women in the world. Serving only one term as Prime Minister, Johanna retired from politics in 2012. After graduating from college, Johanna worked as a flight attendant and office worker, then became active in labor union work,…
A Brief History On February 1, 1960, 4 African-American college freshman from North Carolina Agricultural and Mining University, who later became known as the “Greensboro Four,” made some minor purchases at a Greensboro, NC, Woolworth store and then sat at the “whites only” segregated lunch counter where the white proprietor refused them service and ordered them to vacate the premises. Digging Deeper Intentionally challenging racial segregation, the 4 young black men stayed at the counter until the store closed. The next day, the scene was repeated, except this time with 20 or more African-American college students, among them females from…
A Brief History On February 1, 2004 at Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston, Texas, history was made when a “wardrobe malfunction” caused Janet Jackson to briefly expose her breast on live national television! Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find the National Football League (NFL) Championship Game, known as the Super Bowl, the premier television event of the year in the United States, with 90 million viewers exposed to what became known as “Nipplegate.” With the Super Bowl regularly commanding such a huge audience, only top-notch entertainers are usually provided as half-time entertainment, and at this Super Bowl Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake headed…
A Brief History On February 1, 2003, the United States suffered the second loss of a space shuttle, this time the Columbia. Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find Columbia at the completion of its 28th mission and ready to start reentry into Earth’s atmosphere at about 8:10 am for an estimated 9:16 am landing in Florida. Speeding around the Earth at over 20 times the speed of sound, Columbia was doomed, and the crew did not know it. On take off, a piece of foam insulation had broken off of a large external fuel tank and had struck the left wing,…
