Browsing: January

A Brief History On January 14th, medieval Christians celebrated Feast of the Ass Day, although perhaps not the type of “ass” you may be thinking of!  It actually celebrated the various accounts in the Bible where a donkey (or ass) is mentioned, especially the one that supposedly carried Mary and the baby Jesus to Egypt. Digging Deeper Not surprisingly, like many or even most Christian holidays, the Feast of the Ass had its origins in Paganism, being derived from the religious feast called Cervulus. During this bestial-based holy day, a ceremony often took place in which a girl with a baby (or a pregnant girl) was…

A Brief History On January 13, 1942, German test pilot Helmut Schenk successfully used an ejection seat in a Heinkel He 280 jet fighter that was being developed for the German Luftwaffe, becoming the first pilot in history to eject from a plane in such a manner.  Thus, the ejection seat became one more of the many technological innovations produced by Nazi engineers during World War II in Germany’s failed effort to conquer much of the world. Digging Deeper The He 280 was never put into service as it came in second to the Messerschmitt Me 262 in the race to become the first…

A Brief History On January 12, 2004, the RMS Queen Mary 2, flagship of the Cunard Line, left port on its maiden voyage after having been christened 4 days earlier by Queen Elizabeth II.  Built at a cost of $900 million (£460 million) to eventually replace the aging RMS Queen Elizabeth 2, that price equated to approximately $300,000 for every one of the 2,620 passenger berths.  The luxury liner also carries over 1,200 crew members.  Digging Deeper The second ocean liner to be named after the wife of King George V, the QM2 is massive at 1,132 feet long by about 147 feet wide. …

A Brief History On January 11, 1973, the American League of Major League Baseball voted to accept a rule change allowing for the position of “designated hitter” (DH) so that pitchers would not have to bat, something which they, with a few exceptions such as Babe Ruth, were generally weak at.  Before then, there was only the option of using a pinch hitter, but that meant that that particular pitcher would have had to be pulled from the game.  H&H Notes:  The National League still has their pitchers bat.  When teams from the two leagues meet, such as in a World Series, the…

A Brief History On January 10, 49 B.C., Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon River as he marched toward the city of Rome with his legions.  Since it was forbidden to cross the Rubicon with an army, it was seen as a threat to the Republic, and by doing so, Caesar made a bold statement about his intentions to seize power.  Ever since, when we say someone has “crossed the Rubicon,” we are talking about someone who has taken a fateful and irreversible step, such as when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.  A point of no return if you will, what aviators call the “Bingo”…