A Brief History On January 1, 1902, Pasadena, California hosted the Rose Bowl, the first college football “bowl” ever. In case you have ever wondered why sportscasters refer to the Rose Bowl as “The Grandaddy of ‘em all,” this is why. It was the first and is still arguably the most prestigious college football bowl game. Digging Deeper Billed as a contest of East vs. West, the first Rose Bowl game was played between Michigan and Stanford, the representatives of the Big 10 and Pacific Coast Conferences. (The former PCC is now the Pac 12.) Traditionally, this annual championship game is…
Browsing: January
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A Brief History On January 31, 1747, the London Lock Hospital opened as the first clinic specifically for the treatment of venereal diseases! Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find many diseases today are identified as “venereal” or sexually transmitted by a variety of bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. Back in the days when science had not yet discovered the microscopic causes of disease, Europeans thought mainly of syphilis when addressing the subject of venereal disease. Although it is not proven beyond a doubt, many scientists think that syphilis was unknown in Europe until infected sailors among the crews of Christopher Columbus’s ships…
A Brief History On January 30, 1703, 47 Japanese samurai avenged the forced suicide of their feudal lord. Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find that the Japanese code of Bushido was an Eastern code of honor similar to the old European code of chivalry. Samurai who became leaderless were called Ronin (a term made memorable by Robert DiNiro in the 1998 movie Ronin, set in modern times) and were bound by honor to avenge the death of their lord and leader. The 47 Ronin at the center of this incident were left leaderless when their lord was forced to commit suicide after having…
A Brief history On January 30, 1661, Oliver Cromwell, former Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, was removed from his grave and “executed” 2 years after his death! Digging Deeper Digging deeper, we find Cromwell the ultimate winner of the English Civil War, having deposed the monarchy and becoming the de facto ruler of Britain. After leading the anti-royalist forces known as the Roundheads against the forces of King Charles I, known as the Cavaliers, Cromwell was among those who decided Charles I should be executed after his defeat. Charles I was executed in 1649. Cromwell was a…
A Brief History On January 29, 1967, the “hippie” counterculture scene melded with Hare Krishna at the Mantra-Rock Dance in San Francisco, later referred to as “the ultimate high.” Digging Deeper Digging Deeper, we find San Francisco about to give birth to the Summer of Love where the drug-using, free-loving, bead-wearing, mantra-chanting, status quo-rejecting, long-haired hippie counterculture reached its peak! Amidst this atmosphere, an Indian spiritual teacher, who was eventually popular enough to be featured on an Indian stamp, had founded the Hare Krishna Movement in 1966. He spent much of the 1960s and 1970s spreading his message around the world.…