A Brief History On July 8, 1879, the USS Jeannette sailed from San Francisco on an ill-fated voyage to the North Pole. Not realizing the North Pole is on completely frozen sea water, the voyage could not have been successful, but little did the sailors know just how unsuccessful the voyage would be! Digging Deeper The ill-starred ship started its career in 1861 as the HMS Pandora, a Royal Navy gunboat that patrolled the coast of West Africa for 14 years before being decommissioned and sold. A private party, Allen Young, bought the Pandora as a substantial yacht, and made…
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A Brief History On July 7, 1981, President Ronald Reagan made history by appointing Sandra Day O’Connor as the first female justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. While the active participation of women in politics seems common today, things were not always inclusive for women in politics. Here we list 10 major “firsts” for women in the realm of politics. (Note: As an inspiration for girls, we made sure to include the alma mater of each of these highly capable women, except Catherine I.) Digging Deeper 1. 1st Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O’Connor, 1981. Sandra got her…
A Brief History On July 6, 1957, women’s tennis star Althea Gibson of Harlem, New York (born in South Carolina) became the first ever person of African ancestry to win the prestigious Wimbledon tennis tournament in England. Today, we list 10 such achievements by Black (African heritage) athletes of a notable nature. (There is no importance to the order listed.) Digging Deeper 1. 1st Wimbledon Champion, Althea Gibson, 1957. Not only did Althea achieve this notable “first,” but she also had become the first Black tennis player to win a “Grand Slam” event by winning the 1956 French Open as well. …
A Brief History On July 5, 2010, the City of London, England could boast of having the tallest building in Europe, when the 95 story (storey if you are English) “Shard” was completed. Alas, London could make the claim of having the tallest European building only for a year, when the Mercury City Tower in Moscow, Russia passed it in 2013. In fact, recent years have seen frequent changes in buildings claiming to be the tallest in Europe, and here we list the 10 Tallest Buildings in Europe (as of July 2017). (In deference to European sensitivities, we are noting…
A Brief History On July 4, 2017, most Americans will be reminded that today is the National Birthday, the date back in 1776 when the United States was born. We take this patriotic opportunity to list some of the Red, White and Blue Americans who were born on this special date. Digging Deeper 1. Ulysses S. Grant III, General. Born in Chicago in 1881, this chip off the old block was the grandson of former general and President of the United States Ulysses S. Grant. This Grant graduated 6th in his class at West Point in 1903 (the same year Douglas…