A Brief History On July 14, 1791, a buddy of Benjamin Franklin triggered a series of riots in England eponymously named “The Priestly Riots.” Digging Deeper English scientist and polymath, adept in the ways of chemistry, electricity, philosophy, theology, grammar, politics and education, he even invented carbonated water. His main crime in the eyes of English traditionalists was supporting the ongoing French Revolution, especially in regard to religion, with “reason” replacing much of the religious tenets of more mystical themes and his dissent against the Church of England. Not only did Priestly support the French Revolution, he had also been…
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A Brief History On July 5, 1996, a sheep named Dolly was born, the product of a cloning experiment making her the first ever mammal to be cloned. Using an adult somatic cell from one sheep, an egg cell from another sheep, and the resulting embryo implanted in the womb of a third sheep saw baby Dolly carried to term. Digging Deeper This experiment proved that taking DNA from any cell in a mammal’s body other than a gamete could be used to form a clone of that mammal, the implied meaning that any mammal could be cloned, including humans.…
A Brief History On June 15, 1858, Chancellor of the Exchequer Benjamin Disraeli called the Thames River in London, England, a “Stygian pool, reeking with ineffable and intolerable horrors.” The growth of London as a major industrial giant had turned the river into an open sewer that became so foul the Queen and Prince Consort were forced off the waters and Parliament could not conduct business due to the stench! Digging Deeper The summer of 1858 was a hot one, with temperatures exceeding 90 degrees Fahrenheit, grossly aggravating the stench from a river that took in human and industrial waste…
A Brief History On May 18, 1896, the Supreme Court of the US ruled that “separate but equal” was a legal doctrine for segregating Caucasian Americans from Americans of sub-Saharan African descent, especially regarding school children. The case known as Plessy v. Ferguson is frequently referred to as the most egregious error in judgement ever made by the Supreme Court. Oddly enough, the case has never been overturned, except regarding the classroom. Digging Deeper Some other cases that have attracted the ire of Supreme Court critics include Dred Scott v. Sandford of 1857 claiming that American citizenship did not extend…
A Brief History On May 9, 2020, the unemployment rate in the United States hit the staggering number of 14.9%, the worst employment number since the Great Depression in 1939. Digging Deeper Incredibly, the unemployment rate in the UK was less than 5% and in Germany it was “only” 5.9%, while Europe as a whole suffered just over 7% unemployment in the Year of COVID. Sadly, lower income working class people in the US were hurt the worst by the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, with persistent unemployment leading to loss of health insurance and inability to pay normal bills. …