A Brief History On May 21, 2011, Christian radio broadcaster Harold Camping had predicted that the world as we know it would end, with the return of Jesus Christ and the advent of the “Rapture,” followed by months of fire and brimstone resulting in the destruction of Earth. If you were paying attention on that date, you will note that the end of times did not in fact begin on May 21, 2011! Many people have predicted the end of the world or the end of the world as we know it, and so far, each has been wrong. We…
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A Brief History On May 13, 2019, we celebrate National Apple Pie Day, the most American of desserts. Right? Wrong! While Apple Pie in its many iterations is indeed loved by Americans, including This One, Apple Pie is not an American invention at all. Still, Apple Pie is just so darn good that having a National Apple Pie Day makes good sense anyway. Digging Deeper As American as apple pie? NOT! Since the only apples native to North America are crabapples, Americans did not even have the apples for apple pie until trees could be grown from seed brought from…
A Brief History On May 9, 2019, we once again celebrate a special day, National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, a “holiday” celebrated on the first Thursday of the first full week of May each year. This “holiday” was dreamed up by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA, a government agency), with a stated goal of “to increase public awareness about the needs of children with serious mental illness (SMI) and severe emotional disturbance (SED) and their families, provide information on evidence-based practices, and encourage those who need help to seek treatment.” While the purpose of this…
A Brief History On May 7, 1664, King Louis XIV of France began construction on the Palace of Versailles, one of the most iconic structures in the world and the symbol of the throne of France. Today the palace and grounds are a Monument historique and UNESCO World Heritage site and remains one of the biggest tourist attractions in France, a country noted for its tourist attractions. Digging Deeper From 1682 to 1789 the Palace of Versailles was the residence of the monarch of France and the epitome of royal excess. First the home of Louis XIV, by the time…
A Brief History On May 5, 1994, American teenager Michael Fay made international news when he was punished in Singapore for theft and vandalism by the local custom of “caning.” The case caused outrage in the United States that one of our own 18 year old citizens could be treated with corporal punishment for a youthful prank, but the rest of the world saw the offenses of Fay as an egregious affront on the hospitality of another country. A protest by the United States got Fay’s sentence reduced from 6 strokes of the cane to only 4 strokes. Digging Deeper…