Browsing: May 20

A Brief History On May 20, 1899, history’s first traffic ticket was issued to a New York cab driver, Jacob German who was zipping down Lexington Street at 12 mph.  Ever since, drivers have been arguing about traffic tickets with no real idea what the law is, just basing their beliefs on urban myths that are frequently untrue.  We list 10 of the most misunderstood facts about everyday traffic and other laws as told by a retired police captain.  (Note: laws vary from state to state and sometimes from town to town.  We know that and are trying to avoid…

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A Brief History On May 20, 1983, two separate groups of researchers published their research that indicated AIDS was caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Science Magazine.  AIDS, Auto-immunodeficiency Syndrome, had been discovered in the United States first in 1981. Digging Deeper Instead of widespread concern and alarm, the American public reacted largely with scorn, thinking that the AIDS problem was limited to homosexuals and drug addicts, making up acronyms such as GRID (Gay Related Immune Deficiency), 4H Disease (for Haitians, Homosexuals, Hemophiliacs and Heroin), and referring to AIDS as “Anally Injected Death Syndrome.” As more people were identified…

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A Brief History On May 20, 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul (later Emperor) of France, made a mistake he later regretted the rest of his life when he reinstated slavery in the French colonies.  The revolutionary movement had previously put an end to slavery in France and its colonies, and this step backward was perhaps instigated by Napoleon’s wife, Josephine who was born in Martinique, a French colony with a slave based economy.  Reinstating slavery had disastrous consequences, especially in the country now known as Haiti. Digging Deeper Of course, Napoleon had many successes, and is believed to be the…

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A Brief History On May 20, 1873, Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis patented blue jeans with copper rivets. Trousers have never been the same. Clearly an iconic American invention, a nice comfortable pair of jeans can well be a person’s best friends. At least that is the way some people treat them. There are several innovations in the world of clothing that seem hard to live without, and here we list 10 of them. Digging Deeper 10. Bikini Bathing Suit, 1946. Bestowed upon an adoring, mostly male, public in Paris in 1946 while the United States conducted nuclear weapons testing…

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A Brief History On May 20, 1936, Japanese prostitute Sada Abe was confronted by police at the inn where she was staying, showing them her lover’s genitals as proof of her identification!  She had severed them 3 days prior to that and had been carrying them around with her in her purse… Digging Deeper As can be guessed, the case caused a sensation in Japan. The police had found the body and were looking for the erotic killer, while Japan was buzzing with false sightings. Apparently even in Japan this activity is frowned upon for Abe was convicted of 2nd…

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