Browsing: Nature

A Brief History On September 23, 1641, off the coast of Cornwall, England, a British merchant ship named the Merchant Royal sank with her cargo of Spanish treasure.  She has not yet been found, and your treasure possibly awaits you somewhere at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean, southwest of England. Digging Deeper If lost treasure interests you, then pay attention!  The Merchant Royal, despite being leaky and somewhat weary after long travels, had been contracted to transport gold and silver from Cadiz, Spain, to Antwerp in modern-day Belgium (which at that time was part of the Spanish Netherlands), to pay…

A Brief History On September 2, 1666, one of history’s most memorable fires occurred in the English capital of London.  The medieval portion of central London located within the old Roman wall was completely devastated and every building therein basically gutted. Digging Deeper Despite the terrific damage, the death toll has never been known and only 6 fatalities have been documented.  Researchers seem to think many more people must have died but were not counted as they came from parts of town that were either poor or middle class; the shops and homes of the upper classes being spared.  Also, possible victims may have been incinerated in the flames, making it…

A Brief History On September 1st, 1914, Martha, the last known passenger pigeon, was found dead in her cage by her keepers at the Cincinnati Zoo. Digging Deeper Now extinct, passenger pigeons were once the most abundant bird in the entire world.  Native to North America, it is estimated that there were 3-5 billion of them when Europeans first arrived.  Today their closest living relative is the smaller mourning dove. Their demise was caused by deforestation and the commercialization of their meat.  Losing more and more of their natural habitat, they were easy game for hunters. Their numbers already dwindling…

A Brief History On August 26, 1883, the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa began its 2-day eruption that was so massive that its effects were felt around the world.  Krakatoa is also the name of the island the volcano is situated on.  The explosive eruption was so great that 2/3 of the island is no longer there. Digging Deeper Prior to the eruption, the island was about 9 kilometers long by 5 kilometers wide.  After the eruption, the remaining island was only 3 kilometers long by 5 kilometers wide.  The mighty blast was heard by people as much as 3,000 miles away.  There were 4…

A Brief History On August 22nd, 1902, Helene “Leni” Riefenstahl was born in Berlin, Germany.  Thirty years later she would meet Adolf Hitler, the man who helped her become the greatest female filmmaker of the 20th century, but that association would nearly destroy her as well. Digging Deeper A talented teenager, Leni (pronounced “Lay-Nee”) was enrolled in dance and ballet classes.  She gained a reputation on the Berlin dance circuit and became a popular entertainer.  Injuries to her feet and knees, however, threatened the future of her dancing career, so she transitioned into acting.  She went on to have a prolific run as…