A Brief History On September 6, 1803, pioneering atomic theorist John Dalton of England first assigned symbols to represent atoms of various elements. Dalton, born into a Quaker family, is well known among scholars and scientists for his work but has little of the fame and popular recognition accorded many other better known scientists. Although atomic theory is the field of science most associated with Dalton, he also studied and reported on many other areas of scientific inquiry. Digging Deeper Dalton was born into a poor family in 1766, and although he did receive an education from his father and…
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A Brief History On September 1, 2018, men across the world get revenge on women for living longer and getting better car insurance deals, by celebrating World Beard Day! Next time some woman tells you, “I can do anything better than you!” you tell that feisty female, “Oh yeah? Let’s have a beard growing contest.” (Unfortunately, some women can actually grow a beard, especially with hormone treatment, so be careful who you challenge.) Although we have not had a bearded President for many years, and the fact that Russia once instituted a tax on beards in order to discourage their…
A Brief History On August 29, 708 (AD), Japan minted copper coins for the first time in their history. As you may guess from the date, these were certainly not the first coins minted and not by a long stretch the first coins ever minted. The distinction of minting the first known coins goes back to the 7th and 6th Century BC in Anatolia (modern Turkey) by King Alyattes of Lydia (sometimes given a date of 610 BC). The earliest known coin is the Lydian Lion coin. The practice of making coins quickly spread throughout the Persian and Greek empires,…
A Brief History On August 25, 1823, mountain man and fur trapper Hugh Glass was attacked by a Grizzly Bear while on a fur taking and exploring expedition in what is now South Dakota. The terrible injuries Glass suffered and his fierce determination to live have been recalled for history by not 1, but 2 major motion pictures, Man in the Wilderness (1971) and The Revenant (2015). We have previously discussed this famous incident in our article, “10 Incredible Tales of Survival.” Today we will discuss 10 cases of animal attacks on human beings that are famous or infamous, either…
A Brief History On August 15, 1914, the Panama Canal was opened for traffic, with the SS Ancon making the first transit of the great canal. Constructed from 1904 to 1914 by the United States, a previous French attempt at building the canal from 1881 to 1894 failed miserably, with thousands of workers killed by disease and venomous snakes, a rate of fatalities that reached 200 per month. Despite an asking price of $100 million dollars, the US was able to purchase the rights to the canal project for only $40 million. Completion of the canal became a great source…