A Brief History On October 13, 1983, with a network in the Chicago area, Ameritech Mobile Communications (later renamed Ameritech Cellular and then AT&T Mobility) opened the first mobile phone service in the United States. Digging Deeper History and Headlines Trivia: The Guinness Book of World Records claims that David Cotorno, one of the early Chicago-area customers, has had the same cell phone number since August 2, 1985, longer than anyone else! He has been with Ameritech all along. Some more History and Headlines Trivia: The term “cellular phone” or “cell phone” is actually a misnomer, as the phones are not cellular, the network…
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A Brief History The United Nations Population Fund designated October 12, 1999 as the approximate day on which the world’s human population reached 6 billion. This day is celebrated as the “Day of 6 Billion.” In the meantime, approximately 7 billion people inhabit the Earth. With so many issues affecting the planet, it is hard to say which ones are more detrimental than others. It is clear, however, that these issues are rapidly getting worse. What is the cause of all this? Simply put: humans. The biggest issues facing the planet are interrelated, and the most recognizable common denominator is human consumption habits. It is crucial that…
A Brief History On October 9, 1992, an unidentified flying object (UFO) crashed in a driveway in Peekskill, New York, crushing the trunk of the 1980 Chevy Malibu that was parked there. Digging Deeper The UFO did not remain unidentified for long; it turned out to be a 26-pound meteorite that had fallen in the area, an event caught on video by at least 16 people and witnessed by thousands more in several US states as a “huge, greenish fireball.” Since it was a Friday night, plenty of camcorders were already filming high school football games when the meteorite passed. It was a foot in diameter…
A Brief History On September 27, 1937, the smallest of all sub-species of tiger, the Bali Tiger, native only to the Indonesian island of Bali, went extinct. Approximately 40 years later, it was joined by fellow Indonesian tiger, the Java Tiger. Currently, the only Indonesian tiger still among the living is the highly endangered Sumatran Tiger. Unfortunately, no film was ever made of a Bali tiger, and none were ever displayed in zoos. The last one was an adult female that was shot. Digging Deeper The various tiger subspecies that have gone extinct or are endangered today are pretty much all victims of habitat…
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…
