A Brief History On September 27, 1944, The Kassel Mission, which resulted in the largest loss by a United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) group on any mission in World War II, was so successfully covered up that even today few non-WWII experts are even aware it occurred. Digging Deeper The USAAF conducted roughly twenty bombing raids over Kassel, Germany from 1942 through 1945. These raids resulted in severe fires, the deaths of at least 10,000 inhabitants of the city, and the destruction of much of the city center. Eventually, as the war began to conclude, American and British forces…
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A Brief History Today, September 26th, we take a step back from the usual blood and guts bizarre history to celebrate something a bit more light-hearted (although not necessarily light on your stomach!): the flapjack, the hotcake, or what is perhaps best known as the pancake! Digging Deeper The earliest known versions of pancakes go back to the Ancient Greeks in the fifth century B.C., although the word pancake does not appear in English until about the 1400s A.D. Today, pancakes come in many varieties and we of course even have an International House of Pancakes (IHOP) chain dedicated specifically…
A Brief History On this day, September 25th, Catholics remember the death of Spanish Saint Fermin, the first bishop of Pamplona, in 303 A.D…and the miracles that followed! Digging Deeper Saint Fermin is mostly associated with the well-known “Running of the Bulls”, which actually occurs as part of a seven day festival in honor of the saint. Yet, his actual martyrdom has nothing to do with bulls chasing people! Saint Fermin lived during the Roman Empire’s transition period from the persecutions of Christians by Emperor Diocletian before the toleration of Christianity by Emperor Constantine the Great. As such, Fermin converted…
A Brief History On September 24, we, well, or rather at least somebody somewhere, celebrate(s) the Festival of Latest Novelties! Digging Deeper As we continue our countdown toward this website’s official launch on 1 October 2013, we want to wish everyone a Happy Festival of Latest Novelties! The giving of novelty gifts goes as far back as the early modern period (1500s and 1600s). During this time period, a French mathematician and astronomer named Pierre Hérigone (1580-1643) described an unusual goblet constructed in such a way that someone drinking it could in effect spy on others while taking a drink. …
A Brief History On this day, September 23, 1968, a man eventually canonized as a saint passed away…after having apparently endured the stigmata for several years! Digging Deeper Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (May 25, 1887 – September 23, 1968), a Catholic priest from Italy, was canonized as a saint by Pope John Paul II the Great in 2002, but his saintly life began over a century earlier… Saint Pio claimed that he began his devotion to God from the young age of just five! His mother claimed that the young Pio could see and speak with both Jesus and the Virgin…
