Browsing: September

A Brief History On September 5, 1698, Czar Peter I of Russia (Peter the Great) enacted a tax on beards.  This tax  primarily targeted the nobility in an effort to “westernize” Russia as part of Peter’s attempts to move Russia away from medieval traditions and into the modern world.  Throughout history many laws have been enacted or decreed that did not sit well with the people targeted by the law.  On August 5, 2014, we ran a list of “10 Incredibly Unpopular Laws,” and here 10 more such laws are presented (in no particular order).   Digging Deeper 10. Russian Beard Tax. As described in the…

A Brief History On September 4, 1957, the Ford Motor Company introduced its latest product, the Edsel.  Named after founder Henry Ford’s son, the Edsel was supposed to be an upscale mass-market car and vital part of Ford’s marketing plan.  It turned out to be a flop, and has since become synonymous with the word “failure.”  The ugliness of the car did not hurt or kill anyone, but some do products end up being fatal.  Here 10 products that for a variety of reasons have become infamous, notorious and reviled are listed.  A previous article already covered Zyklon B and DDT.   Digging Deeper 10. DDT. Ironically, DDT may…

A Brief History On September 4, 1886, after almost 30 years of raiding Mexican and white settlers and battling the U.S. Army, Apache war leader Geronimo finally surrendered in Arizona to U.S. Army General Nelson Miles. Digging Deeper Geronimo’s actual Apache name means “One who yawns.”  After his wife, children and mother were killed by Mexican soldiers in 1858, it seems he did little yawning and much fighting, leading raids against both Mexican and American settlers and soldiers.  Although Geronimo’s hatred was mainly directed at the Mexicans, his raids of theft and murder of Americans had the U.S. Army chasing him and his…

A Brief History On September 3, 1941, the first experiments using an insecticide which had been adapted to kill people were conducted at the Auschwitz concentration camp.  Soviet prisoners of war were gassed to death with a cyanide-based insecticide in a dress rehearsal for the mass extermination of Jews and others known as the Holocaust. Digging Deeper Zyklon B was a product made by the giant German chemical company IG Farben.  Developed from an earlier version known as Zyklon A, it was originally intended to be used as an insecticide and delousing agent.  In its insecticide form, it had a special odorant added for safety reasons so that the smell…

A Brief History On September 3, 1783, the treaty that ended the American Revolutionary War was signed in Paris, France, thus becoming known as the Treaty of Paris.  Paris is often referred to as “The City of Light,” and many other cities have notable nicknames as well.  Here 10 are listed.  (This list is American-centric because there seem to be more nicknamed cities in the U.S. than in other parts of the world.) Digging Deeper 10. Hershey, Pennsylvania, “Chocolate City” People love chocolate, so Hershey must be one of the most beloved cities in the U.S.  The motto of the city is “The Sweetest Place…