A Brief History On May 9, 2020, the unemployment rate in the United States hit the staggering number of 14.9%, the worst employment number since the Great Depression in 1939. Digging Deeper Incredibly, the unemployment rate in the UK was less than 5% and in Germany it was “only” 5.9%, while Europe as a whole suffered just over 7% unemployment in the Year of COVID. Sadly, lower income working class people in the US were hurt the worst by the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, with persistent unemployment leading to loss of health insurance and inability to pay normal bills. …
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A Brief History On May 1, 1851, Queen Victoria opened The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, a sort of World’s Fair, in Hyde Park, London, England at a spectacular edifice known as The Crystal Palace. Digging Deeper So impressive was the venue, many people called the event the “Crystal Palace Exhibition.” Lasting from May 1st to October 15th, 1851, the celebration of industry, culture, and art attracted numerous celebrities, such as Sam Colt, Michael Faraday, Karl Marx, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carrol, Charlotte Bronte, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and other stars. Designed by Joseph Paxton,…
A Brief History On March 12, 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan was devastated by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, causing a reactor to explode and release radiation into the environment. Digging Deeper To this day a 12 mile radius “no-go” zone is imposed around the disaster site, with only scientists and technicians with appropriate protection allowed to visit. Radioactive water will continue to be released into the Pacific Ocean for a period of 3 decades. Far from the only nuclear plant disaster, other disasters have cast a pall on what has been touted as “clean”…
A Brief History On March 11, 2023, Americans celebrate another National Worship of Tools Day, a day in which professional craftsmen and do it yourselfers alike can glory in the inventions of their favorite tools. Digging Deeper So, what tool do you think is the greatest? The mighty hammer, that makes all things fit if you hit them hard enough? The saw, which can be designed to cut through virtually anything? The incredibly versatile pliers? The also incredibly versatile screwdriver? Or would you nominate a more complex tool, such as the Swiss Army Knife, or the Leatherman multi-tool? Or would…
A Brief History On March 9, 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte, said to have more books written about him than any mortal man, married the love of his life, Joséphine de Beauharnais. Later, after Napoleon became Emperor of the French and Josephine was crowned Empress, her failure to bear Napoleon a male heir caused the great man to ditch her in favor of Marie-Louise, whom he did not love, but bore him the son he so craved. Digging Deeper Other marriages of major celebrities that did not last include that of Prince Charles, now King Charles III of the UK, and Lady…