A Brief History On January 1, 1735, Paul Revere, silversmith and patriot, was born, starting a long line of famous Americans born on the first of the year. Which one of these New Year’s babies do you rate as the greatest? Feel free to nominate your own choice. Digging Deeper Paul Revere, Revolutionary, 1735 Anthony Wayne, General, 1745 Betsy Ross, Flag Designer, 1752 Frank Knox, World War II Secretary of the Navy, 1874 William J. Donovan, General and Master Spy, 1883 Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI, 1895 Hank Greenberg, 1911, Baseball player J. D. Salinger, Army veteran and author,…
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A Brief History On December 29, 1916, the Russian known as “Rasputin,” or “The Mad Monk,” was murdered by a group of Russian noblemen, finally dying the next day after surviving being poisoned with cyanide and shot three times, and ultimately having to be drowned. Today, we look at some of history’s toughest characters that were hard to kill. Digging Deeper Blackbeard the Pirate: In 1718, the most notorious pirate of them all was finally killed in spectacular fashion, only after being shot five times and slashed by swords 20 times! Hugh Glass: A tough as nails Mountain Man and…
A Brief History On December 27, 1771, French engineer, Henri Pitot, died at the age of 76. Although you may not be familiar with him, his invention, the Pitot Tube, has probably served you well in your life, as it is the primary instrument used for measuring the speed of aircraft and boats, as well as other liquids and gases. Today, we take time to remember some of the famous folks that died on December 27th. Digging Deeper 1834: Charles Lamb, English essayist and poet. 1836: Stephen Austin, known as “The Father of Texas” and the namesake of the state’s…
A Brief History On December 26, 2022, the British world, including Canada, celebrate Boxing Day, a holiday historically when well off people would give gifts to their servants, lower working class, and poor people. The day after Christmas is good for some other things, too, especially resting after all the hubbub of Christmas Eve and Christmas. Digging Deeper Here are some notable events related to December 26th: 1776: American forces, led by George Washington after his famous crossing of the Delaware River, won the Battle of Trenton. 1898: Marie and Pierre Curie announce the isolation of Radium. 1919: Babe Ruth…
A Brief History On December 22, 1965, a 70 mph speed limit was set on all British rural roads. Prior to this law, there had been no speed limit in Great Britain, a country that had the most cars per mile of road than any other country in the world. Alas, no more unlimited speed and no more bragging rights about car density. Digging Deeper Plus, the once mightiest empire on Earth is virtually gone, and the mighty Royal Navy no longer rules the seas (though it is still strong). But Britain has some great things about it, too! Great…