Browsing: Society

A Brief History On October 28, 1453, the Bohemian city of Prague witnessed the crowing of Ladislaus the Posthumous as King.  Although you may think the name implies the guy was dead when crowned, it really referred to his father having died before the birth of Ladislaus. We have previously discussed some goofy names, and today ask you to tell us which monarch had the goofiest name, and we provide a list you can choose from, or you can name your own choice. Digging Deeper Æthelred the Unready, England Charles the Bald, West Francia Charles the Child, Aquitaine Charles the…

A Brief History On October 27, 939, King Æthelstan of England died, the throne then going to his half-brother, Edmund I. Digging Deeper This year, 2022, King Charles III has ascended the throne of the United Kingdom, the first royal succession in Britain since Queen Elizabeth II became monarch in 1952.  Long before either of these esteemed individuals, Æthelstan was the first English monarch to become King of ALL of England, though various subsections of England had had kings for centuries. Prior to attaining the title, King of the English in 927, Æthelstan had been King of the Anglo Saxons…

A Brief History On October 26, 1943, the aptly named Dornier Do 335 Pfeil, or Arrow, made its first flight.  Sleek and menacing looking, this unique fighter had an engine and propeller on both the front and the back of the fuselage and had the performance to match its appearance. Digging Deeper Today, we offer you a list of candidates for the meanest looking plane of World War II, but feel free to add your own choice. Bell P-39 Airacobra Boeing B-17  Flying Fortress Curtiss P-40 Warhawk Dornier Do 335 Pfeil Junkers Ju-87 Messerschmitt Me-163 Komet Messerschmitt Me 262 Schwalbe…

A Brief History On September 30, 1954, the American submarine, USS Nautilus, was commissioned for service as the first ever nuclear powered warship. Digging Deeper Serving the US Navy well until 1980, Nautilus immediately gave the US a tremendous advantage in submarine warfare, with the ability to stay submerged many times longer than conventional diesel-electric submarines that had ruled from World War I through the post-World War II era. Setting many records and serving as a test bed for the new technology, Nautilus became the first submarine to make a submerged transit under the North Pole, in 1958, a voyage…

A Brief History On September 29, 2011, a special court convened in India convicted a staggering 269 police and government officials of complicity in an atrocity called the “Vachathi case,” including 17 of those convictions for rape. Digging Deeper On June 20, 1992, almost 2 decades before the eventual convictions a large group of officials, including 108 police officera, 155 forestry agents and 6 revenue agents conducted a raid on Vachathi village, a community suspected of smuggling sandalwood. The so called “search team” ransacked private property, looted what they could, destroyed property and livestock, and assaulted scores of villagers, including…