Browsing: Society

A Brief History On April 3, 2017, an alleged Uzbek/Russian terrorist set off a suicide bomb on a Russian rapid transit train (called the Metro), killing himself and about 15 other people, as well as injuring another 4 dozen or so.  Luckily, a second bomb failed to detonate and was later defused by police bomb technicians.  Once again, a deranged, homicidal person proved that such people do not need guns to commit mass murder. Digging Deeper The suspected terrorist, Akbarzhon Jalilov, was born in Kyrgystan and was of Uzbek ethnic nationality.  He was reportedly upset with the Russian involvement in…

A Brief History On April 2, 1863, Southern women in Richmond, Virginia were at their wits end and had had enough, or more accurately had NOT had enough, because they and their families were starving for lack of food (aka, bread).  Rioting in the Confederate capital ensued, with men, women and children destroying property and looting stores.  Bread riots had become all too common in the American South during the Civil War (what my Southern friends call “The War of Northern Aggression.”), and the Richmond riots were the worst.  (See our article “10 Goofy Named Riots” for more riot history.)…

A Brief History On March 31, 1918, Daylight Saving Time (DST) went into effect for the first time.  For the first time, Americans would be told to “Spring Ahead!” and clocks across the nation had to change by 1 hour in advance.  First things first!  The term is “Daylight Saving Time,” NOT “Daylight Savings Time.”  (This common error seems to drive some people absolutely nuts, so if you have a bit of the devil in you, go ahead and add the unnecessary “S” and watch the fireworks begin.) Digging Deeper The idea of changing the clocks is to get an…

A Brief History On March 28, 1933, the first known incident of an airliner airplane being taken down by the actions of a passenger occurred when the City of Liverpool (airplanes, trains and the like used to have names like ships are named), a biplane operated by Imperial Airways was taken down because of a fire set by a passenger.  Ever since then, terrorists, saboteurs, and  assorted criminals have taken down airliners, usually with bombs, but also by commandeering the plane and flying it into the ground or other object, most notably the aerial hijackings of September 11, 2001 in…

A Brief History On March 26, 1934, the United Kingdom of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland instituted their first ever practical examination of automobile drivers’ competence in order to be issued a driver’s license.  The UK, however, was way behind the trend to require a driver’s test, as France had instituted the dreaded procedure way back in 1899!  The United States lagged behind their European brethren in licensing drivers, although by 1918 all 48 states required license plates on motor vehicles.  When Britain started requiring a driving test that needed to be passed to get a driver’s license the…