A Brief History On October 3, 1683, Shi Lang, a naval commander representing the Qing Dynasty of China took the surrender of Tywan on the island of Taiwan. Almost four centuries later, mainland China is still threatening Taiwan, with no sign of rapprochement Digging Deeper Ever since the Communists took over in 1949, the Chinese Nationalists that fled to Taiwan have claimed to be the legal government of China and the Communists have wanted to take over Taiwan. Rumors of Chinese plans to invade Taiwan remain, with China boasting 1.4 billion people and a military of just over two million…
Browsing: Society
Read More
A Brief History On October 2, 1864, US Army troops fought Confederate regulars and Home Guard troops at Saltville, Virginia, a Confederate victory that ended in a massacre of captured and wounded Union soldiers. Digging Deeper As hinted at by the name of the town, Saltville is the location of a major saltworks. Salt was vital to the Confederacy for preserving meat used to feed its army. Another notable aspect of the battle was African American US Army cavalry playing a major role in the battle. Union forces tried a dismounted attack on entrenched Confederate defenses, but CSA reinforcements arrived…
A Brief History On October 1, 2021, the international exposition known as Expo 2020 was opened in Dubai, an expo delayed by the Covid 19 pandemic since its intended opening of October 20, 2020. Few places on Earth remained largely unaffected by the worst pandemic of recent decades, and many notable activities were greatly affected by the measures to limit the spread of the deadly virus. Digging Deeper Some other major disruptions included: The 2020 Summer Olympics were not held until July and August of 2021. Other sporting events were either cancelled or held without spectators. School closings affected about…
A Brief History On September 30, 2024, we celebrated another National Chewing Gum Day, which brings us the question, “Who invented chewing gum?” Who do we have to thank for this tasty treat? Digging Deeper The answer is not so simple. While we generally think of chewing gum as a product of chicle from Latin America, the predecessors of modern chewing gum go back thousands of years in a wide variety of resins, saps, plants and other concoctions people used to satisfy their need to chew. Ancient Finns and Ancient Greeks chewed tree products that they flavored, while the Aztecs…
A Brief History On September 29, 1758 (New Style Calendar), one of the greatest naval heroes of all time was born, Horatio Nelson, the man that would become Vice Admiral and 1st Viscount Nelson, the hero of Trafalgar. Nelson’s career was one of consistent valor which cost him most of the sight in one eye and his right arm, before he was killed in action at Trafalgar, truly a masculine, “manly” man in the traditional sense. Digging Deeper Today, in the 21st Century, the thousands of years of human evolution to value strong, brave, “manly” men is being called “toxic…