A Brief History On September 29, 2024, we celebrate another National Coffee Day, reveling in our appreciation for that “Cup of Joe,” “Shot of Caffeine,” “Java,” “Go Juice,” or whatever you want to call it. Hot or cold, coffee keeps America going to the tune of 400 million cups a day! Digging Deeper Nearly half of all Americans drink coffee, and the US is the largest consumer of coffee among all countries. On the other hand, per capita coffee consumption leaves the US back at #25, while Finland, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden lead the per capita race,…
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A Brief History On September 27, 1941, the first of 2,710 “Liberty” ships rolled off the assembly line, the SS Patrick Henry, built in Baltimore. While it may be naïve to think a single weapon or machine of war can be said to have “won the war,” items such as the Liberty and Victory ships made huge contributions to victory without being weapons. Digging Deeper Liberty ships were mass produced cargo vessels uniquely suited to moving many tons of war materiel across the oceans, especially the Atlantic, to keep Russia and the UK in the war, while also moving American…
A Brief History On September 25, 1066, Harald III of Norway, aka Harald Hardrada, aka the “Thunderbolt of the North,” died a Viking’s death in battle at the Stamford Bridge in England, at the hands of the last Anglo-Saxon crowned King of England, Harold Godwinson. Digging Deeper As depicted in the semi-historical cable show, Vikings: Valhalla, the game of thrones played by the Vikings in Scandinavia, all around Europe, Britain, and as far as the Byzantine Empire was a violent exercise in subterfuge and betrayal, often resulting in violent death for those players who aspired after the various thrones. Harald…
A Brief History On September 24, 1929, American hero, James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle made aviation history by becoming the first pilot to take off, fly and land an airplane with no visual contact with the outside, proving that flying “blind” with instruments only was possible. Digging Deeper You may be aware of Doolittle’s most famous exploit, his leading a raid of 16 B-25 bombers off the carrier USS Hornet to bomb Japan in 1942, which earned him the Medal of Honor. Doolittle became an Army pilot during World War I, and between the wars he became a test pilot and…
A Brief History On September 22, 2015, baseball legend, Lawrence Peter Berra, better known as Yogi, died in his sleep at the age of 90. Digging Deeper One of the greatest catchers in baseball history, Berra slugged 358 home runs and batted .285 over his 19 year MLB career. On a record 10 winning World Series teams, he was the AL MVP a record three times. An 18 time All Star, Berra was one of the best defensive catchers and pitcher handlers of all time. Berra also made his mark as a manager, leading the Yankees in 1964 and 1984-85.…