A Brief History On April 14, 1775, Benjamin Franklin, inventor, statesman, scientist, musician, publisher and Most Interesting Man in the World co-founded the first Abolitionist society in what would soon become the United States, an event we used to name him as The Most Interesting Man in the World. The task for us today is to nominate several men for the current title of Most Interesting Man in the World. (We will address women at another date, so do not get all irate and stuff!) There is no significance to the order listed, but we are including only those people…
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A Brief History On April 13, 2018, we “celebrate” Friday the 13th, the subject of myths, folk lore, movies, and general unlucky business related to the number 13. Or, for some people, 13 is a lucky number! In light of all the bad press the AR platform rifle (M-16 and M-4 family of military carbines adapted for civilian use as “AR” style firearms) has gotten lately, we would like to point out some of the many uses of these modern sporting rifles, at least in part by naming 13 of the calibers these carbines can commonly be found in. Digging…
A Brief History On April 12, 1999, President William Jefferson (“Bill” or “Slick Willie” if you will) Clinton was cited for Contempt of Court for lying in a civil suit brought against him by Paula Jones alleging sexual harassment for unwanted sexual advances. The suit had been thrown out by the presiding judge but was reinstated when President Clinton’s admission of having a sexual affair with White House intern Monica Lewinski became public. The lie referenced in the Contempt ruling referred to a deposition in the lawsuit in which Clinton denied having sexual relations with Lewinsky. Digging Deeper The impeachment of…
A Brief History On April 11, 1689, King James II of England, Scotland, and Ireland was deposed by his son-in-law and daughter, William III and Mary II who became joint sovereigns on this date. James II, the second son of King Charles I and younger brother of King Charles II, became King of England (and King James VII of Scotland) upon the death of Charles II. James II was a Roman Catholic, the last such monarch in England. Digging Deeper James II had generated suspicion and loathing among the mostly Protestant population of England and Great Britain, accused of being…
A Brief History On April 10, 2018, adherents of the Anglican Church celebrate the Feast Day of St. William of Ockham, the Franciscan theologian and philosopher that gave us the logical tool known as Occam’s Razor, an idea oversimplified as ‘the briefest, most likely explanation is the best.’ Digging Deeper Born in Ockham, Surrey, England around 1285, William joined the Franciscan Order as a lad and was probably educated at Oxford, believed to have completed his studies in theology for a master’s degree which was apparently not awarded (for unknown reasons). William wrote an unpopular commentary on the Peter Lombard…