Browsing: Society

A Brief History On March 30, 1855, pro-slavery raiders called “Border Ruffians” poured into Kansas from Missouri to sway elections in Kansas to pro-slavery. Digging Deeper Kansas became a state in 1861 that did not permit slavery.  The admission of Kansas as a “free” state was a cause of the US Civil War, a topic that has become political kryptonite during the 2024 election year. Why did the US fight the Civil War?  This question still baffles some of our contemporary politicians, and so today, we list some of the reasons. First, slavery was not the only issue, although it…

A Brief History On March 29, 1951, Copenhagen, Denmark was the scene of one of the most bizarre bank robberies ever, a robbery that cost two people their lives! Digging Deeper Investigators later reconstructed the crime, with the two robbers probably sharing a jail cell after being convicted of treason during World War II.  In prison they developed an interest in hypnosis and Asian mysticism. One ex-con allegedly hypnotized the other to rob a bank, and in the process killed a teller and the bank manager.  The robber fled by bicycle but was soon captured.  The hypnotist half of the…

A Brief History On March 22, 2024, the Princess of Wales, Catherine Middleton Windsor, the wife of the future King of the UK, William, Prince of Wales, announced that she is being treated for an unspecified cancer discovered during her recent abdominal surgery. Digging Deeper Princess Kate, as she is usually known as, is a beautiful and popular addition to the Royal Family and has borne Prince William a pair of sons and a daughter.  The future Queen of the UK, Kate has campaigned for mental health awareness and has earned the respect of her country and the world. We…

A Brief History On March 24, 1999, an unlikely cargo became deadly when a truck carrying margarine and flour caught fire in the Mont Blanc tunnel on its way from France to Italy. Digging Deeper While fires in tunnels can be a terrifying prospect, the Mont Blanc tunnel was no stranger to fire, having previously experienced 16 truck fires prior to this incident.  The driver of the Belgian truck became aware of a problem when oncoming traffic began flashing their headlights to alert him to smoke pouring out of his truck. Stopping his truck about half-way through the 7.2 mile…

A Brief History On March 23, 2018, the President of Peru, Pedro Kuczynski, resigned in disgrace due to corruption.  Although Kuczynski was born in Peru, you might tell from his name that his parents were not, and in fact were from Germany, of Polish Jewish descent. Kuczynski even lived in the USA for a while before becoming a politician. Digging Deeper Some other national leaders of ethnicities other than the host country that did not fare well include: Alberto Fujimori, another Peruvian President born in Peru, but this time of Japanese immigrants. After a decade as President, in 2000 Fujimori…