Browsing: Society

A Brief History This article provides a timeline in the life of Vlad the Impaler and his “rebirth” as the Dracula of modern popular culture! Digging Deeper On June 17, 1462, Vlad Tepes, also known as Vlad III The Impaler, or simply Dracula, conducted a night raid against his Turkish enemy, Mehmed II who had invaded Vlad’s land of Wallachia (part of modern Romania). On November 26, 1476, Vlad the Impaler declared his third reign as ruler of Wallachia. On May 26, 1896, Bram Stoker’s horror novel, Dracula, was published.   On October 5 and 7, 2017, Kent State University at Stark’s History Club and…

A Brief History On June 17, 1462, Vlad Tepes, also known as Vlad III The Impaler, or simply Dracula, conducted a night raid against his Turkish enemy, Mehmed II who had invaded Vlad’s land of Wallachia (Romania). Digging Deeper The name Dracula was given to Vlad meaning the “son of Dracul” as his father was known.  (Dracul means dragon in Romanian.)  Being known as The Impaler was a moniker earned all by Vlad himself, after the fashion in which he forcibly sat his enemies onto large spikes planted in the ground, pointy side up. Mehmed II had invaded Wallachia because Vlad had failed to pay tribute (taxes…

A Brief History On June 17, 1932, 17,000 United States military veterans of World War I and 25,000 of their friends and family gathered in Washington, D.C. to demand early payment of their service certificate war bonuses.  Although the bonuses were not due to be paid until 1945, the Great Depression had hit the United States and these veterans were floundering financially.  General Douglas MacArthur, chief of staff of the Army, personally led US troops to forcibly drive away his fellow veterans, even though future 5 star general and president, Maj. Dwight Eisenhower (serving as an aide to MacArthur) counseled…

A Brief History On June 16, 2010, the nation of Bhutan became the first nation in the world to outlaw tobacco.  Growing and otherwise producing tobacco products and the sale of any tobacco product was outlawed.  Harsh penalties were put in place, but within a couple years things eased up a bit.  The actual use and possession of tobacco was not outlawed, just the production and sale.  The government was also mandated to provide anti-tobacco counseling and education. Digging Deeper Not Banned 5.  Tax Revenue. In 2013, the government collected $43.9 billion in tobacco tax revenue, and over half a…

A Brief History On June 16, 1586, Mary, Queen of Scots, named her heir and successor, Phillip II of Spain.  Since Mary was imprisoned at the time and not on any throne to give, this move was sure to irritate her jailer, Queen Elizabeth I of England.  Plus, Phillip II was Catholic as was Mary, something the Protestant Elizabeth would certainly not tolerate. Digging Deeper Mary had become Queen at age 6 days upon the death of her father, King James V of Scotland.  Raised in France while adults ran Scotland, she was married to the heir (Dauphin) to the…