Browsing: Society

A Brief History On May 22, 2002, Bobby Frank Cherry, former member of the Ku Klux Klan, was convicted of the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama. Digging Deeper The early 1960’s were a turbulent time in America, with racial integration and the civil rights movement in high gear.  As the South fought against the end of segregation, violence was used as a weapon by radicals on both sides.  The 16th Street Baptist Church had been a focal point for African-American activists, used as a meeting spot by the top ranking African-American civil rights activists and a…

A Brief History On May 20, 1899, history’s first traffic ticket was issued to a New York cab driver, Jacob German who was zipping down Lexington Street at 12 mph.  Ever since, drivers have been arguing about traffic tickets with no real idea what the law is, just basing their beliefs on urban myths that are frequently untrue.  We list 10 of the most misunderstood facts about everyday traffic and other laws as told by a retired police captain.  (Note: laws vary from state to state and sometimes from town to town.  We know that and are trying to avoid…

A Brief History On May 20, 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul (later Emperor) of France, made a mistake he later regretted the rest of his life when he reinstated slavery in the French colonies.  The revolutionary movement had previously put an end to slavery in France and its colonies, and this step backward was perhaps instigated by Napoleon’s wife, Josephine who was born in Martinique, a French colony with a slave based economy.  Reinstating slavery had disastrous consequences, especially in the country now known as Haiti. Digging Deeper Of course, Napoleon had many successes, and is believed to be the…

A Brief History On May 20, 1936, Japanese prostitute Sada Abe was confronted by police at the inn where she was staying, showing them her lover’s genitals as proof of her identification!  She had severed them 3 days prior to that and had been carrying them around with her in her purse… Digging Deeper As can be guessed, the case caused a sensation in Japan. The police had found the body and were looking for the erotic killer, while Japan was buzzing with false sightings. Apparently even in Japan this activity is frowned upon for Abe was convicted of 2nd…

A Brief History On May 19, 1643, French Bourbon  forces beat Spanish forces allied with the Habsburgs at the battle of Rocroi during the 30 Years War. This French victory for practical purposes ended Spain’s time as a land power. As the name implies, the war went on for a long time, just as several other notable wars have. Some of them were actually a series of wars with brief lulls between major campaigns, and some of the longest “wars” were long lived only on paper, with no formal peace signed for many years after the fighting stopped. The Korean…