Browsing: Society

A Brief History On April 23, 1985, Coca-Cola, that icon of American soft drinks, one of the  symbols of what stands for America, changed its formula! A mistake of epic proportions, eventually Coke had to bring back “Coca-Cola Classic.”  As idiotic as the decision may seem in hindsight, Coke had good reason to change the formula.  Pepsi-Cola had steadily been gaining market share, and blind taste tests proved that people preferred the sweeter Pepsi, and that people preferred an even sweeter alternative.  Still, even Fidel Castro was upset with the New Coke!  At times, otherwise smart executives make bad decisions.…

A Brief History On April 22, 1983, the world was shocked to hear that the Diaries of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had allegedly been found. Digging Deeper Stern, a respectable German magazine, reported that they had received the diaries that had been found in the wreckage of an airplane crash in East Germany. Obviously, with documents of such great historical importance the establishing of their authenticity was the first order of business, and Stern allowed representatives of Times Newspapers (British) and Newsweek (American) to view the documents.   The diaries were declared genuine and the world was prepared to reassess what…

A Brief History On March 23, 1775, Patrick Henry delivered a speech that may well have led to the successful formation of the United States.  Known as the “Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death” speech, Henry was addressing the Virginia Convention of the Virginia legislature known as the House of Burgesses.  Founding Fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were there, and the mesmerizing effects of Henry’s stirring speech were enough to sway the delegates to vote for pledging the Virginia militia to the revolutionary army. Many times in history great speeches have tipped the balance and caused history to…

A Brief History On April 21, 1952, the first Secretaries’ Day was celebrated.  The presidents of the National Secretaries Association and of Dictaphone Corporation came up with the unofficial holiday in conjunction with an ad agency.  Now called Administrative Professionals Day, it is now celebrated on the Wednesday during the last week of April (in the US and Canada).  The International Association of Administrative Professionals (the renamed National Secretaries Association) holds the copyright to the name, Administrative Professionals Day.  The day is celebrated in several other countries on various dates and by various names. 10. Sweetest Day. Along with Mother’s…

A Brief History On April 20, 1918, Baron Manfred von Richtofen shot down the last enemy airplanes of his short but spectacular career. Digging Deeper The German aviator known as The Bloody Red Baron, just a few days short of his 26th birthday, lead the German fighter plane unit called The Flying Circus.  The actual name of Richtofen’s command was Jagdgeschwarder 1, which is not as catchy of a name.  The highest scoring ace of World War I, Richtofen was feared and respected by his French and British foes, whom he terrorized in his bright red Fokker Triplane. Richtofen was born in…