Browsing: Society

A Brief History On January 19, 2014, one year ago today, Serena Williams, the reigning Number 1 female tennis player in the world, was upset in the fourth round of the Australian Open.  Along with her sister Venus, the Williams girls are the two most successful sibling tennis players ever.  History is full of brothers and sisters who have achieved greatness either in the same endeavor or in separate careers.  Here we list 10 such relatives from a variety of professions.   (History and Headlines Note: If Jeb Bush is elected President of the United States in 2016, he and his brother…

A Brief History On January 18, 1911, Eugene Ely, a pilot who worked for Glenn Curtiss, a pioneer in the U.S. aviation industry, became the first person to successfully land an airplane on the deck of a ship.   He did so when he landed a Curtiss “pusher,” a biplane with a rear-facing engine and propeller, on a specially-constructed platform over the deck of the armored cruiser USS Pennsylvania. Digging Deeper This very first “carrier” landing was also significant in aviation history for being the first landing to be arrested by tail hook.  History and Headlines Note: The annual party and bash for U.S.…

A Brief History On January 17, 1873, despite fielding only 53 warriors, the Native American Modoc tribe, led by Captain Jack, defeated 104 California and Oregon volunteers* and 225 U.S. Army soldiers* who were equipped with 2 howitzers. Digging Deeper In a campaign called “The Modoc War,” also known as the “last Indian war,  the U.S. tried to evict Native Americans from their territory in Oregon and California, specifically from a rocky fortress named “Captain Jack’s Stronghold.”  Whereas at least 32 white men* were killed, the Modoc apparently left the battle that later became known as the “First Battle of the Stronghold” unharmed.  History and Headlines Note: Captain Jack…

A Brief History On January 16, 2014, one year ago today, The Guardian, a British newspaper, reported that the American National Security Agency (NSA) had been recording billions of global telephone messages, texts, emails, and financial transactions in the name of national security.  To put this information into perspective, at the time of the British article’s publication, 200 million text messages were being collected daily! Digging Deeper This mountain of data is not just being collected from foreigners but also from American citizens!  Supposedly done as part of an anti-terrorism program and with the oversight of Congress, many Congressmen and Senators were…

A Brief History On January 14th, medieval Christians celebrated Feast of the Ass Day, although perhaps not the type of “ass” you may be thinking of!  It actually celebrated the various accounts in the Bible where a donkey (or ass) is mentioned, especially the one that supposedly carried Mary and the baby Jesus to Egypt. Digging Deeper Not surprisingly, like many or even most Christian holidays, the Feast of the Ass had its origins in Paganism, being derived from the religious feast called Cervulus. During this bestial-based holy day, a ceremony often took place in which a girl with a baby (or a pregnant girl) was…