A Brief History On January 13, 1998, Alfredo Ormando committed self-immolation in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City for the purpose of protesting homophobia. While many protestors have used setting themselves on fire to make a point, we contend that there are good as well as bad ways to protest. Digging Deeper While self-immolation grabs brief public attention, the reaction of the public is rarely sympathy with the cause, but more an impression that the protestor is mentally ill. Some good ways of protesting include: Boycotts, which can bring pressure on business or government to change without violence,…
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A Brief History On January 11, 1935, American aviatrix Amelia Earhart became the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California, one of her many aviation firsts. She was also the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic and was a proponent of women in aviation, of which there have been many great ones, as listed below: Digging Deeper Jackie Cochran (1906-1980) was an aviation pioneer that held more aviation records during her life than any other pilot of either sex. The first woman to fly supersonic, she also helped organize female pilots for Britain and the US…
A Brief History On January 8, 2023, supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the Brazilian capital of Brasilia in protest of the 2022 presidential election that Bolsonaro lost to Luis Inácio Lula da Silva. Apparently, dissatisfaction with the results of a presidential election is NOT a uniquely American phenomenon! Digging Deeper The pro-Bolsonaro mob heavily damaged several government buildings, including the Presidential Palace and the national Supreme Federal Court as well as the Congress building. The stated goal of the mob was to force the Brazilian military to take action and hopefully reinstate Bolsonaro. Hundreds of rioters were…
A Brief History On January 7, 1894, Ohio born uber-inventor Thomas Edison made and demonstrated a kinetoscope, a sort of device using multiple photos or drawings to show the illusion of movement, in this case of a man sneezing. Although Edison is often given credit for inventing the “motion picture,” his own employee, William Kennedy Dickson, actually received the patent for motion picture film on that same day. Digging Deeper Edison is often cited as the most prolific inventor in history, and it is his name on 1,093 patents, although more modern inventors have dramatically eclipsed this number. Edison’s real…
A Brief History On January 6, 2021, a throng of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol in response to claims by Trump and his allies that the 2020 US Presidential election was “stolen” from Trump in favor of Joe Biden. Five people allegedly died in conjunction with the riot, disturbance, or demonstration, as you prefer to call the incident, and 138 police officers were reportedly injured along with possibly scores of other people. Digging Deeper Called a rebellion, a coup, an insurrection, or a riot by the Left, Right wing Americans called the melee a righteous response…