A Brief History On September 29, 1714, Cossacks from the Russian Empire slaughtered 800 Finns on the island of Hailuoto during the Russian invasion of Finland, then part of the Swedish Empire, known as The Great Wrath. Digging Deeper Russia has long had a tumultuous relationship with their neighbors, Finland and Sweden, and this time the Russians had the upper hand, defeating Sweden in battles leading up to the massacre at Hailuoto. During 1714, Russia managed to occupy virtually all of Finland, until the end of the Great Northern War, which finally ended by the treaty of Nystad in 1721.…
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A Brief History On September 28, 2008, the first Formula One night race was held, the Singapore Grand Prix. The high-profile international auto race was won by Fernando Alonso driving for the Renault F1 team. Later, it was discovered that Alonso’s teammate, Nelson Piquet Jr., had been ordered by team managers to deliberately cause a crash to help Alonso win the race. Digging Deeper This race would not be the first or the last time pro sports events were “fixed,” either by cheating or by deliberately losing in order to affect betting outcomes. Some other examples include the 1919 “Black…
A Brief History This article contains a table of textual and video biographies of various Roman emperors and usurpers covered in De vita Caesarum (English: About the Life of the Caesars), commonly known as The Twelve Caesars, as well as notable works inspired by this ancient text, including the Historia Augusta (English: Augustan History) and Vita Karoli Magni (English: Life of Charlemagne). Digging Deeper Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Who is your favorite Roman emperor or usurper? Please also read the following articles in the order indicated below and answer the questions posed within those articles in their respective comments sections: “Do You…
A Brief History On September 27, 1962, the book, Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson was published. The book dealt with environmental science and focused on the widespread use of pesticides and the disinformation provided by the manufacturers of those chemicals. Digging Deeper Carson made a case that the indiscriminate use of these chemicals was poisoning the environment and killing off many beneficial insects along with the pests. Additionally, many birds suffered ill effects from the pesticides, and Carson projected that one day the birds would be gone, hence the title of the book. You might have thought a cataclysmic environmental…
A Brief History On September 25, 1555, the peace treaty known as the Peace of Augsburg or alternately as the Augsburg Settlement was signed by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and his opponents, known as the Schmalkaldic League. Digging Deeper The signing took place in the German city of Augsburg, giving the treaty its name. The Holy Roman Empire of the time consisted of a Catholic consortium of countries, including Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Austria, and Burgundy, as well as portions of Italy. Opposing the Emperor was the Schmalkaldic League, an alliance of Lutheran princes within the empire that…