Browsing: Society

A Brief History On February 16, 1904, African American movie actor and singer James Franklin Baskett was born in Indianapolis.  You may not know his name, but the character he played in the Disney classic movie, Song of the South in 1946, Uncle Remus, is a beloved part of Americana as is his rendition of the song, “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.” Digging Deeper In 1948, Baskett was awarded an honorary Oscar, becoming the first Black actor to receive an Academy Award. Other notable African American births on February 16th include pianist and organist Bill Doggett in 1916, actor LaVar Burton in 1957, both…

A Brief History On February 12, 1733, James Oglethorpe founded the English Province of Georgia, later to become the Colony of Georgia in 1752, the Southernmost and last of the 13 Colonies that would later become the United States of America. Digging Deeper Georgia was named after King George II, who had issued the charter allowing for its colonization.  The first settlement was at Savannah, and Georgia was the 4th state admitted to the Union in 1788. Known as The Peach State, Georgia’s capital is Atlanta, a city of a half million, although its metropolitan area is over 6 million,…

A Brief History On February 10, 1862, during the American Civil War, the Union fleet won the battle of Elizabeth City, North Carolina, by sinking the Confederate “Mosquito Fleet.”  So, what is a “mosquito fleet?” Digging Deeper Generally speaking, a mosquito fleet is an unofficial nickname for a fleet of small warships or gunboats, in the case of the Confederate mosquito fleet mentioned here, 5 gunboats and a single schooner. Other nations and navies have employed mosquito fleets, ranging from commandeered private yachts used for anti-submarine patrol during the World Wars to converted fishing or utility vessels pressed into military…

A Brief History On February 9, 1907, the city of London was the scene of an epic civil rights march, colloquially known as “The Mud March.”  More correctly known as the “United Procession of Women,” it was at the time the largest demonstration in history for the cause of women’s suffrage.  Today, we name a few others of the most famous or infamous marches. Digging Deeper The Long March, 1934-1935, when Mao Zedong led Chinese communist forces on an epic retreat by foot over the course of a year, walking about 5600 miles on the trek! The Bataan Death March,…

A Brief History On February 8, 1587, Mary Stuart, also known as Mary, Queen of Scots or even Mary I of Scotland, was executed by the order of Queen Elizabeth I of England, her own cousin! Digging Deeper Mary, born in December of 1542, was only 6 days old when she inherited the throne of Scotland, and reigned for only 15 years before she was forced to abdicate after the murder of her husband and Mary remarrying the main suspect in her husband’s murder only a month after his acquittal for the murder. Failing to reclaim her throne, Mary fled…