A Brief History On January 18, 2008, the Euphronios Krater, a bowl for mixing wine with water that dates back to around 515 BC, was unveiled in Rome, Italy after having been stolen from an Etruscan tomb in 1971 and then held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City since 1972. Digging Deeper Many other ancient or old items have been taken to foreign lands without the consent of their home country, and we ask, “Should these treasures be returned?” Some of those items include: Panels and art from The Amber Room in Russia, looted by Germans during…
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A Brief History On January 16, 2006, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was sworn in as the President of Liberia, the first female to be elected head of state of any African country. Digging Deeper Sirleaf had previously served as the Minister of Finance for Liberia but had escaped to the US after a 1980 coup put Samuel Doe in charge. Sirleaf was well acquainted with the US, having gone to college in the States, at Madison Business College, the University of Colorado Boulder, and Harvard. Apparently Sirleaf must have done a good job, for she was reelected in 2011 and served…
A Brief History On January 15, 1943, the largest “office” building in the world was dedicated in Arlington County, Virginia, the Pentagon, a building that would become the symbol of the American military. Digging Deeper With five floors above ground and another two underground, the Pentagon boasts over 6.6 million square feet of floorspace. Not until 2023 would the Pentagon’s massive floorspace be eclipsed. Its 17.5 miles of corridors get busy foot traffic 24/7, with a workforce of 23,000 military and civilian defense workers plus another 3,000 non-defense workers. The center area is a five-acre courtyard! Built at great effort…
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,…
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…