Browsing: Politics

A Brief History On February 22, 1974, President Richard Nixon was the target of a failed assassination attempt.  Failed attempts at presidential assassinations are numerous, including the first, in 1835, when President Andrew Jackson beat the would be assassin senseless with his cane, after the assassin’s pistol misfired. Digging Deeper An assassination attempt on Teddy Roosevelt after he left the White House left the macho ex-president with a bullet in his chest for life, but that did not stop him from delivering his scheduled speech moments later.  In fact, the folded-up speech in TR’s pocket may have saved his life,…

A Brief History On February 15, 1972, in what is surely one of the most frustrating political events in history, the President of Ecuador, José María Velasco Ibarra, was ousted by a military coup, incredibly, the fourth time such a coup took place out of the five times Ibarra was president! Digging Deeper A lawyer born in 1893, Ibarra became involved in politics in the 1930s, eventually rising to the presidency of Ecuador in 1934, a post he regained in 1944, 1952, 1960, and 1968.  His unceremonious oustings occurred in 1935, 1947, 1961, and 1972.  In 1956, Ibarra left power…

A Brief History On February 9, 1996, the synthetic element, Copernicium, was discovered by a research team at the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Germany, named after the famous Polish astronomer and polymath, Nicolaus Copernicus (Mikołaj Kopernik in Polish), 10 days after the discovery, on the 537th anniversary of Copernicus’s birth. Digging Deeper Some of the other elements named after people include Curium, Fermium, Mendelevium, Nobelium, Einsteinium, Bohrium, Roentgenium, Lawrencium, and others.  Perhaps you recognize some or most of these names as major historical scientists. You might not appreciate a disease or disorder being named after you,…

A Brief History On February 8, 1983, a successful Irish racehorse, Shergar, was kidnapped for ransom, a crime that resulted in the killing of the swift steed that had been enjoying life as a stud. Digging Deeper Born, or foaled as they say in the horse world, in 1978, Shergar had a successful racing career that made him a prime candidate to become a stud horse, which he became in October of 1981, serving his time as a stud in Ireland rather than accepting a large contract to move to the US. Three armed gunmen invaded the home of Shergar’s…

A Brief History On January 31, 1988, Doug Williams quarterbacked the Washington Redskins to victory in Super Bowl XXII, the first time an African American quarterback had played in Super Bowl history. Digging Deeper Standing 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing a solid 220 pounds, Williams played college football at Grambling State, starting all four years and posting an outstanding 36-7 record.  In his senior year, Williams was a premier NCAA quarterback, leading the nation in yards passing and touchdown passes thrown, although he only finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting. Williams became the 17th overall pick in the…