A Brief History On September 25, 1961, the State of Wisconsin first required any new automobile made starting in 1962 to be equipped with front seat safety belts. While Nash Motors first offered this commonsense device in 1949, the rest of the United States was not required to have seat belt equipped cars until 1962, with shoulder belts required as of 1968. Digging Deeper Despite all cars having seat belts, drivers and passengers rarely wore them, even when annoying buzzers were included to “remind” people to wear the hated belts. New York paved the way with a law requiring seat…
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A Brief History On September 22, 1980, Iraq invaded their neighbor, Iran, seeking to take advantage of the disruption caused by the Iranian revolution. The resulting war lasted 8 years and cost each country around a half million people each, with no change in territory and no clear winner. Digging Deeper Today, we ask, “What was the most miscalculated invasion in history?” and we give some examples to choose from, although you can think of your own: US Invasions of Canada, 1775 and 1812 French Invasion of Russia, 1812 French Invasion of Germany/Prussia, 1870 Soviet Invasion of Finland, 1939 German…
A Brief History On September 21, 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor was confirmed by the Senate as the first ever female Justice of the Supreme Court. What other indications do we have that American women are really on an equal basis with men? Digging Deeper We list a few of these facts that can be considered signs of equal rights progress: Women’s Suffrage, 1920; The Equal Pay Act of 1963; a married woman was first allowed to get a credit card in her own name, 1974; the first female Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O’Connor, 1981; the first American woman astronaut…
A Brief History On September 19, 2022, the United Kingdom and all of the Commonwealth will pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II by conducting her Royal funeral. Having reigning for a record 70 years, 214 days, she made her mark on British history, but was she the greatest queen in British history? Digging Deeper We ask you for your opinion, and we list a few other possible choices to pick from: Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni tribe of Celtic Britons from an unknown date until 61, fought against Roman occupiers and inspires British people, especially women, to this day. Eleanor…
A Brief History On September 18, 1990, the tiny European Principality of Liechtenstein was admitted to the United Nations. Incredibly, Liechtenstein is only the 4th smallest country in Europe, behind Vatican City, Monaco and San Marino. Digging Deeper A monarchy, Liechtenstein is ruled by the Prince of Liechtenstein, though under a national constitution. With barely over 38,000 residents, this German speaking country lies between Switzerland and Austria and occupies a miniscule 62 square miles. While the national wealth of Liechtenstein as measured by GDP ranks a mere 149th in the world, the individual wealth of the population is a staggering…