A Brief History On October 9, 2023, the second Monday in October, we once again celebrate National Kick Butt Day, a day not for kicking other people but for kicking yourself into gear to accomplish some personal or professional achievement. Digging Deeper Of unknown origins, National Kick Butt Day seems to have started around 2004, originally aimed at those in the advertising and marketing fields.  While you can find some suggestions online how to spend this special day, we offer some suggestions of our own.  You of course are welcome to offer your suggestions as well. Grow your brainpower by…

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on October 8th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On October 8, 1480, Ivan III, Grand Prince of Moscow, stood up to the Tatars led by Akhmat Khan of the Great Horde, the successor to the “Golden Horde,” in an epic stand known as the “Great Stand on the Ugra River,” one of the high points of Russian military history. On October 8, 1806, British forces fighting the French at Boulogne employed…

A Brief History On October 8, 1982, actor Fernando Lamas died, probably best remembered for the Billy Crystal impression saying the phrase, “You look marvelous!”  Many other actors and celebrities have been attributed quotations they did not really say, and today we look at a few of those. Digging Deeper PT Barnum, showman and huckster, “There’s a sucker born every minute.” Julius Caesar, Roman dictator, “Et tu, Brute?” Albert Einstein, physicist and genius, “If the bee disappeared off the face of the Earth, man would only have four years left to live.” Greta Garbo, actress, “I vant to be alone…”…

A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on October 7th.  For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper Due to the implementation of the Gregorian calendar, October 7th was skipped in Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Spain in 1582. On October 7, 1763, the Royal Proclamation of 1763 was issued by King George III of Great Britain and Ireland, forbidding American settlers from moving into Native American lands West of the Appalachian Mountains, part of the settlement of the French and…

A Brief History On October 7, 1763, the Royal Proclamation of 1763 was issued by King George III of Great Britain and Ireland, forbidding American settlers from moving into Native American lands West of the Appalachian Mountains, part of the settlement of the French and Indian War that was in turn part of the larger Seven Years’ War. Digging Deeper American colonists certainly had a wanderlust for new territories, giving them new land to exploit for farming, hunting, fur trapping, and mining.  Being forbidden from seeking their fortune by a far away King rankled American feelings and caused bitter resentment. …