A Brief History On November 6, 963, Holy Roman Emperor Otto I called a council in Rome to depose the current Pope, John XII, on charges of leading an armed rebellion against Otto, as well as conducting his secular affairs in a corrupt and immoral manner. Digging Deeper Pope John XII was born in Rome to a rich and powerful family, and in what would seem strange today, became Pope when he was either in his late teens or early twenties! In a time when the Pope was expected to rule as a secular leader as well as providing spiritual…
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A Brief History On November 5, 1940, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to his third term as US President, and would win yet another presidential election in 1944, ending up serving a record 12+ years as US President. Some other nations have had much longer serving heads of state or government of various titles, and here we list a few that exceeded our own FDR in the 20th and 21st Centuries. Digging Deeper Queen Elizabeth II of the UK, 1952-2022 Hirohito of Japan, 1926-1989 Fidel Castro of Cuba, 1959-2008 Malietoa Tanumafili II of Samoa, 1962-2007 Josef Stalin of the USSR,…
A Brief History On November 4, 1962, the US conducted the last event of Operation Fishbowl, a series of nuclear blasts conducted at high altitude. Digging Deeper Operation Fishbowl consisted of 5 tests, part of the larger Operation Dominic, that in 1962 saw an incredible 31 nuclear blasts. Why so many nuclear test blasts in such a short time? Because the Soviets had resumed testing after an unofficial nuclear test moratorium between the superpowers from 1959 to 1961. Luckily for the health of humans around the globe, the US, UK and USSR signed the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in…
A Brief History On November 3, 1956, future New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms was born, and while he played in the NFL from 1979 to 1993, it is unlikely he would recognize the NFL from the year of his birth! Digging Deeper Here are some of the major differences in the NFL between 1955 and today: 1955- The Cleveland Browns were NFL Champs and the league consisted of 12 teams with no playoffs, just a Championship game. The season was 12 games long. 2022- The Browns are abysmal in recent years, including this one, and the league boasts 32…
A Brief History On November 2, 1898, the day recognized as the “birth of cheerleading,” University of Minnesota student Johnny Campbell became the first cheerleader in history, directing fans in cheering on the Golden Gophers football team. UM proudly calls itself the “Birthplace of Cheerleading,” and apparently deserves that title. Digging Deeper Prior to Campbell’s date with history, regular fans that would start cheers in the stands were called “cheerleaders,” on an unofficial basis. Today, most high school, college, and professional sports teams have cheerleaders, with a few notable exceptions. The Cleveland Browns famously or infamously do not and never…