A Brief History On July 28, 1866, Helen Beatrix Potter was born in London, England, to a moderately well to do family of Unitarians.  Her father was a barrister and her mother came from a wealthy cotton trading and shipbuilding family.  (See our other articles about some great women.) Digging Deeper Potter is most famous as the author of the classic children’s book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, published in 1902.  Potter was also renowned as an illustrator, a talented artist that designed greeting cards and contributed illustrations to the books of other authors.  She was also a keen businesswoman…

A Brief History On July 27, 1794, Maximilien Robespierre, a leader of the French Revolution was arrested, later to be denounced and executed by a Revolutionary Tribunal. Digging Deeper Robespierre had tried to commit suicide before being arrested by shooting himself in the head with a gun, blowing off part of his jaw.  His execution came in the typical revolutionary way by beheading on the guillotine. Once heralded as “The Incorruptible,” Robespierre lost support among his fellow revolutionaries for his staunch opinions and the fact that his single-minded aims did not allow for humanity, and his actions as “Public Accuser”…

A Brief History On July 26, 1948, President Truman issued Executive Order 9981, which ordered the desegregation of the US military, a move many Americans thought was long overdue. Digging Deeper At times presidents cannot or will not wait for congress to act on a subject and they take it into their own hands by issuing an “Executive Order.” Franklin Roosevelt holds the record for the most executive orders with a whopping 3522.  Second place is Woodrow Wilson with 1803 and Teddy Roosevelt is the only other president with over a thousand at 1081. Question for students (and subscribers) to…

A Brief History On July 25, 1722, a war started in Maine later referred to as “Dummer’s War,” among other names. Digging Deeper We have previously discussed some of the goofy names given to various conflicts, and today’s entry is one so appropriately named that we just could not resist!  Of course we speak of “Dummer’s War,” a conflict between New England European settlers and their Mohawk allies against the Wabanaki Confederacy of Native American tribes aligned with the French settlers of North America between 1722 and 1725 in the contested region between Maine and Nova Scotia, Canada.  The war…

A Brief History On July 25, 1909, French pilot Louis Bleriot made the first ever heavier than air powered flight across the English Channel in his Type XI monoplane, beating out several rival aviators that were competing for their place in history and also a nice prize of £1000 offered by The Daily Mail, a British newspaper.  Today we take a look at 10 notable airplane flights that have earned the airplane and its pilot and designer a place in aviation history.  Our list is one of interesting flights, not necessarily the most important or a “first.”  You are always…