A Brief History On October 10, 2018, Hurricane Michael hit Florida hard, a category 5 hurricane that caused 57 American deaths and $25.1 billion of damage.  Rating the worst hurricanes can be done by dollar amounts in either contemporaneous values or proportioned to today/s value, or by deaths.  Obviously, estimates also vary, but we will attempt to rank some of the worst of these big Atlantic storms. Digging Deeper The worst hurricane by fatalities was the Great Hurricane of 1780, with around 22,000 people killed, 9000 on Martinique alone as it ravaged the Caribbean. The deadliest hurricane in US history…

A Brief History On October 9, 1967, Ernesto “Che” Guevara was executed in Bolivia only a day after he was captured.  A Marxist revolutionary from Argentina, Che was a pal of Cuba’s Fidel Castro and was notorious for inciting communist rebellion in Latin American countries. Digging Deeper Amazingly, for some reason the image of Che emblazoned on T-shirts is common in America, causing one to wonder if the youngsters wearing those shirts have any idea who this guy really was. Despite being born into an upper-class family, young Ernesto showed   concern for the wellbeing of the poor and quickly showed…

A Brief History On October 8, 2024, we celebrated another National Hero Day, a day to recognize real life heroes, not the fictional kind. While entertainers and athletes of particular skill may be admired, true heroes are those that devote their time and efforts to the benefit of others, often at their own expense or even at risk to their own life. Digging Deeper Many men, women and even children can be and are heroes, and today, we list a few notable American heroes.  Who would you add to this list? In 1860, in Lake Michigan the steamer Lady Elgin…

A Brief History On October 7, 1996, Fox News Channel debuted on cable, later to become the most watched of the cable news networks.  Fox was late to the party, with CNN starting the cable news craze in 1980.  MSNBC, the #2 cable news outlet, also launched in 1996, and Newsmax premiered in 2014 as a major player. Many other financial, sports and specialty news channels are also available on cable. Digging Deeper Prior to the ascendancy of cable news, network TV news was king, starting with 15 minute broadcasts and in 1963 moving to the 30 minute format.  Before…

A Brief History On October 6, 1927, The Jazz Singer opened in theaters and began a new era in movie going  by becoming the first major motion picture to feature synchronized music, singing and speech, ending the “Silent Movie” era. Digging Deeper Some of the other advancements in movie technology that we believe are worthy of mention include: In 1898, Englishman Robert Paul invented a way to greatly reduce the flicker in movies with a new projector. Widescreen Movies debuted in 1927 but hit their stride in the 1950s to combat inroads made by television. Color movies were clumsily attempted…