A Brief History On September 9, 1991, the Tajik SSR declared its independence from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) as part of the disintegration of the USSR and became the sovereign nation of Tajikistan. The first part of the name of the new nation is no mystery, it reflects the majority ethnicity of the people in that region, people calling themselves Tajiks. The ending part of the name of the country, and the names of so many other countries in the region, “stan,” derives from the Persian word for “place.” Thus, Tajikistan pretty much means “Place of the…
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A Brief History On September 7, 1997, the latest and greatest of America’s jet fighter air superiority fighter planes first took to the sky. Incredibly complex, sophisticated, and of course, expensive, the Lockheed F-22 Raptor was designed to be a stealthy fighter that could take down enemy fighters and bombers without even being detected. Despite its steep price, the fighter would be worth the cost if it could deliver on its promises. Could it deliver? Read on… Digging Deeper Back in World War II, several nations attempted to produce fighter aircraft specifically designed to out fight other fighters and provide…
A Brief History On September 5, 1927, long before he became famous for his feature film cartoons and amusement parks, Walt Disney’s production of Trolley Troubles, an animated cartoon featuring the character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, was released by Universal Pictures. A far cry from what we now associate Walt Disney with, Trolley Troubles was only just over 6 minutes long and was in black and white, and although it did not feature sound to go along with the animation, music and sound effects were added years later. Oswald became a popular cartoon character and Disney was on his way…
A Brief History On September 4, 1972, The Price is Right, created by Bob Stewart, Mark Goodson, and Bill Todman, made its television debut with Bob Barker as host. The show would go on to become the longest running American television game show, and Bob Barker, host from 1972 to 2007 (when Drew Carey took over) was the longest tenured US television game show host. The remarkable show is still going strong, still with Drew Carey at the helm. In 2007, TV Guide Magazine called The Price is Right the greatest game show of all time. Considering the incredible array…
A Brief History In 1785, the first grades issued at Yale University (and possibly the first in the United States of America) were given out when President Ezra Stiles recorded in his diary that there were “Twenty Optimi, sixteen second Optimi, twelve Inferiores (Boni), [and] ten Pejores” among 58 Seniors. Today, bad grades scare most students and it is also true that neither students nor teachers like seeing a bad grade. Fortunately, grades can be improved by following some strategy. This article elaborates on some ways to avoid bad grades in high school and college. If avoiding a negative grade is one of your…