A Brief History On August 2, 1939, Albert Einstein co-authored a letter to President Franklin Roosevelt, warning that the Germans were working to develop atomic weapons and that the Allies should proceed immediately to develop such weapons first. Digging Deeper Einstein is often cited as the smartest human ever, and yet, Americans often use his name to ridicule the intelligence of others, such as calling someone “Einstein” instead of using another slur such as “idiot.”  Kind of like calling your grossly overweight buddy “Slim.” Why is it that “Fat Chance” means the same thing as “Slim Chance?”  When we say,…

A Brief History On August 1, 2004, about 400 people died and another nearly 500 were injured when a supermarket in Asunción, Paraguay, caught fire.  Managers had fire exits blocked to prevent theft, which resulted in the mass casualties. Digging Deeper Something as mundane as grocery shopping can be deadly, and here are some ways incidents prove the point: In 1967, an F-4 fighter jet crashed into an Arizona grocery, with 15 feared dead and 12 injured. In 2013, a store in Riga, Latvia, suffered a roof collapse, burying people under tons of debris, leaving 54 dead and 41 injured.…

A Brief History On July 31, 1715, one of those events that leads to dreams occurred, when a storm off the coast of Florida sank all 11 Spanish treasure ships heading to Spain from Cuba. Digging Deeper Carrying a load of mostly silver, the fleet has been dubbed, “The 1715 Plate Fleet,” using the Spanish word for silver, “plata.” About 1,500 sailors drowned in the catastrophe, although a few survived to tell the tale.  Treasure wrecks spawn mighty efforts to find and recover the lost treasure, and the occasional washing up of some of the 1715 Fleet’s treasure on beaches…

A Brief History On July 29, 1862, female Confederate spy, Belle Boyd, was arrested by Union forces with the assistance of famed private detective Allan Pinkerton.  Arrested at least six times for spying, and despite warning that she could be executed, Boyd was never executed or given long prison sentences. Digging Deeper A native of Virginia, Boyd ran afoul of Union troops when they found Confederate flags in her home.  A Union soldier insulted Boyd’s mother, resulting in Boyd shooting and killing the soldier. Found not guilty of murder, Boyd went on to a career of spying, being caught and…

A Brief History On July 28, 2018, Australian yacht skipper Wendy Tuck made sailing history by becoming the first female skipper to win the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.  Held every two years, this epic boat race is run by Clipper Ventures that supplies 11 identical yachts to skippers and crews to compete in since 1996, with only 2004 skipped. Digging Deeper A real test of skill and endurance, all participants are required to undergo a four-week training program before the race.  The same year that Wendy Tuck made sailing history, British skipper Nikki Henderson became the youngest person…