A Brief History On June 22, 2017, and on every June 22, you (only applies if you are a guy) are commanded to celebrate National Stupid Guy Thing Day. We apparently have idiotic “holidays” such as Sweetest Day, Valentine’s Day, Take Your Kid to Work Day and no end of goofy days. Thank goodness we have today to celebrate the “stupid” (stupid is in the eye of the beholder, and with guys, sometimes it really is in the eye!) things guys do or allegedly do that somebody thinks women and girls do not (normally) do. Digging Deeper Unfortunately, I could…

A Brief History On this day, June 21, 2017, two films featuring titular supernatural females are battling for box office supremacy at the global box office.  As of today, Wonder Woman has grossed an impressive $573.5 million worldwide, while The Mummy has grossed $294 million.  Both films, while their main plot-lines and characters are obviously fictional, nevertheless also include historical settings and personages…well, sort of.  Read on for the movies’ historical (in)accuracy! Digging Deeper First, The Mummy opens in 1127 A.D. with a group of English crusader knights capturing a large ruby from ancient Egypt and later burying it within the tomb of one of their number…

A Brief History On September 7, 1812, The Battle of Borodino was fought as part of the Napoleonic Wars during the French invasion of Russia.  As a result of France’s tactical victory, Emperor Napoleon I the Great (r. 1804-1814, 1815), one of history’s “great captains”, captured Moscow.  In commemoration of Napoleon’s victory, this article lists those particularly illustrious military commanders considered the “great captains” of history.  The notes for each entry are to sources that explicitly refer to the individuals as “great captains”. Digging Deeper Cyrus II of Persia (c. 600 – 530 BC), commonly known as Cyrus the Great and…

A Brief History On June 19, 1910, the United States celebrated its first Father’s Day in Spokane, Washington (the city where my sister was born).  Other countries had been celebrating Father’s Day on March 19 since the Middle Ages, at least in Catholic countries.  Today, in the United States, we celebrate Father’s Day on the third Sunday in June each year. In honor of Father’s Day and of all the wonderful fathers in the world, we will note some significant “fathers” worthy of mention. Digging Deeper 1.  George Washington, The Father of Our Country.  Our first president and the commanding…

A Brief History On Friday, June 16, 2017, the news hit the proverbial fan as the jury came to verdicts in the trial of Officer Jeronimo Yanez, the Minnesota cop that shot and killed Philando Castile while Castile’s girlfriend played the aftermath on live streaming video. Digging Deeper Castile, an African American man with an extensive history of traffic violations was stopped by Officer Yanez for a minor traffic violation. Passengers in the Castile car included his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, and her 4 year old daughter. Castile allegedly told Yanez that he (Castile) had a legally licensed pistol on his…