A Brief History On May 17, 1536, King Henry VIII of England had his marriage to Anne Boleyn annulled, although she had borne him the future Queen Elizabeth I. He then had her decapitated two days later for treason and adultery, which even then was a pretty harsh parting of the ways. Divorce is rarely a happy and light hearted thing, but some divorces are stranger or more vicious than others. Here are 10 more divorces or break-ups that were either shocking or particularly acrimonious. Of course in Anne Boleyn’s case, one is left asking how she could have committed…

A Brief History On May 16, 2005, the Emirate of Kuwait, an Islamic/Arab country on the Arabian peninsula finally allowed women to vote, by a vote of 35 to 23 in their National Assembly.  Frequently today we hear of “Medieval” practices toward women by majority Muslim countries, such as the much discussed ban on women driving cars in Saudi Arabia, but not all Muslim countries have taken so long to grant women’s suffrage, and not always just because of religion. Digging Deeper Certainly, democracy in Muslim countries was a rare commodity before the 20th Century, and even then, in many…

A Brief History On May 16, 1866, the United States congress authorized the elimination of the “half-dime” coin and the minting of a new 5 cent piece, the “nickel.” From 1913 to 1938 the nickel bore the image of a Native American man’s head on the front and a buffalo on the back. Native American images have appeared throughout the history of the US in numerous cultural references. Here we list 10 of those iconic images, not all of which are considered flattering by Native Americans, and some are actually hated stereotypes. Insulting or honoring, these images, like Native Americans,…

A Brief History On May 16, 1770, the 14 year old Marie Antoinette, future Queen of France, married 15 year old Louis, the future King Louis XVI of France. Although the marriage and the reign were failures, Marie is remembered today as one of the most famous queens in history, but (unjustly perhaps) not in a good way. Here we list 10 famous queens that come to mind when one thinks of the word queen. Digging Deeper 10. Queen Latifah, present day. Rapper and actress, frequently seen on television shows, producer of records and television and even a comedienne, although…

A Brief History On May 16, 1770, the 14 year old Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna of the House Habsburg-Lorraine married Louis-Auguste, Dauphin (heir to the throne) of France, House of Bourbon. During her short (23 years) life to follow, Queen Marie Antoinette, as she became when Louis became King Louis XVI of France, came to symbolize the callous indifference to the plight of peasants. Digging Deeper At first fairly popular, the royal couple became objects of envy and scorn as financial problems hit France and the monarchs spent money like it really was theirs. Marie became known derisively as L’Autrichienne,…