A Brief History On August 15, 1950, Princess Anne was born to the future Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburg. Though the second child of a reigning monarch, she is only 11th in line of succession. She does, however, hold a title that currently no one else in the entire world is entitled to, namely that of Princess Royal. Digging Deeper The title of Princess Royal is an honorary title awarded to the eldest daughter of the reigning British monarch. It is the highest honor a female member of the royal family can receive.…

A Brief History On August 14, 1880, work on the Cathedral of Cologne was finally finished after it had been started 600 years earlier!  One of the most iconic landmarks in Germany, the cathedral survived World War II despite having been hit by at least 14 bombs in the many bombing raids on the city.  Allied bomber crews even used it as a navigation point.  Nonetheless, the product most often associated with Cologne is, of course, Eau de Cologne, a perfume.  Many products are associated with the names of cities.  Here 10 of them are listed, in no particular order.   Digging…

A Brief History On August 14, 1994, Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, Venezuelan terrorist and one of the most wanted men in the world, was finally arrested by authorities in the Sudan and turned over to French law enforcement. Digging Deeper The man who was dubbed “Carlos the Jackal” by the media after the Fredrick Forsythe novel (1971), The Day of the Jackal, had been fighting against Israel on behalf of the Palestinian people for close to 30 years.  Ilich’s father was an avowed Marxist, which is why he gave his son the Russian name Ilich.  Ilich’s 2 siblings were named Vladimir and Lenin. Predisposed to hate the capitalist democracies…

A Brief History On August 13, 1918, Opha Mae Johnson became the first of 305 women to enlist in the United States Marine Corps Women’s Reserve, proving that women can do and be just about anything!  Taking over clerical duties in the U.S. while the men went overseas, these first female Marines were unofficially called “Marinettes.”  Although first formed during World War I, the Women’s Reserve was again mobilized during World War II and only became a permanent part of the Marine Corps in 1948.  The first female Lieutenant General (3-star rank) in the U.S. military was a Marine, Carol Mutter. …

A Brief History  On August 13, 1521, Cuauhtémoc, ruler of the Aztecs, was captured while fleeing Tenochtitlán by crossing Lake Texcoco in disguise with his wife, family and friends. He and the surviving pipiltin  (nobles) surrendered to Hernán Cortés and, according to Spanish sources, he offered Cortés his knife and asked to be killed. His death was a critical moment in the decline and fall of the Aztec Civilization! Digging Deeper History is told from the perspective of the winners. One can assume that many great civilizations have been lost to history. What does it mean to be a great civilization? The examples that come to mind…