Sometimes, when I sit down to write a #historyfriday post, my *own* history collides with it.On March 26, 2010, a Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy vessel, the Cheonan, was allegedly sunk by a North Korean torpedo near Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea. A rescue operation recovered 58 survivors but 46 sailors were killed. Despite … Continue reading When the Forgotten War Wasn’t So Forgotten
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Grapefruit in the Eye..er, Sky
The early twentieth century marked the beginning of the heyday of aviation. Following the Wright Brothers' success at Kitty Hawk in 1903, the world became captivated by flight, and the rush to go the highest, furthest, and fastest was on. Whether events were momentous, such as the first transcontinental flight across North America (made by … Continue reading Grapefruit in the Eye..er, Sky
Lean In…Literally
The Leaning Tower of Pisa is symbol of Italy, a glorious structure that conjures images of rolling Tuscan fields, freshly baked pizza, and miles and miles of vineyards.And yet, in reality, it is a historical landmark only still standing because of its home country's humbleness and the grit and determination of a multi-national team of … Continue reading Lean In…Literally
Pass the Chocolates, Please
In honor of Valentine's Day, today's #historyfriday is a throwback to my 2019 post about the, um, unorthodox history behind the holiday of love. It definitely didn't start out with paper hearts and boxes of chocolates.Check out the post here. Happy Valentine's Day!
Plagiarism in Verona?
"Romeo, Romeo. Wherefore art thou, Romeo?" You may have never heard of The Globe. It's possible you know nothing about PotPan or Prince Escalus or Friar John. It's even plausible that you could be in the minority of people who don't know the name of Shakespeare. But its almost inconceivable that you would not know … Continue reading Plagiarism in Verona?
Throwback #historyfriday
Hello! No new #historyfriday post today. Instead, in honor of the upcoming Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, I'm throwing it back to a post I wrote about his life and his legacy. You can read it here Have a great weekend!
Father Christmas and The Goblins
In December 1920, an innocent three year-old named John asked his father about a person he'd heard rumors about for the past few weeks. Who was this Father Christmas fellow? Where did he come from? Where did he live? Simple, ordinary questions from a curious child, not unlike queries pressed upon parents all over the … Continue reading Father Christmas and The Goblins
The Great Smog of London
2020 has been a year to forget. Every time we turned around, a new threat. COVID. Tiger King. Murder hornets. It was always something else to kill our mind, body, or soul. But I guess it could have been worse. At least the air wasn't trying to kill us. On December 4, 1952, a cloud … Continue reading The Great Smog of London
Yo-Ho-Ho and an ‘X’ Marks the Spot
On November 14, 1883, pirates were born. Well, pirates as we know them. After months of serialization in the children's magazine Young Folks, Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island" was published as a novel on this day by Cassel & Co publishers. The swash-buckling tale of Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver was massively popular and … Continue reading Yo-Ho-Ho and an ‘X’ Marks the Spot
The Panic That Never Actually Panicked
In 1898, English novelist H.G. Wells published a novel entitled The War of the Worlds in which a spaceship from Mars lands on Earth, inciting panic and leading to conflict between humans and extraterrestrials. It was groundbreaking for its time, highly popular, and still ranks among the most read and most celebrated science fiction novels … Continue reading The Panic That Never Actually Panicked
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