Anecdote
“BELL, BOOK, AND CANDLE”
The phrase “bell, book, and candle” is used to refer to a condemnation that is absolute. It is used similar to “throwing the book” at something. The phrase goes back to the Middle Read more
Anecdote
FAITH THE BLITZ CAT
In 1936, a stray cat began living in the rectory of St. Augustine Church in London. Father Henry Ross adopted the tabby and named her Faith. The cat would accompany Father Henry to services. If he was preaching, she would Read more
Anecdote
FRED THE UNDERCOVER KITTY
Once upon a time, a stray tabby was taken from the streets of Brooklyn and put in an animal shelter. The poor kitten was suffering from severe pneumonia and a collapsed lung. He was given medical care and adopted Read more
Anecdote
TAMA THE BECKONING CAT
Once upon a time, a group of stray cats lived near the train station in Kinokawa, Japan. They were befriended by passengers and the station manager Toshiko Koyama. One of the cats was a female calico cat that Koyama Read more
Anecdote
OLIVER CROMWELL’S HEAD
Oliver Cromwell led the Parliamentarian forces to victory in the English Civil War. As a result, King Charles I was beheaded on Jan. 30, 1649. Cromwell became ruler of England and was proclaimed Lord Protector in 1653. This was ironic Read more
Anecdote
SIMON THE SAILOR CAT
Simon was a black and white cat found in the dockyards of Hong Kong in 1848 by a 17-year old British sailor named George Hickinbottom. He was a crewman on the frigate Read more
Uncategorized
THE ROSENSTRASSE PROTEST
Do nonviolent protests work, even in a fascist country? A protest in 1943 Nazi Germany did work despite it butting heads with the SS. In Hitler’s Germany, being Jewish was often a death sentence. Read more
Uncategorized
CRIMEAN TOM THE SUPPLY CAT
Once upon a time, during the Crimean War, the British army participated in the Siege of Sevastopol in Russia. It took two years for the city to fall and by the end people were starving. When British soldiers entered Read more
Anecdote
SIR FRANCIS BACON AND THE GHOST CHICKEN
Sir Francis Bacon was one of the greatest scientific minds of the 17th Century. He encouraged the use of the scientific method which calls for experimentation and observation to reach a conclusion. He was one of the leaders of the Read more
Anecdote
CRASSUS’ FIRE DEPARTMENT
Marcus Crassus became the richest man in Rome partly through real estate. He created the first fire department in Rome. Sometimes he paid arsonists to set fire to a house and then he would wait around the corner with Read more