An interesting historical story.
When Julius Caesar was an up and coming politician, he made a trip to Rhodes to study rhetoric. On the way, his ship was taken by pirates. Yes, they had pirates in the Mediterranean Sea in the time of Ancient Rome. As was common for noble captives, Caesar was held Read more…
PEARL HARBOR WARNINGS For years, the final exam for Japanese naval cadets included the question: “How would you attack Pearl Harbor?” The night before the attack, the FBI intercepted a suspicious phone call from Tokyo to the Japanese embassy in Honolulu. Early in the morning of the attack a minesweeper Read more…
AMERICA’S FIRST SHOT – On Dec. 7, 1941 just before daybreak, a minesweeper in Pearl Harbor signaled the destroyer USS Ward that it had sighted an unidentified submarine. Four hours later, lookouts on the Ward spotted the conning tower of a green, two man midget sub trailing a supply ship. Read more…
PEARL HARBOR RADAR – *** Here’s an anecdote from my WWII page. On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Privates Joseph Lockard and George Elliott were operating an experimental radar station near Pearl Harbor. They were off duty at 7 A.M., but since their ride had not arrived, Elliott was Read more…
The Earl of Oxford attended Queen Elizabeth’s court one day and as he bowed low before the monarch, he broke wind. He was so embarrassed that he stayed away from the court for several years. When he finally returned and approached the Queen to bow again, she said: “My lord, Read more…
President Lincoln was the first President to “pardon” a turkey, but it was not for Thanksgiving. Lincoln got a turkey as a gift for Christmas dinner. His ten year old son Tad fell in love with the bird which he named Jack. One day, he barged into a cabinet meeting Read more…
In the 1880’s, Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud began experimenting with and researching a new miracle drug called “cocaine”. In 1884, he published his findings in a report entitled “Uber Coca”. Freud sung the praises of this “magical substance.” He touted it as a cure for digestive ailments, asthma, fatigue, pain, Read more…
Today is Veterans Day and many don’t realize it is associated with the signing of the armistice on November 11, 1918. The poem most associated with the war is “In Flanders Field” by John McRae. McRae was a Canadian soldier, doctor, artist, and poet. His unit was shipped to Flanders Read more…
Anaximenes was a philosopher famous during his lifetime. He accompanied Alexander the Great in his conquest of Persia. One day, Alexander’s army approached the city where Aniximenes was born. Aniximenes came to Alexander’s tent and Alexander, anticipating what he was about to request, said to Anaximenes: “I swear by the Read more…
Titian was one of the greatest of the Renaissance painters. He, rather than the sculptor Donatello, should have been one of the Ninja Turtles. (I think the creators were afraid of people mispronouncing the name.) He specialized in mythological subjects and portraits. He also would accept commissions to paint Read more…