History Lesson Tuesdays: Memorial Day

Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Memorial Day 2023 will occur on Monday, May 29.  Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holidayContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesdays: Memorial Day”

History Lesson Tuesdays: Police kill famous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde. May 23, 1934

On May 23, 1934, notorious criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are shot to death by Texas and Louisiana state police while driving a stolen car near Sailes, Louisiana. Bonnie Parker met the charismatic Clyde Barrow in Texas when she was 19 years old and her husband (she married when she was 16) was serving time in jail for murder. Shortly after theyContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesdays: Police kill famous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde. May 23, 1934”

History Lesson Tuesday: May 16, 1985. Discovery of Ozone Hole announced.

In the scientific journal Nature on May 16, 1985, three scientists from the British Antarctic Survey announce their detection of abnormally low levels of ozone over the South Pole. Their discovery, commonly known as the Ozone Hole, became a palpable example of mankind’s ability to damage the Earth’s atmosphere as well as one of the most famousContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesday: May 16, 1985. Discovery of Ozone Hole announced.”

History Lesson Tuesday: 1960 FDA Approves “The Pill”.

On May 9, 1960, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the world’s first commercially produced birth-control pill—Enovid-10, made by the G.D. Searle Company of Chicago, Illinois. Development of “the pill,” as it became popularly known, was initially commissioned by birth-control pioneer Margaret Sanger and funded by heiress Katherine McCormick. Sanger, who opened the first birth-control clinicContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesday: 1960 FDA Approves “The Pill”.”

History Lesson Tuesdays: U.S. Declares War on Spain

On April 25,1898, the United States formally declared war against Spain. The Monroe Doctrine, which since 1823 had viewed any European intervention in the Americas as a threat to U.S. security, coupled with the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine in Havana harbor, precipitated U.S. engagement. Coverage by Hearst newspapers and the nascent film industry solidified public support for involvementContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesdays: U.S. Declares War on Spain”

Travel Thursdays: A castle in Connecticut with a moat, dungeon, and a drama-filled history is for sale at $35 million — see inside

by Hannah Towey This custom-built gothic castle may look like it belongs in medieval Europe — but it was really built in a Connecticut suburb in 2010. Known as the Chrismark Castle, the 9-bedroom mansion belongs to Christopher Mark, the great-grandson of Chicago steel tycoon. He has been trying to sell the unique property sinceContinue reading “Travel Thursdays: A castle in Connecticut with a moat, dungeon, and a drama-filled history is for sale at $35 million — see inside”

History Lesson Tuesdays: Do You Remember Latourell, Oregon?

Latourell House on the corner of NE Latourell Road and NE Fall Street, Latourell, Oregon. Image taken June 30, 2014.

Travel Thursdays: A Place of Violence Is An Idaho State Park

by Bill Colley It’s a place of stark beauty.  You can rent cabins and RV sights and look across the Snake River Canyon from the southern rim.  While near the Interstate, the night skies aren’t polluted by light.  Fishing is popular along the riverbanks.  All of this obscures a bloody past. Massacre Rocks State ParkContinue reading “Travel Thursdays: A Place of Violence Is An Idaho State Park”

History Lesson Tuesday: Adolf Hitler’s Rise to Power 

Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) was appointed chancellor of Germany in 1933 following a series of electoral victories by the Nazi Party. He ruled absolutely until his death by suicide in April 1945. Upon achieving power, Hitler smashed the nation’s democratic institutions and transformed Germany into a war state intent onContinue reading “History Lesson Tuesday: Adolf Hitler’s Rise to Power “

History Lesson Tuesday: Arrest warrant issued for Putin by international court over Ukraine war crimes

by Associated Press The court said in a statement that Putin “is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation” by abducting children from Ukraine to take to Russia. THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The International Criminal Court said Friday that it has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes,Continue reading “History Lesson Tuesday: Arrest warrant issued for Putin by international court over Ukraine war crimes”