I knew about the Salem Witch Trials in this country, but I knew little about what happened in England.  On this date in 1751, Thomas Colley, an English chimney sweep, was executed for murdering a supposed witch.  I won’t go into detail about what he did (click on the first link below, and you can read about his barbarity).  On […]

Let me first say–I am not trying to venerate any president.  All had their faults, and I was old enough to remember President Ronald Reagan’s issues, including the Iran Contra Scandal.  I didn’t even think I liked him that much.  I was often critical of him until others came along.  That being said, I would like to remember something he […]

Did you know that the nation of Russia has a Flag Day?  The flag that they now fly over their country has been a national symbol that existed since the seventeenth century.  Of course, when it was part of the Soviet Union, this flag was not seen.  Back in 1991, there was much political unrest within the country.  A military […]

I remember hearing something about this.  On this date in 1911, one of the most famous paintings of all time–the Mona Lisa–was stolen from the Louvre in Paris, France.  At the time, this wasn’t considered the masterpiece that it is today.  A handyman at the Louvre, Vincenzo Perugia, decided to risk going to jail for this painting.  He came out […]

Okay, I don’t generally feature political figured twice in a row.  But both of the features I wanted to do today could not be corroborated.  On this date in 1935, Ron Paul was born.  He has the dubious misfortune of having the same last name as my ex’s first, but I got over that fact.  I did not realize he […]

This possibly wasn’t a famous day, and lest you think I’m heading down the political road, you’re wrong.  Understand that I am (was) a Texan, and I actually didn’t like today’s feature when he first became governor of that state.  I didn’t even want to vote for him.  I am also a conservative Christian which figures into all my opinions […]

Although helium is the second most abundant gas in the universe, it is not a gas that overly prevalent on this earth.  On this date in 1868, French astronomer Pierre Jules Janssen discovered helium during a solar eclipse in India.  Interestingly enough, another astronomer 5000 miles away was discovering the same thing–Joseph Norman Lockyer.  Both reports arrived at the French […]

This was certainly news to me, and maybe to you, too.  On this date in 1908, the very first animated cartoon was created.  Émile Eugène Jean Louis Courte was the animator who released his work Fantasmagorie.  For this two-minute work, he produced about 700 chalkboard drawings.  The title means “dream-like,” and this fit the cartoon well since there was no […]

I am not a sports fan, as you know, but this is a great day in history for lovers of sports and their most well-known magazine.  On this date in 1954, the first Sports Illustrated magazine was published.  This was the first magazine of its kind.  In other words, there was no national magazine that covered sports until this magazine […]

I believe that “First Ladies” can be quite instrumental in the success and/or failure of U.S. presidents, and today’s feature would seem to be no exception.  On this date in 1860, Florence Kling Harding (“Flossie) was born.  She was the First Lady of the U.S. from 1921-1923.  She was the eldest of three children, and her aspirations were to be […]