U.S. Grant-It’s all in the name May 30, 2010

On this Date in History:  One thing that I have learned in researching history is that, in order to really understand a subject, one must look at the complete historiography.  So often, you find people referring to one author as the authority on a particular subject when, the truth is, two or three people can [...]

Import of Women to Seattle Eventually Gave Us Bobby Sherman May 29, 2010

On This Date In History: Asa Mercer was already the president of Washington Territory’s first university by the time he was in his mid twenties. The Pacific Northwest had great natural resources attracting miners and lumbermen from around the nation. But…there was a scarcity of women. Mercer decided to fix that by placing an ad [...]

Chimp Challenges Experts For 2010 Hurricane Season Forecast May 28, 2010

2010 Hurricane Season Forecast: Let us begin with the 2010 hurricane season prognastication of Dr. James Hansimian(video).   He is predicting 6 to 8 hurricanes for the 2010 season.  Never heard of him?  You probably will.  You see, he is a chimpanzee whom the National Center for Public Policy Research has put on the record in an effort to [...]

Great American From Cinema Still Going Strong at 103 May 26, 2010

On this Date in History:  John Wayne got fired on April 5, 1931 by Fox studios.   He mainly grew up in Lancaster, CA which later became known as Glendale.  He had a dog named Duke and, for some reason, the local firefighters would see the kid and his dog and so they started calling the youngster “Duke.”    He was [...]

Pioneer Makes Son’s Corpse Focus of Teachable Moment May 25, 2010

On This Date in History:  William Keil  was an immigrant from Germany and worked as a tailor and a medical practioner.  He had been a Methodist but turned to mysticism.  So, like Yogi, he was not your average bear.  He possessed a very strong personality and fully expressed his religious convictions such that people readily followed [...]

Always Alert, Samuel Morse’s Success Came From Unlikely Origin May 24, 2010

On This Date in History: In 1810, a young man graduated from Yale and immediately went to England to study art. He created a giant painting and a small sculpture and called them both “the Dying Hercules.” These were his most significant works and I suppose that he figured that was the best he could [...]

Yao Ming Baby Birth Makes China Ask, How Tall? American or Chinese? May 23, 2010

If you recall, several months ago, I reported that a certain member of the Houston Rockets was expecting to become a father as his wife was pregnant with their first child.  It was not just another basketball player.  The player in question was none other than Yao Ming whose popularity probably exceeds that of any [...]

George Washington Preferred Cincinnatus Over King George May 22, 2010

On this date in History:  In 1782, there was some chaos in the new nation.  There was a shortage of funds to pay foreign debts and Congress was arguing about what to do.  Beyond that, while the British had surrendered at Yorktown, there was no peace treaty with the mother country and many thousands of [...]

America’s First Woman To Serve as Combat Soldier May 21, 2010

On This Date in History:  Lord Cornwallis surrendered to General George Washington at Yorktown in October 1781.  This effectively ended the American but not officially.  That did not come about until the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.  So, there was still plenty of fighting going on in the colonies.  Guerrilla bands raped [...]

Kentucky Learns No Decision is the Wrong Decision; You Must Take a Stand May 20, 2010

On This Date in History:  The American Civil War split the nation in two:  North vs. South, Slave State vs. Free State.  Except for one thing.  Not all of the slave states seceded from the Union.  One of those states was Kentucky.  It had been formed from the state of Virginia and, as part of [...]