Essential History

One Math Nerd Proves Another Wrong

2011-11-18T06:36:00.000-08:00

Marin Mersenne lived from 1588 to 1648. He had published that 2 to the 67th power minus 1 (147,573,952,589,676,412,927) was a prime number. For more than 250 years, that was widely accepted by mathematicians. In 1903 a mathematician named Frank Cole proved on a chalkboard doing longhand multiplication that 193,707,721 times 761,838,257,287 equaled 147,573,952,589,676,412,927. For math nerds it was a significant bit of history.

Conquest of Lisbon, Portugal

2011-11-01T17:08:00.000-07:00

The city of Lisbon, Portugal was conquered by Berber and Arabic Muslim forces in the year 711. The Christians in the city were allowed to maintain their religion, but were considered second class citizens. In 1108 crusading forces led by led by Sigurd I of Norway retook the city and it returned to Christian rule. Most of the Muslims fled the city or were force to convert to Catholicism. Many of the Islamic mosques were made into Catholic churches....some which survive today.

Typhoid Mary

2011-10-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

Typhoid Mary is an iconic figure in U.S. medical history. Her real name was Mary Mallon and she was a Irish Immigrant. Medical investigators tracked her down in a house where she was working as a cook. They discovered that 6 of the 8 homes in which she had worked had fatalities from typhoid.

She was a carrier for typhoid but did not contract the disease.

She was placed in isolation in a hospital for 3 years and was only released after a legal battle and agreeing to not cook again. Unfortunately she began cooking again and more people became sick. She was forced into quarantine on North Brother Island outside New York City and lived out the rest of her life there...never getting sick from Typhoid.

American Governors for $2000

2011-10-04T07:45:00.000-07:00

Only one American has served as the governor of two different U.S. States. Who is it? Hint #1 He was also the President. Hint #2 He was not the President of the United States.

The Answer of course is Sam Houston. He was the governor of Tennessee from 1827 to 1829 and the governor of Texas from 1859 to 1861. He was the President of the Independent state of Texas twice from 1836 to 1844.

At the start of the Civil War he refused to join with the confederacy but also refused to give support for the Union. He died in the middle of the war.

Warren Spahn

2011-07-26T21:54:00.000-07:00

Warren Spahn is one of the great American sports legends. He ranks 6th All-Time in games won and won more games than any pitcher in the past 100 years. He may have won more but he enlisted in U.S. Army in 1942 and served until the end of World War II. He served with distinction, and was awarded a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for bravery. He did not win his first game until he was 25.

The American Bonapartes

2011-05-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

Napoleon Bonaparte declared himself Emperor of France in 1804. With that, he brought back the French Royal Family. It had ended in 1793 when Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lost their heads. Napoleon had a younger brother named Jerome Bonaparte who traveled to America and married the wealthy daughter of a Baltimore merchant. When the young couple returned to France Napoleon was not happy with the union and refused Elizabeth to enter the country, even though she was pregnant. She returned to the United States and within 2 years, Jerome had married another woman.
Elizabeth's son was "Royal" however and gained some fame and reputation in both France and the United States. For more than 150 years the Baltimore Bonapartes were high society until the last heir, tripped while walking his dog and split his skull open.

Wyoming's Fremont Peak

2011-04-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

While surveying for the U.S. Army in 1842 John C. Fremont climbed a peak in central Wyoming and proclaimed it the Highest Mountain in North America. Using barometers to determine air pressure they estimated the altitude at 13,500 ft. (actually 13,745) The mountain later called Fremont Peak is actually only the 3rd highest in Wyoming and not even one of the 50 highest on the continent.

The Inspiration for Superman

2011-03-09T09:54:00.000-08:00

In 1932, Mitchell Siegel, a Lithuanian immigrant working in his store in Cleveland died during a robbery. He was 60 years old. 1 year later his son Jerry created the comic book hero Superman. Many theories suggest that Jerry Siegel and his friend Joel Shuster created the character because of their frustration with the crime of the great depression. Wishing for a "Superman" to solve the world's problems.

The Royal Jack the Ripper!

2011-02-16T18:07:00.000-08:00

There are many theories as to the real identity of London's Jack the Ripper - the 1888 brutal murderer of several prostitutes. One possibility that is frequently suggested is that Jack the Ripper was Prince Albert Victor...the Grandson of Queen Victoria. At the time of the murders he was the 2nd in line to the thrown of England. The allegation is that he had fathered a child with one of the prostitutes and killed her and the other girls who might have implicated him. Add his name to the long list of suspects, we will probably never know the answer.

Assassination of Presidents and Congressmen

2011-01-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

In the past 50 years the following Presidents, Senators or Congressmen have been either killed or seriously injured in attempts on their life while in office:

President John F. Kennedy - Nov. 22, 1963 Murdered in Dallas, TX
Senator Robert Kennedy - Jun. 6, 1968 Murdered in Los Angeles, CA
Representative Leo Ryan - Nov. 18, 1978 Murdered in Jonestown, Guyana
President Ronald Reagan - Mar. 30, 1981 Seriously wounded in Washington D.C.
Representative Larry McDonald (see photo) - Sep. 1, 1983 Shot Down in KAL Flight 007 over the sea of Japan.
Representative Gabrielle Giffords - Jan. 8, 2011 - Seriously wounded in Tuscon, AZ.

Notes: Rep. Giffords is the only woman Congressional History to have an attempt on her life.
Representatives Ryan and McDonald are the only Congressmen to be killed outside of the United States, unless you count the death of Oregon Senator Edward Baker who was killed in the confederate State of Virginia in 1861 during the Civil War.

Truman Assassination Attempt

2010-12-23T15:01:00.000-08:00

For much of 1950 President Truman stayed in the Blair House while the White House was being remodeled. With no notice, two Puerto Ricans began shooting the guards in front of the residence. One guard was killed and three were wounded. One of the gunman was killed in a remarkable fashion by Secret Serviceman Leslie Coffelt after officer Coffelt had been mortally wounded.

Prior to this incident, the secret service has only 15 agents but was quickly increased to 35. Today more than 3000 agents are serving.

Agent Coffelt's widow later travelled to Puerto Rico to meet the people in the island to express that she did not hold them responsible for the death of her husband.

The second gunman was sentence to death for his role in the incident but had his sentence commuted in 1979 by President Carter after spending 29 years in jail.

Wikipedia Link

Gardner Island - Amelia Earhart

2010-12-18T23:08:00.000-08:00

Gardner Island is a beautiful coral reef atoll in the South Pacific. There have been various attempts to settle it over the years but with little success because of too little fresh water on the island. "Bone Fragments and women's personal belongings" were recently found there by individuals looking for Amelia Earhart. DNA testing will take place soon.

The theory is that she and her navigator Fred Noonan crashed landed on Gardner Island during their attempted flight around the world in 1937. This has been one of the most fascinating mysteries of the past 100 years.

The native name is Nikumaroro and the island belongs to the independent country of Kiribati....one of the poorest countries on Earth.

The Russian Jews

2010-10-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

The Bible tells of King Nebuchadnezzar taking the Jews out of Israel and into Babylon as slaves about 600 BC. For about 90 years they lived in parts of what is now Armenia, Ukraine and Southern Russia. When they were allowed to return to their homeland many chose to stay because they had married natives, purchased land or moved further north.
As time passed, they spread out into much of Russia. They endured extreme persecution and eventually were kicked out of the country. In events called Pogroms, Russian military and citizens systematically either killed or drove out thousands of Jews and took their homes, possessions and property. The play and movie Fiddler on the Roof portrays these events, as does the animated movie An American Tail.
The majority of Jews that left Russia came to America, but unfortunately many escaped to Germany and Poland where they suffered in Hitler's Holocaust in the 1930's and 40's.

The U.S. State of Jefferson?

2010-10-11T18:09:00.000-07:00

In October of 1941 several frustrated citizens in the 4 Southernmost counties of Oregon and the 3 Northernmost counties in California, began a movement to form their own state. They were upset about the poor condition of the roads in the area. They proclaimed their state Jefferson after the 3rd President. Several local newspapers supported the movement and it was widely talked about in the area.
The discussion ended quickly on December 7th, 1941 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Had World War II not begun perhaps there would have been a 51st state.

Lee's Retreat From Gettysburg

2010-10-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

Following the devastating Confederate losses at Gettysburg, Robert E. Lee's army needed to make a hasty retreat into Virginia. With as many as 15,000 wounded, there were not enough wagon's to carry the most disabled. In order to prevent the total loss of his army, Lee chose to leave around 6,000 of his men in the hands of the Union Army.
One of the nurses who cared for Confederate soldiers wrote, "There are no words in the English language to express the suffering I witnessed today " Few records exist of what happened to those men. Very few of them ever made it back to their families in the South. Horrible infection, amputation without anesthesia, imprisonment and ultimately death was the fate of most.

Worst Bio-Terrorist Attack in U.S. History

2010-09-07T17:56:00.000-07:00

In 1984 a group of followers of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh faith orchestrated a deliberate attack on the people of The Dalles, Oregon. The faith with roots in India was attempting to keep people from voting in a local election and thereby increasing the chances of their own candidates.
Salmonella culture was sprayed on salad bars in at least 10 restaurants in the area. At least 750 people became sick and 45 were hospitalized. Nobody died from the exposure. The plot was discovered when some of the followers confessed to local authorities.

Source

Gregor Mendel and his Pea Plants

2010-08-28T05:19:00.000-07:00

Gregor Mendel is best remembered as the Catholic Monk who determined the basic laws of genetics using pea plants.

His real love in science was not genetics, nor even biology. He spent most of his time studying astronomy and meteorology and he founded the Austrian Meteorological Society in 1865. Most of the books he wrote were about Meteorology. (Study of weather)

In his later life, he did little scientific research because he became the Abbot of the monestary. Being in charge of the Monestary gave him little time.

Reference Link

What is the 6th Largest U.S. Lake?

2010-08-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

We all remember the acronym H.O.M.E.S. for the 5 great lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior. But what is the 6th largest lake in the United States?

It is the Great Salt Lake.

The Great Salt Lake is all the remains of Lake Bonneville. Lake Bonneville was formed about 30,000 years ago covered part of what is now Utah, Idaho and Nevada.

Since the Great Salt Lake has no rivers flowing out, all the natural salts found in the rocks and minerals of the area flow into the lake and it becomes increasingly more concentrated. Mercury and selenium are also very concentrated in the lake for the same reason.

The largest island on the lake is Antelope Island which at one time had one of the largest sheep ranches in the United States.

The Falkland Island's War

2010-08-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

Since 1833 the British have controlled the tiny group of islands 250 miles off the coast of Argentina call the Falkland Islands. In 1982 an Argentine dictator tried to impress the world by invading the islands and claiming them for Argentina.

The British Government quickly sent an Armada of ships, planes and personnel the 8000 miles to the South Atlantic. The United States tried help with a mediation but Argentina was unwilling to negotiate and the U.S. eventually sided with Britain.

The war lasted 74 days, and resulted in the deaths of 257 British and 649 Argentine soldiers, sailors, and airmen, and three civilian Falklanders. Today there is a much larger British military presence on the Islands.

Boris Volnyov's Amazing Story !

2010-08-08T19:04:00.000-07:00

Boris Volnyov was one of the elite 1960's Russian cosmonauts racing the Americans for superiority in space when it was "discovered" that his mother was of Jewish decent. He was removed from a crew 3 days before their mission, and had to work his way back up in seniority.

In January of 1969 during re-entry, his spaceship was at the wrong angle and the unprotected part of his ship, (not the heat sheild) faced the 5000 degree temperatures. The Russian Flight control began passing the hat to collect money for his soon-to-be widow, but he survived. His parachutesand retro rockets didn't work properly and he slammed so hard into the ground that he lost several teeth.

More than 200 miles away from his designated landing place he opened his hatch and found himself alone and in a -40 degree Russian winter. He saw smoke in the distance and followed it through the snow. When his rescuerers found the spacecraft empty they followed his footprints and drops of blood in the snow and found him being cared for in a small cabin by a peasant.

The Russian Government kept the "failure" a secret for many years.

Julius Caesar and the Pirates

2009-10-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

When Caesar was about 25 years old he was kidnapped by pirates and held for ransom. He was kept for 38 days while his servants raised the 50 talents of silver for his release. Almost immediately after gaining his freedom, he returned with a small army to capture the pirates and crucify them all.

Summer Olympics

2009-10-04T13:26:00.000-07:00

With the announcement that Rio de Janeiro would be the first South American country to host an Olympic Games, it is worth noting that there have been only two Summer Olympics held in the Southern Hemisphere...both in Australia - Sydney (2000) and Melbourne (1956). Besides those cities, the southernmost Olympic city is Mexico City (1968).

Roquefort Cheese

2009-10-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

Legend has it that a young man, distracted by a beautiful woman left his cheese in a cave. When he returned weeks later, it was covered with a mold that improved the taste. Today Roquefort cheese can only be produced in a few locations in France and is made only with the milk from a certain type of sheep.

The Republic of California

2009-10-04T12:40:00.000-07:00

On June 14, 1846, a group of Americans living in what is now the state of California but belonging to Mexico declared independence. They were inspired by the events that took place in Texas. Their first and only leader was William B. Ide who led for 25 days. The republic was forgotten in the midst of the War with Mexico.

Mongolia vs. Monaco

2009-10-02T16:48:00.001-07:00

Mongolia is the most sparsly populated country on Earth with only 4.4 people/square mile. Monaco (pictured above) by comparison has 52,500 people/square mile.

First Men on the Moon

2009-07-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

As you probably know Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon. Buzz Aldrin was second and Pete Conrad was third. (Pete was 5 months after the first 2) According to the book Rocket Men. The choice that made Armstrong the first was discussed and debated for months before.

George Mallory

2009-03-17T03:09:00.000-07:00

The greatest mystery mountain climbing is the story of Mallory and Irvine. Were they the first to reach the top of Everest before dying in 1924? The evidence is inconclusive but after reading Paths of Glory by Jeffery Archer I've decided that they made it. If so, they beat Hillary and Norgay to the top by 29 years.

The Ancient City of Hasankeyf

2009-03-09T19:51:00.000-07:00

The City of Hasankeyf in present day Turkey is one of the oldest cities in the world. At various times it has been controlled by the Syrians, Romans, Mongols, Ottomans, Arabs and Byzantines. A dam has been proposed by the Turkish government that would flood the city and all its history.

U.S. Vice Presidents

2009-03-05T08:24:00.000-08:00

Of the 47 men who have served as U.S. Vice President, only 14 never ran for the Presidency. There are currently five former vice presidents that are alive: Mondale, Bush Sr., Quayle, Gore and Chenney. Of those, only Chenney never ran for president.

Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia

2009-03-01T07:59:00.000-08:00

Following the Russian Revolution and fall of Czar Nicholas and Alexandria (Anastasia's Parents) thousands of Russians left for America, Europe and Asia. When the Russian Orthodox Church accepted the communist leadership, those members on the outside started their own group called the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia or ROCOR. Their headquarters are in New York City.

The Fourth Crusade

2009-03-01T07:42:00.000-08:00

Typically the intent of the Christian crusaders from Europe was the "Holy Land" near Jerusalem. During this Crusade however, the soldiers attacked the Christian city of Constantinople. This was the final act separating the Roman Church from the Eastern Church. Thousands of people were killed and much of the city was destroyed.

Three Cups of Tea

2008-11-24T03:33:00.000-08:00

After a failed attempt to the highest mountain in Pakistan, American Greg Mortenson was near death and stumbled into the tiny town of Korphe. He was nursed backed to health and promised to return and build a school for the town's children. Fighting, poverty, terrorism and religionous extremism made the task nearly impossible. He built the school and eventually built more than 60 others in Pakistan and Afghanistan. His story is told in the book "Three Cups of Tea".

Crypto Jews

2008-11-24T03:17:00.000-08:00

For thousands of years, Jews throughout the world have been persecuted. There have been several times when they were forced at the point of a sword to convert to Christianity. Many would agree to baptism, but would secretly continue to worship as Jews. For generations they would maintain this closet religion until it was forgotten by their decendents. Today the science of DNA is finding these lost Jews.

Reference Link

History of Insulin

2008-10-23T04:43:00.000-07:00

Insulin is naturally produced in the human pancreas. For various reason the production is slowed or stopped causing a person to have diabetes. For many years, insulin was obtained from pigs or cows when they were butchered. Since 1978 e-coli bacteria produce insulin! The DNA sequence for insulin was taken out of a human cell and transplanted into an e-coli, thus "teaching" the bacteria to make the essential medicine for more than 20 million americans. Isn't that cool?

Jackie Kennedy

2008-10-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

One of the more poignant pictures associated with the Kennedy assassination is that of Mrs. Kennedy leaving the hospital holding hands with her brother-in-law Robert Kennedy. The normally perfectly dress Kennedy is covered with the blood of her husband. It makes you wonder why in the several hours that she remained at the hospital nobody was able to find another coat for her to wear out.

2008-10-13T17:18:00.000-07:00

Hillary and Norgay

We many never no for sure who was the first man on the top of Mt. Everest. Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay have been silent on who was the first. It is interesting that we have no picture of Edmund Hillary at the top because Norgay did not know how to use a camera.

The Cutter Incident

2008-08-29T03:39:00.000-07:00

In 1955 Cutter Labs was given a contract to produce some of Jonas Salk's new polio vaccine. A production error caused some live virus to be injected into unsuspecting children. Reports suggest that five American's died as a result of the error.

2008-07-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

The Great Wall of China
Riply's Believe it or not claimed in 1932 that the Great Wall, "would be visible to the human eye from the moon". When the statement was made it was difficult to disprove. No astronaut ever claimed that they could see China's most famous landmark from the moon. Some say that it would be like seeing a human hair from two miles away.

Hawaiian Island of Laysan

2008-07-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

About 800 miles north of Honolulu is an uninhabited 1000 acre island known as Laysan. In 1884 a entrepreneur introduced rabbits to the islands to sell for their meat. Within 10 years the rabbits had multiplied so quickly that nearly all the vegetation on the island was gone. This cause the extinction of most of the native plant and animals species. Today the rabbits have been removed and the island is a wildlife sanctuary.

2008-07-16T13:47:00.000-07:00

A Famous Coin Toss

Asa and Francis shared a 640 acre land claim and each wanted to name the new area after their home town. Asa was from Boston, Massachusetts and Francis was from Portland, Maine. Francis won a coin toss to decide the matter and the area still holds the name of Portland, Oregon.

Poland in World War II

2008-07-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

Poland was the country that lost the highest percentage of its people during World War II. Of the 35 million people in Poland in 1939, 5.6 million died, about half of them Jews. That is a death rate of 16.7 percent. Both Russia and Lithuania lost nearly 14 percent of their people.

Skid Row

2008-07-08T16:39:00.001-07:00

When loggers started cutting down the gigantic redwood trees in Oregon and California, they were too large for oxen to pull across bare ground. To solve the problem the logs were pulled across paths of fallen limbs called "skid roads". As lumber camps attracted bars, brothels and other disreputible business, they set up along the skid roads. Over time any neighborhood of a poor reputation became known as "skid row".

Mona Lisa Stolen

2008-07-07T11:56:00.000-07:00

On August 21, 1911 the Mona Lisa was stolen off the wall of the Louvre. For two years the painting was missing and persumed lost forever. It was recovered when Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia tried to sell it to a museum in Florence Italy. Vincenzo's stated motivation was to return the painted in Italy where it belonged. He was call a hero by the Italian people and only served a few months in jail.

French Revolution

2008-07-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

Maximilien Robespierre was a 17 year old boy in 1775 during the coronation of French King Louis XVI. Maximillien was given the honor of giving a speech honoring the king and queen. Louis and Queen Marie Antoinette arrived several hour late for the celebration and never got out of their carriage. Within 20 years Robespierre would become a leading figure pushing for the ultimate execution of the royals.

Boston Marathon Cheating

2008-06-12T14:28:00.000-07:00

In 1980 an woman named Rosie Ruiz was the suprise winner of the women's division of the Boston Marathon. Suspicious officials reviewed video tapes of the entire course and concluded that she had slipped into the race just minutes before the finish line. When asked why she didn't appear tired after running 26.2 miles she said, "I got up with a lot of energy this morning." To this day she denies that she cheated.

Dr. Livingstone I Presume?

2008-06-11T05:21:00.000-07:00

David Livingstone was the missionary / explorer that became famous for his exploits into the interior of africa. He is the first European known to have seen Victoria Falls which he named after Queen Victoria. He became sick and was "found" by Henry Stanley who greeted him with the famous line, "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" To which he replied, "Yes, that is my name".

Central Park

2008-06-10T06:46:00.000-07:00

When New York City's Central Park was created in the 1860's it displaced more than 1600 poor residents who had been living in the area. Many of them where immigrants, freed slaves and others with small gardens or pig farms.
Central Park was modeled after London’s Hyde Park and Paris’ Bois do Boulogne.

Ethiopian Christianity

2008-06-09T21:14:00.000-07:00

The People of Ethiopia have a long history of Christianity. According to their history Mary and Jesus escaped to Ethiopia to escape the death decree of King Harrod. Their are many shrines in Ethiopia to these events. About 60 percent of Ethiopians today are Christian.

Great Chicago Fire

2008-05-28T05:47:00.000-07:00

On October 8, 1871 two tragic fires occurred on the same day. The Great Chicago Fire killed about 300 people and is still remembered today, while the Peshtigo, Wisconsin Fire killed about 1,500 people and received almost no media attention.

Black Footed Ferret

2008-05-26T03:50:00.000-07:00

In 1987 only 18 black footed ferrets were alive in the United States, all of them in Wyoming. Because of an extensive recovery project there are now about 1000 animals living in six western states.

Harvard University

2008-05-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

Harvard University is named for 30 year old clergyman John Harvard, who died in 1638 of tuberculosis. He willed his library of 400 books and about 800 British pounds to the then unnamed college in Cambridge. Only one book is believed to still exist from the original 400. It is The Christian Warfare Against the Devil World and Flesh.