Everyone has heard “beware the Ides of March” but have you ever stopped to consider: what exactly is an “ides” and why should we beware of them in March?
From Julian to Gregory, and the correction of 10 days
On February 24, 1582, Pope Gregory XIII corrected mistakes on the Julian calendar, effectively putting into a place a New Style, or what we call a Gregorian, calendar.
The Halifax Explosion
On the morning of December 6th 1917, the largest man made explosion up until the atomic bomb happened near Halifax, Nova Scotia.
December’s historic disintegration
Where were you in December of 1991? We know that some of our patrons might not have been born yet, but for some of us, we remember that December. It was when the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) ceased to exist.
Around the world they went!
In November of 1889, two women set off to see if they could beat the record of Jules Verne’s imaginary hero, Phileas Fogg (who went around the world in 80 days). Nellie Bly, a reporter for the New York World, set off first, boarding the steamship Augusta Victoria and beginning her 40,070 kilometer journey eastward…
The Turning Point: Unity Day, October 3rd
On October 3, 1990, less than one year after the Berlin Wall came down, East and West Germany came together on what is known as “Unity Day.” If you’re of a certain age, you remember how exciting that time was, when the world seemed to be changing overnight. The Berlin Wall surrounded West Berlin and…
“One slash of the sword:” the history of renaming a city
On September 6, 1991, Leningrad was renamed St. Petersburg by Russian legislators following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The city had been known as Leningrad for 67 years, but in 1991, this question was put to Leningrad’s voters: "Do you wish to restore to our city its original name, St. Petersburg?" Thus began one…
Carrots and World War II
Did your parents ever try coercing you into eating carrots? Did they claim “it will help you see better” or “they improve eyesight”? Would you be surprised to learn that this “fact” about carrots started during World War II as a means of deceiving the Germans? Let us explain. As the Blitzkrieg raged across Europe…
The Great Hurricane of 1938
With the technology of today, hurricanes are tracked from the moment they develop till they make landfall or dissipate at sea. They are constantly monitored by satellites, airplanes, buoys and dozens of meteorologists. But in 1938 meteorologists did not have these fancy gadgets. They had to rely on ships to report conditions or storms they…
Anniversary of the Homestead Act of 1862
On May 20, 1862, President Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, which opened millions of acres of government-owned land in the American West to “homesteaders,” who could acquire up to 160 acres by living on the land and cultivating it for five years, paying just $1.25 per acre. The passing of this Act was an effort…
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