In 1626, it is said that, Dutchman Peter Minuit bought the island of Manhattan for $24. People often joke about that, but twenty-four bucks wasn’t such an unreasonable price. It was a lot of money back then, and it’s not like Mr. Minuit just turned around and built Times Square. Manhattan was a big rockContinue reading “Congestion Advisory:”
Tag Archives: history
There is everything to hope for and nothing to regret
February is the shortest month, so if you’re having a miserable month, try to schedule it for February. According to the Gregorian calendar, February is the second month of the year, and also the shortest month. February has28 days until Julius Caesar gave it 29, and 30 days everyfour years. According to tradition, Augustus, theContinue reading “There is everything to hope for and nothing to regret”
The Emperor Norton I
The only “recognized” monarchy to reign in the United States died on this date. Joshua Norton was a businessman in San Francisco in the 1800s. In the 1840s, just before the Gold Rush, he attempted to corner the market on rice – and failed spectacularly. He went from being very wealthy to utterly destitute almostContinue reading “The Emperor Norton I”
Trump is a pisher compared to him
Josif Djugashvili was born in the Gori District of Tiflis Province in Georgia, Imperial Russia, on December 21, 1879 (or December 18 or the 22nd. When you’re an evil bastard dictator, you get to choose your own birthday). His father was a drunken and often unemployed cobbler, illiterate, and—like Josif’s mother, Ekaterina—had only been emancipatedContinue reading “Trump is a pisher compared to him”
The month of lights, snow, and feasts
December is the twelfth and last month of the year according to the Gregorian calendar. This is used in almost all the world today. It was the tenth month in the early Roman calendar. It became the twelfth month in a later Roman calendar. Until 46 B.C., December only had 29 days. But the RomanContinue reading “The month of lights, snow, and feasts”
There’s a sort of delightful menace in the air.
The name November comes from the Latin “novem” which is the Latin for the nine. In the early Roman calendar, it was the ninth month. According to the Gregorian calendar, November is the eleventh month of the year. Go figure. The Roman Senate elected to name the eleventh month for Tiberus Caesar and since AugustusContinue reading “There’s a sort of delightful menace in the air.”
These wounds I had on Crispin’s day
October 25, 1415 –As it has been often said, times were hard – the only way to tell who the king was in England was looking for the person with the least amount of crap on him. The wastrel son of a usurping King led a ragtag army into another sovereign nation on this date.Continue reading “These wounds I had on Crispin’s day”
Sometimes, you need to trust your gut
October 9, 1934 —While the Boomtown Rats don’t like Mondays, King Alexander I of Yugoslavia didn’t like Tuesdays. (Alexander is one of the rare European royals not related to Queen Victoria in any measurable way.) Because three members of his family had died on a Tuesday, Alexander refused to undertake any public functions on thatContinue reading “Sometimes, you need to trust your gut”
Bunkies, celebrate this while we can
On this day in 1789, Congress proposed twelve amendments to the Constitution of the United States. Habeas Corpus Luteum and Freedom from Unreasonably Surging Seashores were ultimately rejected, but the other ten passed and became known as the Bill of Rights. In honor of this grand occasion, I’ve chosen to celebrate my favorite amendment, inContinue reading “Bunkies, celebrate this while we can”
Today’s lesson: Anarchists hate tourists
September 16, 1920 –A horse-drawn carriage loaded with dynamite exploded in front of the J.P. Morgan and Company headquarters at 23 Wall Street in New York’s financial district on this date. Thirty people were killed in the blast, and more than 400 were injured. Although the crime was never solved, it was believed to beContinue reading “Today’s lesson: Anarchists hate tourists”
The Haus of Dcaligari 