It was a tense April in Boston in 1775. The colonists were simmering with resentment toward the motherland, on account of King George III having strewn the colonies with excessive tacks, painful to step on and bothersome to the horses. Furthermore, British cabbies had refused to unionize, and the colonists were adamantly opposed to taxisContinue reading “The first part of AP US History in under 10 minutes”
Tag Archives: politics
Karl Marx
March 14, 1883 –“Let the ruling classes tremble at a communist revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win. Workingmen of all countries, unite!” Karl Marx died of pleurisy in London on this date. While his original grave had only a nondescript stone, the Communist Party ofContinue reading “Karl Marx”
Another episode of The Crazy Mixed-Up Russian Revolution
March 7, 1917 –Russia’s 1917 February Revolution began on March 7, which was then the middle of February, in the city of St. Petersburg, which was then Petrograd, in what was then Russia, but would soon be the Soviet Union. Tsar (or Czar) Nicholas II of the Romanov (or Romanoff) line had been away fromContinue reading “Another episode of The Crazy Mixed-Up Russian Revolution”
Bizarre ironies of History –
On March 1, 1953, after an all-night dinner with interior minister Lavrenty Beria and future premiers Georgi Malenkov, Nikolai Bulganin and Nikita Khrushchev, Josif Stalin, truly Evil Bastard, did not emerge from his room the next day, having probably suffered a stroke that paralyzed the right side of his body. Although his guards thought itContinue reading “Bizarre ironies of History –”
Civilized political discourse
February 19, 1807 –In the presidential election of 1800, Aaron Burr and Thomas Jefferson drew to a tie. The House of Representatives broke the tie by throwing their weight behind Jefferson, making him president, on February 17, 1801. Burr was given the vice-presidency as either a consolation prize or a practical joke. Like many otherContinue reading “Civilized political discourse”
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”
They may kill you after reading this
September 4, 1886 –Geronimo was a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache who warred against the encroachment of the United States on his tribal lands and people for over 25 years. While outnumbered, Geronimo fought against both Mexican and United States troops and became famous for his daring exploits and numerous escapes fromContinue reading “They may kill you after reading this”
All things seem possible in May
The month of May takes its name from Maia, the Greek goddess of growth and the mother of Hermes. Fittingly, May marks the height of spring’s renewal. It’s the fifth month in both the Gregorian and Julian calendars—a surprisingly consistent detail in the ever-shifting world of timekeeping. Curiously, May carries an old superstition: it’s consideredContinue reading “All things seem possible in May”
The Haus of Dcaligari 