July 23, 1885 – One of the most famous residents of West 122nd Street and Riverside Drive made a most fateful decision on this date. He decided to give up the ghost. In 1881, Ulysses S. Grant – American general, the eighteenth President of the United States, and a famous horseback-riding drunk – purchased a houseContinue reading “My failures have been errors in judgment, not of intent.”
Tag Archives: politics
We hold these truths to be self-evident
Unlike in years past, we are staying in an undisclosed location, doing our part bolster a neighboring states local economy (This photo was taken at the behest of a multinational conglomorate.) Please remember – Alcohol and fireworks do not mix! Find some neighbor kid to light them for you. Hope you’re enjoying your holiday –Continue reading “We hold these truths to be self-evident”
The first part of AP US History in under 10 minutes
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”
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”
The Haus of Dcaligari 