THE HISTORY OF FATHER’S DAY

                The first national Mother’s Day was celebrated in 1914.  Dads had to wait 58 years.  In 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd, the daughter of a widower who raised six kids, began to push for a day to honor fathers after she heard a sermon about Anna Jarvis’ proposed Mother’s Day. Read more

THE CLOSING OF THE GATE

Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.  There were many important moments in that decisive battle – a battle that changed the course of European history.  But according to the Duke of Wellington, the most crucial moment was the closing of the gate at Hougoumont.                 On June Read more

THE REICHSTAG FIRE

                Around 9 P.M. on Feb. 27, 1933, Hans Flotter witnessed a man on a balcony of the Reichstag building in Berlin.  The man was carrying something on fire.  Flotter called the police.  A policeman went into the building and shot at a man moving around in it.  The man Read more

THE ORIGIN OF BASEBALL

                According to legend, baseball was invented on June 12, 1839 by Abner Doubleday.  One problem was that Doubleday was busy with his studies at West Point in 1839.  Doubleday went on the participate in the Civil War where he was at Fort Sumter when it was bombarded.   He rose Read more

“HAVE YOU NO SENSE OF DECENCY?”

                Going into 1954, Sen. Joseph McCarthy was at the height of his power, but his attempts to ferret out communists in the government had born little fruit.    As head of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, McCarthy was able to call up numerous suspected communists to testify.  Proof was Read more

TRIAL BY ORDEAL

                The Middle Ages is infamous for its “medieval justice”.  There were various methods for determining an accused’s guilt or innocence.  Trial by compurgation involved the accused and the accuser getting as many people to swear an oath in your favor.  Whoever got the most supporters won the case.  I’m Read more