Judy was a pure-bred black and white pointer who was the mascot on the HMS Grasshopper. The Grasshopper was a gunboat patrolling the Yangtse River in China. Judy once warned of Chinese pirates trying to sneak aboard the boat. She attended a party on the USS Panay and got Read more
In 1944, a small Yorkshire terrier named Smoky was found in an abandoned foxhole in New Guinea. Corporal Bill Wynne purchased the dog for $2 and they became inseparable. She once saved his life when she warned him of an incoming shell when they were on the deck of Read more
On June 17, 1913, a ship named the Karluk left from northern Canada to explore the Arctic. The mission was the idea of anthropologist Vilhalmjar Stefansson. He recruited a crew of 13 sailors, 10 scientists, and four Eskimos. One of them brought his wife and two girls. And there were Read more
I recently started a YouTube channel called “Felines and Friends: Fact and Fiction” which has short videos on famous animals. Please check it out. “Sinbad the Fighter Cat” is one of them. Here is the text that went with it. The videos use AI generated narration and ChatGPT images, but Read more
In 1955, a Frenchman got the crazy idea of sailing a raft from Canada to Europe using the wind and ocean currents. He wanted to duplicate the voyage of the Kon-Tiki. The Kon-Tiki was a raft sailed by Thor Heyerdahl and five crewmen Read more
The phrase “bell, book, and candle” is used to refer to a condemnation that is absolute. It is used similar to “throwing the book” at something. The phrase goes back to the Middle Ages and comes from a Catholic Church ritual used to Read more
In 1936, a stray cat began living in the rectory of St. Augustine Church in London. Father Henry Ross adopted the tabby and named her Faith. The cat would accompany Father Henry to services. If he was preaching, she would lay in the pulpit near his feet. If he wasn’t, Read more
Once upon a time, a stray tabby was taken from the streets of Brooklyn and put in an animal shelter. The poor kitten was suffering from severe pneumonia and a collapsed lung. He was given medical care and adopted by Assistant District Attorney Carol Moran. She nursed him back Read more
Once upon a time, a group of stray cats lived near the train station in Kinokawa, Japan. They were befriended by passengers and the station manager Toshiko Koyama. One of the cats was a female calico cat that Koyama named Tama. She was the most lovable of the cats. Read more
Oliver Cromwell led the Parliamentarian forces to victory in the English Civil War. As a result, King Charles I was beheaded on Jan. 30, 1649. Cromwell became ruler of England and was proclaimed Lord Protector in 1653. This was ironic because although Cromwell was anti-monarchy, he basically was a king Read more