Historical

Dinosaurs: The Earth's GOAT
The Stegosaurus lived longer before the Tyrannosaurus Rex than the T-Rex lived before us. Think about the implications of that for a minute. Stegosaurus roamed the earth around 150 million years ago in the late Jurassic period. That was already the second geologic period of the dinosaurs. (The Triassic kicked off 100 million years before ol' Stegs popped up). T-Rex didn't appear until the end of the Cretaceous period 85 million years later. And then us homo sapiens, the planet's snot-nosed Gen-Zers, rolled in less than three hundred thousand years ago, 65 million years after the final episode of Dinosaurs. Even including Neanderthals and other hominids only gets us about half a million years closer. If you go with the broadest possible definition and say mammals, our species has only been on top since well after the dinosaurs got meteored.
By William Reid5 years ago in FYI
Hippos and Hyksos: How Loud Hippos Caused a Civil War in Ancient Egypt
Nothing piques my interest like a good conversation about the Tudors. I know literally everything there is to know about them, but mmm, that drama though.
By Alexa Baczak5 years ago in FYI
It's that time- St. Paddy's Day has arrived!
Saint Patrick’s Day is right around the corner. Or as we call it- St. Paddy’s Day. Rivers are going to be dyed green. 5k and 10k’s of little green men and women wearing top hats and tutu’s will be held during the month. Wal-Mart started selling ‘Pinch me, I am Irish’ shirts on Valentine’s day. And bars are receiving their shipment of extra glasses from Amazon in anticipation of the biggest holiday for beer. I am already planning my meal of Corned Beef and Cabbage with Soda bread- which is currently all on sell at Fred Meyer’s if you are interested.
By Rose Loren Geer-Robbins5 years ago in FYI
Strange Origins of the Jack-in-the-box
For many, the jack-in-the-box is known as an amusing and harmless children’s toy, but its origins often convey a much darker story. To the casual observer the object is usually regarded as consisting of a clown rigged to a coiled spring that pops out for an entertaining display. However original jack-in-the-boxes actually contained a very particular variety of joker, augustes. Whilst most clowns don a face of white makeup, often attired in pointy hats and ruffled collars, augustes have the large red noses and are clothed in oversized trousers, often with squirty flowers in their buttonholes. While the Jack character certainly looks like a comical figure, his purpose wasn’t always amusement.
By M.R. Cameo5 years ago in FYI
Origin of the High Heel Trend: High Heel as a Symbol of Masculinity . Top Story - March 2021.
When I think of Stilettos, the first words that come to mind are sexy, power, femineity. High heels have been prominently associated with female traits and fashion, a strong representation of female empowerment and physical attractiveness. We see them mostly worn by women everywhere at formal events— clubs, parties, date outings, and the like. So, when we spot a man wearing high platforms or any sort of high-heeled footwear, we automatically throw at them the feminine label. What’s tremendously ironic is that history tells a rather contrary story. Do you know men began the high heel trend decades ago and wore them to display their virility and masculinity?
By Esme Alk.5 years ago in FYI
The Dark Side Of Black History
When we learn about black history in school, we learn about the great leaders from a dark time in American history, but we don't realize how that dark time came about. In this story, I will tell you how slavery in America began and the unique facts you never learned in a history book. Would you be shocked if I told you there were black slave owners in all of the original 13 colonies? Would you be surprised if I told you the first indentured servant to turn into a lifelong slave was the property of a black man? Would you be amazed to find out that he won this right to enslave the first American against the wills of his white neighbor in the court of law?
By Jen Benart5 years ago in FYI
The Lost Art of The Olympic World
Javelin, triple jump, 100m, boxing: all a sport to get excited about when we tune into our 4 yearly Olympics. If you're anything like me, the Olympics are an exciting way to get through the summer ( along with cocktails and late night barbeques ). I love sitting on the sofa with my cup of tea ( or cocktail ), while eating a chocolate éclair and telling myself "I could have been an athlete".
By Kayleigh Taylor5 years ago in FYI
$2 bills are real, and they're spectacular
They sat in an old checkbook box in my desk drawer, sandwiched between registers from an account closed pre-Y2K and an article I saved about baseball betting called "Make 1991 Your Best Summer".
By John Bennardo5 years ago in FYI
Cultivate Your Powers of Observation.
Don’t take your senses for granted. Server: "Why doesn't Helen Keller have a driver's license?" Sushi Chef: "Who is Hellen Keller?"
By Naima Omar5 years ago in FYI
Tesla's Smartphone
So says Nikola Tesla. “We shall be able to communicate with one another instantly, irrespective of distance. Not only this, but through television and telephony we shall see and hear one another as perfectly as though we were face to face, despite intervening distances of thousands of miles; and the instruments through which we shall be able to do this will be amazingly simple compared with our present telephone. A man will be able to carry one in his vest pocket.”
By Cleve Taylor 5 years ago in FYI
The Steel Magnate and the Monastery: Sharing a Beautiful Story Unknown to Many in Today’s World
Regardless of your religion I think you will enjoy the story of this beautiful monastery located in a small western Pennsylvania town. The story about this monastery and its connection to the steel magnate, Charles M. Schwab, who built it is very fascinating. The name of the monastery is the Carmel of St. Thérèse of Lisieux or “Loretto Carmel” and it is located in the small town of Loretto, Pennsylvania. Some people may have heard of Saint Francis University, which is located just down the road from Loretto Carmel and practically across the road from Charles M. Schwab's former mansion. Loretto Carmel is named for Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, a very popular saint who lived in a monastery in Lisieux, France. There are many Carmelite monasteries named after Saint Thérèse but Loretto Carmel is the only one in the United States founded directly from France. The Sisters who founded this monastery came to the United States from Bordeaux in September 1926 at the invitation of a local bishop. However, before these founding Sisters traveled to the United States they visited with three of Saint Thérèse's sisters, who were not only religious sisters but they were her blood sisters as well. One of Saint Thérèse's sisters gave the founding Sisters a first-class relic of Saint Thérèse to take to the United States and in return a promise was made to name the new monastery after Saint Thérèse. In case you are not familiar with religious relics, first-class relics include the physical remains of a saint, such as, a strand of their hair.
By Margie Anderson 5 years ago in FYI
Prohibition in America
Why in the world would anyone want to ban alcohol? Well, a lot of people did around the start of the 20th century. So much so that The Prohibition act was ratified in 1919, and enacted into law by 1920 under the 18th amendment to the American constitution. For the next 12 years, the manufacturing, sale and transportation of alcohol was outlawed. You may already know a little bit about prohibition, but there are some interesting facts that might surprise you.
By Wendy Sanders5 years ago in FYI