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The Story of Cudjo Lewis
Cudjo Lewis, (ca. 1841-1935), (birth name of Oluale Kossola (Kazoola)), along with 120 others, was sold into slavery at the age of 19. The slave ship Clotilda travelled from the West African country of Benin ( Cudjo Lewis’s birth place) to Alabama in 1860 just one year prior to the Civil War (the bloodiest war in the history of the United States) that erupted on April 12, 1861. To learn about the life of Oluale Kossola you can read Zora Neale Hurston’s book Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo”. Zora first attempted publication in 1931, but it took fifty-eight years after her death (January 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960) to…
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First Known LSD Experience in History
It was in 1943 when Swiss scientist Albert Hofmann (credited with the synthesis and discovery of LSD-25) inadvertently ingested lysergic-acid-diethylamide, (easy to do since it only takes an infinitesimal amount to become activated in the human mind) , from leftover ergot fungus, which grows in rye kernels. This left over fungus, as recounted by Hoffmann, had been setting on a shelf in a jar for five years after having been tested in animals only. Below is an account of the 1943 synthesis experience with the left over fungus in Dr. Hofmann’s own words: ” In the final step of the synthesis, during the purification and crystallization of lysergic acid diethylamide in the…
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O-Ring failure in Challenger Disaster: A Case of Corruption
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NIXON’S RESIGNATION
On August 8, 1974, President Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994), the 37th President of the United States, spoke at 9: 01 p.m. in the Oval Office at the White House. His address to the American people was heard live over radio and television as he announced his resignation as President of the United States. Nixon’s Resignation Speech Good evening. This is the 37th time I have spoken to you from this office, where so many decisions have been made that shaped the history of this Nation. Each time I have done so to discuss with you some matter that I believe affected the national interest.…
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World’s Tallest Buildings Throughout History
Current Tallest Building from 2007 – present Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tower of Jericho, West Bank Pyramid of Djoser, Egypt Meidum Pyramid in Egypt Bent Pyramid in Egypt Red Pyramid of Sneferu, Egypt Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada Ostankino Tower in Moscow, Soviet Union Empire State Building in New York, United States Chrysler Building in New York, United States Eiffel Tower in Paris, France Washington Monument in Washington D.C., United States Cologne Cathedral in Germany Cathédrale Notre Dame in Rouen, France St. Nikolai in Hamburg, Germany Strasbourg Cathedral in France St. Mary’s Church…
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First March On Washington
The first march on Washington took place during what is referred to as The Gilded Age. A time period in American history spanning the years from 1870-1898 characterized by “economic inequality and technological innovation; conspicuous consumption and philanthropy; monopolistic power and populist rebellion”. A businessman from Ohio, Jacob Coxey, led the march consisting of unemployed men, Coxey’s Army, beginning with 100 men on March 25, 1894 in Massillon, Ohio. Gilded is not the same as golden. Gilded means having a thin gold coating. Read more about how the original Gilded Age is repeated in history. source: USA Today
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The Great Recession
The Great Recession began in December 2007 and lasted eighteen months. This was the longest economic decline since The Great Depression of 1929 to 1941. The NBER defines an economic recession as: “a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real GDP, real income, employment, industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales.” According to Elizabeth Warren, United States Senator from Massachusetts, in the Sat 17 Sep 2016 article,” Elizabeth Warren is still mad about the financial crash, and we should be too,” there are facts about the recession that should not be ignored. Warren’s focus is primarily on the lack of…
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History of Opportunity Cost: Be careful what you choose
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The Rosenbergs
The trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg began on March 6, 1951 in the New York Southern District federal court overseen by Judge Irving R. Kaufman. Roy Cohn, the lawyer known for his infamous association with Senator Joseph McCarthy , and more recently with Donald Trump, was part of the prosecution that succeeded in exacting a conviction. The Rosenberg’s crime was legally termed “Conspiracy to Commit Espionage” for purportedly selling nuclear secrets to the Russians. However, the Rosenbergs were not charged with treason, as some may suppose, and could not be, because the United States was not at war with the Soviet Union. As stated: By Section 110 of Article…
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First President Gives a Warning
There is a warning contained in George Washington’s Farewell Address. In an op-ed piece in the New York Times by Thomas R. Pickering and James Stoutenberg, Feb. 18, 2018, they point out Washington’s “uncanny foresight” regarding forces that can threaten our democracy. In a quote from Washington’s address this first leader of America reveals weaknesses in our system of government that can be exploited: “A free country should inspire caution in those entrusted with its administration, to confine themselves within their respective constitutional spheres, avoiding in the exercise of the powers of one department to encroach upon another,” he declared. Such encroachment, he said, would lead to the consolidation of…
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The Martha Mitchell Effect
Martha Beall was born on September 2, 1918 and later became Martha Beall Mitchell the wife of President Richard Nixon’s 1968 appointed Attorney General, John Mitchell. Nixon, notoriously known as a man who shifted blame away from himself and onto others, shamelessly placed the Watergate scandal onto Martha’s shoulders. In an interview with popular talk show host David Frost (September 1977 on Frost on America) Nixon said, “If it hadn‘t been for Martha Mitchell, there‘d have been no Watergate.” Martha’s claims of White House wrong doing were thought at first as unbelievable, but were eventually proven correct. On January 1, 1975, her husband John Mitchell was convicted of conspiracy, obstruction…
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World War I Submarine Discovered
It has been over 103 years since Australia’s first submarine was lost during World War I. This long sought for discovery follows at least 12 prior attempts to find the wreckage over several decades. Contact was made by the AE1 with an Australian ship at 2:30 pm on September 14, 1914; the day of its disappearance off the New Guinean Island of New Britain. The reason for AE1’s sinking remains a mystery and is not presumed combat related. Nearby islanders claimed to have seen what they described as a “devil fish” and “monster” on that day, which quickly appeared before descending back under the dark cover of water. …
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The Rubicon: Both an actual event and also an often used metaphor
