Stonehenge is probably the most famous monolith in the western world, although it appears that every culture across the planet stood stones on their ends somewhere in history. There are monoliths even in the deepest parts of the jungle in Brazil! No one knows why Stonehenge in particular was built, nor can they agree on […]
Stonehenge – More Important Than We Thought Read More »
Historians disagree over what, exactly, is the last day of the Roman Empire. Today, September 4, is one of the two most popular choices. If you think of the Roman Empire with its epicenter as the city of Rome, then on this day in 476 is when the last Western Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus, was
The Last Day of the Roman Empire…or is it? Read More »
It’s Labour Day here in Canada and also in the US. Normally, I use holidays like this to write all day (one of my personal pleasures). But my mother arrives in Canada on Friday, and my house is still recovering from renovation chaos (we’re still trying to get last minute stuff done). So I know
Leaves, holidays and big ships Read More »
Continuing this month’s (quite accidental) theme of “lasts” associated with historical events, here’s another one. Today marks the 48th anniversary of the Beatles’ last live performance (1966). They appeared at Candlestick Park in San Fransisco. The Beatles broke up as a band in 1970, but all of them went on to enjoy independent career success.
The Last Beatles Live Performance Read More »
It’s a week for a lot of historical events, but this one is one of the more interesting events for me personally. I seem to have grown an interest in volcanoes over the last few years. One of my favourite movies is Dante’s Peak, which was a fictional volcano that blew in much the same
The Death of Pompeii Read More »
Richard III was two Richards on from the Lionhearted one, who ruled over three hundred years before. This Richard, the Third, died on this day, 529 years ago in 1485. He only held the throne for two years, but his death was the marker for a slew of other “lasts”: He was the last Richard
Richard III – A lot of “Lasts” Read More »
Two thousand years ago today, Caesar Augustus died, and his role as the emperor of Rome was handed on to his adopted son Tiberius, and the peace that Rome had enjoyed for twenty years (known as Pax Romanus) came to a crashing end. Augustus’ reign was an interesting one for a number of reasons: 1)
R.I.P, Caesar Augustus Read More »
On this day in 1851, Isaac Merrit Singer was granted a patent for his sewing machine, revolutionizing the manufacture of clothing and changing the way women thought about fashion forever. By the very early twentieth century, it was estimated that 85% of households owned a sewing machine. But sewing declined toward the end of the
Handcrafted Goodness Read More »
The Deathly Hallows, the last book in the Harry Potter series, was released this day, seven years ago (is that all?), in 2007. It broke sales records, selling 15 million copies in the first 24 hours of its release, which makes it the fastest-selling novel ever published. My daughter, Kate, bought one of those 15
Harry Potter Lives Read More »
Robert, ”The Bruce”, who would become Robert I, King of Scotland 32 years later, was born on this day in 1274. He’s more famous for leading Scotland in the wars against Britain for Scottish independence, which was won at the battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Whenever I hear Robert the Bruce’s name, I always think
Happy Birthday, Bob! Read More »