Category: HISTORICAL

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Here Are 6 Important Places to Visit for Black History Month

February is Black History Month, commemorating the remarkable contributions of Black Americans. It’s an incredible legacy essential for all Americans to know about.

You can often find parks and other sites right in your hometown dedicated to facets of African American history, though you may need to look around a bit. Take the time to delve into the achievements behind the designations – it’s worth it. You may be surprised at what you uncover about the influence of the Black artists, politicians and leaders where you live.

For a more in-depth look at the culture and history of Black citizens throughout the U.S., here are a few places you should make plans to visit this February.

1. Civil Rights Trail

Crossing 15 states, this national trail tells the long story of the struggle of Black people for equality (still ongoing today, we should mention). One of the most important locations of the trail is the site where police confronted marchers on the Edmund Pettus Bridge, in Selma, Alabama.

2. National Museum of African-American History and Culture

Located in Washington DC, the museum documents Black history and culture. It officially opened it’s doors in November, 2016.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

3. Beale Street Historic District

Many influential musicians contributed their talents to the young jazz and blues scene in this Memphis neighborhood, including Louis Armstrong and B.B. King. Blues fan Elvis Presley would go on to use the music he heard here as a teenager to develop his own style, which many would say put a white face on an African American style of music, thus making it acceptable for it to gain mass popularity in the 50s.

Photo Credit: Picryl

4. Negro Leagues Baseball Museum

Sharing space with the American Jazz Museum located in Missouri, this space is dedicated to Black baseball players. It houses photos and exhibits highlighting the careers of greats such as Jackie Robinson, Buck O’Neill and many others.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

5. African Meeting House

One of the oldest historically Black churches in the U.S., the African Meeting House was built in the early 1800s. Yo can find it in the Beacon Hill neighborhood in Boston, where it was significant as a meeting place for the Black community as they organized for the abolition of slavery.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

6. Harriet Tubman Historical Park

Famously a leader of the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman dedicated herself to the cause of freedom from slavery, even when her dedication risked her own life. The land around her former home and her A.M.E. Zion church in Auburn, New York was made a national historic park in 2017.

Photo Credit: Flickr

There are hundreds of sites around the U.S. where you can learn about the rich, historical contributions of Black Americans. So this Black History Month, plan a visit to one to expand your knowledge about the heritage of Black culture—it’s a legacy not to be overlooked.

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The Magnetic North Pole of Earth Is Moving Toward Russia

Our north pole has been traveling east from the Canadian Arctic to Russia. At a fast pace too, which is causing some concern on how the move will affect navigation and GPS systems.

Lately, the pace at which the pole is moving has been measured at 25 miles a year, or 40 kilometers. In years past, however, the slide was 34 miles per year, or 55 kilometers.

What’s causing a move like this?

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

Historically, the Earth’s magnetic poles have been known to stray – and even flip from one end of the earth to the other. The poles are there due to Earth’s molten core which moves around as the Earth spins.

Convection currents of molten metal cause huge, moving electric currents, which themselves form a magnetic field around the Earth. This field protects us all from the radiation in solar winds and charged particles coming from the sun.

At this time, the North and South Poles match the magnetic poles, but that hasn’t always been the case. In the Earth’s history, the poles have flipped several times, bringing the magnetic South Pole to the true North Pole and magnetic North Pole to the true south – and then switched back. Scientists have been able to tell not only that this has happened, but also when this has happened by examining rocks that, when they were molten, marked the location of magnetic north.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

Recently, the National Centers for Environmental Information and the British Geological Survey updated the 2020 World Magnetic Model (WMM) with information on how the magnetic north pole has changed and how to anticipate where it’s headed in 5 years. Officially, the North Pole has now crossed the prime meridian.

The WMM is essential for world navigation. The military, geolocation apps and other navigation systems all rely on the model for the official location of the magnetic north pole.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

What about another pole reversal? Well, that’s difficult to predict. According to geological record, the range in time between magnetic field reversals is huge–between 100,000 years to every 50 million years. With that kind of range and the fact that activity in the Earth’s core is hard to measure, the only thing researchers can tell us is that the magnetic north pole is weakening by 10 to 15 percent.

But wouldn’t a pole reversal be weird?

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Prehistoric Mammoth Traps Were Discovered Outside Mexico City

This is big news.

The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) has revealed at a press conference that ancient traps containing the remains of 14 woolly mammoths were uncovered in Mexico.

At least 15,000 years old, the traps were discovered in Tultepec, a city approximately 25 miles north of Mexico City.

Named “Tultepec II,” the site has been under excavation for about 10 months, and archaeologists working there have discovered around 824 bones from 14 mammoths, including skulls, jaws and ribs. The site has been named a “Mammoth Megasite.”

At the press conference, Pedro Francisco Sánchez Nava, the national archeology coordinator at the INAH, said, “It represents a watershed, a touchstone for how we previously imagined groups of hunter-gatherers interacted with these enormous herbivores.”

Photo Credit: Wikimedia

Researchers think they now have a better understanding of how the beasts were hunted and used by hunter-gatherers in the Mexico Basin. Twenty or thirty hunters would separate one from the herd and, using torches, lure it into the trap. Once there, the animal would be killed, with most of the body either eaten or used in other ways.

One of the skeletons was laid out in a ceremonial way with evidence that indicated it took several hunts to bring it down completely. The arrangement of the bones points to a level of reverence the hunters had for such a fierce kill.

A Mammoth Museum is already open in Tultepec with a nearly complete wooly mammoth skeleton, discovered there in 2016, on display.

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15 Historic Newspaper Front Pages That Will Help You Relive the past

Whether it’s online, actually holding the paper, or even scanning through microfiche for hours on end, I love seeing what was going on throughout history and how it was reported.

It’s endlessly fascinating! To me, at least.

Here are 15 newspaper covers from historic days throughout American history.

One note: the dates listed are the day the newspaper published, which don’t always match the day the incident took place.

Enjoy.

1. April 17, 1912: The Titanic sinks.

2. October 1, 1955: James Dean killed in a car wreck.

3. September 25, 1957: Troops escort nine African-American students into Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.

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On September 25, 1957, nine African American students entered the all-white Central High School in Little Rock, escorted by military troops ordered by President Eisenhower. The Arkansas governor had previously refused to enforce integration of the school, and the troops were to protect the students from the crowd of protesting white segregationists outside the school. The highly charged situation made newspaper front pages around the United States, including this paper from Ohio. (Mansfield News-Journal, 09.25.1957). . . . . . @mansfieldnewsjournal #LittleRockNine #BlackHistory #ArkansasHistory #historybuff #historylover #historygeek #historynerd #historylesson #ushistory #historygram #oldnewspaper #newspaper #newspapers #newspaperclipping #newspaperarticle #historicalnewspapers #otd #onthisday #thisdayinhistory #todayinhistory

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4. September 16, 1963: Four little girls are killed in a church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama.

5. September 6, 1901: President William McKinley is shot by an assassin in Buffalo, New York.

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You know about the Lincoln and Kennedy assassinations, but did you know President William McKinley was also killed in office? He was shot in the chest and abdomen on September 6, 1901, while shaking hands at a public reception at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. After the shooting, McKinley at first appeared to be recovering but took a turn for the worse and died on the 14th. .. The shooting happened around 4 p.m. on the 6th, but evening edition newspapers–like this issue of New York's Evening World–were able to publish the news that same day. (The Evening World, 09.06.1901). . . . . . #newyorkhistory #historybuff #historylover #historygeek #historynerd #historylesson #ushistory #historygram #oldnewspaper #newspaper #newspapers #newspaperhistory #newspaperclipping #newspaperarticle #historicalnewspapers #otd #onthisday #thisdayinhistory #todayinhistory

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6. September 1, 1939: German troops invade Poland, marking the beginning of World War II.

7. August 6, 1962: Marilyn Monroe found dead in her home in Los Angeles.

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Actress and cultural icon Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her LA home on August 5, 1962. The toxicology report revealed she had died from a barbiturate overdose–commonly believed to have been suicide. However, conspiracy theories about the cause of her death abound. .. Because of Monroe's level of fame, her sudden death made newspaper front pages both inside and outside the United States. In fact, the circulation levels of many newspapers increased that month, attributed to the public's fascination with Monroe's death. (Los Angeles Times, 08.06.1962). . . . . . @latimes #marilynmonroe #hollywood #historybuff #historylover #historygeek #historynerd #historylesson #ushistory #historygram #oldnewspaper #newspaper #newspapers #newspaperclipping #newspaperarticle #historicalnewspapers #doyouremember #otd #onthisday #thisdayinhistory #todayinhistory

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8. July 28, 1945: A plane crashes into the Empire State Building in New York City. 14 people eventually died.

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On July 28, 1945, a plane crashed into the Empire State Building in a deadly accident. The B-25 Mitchell bomber was flying low in heavy fog with poor visibility when it struck the building near the 79th floor, killing 14 people. .. This Brooklyn newspaper quoted an eye-witness as saying, "The plane hit and I saw it silhouetted against the flames. The engines had jettisoned forward into the building. For a second the plane was outlined, then the whole thing burst into a livid pillar of flame. Then there was the explosion which shook me like nothing has shaken me before." (Brooklyn Eagle, 07.29.1945). . . . . . #nychistory #newyorkhistory #empirestatebuilding #historybuff #historylover #historygeek #historynerd #historylesson #ushistory #historygram #historical #historicalphotos #oldnewspaper #newspaper #newspapers #newspaperclipping #newspaperarticle #historicalnewspapers#otd #onthisday #thisdayinhistory #todayinhistory

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9. July 23, 1934: “Public Enemy #1”, gangster John Dillinger is killed by police outside a movie theater in Chicago.

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85 years ago today, on July 22, 1934, John Dillinger was killed by federal agents in Chicago. At the time of his death age 31, Dillinger was America’s Public Enemy Number 1 and the most infamous bank robber of his era. .. The news of his slaying made nearly every newspaper front page in the United States–and made Canadian front pages as well, as shown by this paper from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. (Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, 07.23.1934) . . . . . #chicagohistory #historybuff #historylover #historygeek #historynerd #historylesson #ushistory #historygram #oldnewspaper #newspaper #newspapers #newspaperhistory #newspaperclipping #newspaperarticle #historicalnewspapers #otd #onthisday #thisdayinhistory #todayinhistory

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10. November 22, 1963: President John F. Kennedy shot dead in Dallas

Kennedy Assassinated

11. July 21, 1969: Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin become the first men to walk on the moon.

12. July 12, 1914: Babe Ruth makes his big league baseball debut.

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Babe Ruth played his first major league baseball game on July 11, 1914, with the Boston Red Sox. He was just 19 years old at the time. This photo comes from the Boston Globe's coverage of his debut, which described Ruth as having "a natural delivery, fine control and a curve ball that bothers the batsmen, but has room for improvement and will, undoubtedly, become a fine pitcher." (Boston Globe, 07.12.1914). . . . . . @bostonglobe #baberuth #baseball #baseballhistory #sportshistory #historyiscool #historyisfun #vintagepics #vintagephotography #vintagephotos #oldphoto #oldpic #historical #historicalphotos #oldnewspaper #newspaper #newspapers #newspaperhistory #newspaperclipping #historicalnewspapers #otd #onthisday #thisdayinhistory #todayinhistory

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13. July 3, 1937: Pilot Amelia Earhart goes missing at sea.

14. April 19, 1906: San Francisco is rocked by a massive earthquake that kills up to 3,000 people.

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This historic San Francisco newspaper front page tells of the destructive 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, which struck on April 18 and killed 3,000 people. .. The destruction of the city from earthquake and fire was widespread. So three of San Francisco's newspapers–the Call, the Chronicle, and the Examiner–joined forces to print a combined edition (pictured here) the day after the disaster using the presses of the Oakland Tribune. (The Call-Chronicle-Examiner, 04.19.1906) . . . . . #sanfranciscohistory #californiahistory #historybuff #historylover #historygeek #historynerd #historylesson #ushistory #historygram #oldnewspaper #newspaper #newspapers #newspaperhistory #newspaperclipping #newspaperarticle #historicalnewspapers #otd #onthisday #thisdayinhistory #todayinhistory

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15. August 9, 1974: President Richard M. Nixon resigns.

That’s what I call a trip down memory lane.

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15 Powerful Portraits of Ellis Island Immigrants

Ellis Island was the point of entry for millions of immigrants arriving in the United States between 1892 and 1954. Opening day on January 1, 1892, saw the entry of 17-year-old Annie Moore from Cork, Ireland. She was the first of 700 people that day who would step off ships, pass through the checkpoints on the island and start their new lives in America.

Wealthy passengers in first and second class were examined onboard their ships before getting sent on their way. Poor passengers were considered more likely to become a burden on the state. They had to undergo medical and legal examinations on the island for hours before their release. Those that were detained had to wait for money or for someone to come and collect them. One of the factors that allowed immigrants to stay was if they had some money on them and a place to stay.

Immigrants from certain countries were considered more desirable. People from Northern and Western Europe, for example, had fewer problem with entry. Then, in the 1920s, there was a limit placed on the number of Southern and Eastern Europeans allowed entry.

Amateur photographer Augustus Sherman worked as the Chief Registry Clerk on Ellis Island from 1892 until 1925. During his tenure, he took amazing photos of detainees in their traditional clothes as they were waiting for final clearances.

Many were turned away.

1. Hungarian Gypsies, all of whom were deported.

Photo Credit: Flickr

2. Group photograph of newly-arrived immigrants in native costumes, some with turbans, some with fezzes.

Photo Credit: Flickr

3. Scottish boys

Photo Credit: Flickr

4. Dutch woman.

Photo Credit: Flickr

5. Alsace-Lorraine girl.

Photo Credit: Flickr

6. Bavarian man.

Photo Credit: Flickr

7. Guadeloupean woman.

Photo Credit: Flickr

8. Danish man.

Photo Credit: Flickr

9. Bavarian man.

Photo Credit: Flickr

10. German stowaway.

Photo Credit: Flickr

11. Girl from Rattvik, province of Dalarna, Sweden.

Photo Credit: Flickr

12. Norwegian woman.

Photo Credit: Flickr

13. Lapland children, possibly from Sweden.

Photo Credit: Flickr

14. Laplander.

Photo Credit: Flickr

15. Russian Cossacks.

Photo Credit: Flickr

There exists approximately 97 portraits of people from around the world proudly wearing traditional clothing and sitting for their portrait as they waited to become residents of the United States. For more of these beautiful images, see Flickr Creative Commons. All images are housed by the New York Public Library.

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The Amazon Rainforest Is Burning, and It’s an Environmental Disaster

The Amazon rainforest is on fire, and experts say this wildfire will affect climate change for many years to come.

CNN reported that The National Institute for Space Research (INPE) has said the fires are burning at the highest rate they’ve seen since tracking started in 2013.

Sao Paulo, 1700 miles away, is seeing smoke from the fire’s blazes.

Video shows heavy smoke and smog overcoming the city and creating black out conditions.

Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay, too, are seeing heavy, black smoke coming from the Brazilian fires.

The INPE also reported there were 72,843 fires in Brazil this year. More than half of those fires burned in the Amazon. This represents an 80 percent increase in the total number of fires over last year.

Photo Credit: NASA Earth Observatory

Natural disasters can spark flames when the area is dry, but these fires are also frequently started illegally by ranchers trying to clear out forest to create grazing land for cattle. Environmentalists are blaming Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, for relaxing laws limiting deforestation and underplaying the disaster in general to the rest of the world.

According to the BBC, the Amazon rainforest contributes 20 percent of the Earth’s oxygen. Plus, the rainforest is home to millions of species of plants and animals, as well as over one million indigenous people.

The rainforest is critical to millions of lives and to the Earth, itself.

If the Amazon is destroyed, the World Wildlife Fund says the area will likely become a savannah, but inhospitable to people, animals or plants.

And instead of pumping out oxygen, the new savannah will be the Earth’s next major source of carbon emissions. Meaning, the Amazon will no longer serve as the lungs of the world, but will begin pump out enough carbon to actually drive the climate crisis.

This is bad news, folks. Bad news indeed.

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5 Ultra-Smooth Con Artists Who Managed to Sell Things They Didn’t Even Own

From Nigerian princes to fake IRS phone calls, con artists have been a thorn in society’s side forever. Still, every now and then someone pulls off a con that’s so hard to believe, you almost have to admire their ability to have pulled it off.

Here are 5 con artists who have taken things to the next level:

1. He sold almost $1.5 million in non-existent electronics on Amazon

Photo Credit: Pixabay

James Symons used multiple fake accounts to sell expensive electronics on Amazon. When the merchandise didn’t arrive, Amazon was forced to repay the customers and find Symons. He spent more than four years defrauding people using the well-known site.

2. He sold In-n-Out franchises

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Craig Stevens conned 10 Middle Eastern investors into buying fake In-n-Out franchises. He was only caught because he emailed the fake franchise agreements, which made it wire fraud and got him two years in a federal prison.

This is especially sad because it’s well documented that In-n-Out doesn’t even sell franchises. So… maybe it’s best practice to Google a franchise before you decide to buy?

3. He’s still wanted by the FBI

Nicolae Popescu is wanted for posting ads for non-existent cars and other high-ticket items on internet auction sites. He worked with a team and used fraudulent passports to open bank accounts and look as legitimate as possible to potential buyers. It’s estimated that he stole more than $3 million from consumers, and there is a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest.

4. Be careful on Craigslist…

A man was looking for a new boat on Craigslist when he found an unexpected listing—an ad for the boat he already owned. He contacted the “seller,” who turned out to be Gregory Bartucci. Bartucci was convicted of theft, and then went on to try the scam again, this time with two bulldozers.

Some people never learn.

5. This guy sold the Eiffel Tower. TWICE.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Victor Lustig was born in 1890 in what is now in the Czech Republic. He started gambling while he was in college, which led him to a life of petty crime. He pulled cons on both sides of the Atlantic with the help of his fluency in five languages (which, damn!).

In the mid 1920s, the Eiffel Tower wasn’t the glorious city-centerpiece it is today. Actually, it was so run down that Parisians wanted it to be demolished. Lustig saw his opportunity and talked a businessman into “buying” the Eiffel Tower for scrap. When the man went to cash in on the deal, he was so embarrassed to find he was conned, and never reported it to police. This allowed Lustig to scam another businessman, who also “bought” the tower.

Lustig fled Paris and continued his life of crime in the U.S. He was captured and tried in 1935, dying in prison in 1947.

Oops…

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10 Libraries You’ve Got to Visit in Your Lifetime

Libraries are houses of learning, and oh my god are they beautiful. While some libraries are just plain old municipal buildings, there are others that completely surpass all expectations. Here’s a list of ten libraries so special, it may be worth your while to take a trip to see them.

1. Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris, France

Home to 15 million books, it is beautifully French. Also, tourists.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

2. Trinity College Library, Ireland

The largest library in Ireland and home to the famous Book of Kells.

3. Library Hall, Clementinum, Prague

This baroque library was opened by Jesuits in 1622 when they had only one book to put in it.

4. Macquari University Library, Sydney, Australia

Robot cranes pick up your books and transports them to the desk for check out.

5. The Royal Library Copenhagen, Denmark

Part of the Royal Library, the Black Diamond holds a concert hall, cafe and exhibition spaces.

Photo Credit: Thue [Public domain]

6. Stuttgart City Library, Stuttgart, Germany

Everything is painted white so the only color comes from the books and the visitors.

Photo Credit: Pexels

7. New York Public Library, New York, NY

Founded in 1895, it is the largest public library system in the United States.

Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons

8. Bodleian Library, Oxford, United Kingdom

Enacted in 1602 as Oxford University’s library and is one of the oldest libraries in Europe.

9. Yale University Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, New Haven, CT

One of the largest buildings in the world housing rare books and manuscripts.

10. The Library of Congress, Washington D.C.

The oldest federal cultural institution in the United States.

Photo Credit: By Carol M. Highsmith, Public Domain

From baroque to ne0-modern, these fantastic libraries were designed to treat all the senses. Support libraries!

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Twitter Users are Sharing Photos of Their Grandparents, and They’re Absolutely Stunning

Not too long ago, one of the co-hosts of Buzzfeed Newsshared an old photo of his grandfather, calling him “a goddamn stunner” in the caption.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Fitzgerald’s next tweet invited others to share photos of their grandparents. Soon came a flood of images of grandpaps and nonnis, all looking amazing and virile enough to grab some elk on the way home for dinner.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

Our grandparents were quite glamorous. No one wore their pajamas on the street. Imagine.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

Someone even began restoring a few of the old photos just to be nice.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

Twitter saw many wedding photos that looked like Hollywood events. The Kardashians should look so good.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

Grandpa sure was rugged.

Photo Credit: Twitter

And had a spirit for adventure.

What was it about that long ago era that made everyone look like they stepped out of a magazine? Any way to get that kind of mojo back? We could use it.

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