Monthly Archives: May 2019
HISTORY TIDBIT: NOT-SO-FAMOUS INVENTOR: SIR GEORGE CAYLEY
Since he never took out any patents, Sir George Cayley’s inventions never brought him the fame and acclaim he was due, and it’s now other people who are associated with artificial hands, spoked bicycle wheels, caterpillar tractors, seat belts, and other things originally thought of by Sir George. Who was also, incidentally, the first person […]
HISTORY TIDBIT: UNSINKABLE SHIP’S CAT
Ships, including warships, often have feline crew members, and in WW II, a tuxedo cat managed to served on three different warships. This sea-faring moggie started out on the German battleship, the Bismarck, and then, when it was sunk (May 27th, 1941), shamelessly went over to the enemy to save his own fur. The British […]
HISTORY TIDBIT: HISTORIC TRADING
The New York Stock exchange has come a long way since it was first established on May 17th, 1792. Then it consisted of some merchants and bankers meeting under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street. But only in good weather. When the weather wasn’t so good, they ‘exchanged’ it for a coffee house.
HISTORY TIDBIT: CONVICT SHIPS
The first ships to have the dubious privilege of carrying convicts to Botany Bay in Australia left Portsmouth on May 13th, 1787, arriving at their destination on January 18th, 1788. The original landing place of Captain Cook was deemed unsuitable for a settlement, however, so the ‘cargo’ was transported a little farther up the coast, […]
STORYBOOK HISTORY SHARE: THE HIS ‘STORY’ OF MAILING MAY
Nowadays, the powers that be are a little sticky about what can be popped into the post, but it wasn’t always that way. The children’s picture book, Mailing May, by Michael O. Tunnell was based on a genuine bygone, though not oft-practiced, method of delivering children to relatives. https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibits/past/customers-and-communities/reaching-rural-america/parcel-post-service.html
TRIVIA TRAIL: WOMEN’S RIGHTS ADVOCATE
Question: What is the more commonly known name of women’s advocate, Elizabeth Cochran Seaman? Answer: Nellie Bly, which she started using as a pen name when she wrote a column for the Pittsburgh Dispatch, doing articles on women’s issues that went beyond the usual homemaking tips, fashion coverage, and society news of the day. She […]
Time Travelling With Kids 