Historical Moments

Painting by Joseph Karl Stieler On this day in 1808 Ludwig van Beethoven premiered his most well-known composition. The first 8 notes of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony are immediately recognizable. Not only did he premiere– and conduct — the Fifth, but this concert at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna goes down in history as one of his most famous. It also saw the world premier of his Sixth Symphony. Other compositions on the bill that night were Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto, ...

Paving the Information Highway ► Throwback Thursday

According to the WikiWackyWoo: On this day in “1969 – The first-ever computer-to-computer link is established on ARPANET, the precursor to the Internet.” And, nothing was ever the same again. APRANET ...

I’m the Barber of Oakville ► Throwback Thursday

When I was about 20 years old I bought a barber’s chair, something I treasured for many years. I found it in an antique store on Lakeshore Road in downtown Oakville, ...

Frederick Douglass Escapes ► Throwback Thursday

Born into slavery in what might have been 1818, Frederick Douglass eventually became an icon of the Abolitionist Movement. Although it was illegal to teach slaves to read and write, Sophia ...

Hurricanes I Have Known

The crazy trajectory of Hurricane Wilma. When it began, the liklihood of hit hitting Florida was almost zero. DATELINE: October 19, 2005 — On this day Wilma became “the most intense ...

Happy Birthday Frank Lloyd Wright

Dateline June 8, 1867 – Frank Lloyd Wright is born in Wisconsin. By the time he died at the age of 92, he would be considered the greatest architect that ...

When High Speed Rail Died ► The Naperville Train Disaster

You can pinpoint the exact time and place ‘Merka gave up on high speed rail: midday April 26, 1946 in Naperville, Illinois. That’s when and where the Exposition Flyer, traveling ...

Who’s Got Geronimo’s Skull?

Geronimo in 1887 Dateline February 17, 1909 – Apache Chief Geronimo dies from complications from pneumonia at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Geronimo surrendered in 1886 and spent his last years as a Prisoner ...

Nostalgia Ain’t What It Used To Be ► The Electrocution of Topsy

Dateline January 4, 1903 – On this day a circus elephant named Topsy was electrocuted to death by The Wizard of Menlo Park, Thomas Edison. The death sentence was carried ...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Just want to wish all my faithful readers a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Have a great 2013. That’s an order.

Nostalgia Ain’t What It Used To Be ► Flying High

Drawing of steerable dirigible created by Henri Giffard, which reportedly flew 15 miles in 1852. If God had meant humans to fly, She would have provided everyone with carry-on luggage. Back at ...

Happy Magazine Day ► Nostalgia Ain’t What It Used To Be

First issue of Rolling Stone First issue of The Atlantic DATELINE November 9 – On this date in 1967, Rolling Stone published its first issue in San Francisco. On this date in ...

Prohibition Then and Now

Detroit on January 16, 1920, the day before prohibition began. DATELINE October 28, 1919 – The House overrides President Woodrow Wilson’s veto to pass the 18th Amendment, also known as the ...