Historical

Dramatic Origins: The Can-Can
Everyone’s heard of the Can-Can. We all know it as the upbeat tune that a group of women in long skirts dance to and do lots of high kicks. To us, it’s fun, sexy, and even comical. But back when it first rose to fame, it was called salacious, scandalous, and raunchy.
By Jaye Ruggiero-Cash5 years ago in FYI
The Smartest Dog of All Time?
The phrase, "a dog is man's best friend," originated in the Supreme Court in 1870. Lawyer George Graham Vest defended a man who deeply loved his coon hound named Old Drum. A neighbor shot Old Drum for trespassing on his property. Vest argued that the man not only took the life of a pet, but he killed an important family member.
By Bryan R..5 years ago in FYI
The Untold Truth of Our Educational System
"We shall not try to make these people, or any of their children, into philosophers, or men of learning or science. We are not to raise up among them authors, orators, poets, or men of letters. We shall not search for embryo great artists, painters, musicians. Nor will we cherish even the humbler ambition to raise from among them lawyers, doctors, preachers, statesmen, of whom we now have ample supply." -Rev. Frederick T. Gates, Business Advisor to John D. Rockefeller Sr., 1913
By Bobby Bushnell5 years ago in FYI
The Wonderboy X-100
For several summers during my Junior and Senior High years, my younger brother and I mowed yards. We hauled a lawnmower and a weed eater in the trunk of my family's Oldsmobile Delta '88 and cut grass for about 15 different households in our community. After a couple of years with only a push mower Lawn Boy, we added a Snapper Riding Mower to our arsenal, and welcomed another 10 lawns. We didn't get rich, but we both added money to our bank accounts and wallets. Most days, the heat drove us to mow early in the morning and later in the evening. But, at least we weren't mowing in the 1830's or whacking weeds with a scythe.
By Bryan R..5 years ago in FYI
The Man & Fairytale Behind The Word "Serendipity"
Serendipity. It's a famous restaurant in New York City. It's a great romantic comedy. It's a fun word to say. Serendipity is not only one of my favorite movies that I watch every year at Christmas time, but it's also my favorite word. I love it because of its meaning. I also love saying it. It's just a fun word to say, isn't it?
By Lizzy Heartwood5 years ago in FYI
Lessons from the Iron Lung
Lingering Fear I was born in 1957, two years after widespread use of the polio vaccine. American parents had only recently stopped asking, “Do you want to end up in an iron lung?” when children begged to go outside in the summer.
By Cindy Shore Smith5 years ago in FYI
Uncommon Knowledge Related to the American Civil War and Slavery
I recently read an article titled "The Confederacy was a con job on whites and still is." You can read it in its entirety by clicking on the link. The information shared gave me a totally different perspective regarding this period of history. This led me to research other aspects of American slavery and the Civil War and I found out something quite interesting. The reality of the Antebellum era is quite different than what most people perceive. The following information brings to light some uncommon knowledge about this nation during the 1800s.
By Cheryl E Preston5 years ago in FYI
Henrietta Maria
Henrietta Maria was a beautiful 15 year old Princess who married a much older Prince. Moving to a new country, she had to learn a new language, a new way of life and practised her faith amongst ‘infidels.’ This Queen showed courage, as well as intelligence, during a very difficult period within the English history.
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff5 years ago in FYI
PAINTING FOREVER
Throughout the course of history and over time, artists have continuously evolved in terms of their techniques and art. The late 19th and 20th century was the time when art truly developed into the forms we all know today. A myriad of colors, untold stories and expressions were illustrated on canvases like never seen before. Some artists became renowned, owing to the techniques they invented and some left their mark with their innovative painting styles.
By Dandelionclub5 years ago in FYI
Knowing the Nutshell
Weird and wonderful facts. I love them. I have a store house in my brain where random information that is pretty much useless in any given situation waits to be called on for the hell of it. I like to imagine it as an old library. Think of floor-to-ceiling bookcases with ladders here and there to reach the top shelves. Stacks of books that don't fit on the shelves. Ornaments and trinkets and knick-knacks collected throughout a life of adventure and travel. A comfy chair with a standing light. A little table to put my coffee on. (Okay so it's basically how I'm planning to have my home-library when I have space and money for a home-library.)
By Eric Holbrook5 years ago in FYI
The Curious Case of Robert Lincoln. Top Story - March 2021.
On April 14th, 1865, John Wilkes Booth entered the Presidential Box in Ford’s Theatre during a performance of Our American Cousin and shot Abraham Lincoln (ultimately, killing him). This is a fact known to most everyone in the Western world. What fewer are aware of is that the night Honest Abe was assassinated, his son Robert Lincoln was invited to join him at Ford’s Theatre for the show. Robert chose to stay home, fatigued from having spent much time recently on the Civil War battlefront.
By Reuben Blaff5 years ago in FYI
Dragons: Real or Fantasy?
I remember sitting in Sunday School as a kid and listening tot he lesson on 'What does the Bible say about the existence of dinosaurs?' I found it pretty interesting - more interesting than some other lessons - but I was definitely not prepared for the teacher to read a passage talking about this dinosaur-like creature breathing fire. All my favorite movies and TV shows had, of course, educated me on the fact that it is dragons that breath fire, not dinosaurs. So, naturally, ever since that day I have not been able to shake the idea that dragons may have actually existed, according to the Bible.
By Breanna Harrel5 years ago in FYI