“She did it with such dedication because she wanted to make her Father proud of her.” —Margaret Rhodes, Confident of Elizabeth The Princess Elizabeth was born in the early morning hours April 21, 1926 at home. She would be third in line for the throne. Diarist Chips Channon remarked that...
Amelia was just finishing her breakfast in the opulent dining room at the Hotel Trumpy in Zurich, Switzerland. Damask window drapes gave a Victorian feel to the room and the tables were set with the finest china dinnerware and linens. Breakfast was delicious and filling served by formally-dressed staff members...
His father, Gabriele, was a barber from Italy and sired nine children. Alphonse Gabriel Capone was born January 17, 1899 and died January 25, 1947 at age 48 and is buried at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Ill.. Capone showed promise as a student, but had trouble with the rules...
Indigenous peoples for thousands of years occupied the Grand River Valley. By the late 1600s the Ottawa occupied territory around the Great Lakes and spoke one of the numerous Algonquian languages. They founded several villages along the Grand River. The Ottawa called the river far-away-water due to the river’s length....
So much to read and so little time! Let the wind howl outside and be warm inside with your favorite beverage and a good read. Is there any pleasure quite comparable to a good book, a fireside and daylight to read? • John Grisham’s release last year was “The Judge’s...
Let us take a journey back to Merrie Old England and the time of King Henry VIII in 1509. More than 500 years ago the Tudors did not have Christmas trees, or Santa Claus. Christmas Eve in the countryside would have found the peasants working in the fields taking care...
A name probably unfamiliar to you just as it was to me is that of Harriet Quimby who became the first licensed female pilot in the United States August 1, 1911 and April 16, 1912 she was the first woman to fly a plane across the English Channel. She pointed...
December once again! So it is time for little bits of information sure to enlighten. Bits: In 1850 native Americans were counted as 400,764 population and in 1890 the Native Americans population was down to 248,253. The American frontier was declared officially closed in 1890. From the Atlantic to the...
A Roman map of Londinium in the 16th Century shows only one bridge across the river. Only two copper plates of the original bridge remain, one of which is in the Museum of London. In the beginning of the 17th Century, Southwark was the center of things. Here were the...
There is no certificate of the birth of Charlie Chaplin April 16, 1889 nor a record of a baptismal registry. The place of his birth is thought to be East Lane off the Walworth Road. It had a loud and vigorous Sunday morning street market with its costermongers, old-clothes sellers...
Based on the fictional story, loosely based on the Chanel sisters of the time: It was an ordinary time in 1890. Well, at least for me it was. I was enjoying a lemon pastille as I walked down the boulevard rue Cambon in Paris. My journey had taken me from...
Ansel Adams was 14 years old when he first visited the mountains. His solitude was just as important as visiting with friends. Rocks, snow, mountains, skies, and long views into remote valleys interested him. His first trip to the high Sierra was during a family vacation in 1916. In the...
It was All Hallows Eve at the River Lagan, Belfast, Northern Ireland. The nautical appearance of St. James Street was crowded with sailors, naval officers, and merchants. The shops along the quay catered to those coming and going to the open air markets. These included the usual tailors, coppers, glovers,...
The beautiful rainbow cascaded across the northwest sky when I was leaving Aurora for a recent weekend at the Amana Colonies in Iowa. It was, as it was, a harbinger of a happy trip to come. Listening to Iowa classical station KHKE along the way, I drove 431 miles and...
Emilee had chosen the rue du Fauborg St. Denis to meet Matthew for their second date. The street had such a vibrant history because the gate was designed by architect Francois Blondel and was built in 1672 for Louis XIV. Its arch celebrates the victories of the French army in...
The train was crowded when it left Union Station in Chicago bound for New Orleans, a trip that would take 14 hours. It was Easter break and I was going to visit the city I had heard much important information. Across from me sat a young woman and we began...
Little Timothy was without parents at age four after they died in a mining accident. The year was 1840. Timothy was a small child with egg-shell blue eyes and a mop of golden ringlets. He had a certain elan with a cheerful disposition that belied his circumstances. For the next...
Early neolithic salt production, approximately 6,000 BCE, has been identified at an excavation in Romania. Solnitsata, the earliest known town in Europe, was built around a salt production facility. In present-day Bulgaria, in southeeast Europe, the town is thought by archaeologists to have accumulated wealth by supplying salt throughout the...
“In the hidden reaches where memory probes, lie sorrows too deep to fathom.” —Consuelo Vanderbilt Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt had course manners, and he chewed tobacco. He could barely read. He was proud of his lack of refinement. He was a rascal, combative, and cunning. He was a builder, shrewd and...
“What a mass of happiness had we travelled over.” —Thomas Jefferson, 1786 Thomas Jefferson sailed for France July 5, 1784 as commissioner and minister. His daughter Patsy, 12, found the sea voyage delightful. “There was a fine sunshine all the way with the sea as calm as a river,” she...
