Authors
-
Gargoyles
The name gargoyle is derived from the French word “Gargouille” and the Latin “Gurgulio”, both meaning throat. When most people think of Gargoyles they imagine hideous carved stone creatures, usually situated on the top edges of medieval buildings, mostly churches and other places of worship to ward off evil spirits. However, they originally had a much more practical use. The use of Gargoyles actually dates back to Ancient Greece or before where they were used as waterspouts to funnel rain water off the roof and out and over the edge of buildings, keeping it clear of the sides of the building in the process, in order to prevent it from…
-
The French Revolutionary Calendar
It is of no surprise that the French Revolution was a turbulent time, not only for French history but for all the world. The events that occurred between 1789 (the revolutionary movements started earlier in 1787) and 1799 shaped the course history for the entire world. But it was not until 1792 that the French adopted a new way to measure time; the French Revolutionary Calendar or better known at the time as the French Republican Calendar. The first day of the first Republican year f [...]
-
Darwin’s tortoises
While visiting the Galapagos archipelago in 1835, Charles Darwin (1809-1882) encountered the giant tortoise and observed that, as with the finches, each island had its own unique types of tortoise. The most notable difference, it turned out, was in the shape of the shell – some giant tortoises were able to extend their necks higher than others depending on what food source was available to them. They had evolved to survive on each particular island. The giant tortoise was a staple part of the diet of the indigenous peoples and also a source of money and goods from sale and trade – Darwin ate giant tortoise on James Island. Forty…
-
Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
“Fast is fine, but accuracy is everything. In a gun fight… You need to take your time in a hurry.” Words couldn’t have been truer than those spoken by Wyatt Earp. A total of thirty shots were fired in thirty seconds in the most famous shootout in the history of the American Old West. I will of course follow this article up with more about Wyatt’s vendetta, and biographies of the key players, but for now I will concentrate on the infamous gunfight itself. Tombstone, Arizona is located near the Mexican border. The Earps arrived on December 1, 1879, when the small town was mostly composed of tents as living…
-
Mary I’s phantom pregnancies
Mary I of England was overjoyed at her marriage to Prince Philip of Spain. She had married a man of royal blood, the son of her adviser and cousin Charles V of Spain and had laid the foundation for the passing of the throne to a true born Catholic heir. There was only one fly in the ointment. She was thirty-seven years old, past the usual child bearing years of that time, and had erratic health. Few people believed that the Queen was capable of bearing children, but still they prayed with all their might for a prince. In September of 1554, it seemed as if their prayers had been…
