Throughout the three-plus months of the Constitutional Convention, the delegates disagreed about a bunch of stuff. It had started almost immediately with a debate over semantics. Was the government national or federal? Both words were nuanced depending on which ears heard them, and the delegates argued for (and against) each. And that was the very beginning. [...]
Archive for May, 2011
Federal Convention Builds Two Houses in a Day
Posted in The Confederation (1783-1789), United States, tagged 1787, Benjamin Franklin, Constitutional Convention, Federal Convention, George Mason, House of Representatives, Senate on May 31 | Leave a Comment »
The Midget (Subs) of Madagascar
Posted in Africa, World War II (1939-1945), tagged 1942, Africa, Aleutian Islands, Diego Suarez, Madagascar, Midget Submarine, Midway on May 30 | Leave a Comment »
As the end of May loomed in 1942, the vaunted Imperial Japanese Navy was bending all of its thought, and much of its military power, toward the small central Pacific atoll of Midway. Island AF (as they called it) was important to the Japanese, not so much because of what it offered (an airfield, some [...]
Germans Bring Fall to Calais Spring
Posted in Europe, World War II (1939-1945), tagged 1940, Calais, Citadel, Claude Nicholson, Dunkirk on May 26 | Leave a Comment »
The German advance through France and the Low Countries in May of 1940 was, without question, one of the more remarkable operations of the Second World War. Yeah, the wrong side (at least from my perspective) planned it, prepared it, and executed it. And the right side (at least from my perspective) had no answer, [...]
Krakatoa: The Sleeping Giant Stirs
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged 1883, Indonesia, Java, Krakatoa, Sumatra, Sunda Strait, Volcano on May 20 | Leave a Comment »
It’s a gloomy morning here…well, not so gloomy when the lightning serves to brighten things up a bit. I have a day off, and we’re heading to South Dakota to visit my grandma, who turned 97 in March (the day the earthquake and tsunami struck Japan). We plan to visit with her for an hour [...]
To the Top of the World
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged 1975, Climbing, Hiking, Junko Tabei, Mount Everest on May 16 | Leave a Comment »
It’s a brief one tonight, and since I enjoy hiking, let’s keep it in that genre. Every year that we go to Estes Park, I try to do at least one hike. Last year it was the Estes Cone, which wasn’t terribly tough until the last .7 mile, when we climbed almost 1,000′. The year [...]
The Loss of Valujet Flight 592
Posted in Later twentieth century (1961-2000), United States, tagged 1996, Everglades, McDonnell-Douglas DC-9, Valujet Flight 592 on May 11 | 2 Comments »
On May 9, 1996, I flew on an airplane for the first time. I’ve never made a secret about not liking the whole flying thing, but it was either fly or drive to Seattle. And from Cedar Rapids, Iowa (where I lived at the time), that would have been quite a road trip. So I [...]
James Madison Leans to the Rights
Posted in Constitutional period (1789-1809), United States, tagged 1789, Bill of Rights, constitution, Constitutional Convention, James Madison on May 4 | 1 Comment »
The world has changed since I wrote that piece on Joseph Goebbels just a couple of days ago. In fact, I was just finishing that article when our son called and told us to turn on the news. And of course, we heard what you all now know. The most wanted man in the United States, Osama Bin Laden, [...]
Joseph Goebbels Follows the Leader
Posted in Europe, World War II (1939-1945), tagged 1945, Adolf Hitler, Eva Braun, Joseph Goebbels, Suicide on May 1 | Leave a Comment »
Happy May Day!! It’s hard to believe we’re already beginning 2011′s fifth month. For Today’s History Lesson, this year has been really out-of-sorts as compared to years past. Pieces have been few and far between. Where most months would see 15 to 20+ articles, the last 3 months have seen 10 or fewer. A heavy [...]
