Mysterious Death of Harry Houdini: How did Houdini Die?
Born on March 24, 1874, in Budapest, Hungary, Ehrich Weisz, better known to the world as the Great Harry Houdini, is perhaps the greatest and best known magician and escape artist in history. Yet for being so famous, Houdini managed to surround his life with mystery. He claimed throughout his life to be born on April 6, 1874 in Appleton, Wisconsin. That and his death-defying escape acts gave him an almost supernatural personality. And yet, with all the mystery surrounding his life, Harry Houdini has come to have a controversial and mysterious death as well. Read the rest of this entry »
The History of Fireworks
Although they can be used to celebrate everything from New Year’s Day to home runs in baseball, when we think of fireworks in the United States, we mostly think of the 4th of July celebrations. This week across the country people will be setting off sparkling, popping, exploding, streaking fireworks of all shapes and sizes, in one of our time-honored annual traditions of combining alcohol and explosives. The 4th of July is fun for the whole family drunk or sober, celebrating the birth of our country with fantastic pyrotechnics. Read the rest of this entry »
Relics of Ancient Civilizations
All over the world, there are lingering traces, remnants, of long lost peoples and ancient civilizations that once peppered the world in many of the places we now live. Ancient monuments that have stood since long after not only the men who erected them have passed, but their reasons for doing so as well.
Will there come a day, many, many years from now, when ancient broken pieces of current civilizations will be left behind to tantalize and intrigue some future people? Will shattered towers or broken pieces of concrete be left scattered over the earth? Will the broken top of the Statue of Liberty be left littering the shores of a beach somewhere, giving mysterious testament to the past of humankind? Only Charlton Heston knows for sure. But meanwhile, there are plenty of mysterious relics of lost civilizations for us to explore. Read the rest of this entry »
Graduation Traditions
It’s that time of year. High school seniors across the nation are gearing up for one last-ditch summer school session. But there are also other seniors, ones who will not be going to summer school one last time, but will instead be taking part in one of mom and dad’s favorite cultural traditions…High School Graduation. And not just the high schoolers, but colleges too–and kindergarteners. Graduation, the one day that it’s ok to wear a bath robe in public and put a square funny looking hat on your head, that actually looks like a failed cat-toy, and be proud to do it. Read the rest of this entry »
The History of the Olympic Marathon
The story of the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae is not the only fascinating story to come out of the Greco-Persian War in Greece. There is also the story of Philippides, legendary hero of another battle, the Battle of Marathon, which was of course the inspiration in modern times for the Olympic Marathon.
That’s right, Dustin Hoffman wasn’t the original Marathon Man. Philippides had him beat by about 2500 years.
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