The Father Of the Mouse Starts Work Today Jan 29

Walt Disney was a dreamer and innovator who took cartoons and created virtual masterpieces and today back in 1920, Walt took a job as an artist with KC Slide.

Today in History (Possibly) Jan 29. Romeo and Juliet First Performed

Considered one the greatest English literature playwrights- Shakespeare took an old motif and elevated to venerated status.

With that, here is the crash course overview of the play

Part 1


Part 2

And Today We Wish A Happy Birthday to.....

Oprah Winfrey. The following is a short review of her career and rise to fame.

28 Years Ago Today- Challenger Explodes

This event in history is near to me, as I remember the exact place I was when it occurred. As a child, I had been a great lover of all things outer space and the shuttle missions were a great part of that. I remember the fanfare and after President Reagan announced that a teacher was going into space and later Christa McAuliffe would be the teacher that teacher. I still remember most of details surrounding the Challenger accident despite being young. The below video will probably be etched in my mind until I am old and senile.

What The Anceint Japanese Knew

A walk through and look at the building and objects created in the ancient Japanese culture.

More Today in History- Edison Edition

On January 27 in 1880, Edison files the patent for the incandescent lamp. If you look at the life of the man, he was naturally curious and his inventions show this.

And Today in 1756.....

The genius that was Mozart was born. And yes, I did post something on Mozart's death a while back, but you can never have enough Mozart.

Through the Looking Glass- Today in History

Today in 1832. Lewis Dodgson was born, better known by his pen name Lewis Carrol, which by the way of the ten facts video below was a very complicated pen name.

Tombs Of The Ancient Chinese

You probably have heard of the terracotta warriors, but the opulence of the Chinese Emperor tombs goes far beyond a 'measly' few statues.

The History You Missed- Jan. 24 A Diamond Was Born

Meant to post this on Friday, but I missed my window. In any event, too good to pass up. Could not fund any 'historical' pieces on Neil Diamond, so I just went with a Behind the Music episode.

The Ancients Come to Life

This quick video from National Geographic remains fascinating to me, showing and explaining in a quick three minutes the changing face of what it means to be human.

The Viking Ships

I hope you find this historical look at Viking Ships as interesting as I did.

Today In History Jan. 23- Zhu Yuanzhang Becomes First Emporer of the Ming Dynasty

And here I present a document (in two parts) from CCTV on the Ming Dynasty

Part 1

Part 2

Your John Hancock Here Please- Today In History January 23

The excerpted movie clip below is from the John Adams movie and revolved around the writing and signing of the Declaration of Independence. Famously, the first and largest signature on the Declaration (one of the greatest literature created by man) was that of John Hancock, who was born on January 23, 1737.


Although his signature is what has become famous, his life was no less great, albeit overshadowed by still other great contemporaries. That said, John Hancock was merchant, statesmen, governor of Massachusetts, patriot of Revolution, and one of the Presidents of the what would become the United States. 

Yesterday and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow In History

A little fun with term history here, but in 2170 Ensign Sulu will be born on January 22. Why include this here? Well Star Trek has grown to a near, if not outright, cultural icon. The seminal series was created by Gene Roddenberry and first aired in 1966. First considered a failure, the series has survived for decades and remains bigger than ever, shaping culture and many more aspects of out lives than most realize. But, that is a discussion for another day

Yesterday In History (Jan 22) In 1857

The National Association of Baseball Players was established in New York. Still in its infancy, baseball had not reached the status of America's past time, but it was on its way. Here it is a video showing the history of the game and the Hall of Fame.

On This Day- One of the Greatest Golfers Born

Jack Nicklaus was born today in 1940.

Today In History- Louis XVI Executed

I am just getting back after a vacation, some time spent with family, running a half-marathon, and other stuff. With that, I am jumping right in with today's spot in history, this being the execution of Louis XVI during the French revolution.

Taking Some Time

No, I am not history, just taking a break for about two weeks. Until then.....

The Birth of Humanity

Apocalypse- Stone Age Edition

You may have heard this at some point in the last few years, but if you have not it is fascinating (and somewhat scary) to think that humanity was a razors edge away from extinction not that long ago.

You can watch a great video after the jump.

And One Ring to Rule Them All.... JRR Tolkien Born Today in 1892

An American Icon Was Born..... Today In History

More Today In History- Gandhi Begins Peace March

Coincidentally, I was watching a documentary about Gandhi the other day. History has come to view Gandhi as an extraordinary man and someone to be revered and emulated, which is shown in the documentary below.


That said, maybe Gandhi was just a man with all the shortcomings and failures we all face and deal with everyday and the reverence may be misplaced. The moral of story, always broaden your horizons and sources and step outside of what is established thought. 

Today In History- Standard Oil Incorporated

To circumvent anti-trust laws, Rockefeller and company incorporated the Standard Oil (the company now known as Exxon-Mobil) as a trust. The following is the story of the Rockfellers.