Monthly Archives: May 2014
HISTORY TIDBIT: ATTEMPTED THEFT OF ENGLAND’S CROWN JEWELS
Sometimes, crime does pay. Though he never actually rose above the rank of lieutenant, the Irish adventurer, Thomas Blood, was also known as Captain Blood or Colonel Blood. Having been a Parliamentarian during the English Civil war, he was deprived of his Irish estates once the monarchy was restored and did not take it well. […]
HISTORIC DISASTER: THE HINDENBURG
Being just over eight hundred and three feet in length, and one hundred and thirty-five feet in diameter, the German zeppelin, Hindenburg, was the largest airship ever flown. But it was more than just an airship. Germany’s Nazi party had paid for its construction and with the swastika emblem emblazoned on its tail fins, the […]
HISTORIC CELEBRATIONS: CINCO DE MAYO (MEXICO) AND CHILDREN’S DAY (JAPAN)
May the 5th is Cinco de Mayo in Mexico, a holiday commemorating Mexico’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. And in Japan, it’s Children’s Day. A national holiday since 1948, Children’s Day celebrates childhood with various activities throughout the country.
TRIVIA TRAIL: MAYFAIR
Question: Why is Mayfair the most expensive property on a British Monopoly board? Answer: Because you have to have a LOT of money to live there. Close to the famous Hyde Park, the section of London known as Mayfair is between Regent Street, Piccadilly, Park Lane, and Oxford Street, but also boasts several other very […]
HISTORY TIDBIT: THE OTHER MAYDAY
A triple rendering of the word Mayday is the internationally recognized distress signal for an aeroplane in trouble. It is used by ships and others in the transport field as well, and also by fireman and the police. It is said three times to increase the chances of it being heard under noisy conditions, and […]
HISTORIC CELEBRATION: MAY DAY
Though it’s now also a day set aside to honour workers and those who fought for worker’s rights, the original May Day celebrations were related to the ancient Celtic celebration of Beltane, heralding the end of dreary winter and the arrival of better weather, the time when crops could be sown. Some May Day traditions […]
Time Travelling With Kids 