The St. Louis Earthquake of 1990
The Great St. Louis Earthquake of 1990 never happened. The New Madrid Fault Let me explain. Unbeknownst to many outside the Midwest, St. Louis lies near a fault zone, the New Madrid Fault. While...
Category: History
Historical essays and other musings on history
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
You don’t often hear people talk about the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, at least not here in America. But even though the United States was not a direct party to this pact, the Treaty of...
Lord Kitchener Hearts You
One of the iconic designs of the 20th century is the poster of Uncle Sam that says “I Want YOU for U.S. Army”. Though it’s closely associated with World War II, it was first...
JFK and Dallas
Many important figures have been assassinated throughout history: Julius Caesar, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King. But no assassination is more infamous than the assassination of JFK. President John F. Kennedy came to Dallas 50...
The Rise and Fall of Neutral Moresnet
Borders can cause a lot of problems. I’ve already talked about how shifting rivers can create odd little enclaves on the landscape. But borders can be tricky even when there aren’t rivers involved. This...
The Little-Known 49-Star Flag
Back in the 1800s, the American Flag changed every couple of years. Every time they added a new state, they added a new star. By the twentieth century however, Manifest Destiny had run its...
Ranch Dressing and Other Modern Inventions
There are many things in this world that are older than you might think. For example, the Pope’s title of “Pontiff” predates Christianity by almost a millennium. The mouse driven computer with a mouse,...
Idiocracy and the Fall of Rome
In Mike Judge’s movie “Idiocracy”, an average man from the 21st century wakes up 500 years in the future, only to find that he’s the smartest man in the world. This is based on...
The Pontiff: Older Than Jesus
Everyone knows the Pope is old, but so is the office. The Papacy traces its roots back to St. Peter himself, but it turns out the institute is even older than that. In fact,...
