Today In History

The first American heart transplant, which took place on this day in 1967, was also the...

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 13:59:00 -0500

The first American heart transplant, which took place on this day in 1967, was also the World’s first pediatric heart transplant. It was performed by Adrian Kantrowitz (yay for eastern europeans!) a cardiac surgeon at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Just a warning: After reading about this guy you will ask yourself what you have done with your life and why you’re so stupid.

At the age of three, Adrian decided he wanted to be a doctor. He even built an electrocardiograph from old radio parts with a little help from his brother (who would become a successful engineer). I too had to ask my brother for help with my electrocardiograph. They’re quite tricky.

In 1944 he published a paper called, “A Method of Holding Galea Hemostats in Craniotomies” where he discussed a new tool for craniotomies. Incidentally, in 1989, I published a paper called, “Why I should have a cat” in which I proposed reasons why I should have a cat. The title was groundbreaking, I know.

Developed an implantable artificial pacemaker with General Electric.

Developed an artificial left heart and a new treatment for coronary artery disease. (Okay, Kantrowitz, you win)

Died in 2008 at the age of 90.

Adrian accomplished way more than my lazy bullet points could ever summarize, so continue to feel bad about your mediocre existence by reading more about him here.

The scene of today’s post is very near and dear to my heart since it’s the place of my...

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 11:51:39 -0500

The scene of today’s post is very near and dear to my heart since it’s the place of my birth and where I spent many summers rolling down hills and blaming all of my shenanigans on my brother. In all honesty, I chose this event because I had never heard of the “Irish Godfather” before….and who doesn’t want to start their Wednesday with a mob homicide?

The “Irish Godfather” was none other than Danny Hogan, boss of the Irish Mob in St. Paul, Minnesota during prohibition. St. Paul is the black sheep twin of the Twin Cities for those of you who don’t know Minnesota. Hogan ran a saloon called the Green Lantern* that was in the business of laundering money; therefore, Hogan dealt with an array of crooked characters (random note: my 71 year old father is the only person I know who still uses the word ‘crooked’ to describe shady people).

Hogan was said to have the police department under his thumb. He did this by promising that all serious mob atrocities would take place outside city limits, making the Twin Cities less of a “little Chicago”. But on this day in 1928 Hogan’s dealings caught up with him and he was killed by a car bomb placed under the floorboards of his new Paige Coupe. I don’t think anyone will find it surprising that his murder remains unsolved, considering all of the dodgy people he knew, but he does have the distinct honor of being one of the first persons ever killed via car bomb (congratulations?).

More from the History Channel and Minneapolis Star Tribune.

* I’ve always wondered why there were so many bars with green in their name back then. A shout out to whomever gives me the answer.

So after a summer/fall hiatus that included quoting Legally Blonde during my maid of honor speech...

Mon, 19 Nov 2012 10:38:00 -0500

So after a summer/fall hiatus that included quoting Legally Blonde during my maid of honor speech at my best friend’s wedding, drinking enough blimes (a genius new name for Bud Light Lime) at Lollapalooza for it to be embarrassing and basking in what is the greatest season in the greatest city on Earth, I decided it was time to stop being lazy and get back to ~~thoughtfully~~ writing about historical events. I’ll try not to give additional excuses for my absence, just know that I usually don’t have a terribly good reason.

If you don’t know who Abraham Lincoln is then maybe you should call your elementary school district and have them fire all of your teachers. Or maybe you should blame your parents for that awful homeschooling? Or possibly you should sit in a corner somewhere and cry about being so oblivious and a terrible American. My 3 year old nephew is actually named Lincoln, although not after the President (but like that stopped me from photoshopping a Lincolnesque hat and beard on one of his baby photos…please.) Anyway, on this day in history Lincoln gave what would become his most famous speech; the Gettysburg Address.

Delivered at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the speech reiterated the laws of equality found in the Declaration of Independence. It began with the famous line “Four scores and seven years ago..” and went on to ensure Americans that democracy would always be “of the people” and “by the people”. Since I speak Lincoln, I have copied the version that is most regarded as being accurate to the speech Abe Linc delivered that day along with my thoughts on what he was really saying/thinking:

Four score and seven years ago

“Wait did I get that math right? What’s a score?”

our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

“I hope Ulysses doesn’t laugh at the word conceived. He’s so immature.”

“Pshhh…yeah, men are equal but everyone knows women are far ahead of us in intelligence and emotional maturity. In fact, this war probably wouldn’t have even started if our government/country weren’t so sexist. Oh, that reminds me..damn it, I forgot Mary’s birthday. She wanted that new bonnet….ugh…she’ll kill me.”

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.

“Is Ulysses smirking? I knew I should’ve brought that thesaurus.”

We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

“Hey South, by the way, F*** you.”

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate,

“Consecrate, Ulysses? Really?”

we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.

“World, you taking notes? You know that you’re terribly unreliable, right?”

“Lincs, totally taking notes man. Don’t worry your stovepipe hat off.”

It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

“Totally going to drop my mic now because I killed it. I really think dropping the mic is something that will eventually catch on” *drops mic*

Hey friends! I started a new job this week so I am sad to inform you that I will probably be pretty...

Mon, 14 May 2012 23:48:00 -0400

Hey friends! I started a new job this week so I am sad to inform you that I will probably be pretty bad at posting until things get settled down next week. I feel like this is a terrible relationship because I have to keep apologizing. You forgive me, right?

Believe me, if I could make writing terribly about historical happenings a paying full-time job with benefits, I would. Keep checking back!

I’m being really bad about keeping my Monday, Wednesday, and Friday update promise, so to...

Thu, 10 May 2012 15:41:00 -0400

I’m being really bad about keeping my Monday, Wednesday, and Friday update promise, so to make up for missing yesterday I bring you a special Thursday post (while drinking a margarita—talent, my friends).

I consider myself a bit of a francophile and love learning about French history because it all just seems so decadent and like a good, cheesy soap opera. One of my all time favorite historical figures is Marie Antoinette, who became Queen of France on this day in 1774 when Louis XV died of smallpox.

Marie was married to Louis XVI in 1770 at the tender age of fifteen, and three years after being crowned would give birth to their first child, a daughter. At first the French people were enamored by Marie because she was vivacious and beautiful, but soon they began calling her “L’Autre-chienne”, which loosely means “Austrian” and “other bitch”. She was accused of spending too much money while the French poor continued to suffer and having too much sympathy with her native Austria. Some historians believe she helped start the French Revolution because of her lack of empathy and superficial nature. Others think her character has been exaggerated (I would sort of like to be the reason for a revolution…well, maybe in more of a positive way, like “The barista didn’t give Kelsey enough room for cream! Must avenge!).

In 1789, the French Revolution was in full swing. Marie and Louis were eventually put under house arrest, and Louis’ power became very limited with the writing of the French constitution of 1791. They would both eventually be executed by guillotine. The story of their marriage and fall of their power is both sad and fascinating, so read more here and here.

Fun Fact: Marie never said the famous phrase, “Let them eat cake.”

I have always been fascinated by serial killers and architecture (the former not being very good...

Mon, 07 May 2012 12:52:00 -0400

I have always been fascinated by serial killers and architecture (the former not being very good dinner conversation), so I of course loved “Devil in the White City” by Erik Larson. The book centers around the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, simultaneously chronicling H.H. Holmes’ many murders and Daniel Burnham’s accomplishments in architecture.

H.H. Holmes was born Herman Mudgett, so it’s really no surprise that he became a serial killer. He attended the University of Michigan, which he financed through a variety of scams, and obtained a medical degree. H.H. purchased a pharmacy from the previous owner’s widow on the south side of Chicago in 1886. To the shock of absolutely no one later, the widow mysteriously disappeared. Holmes then decided to make his home across from the pharmacy and dubbed it “the castle”, which is what I also call my 450 sq ft studio in East Lakeview. Unlike my studio however, Holmes’ home had secret passageways, hidden rooms, trap doors, and the absence of a really adorable cat.

During the World’s Fair, Holmes put some of his rooms up for rent—targeting single or widowed women. Soon, many of these women, like the aforementioned widow, began disappearing. Holmes would gas them in his soundproof rooms and sell their skeletal remains to medical schools (who apparently never asked where he acquired so many skeletons). Holmes was eventually caught and gave this very philosophical statement: “I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than a poet can help the inspiration to sing.” Just charming.

He was hanged on this day in 1896. The remains of over 200 bodies would be discovered in his “castle”. You can read more about Hermie and check out is sweet ‘stache here.

Also titled: “The day the world’s largest batsh*t crazy coward shoots himself and takes...

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:36:00 -0400

Also titled: “The day the world’s largest batsh*t crazy coward shoots himself and takes cyanide just to really make sure he dies and doesn’t have to pay for his sins against all of humanity.”

I’ll admit that I’m a huge nerd when it comes to World War II. I will watch or read anything on the subject and have to restrain myself from showing my immense nerdom on dates (“Why yes, I watched all 900 hours of Ken Burn’s ‘The War’ and wasn’t bored once”). So imagine how lucky I felt when I realized I got to write for this event (and visually interpret a mustache).

Knowing that a soviet invasion was imminent, Hitler committed suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule and shooting himself in his bunker in Berlin on this day in 1945. Not long after, Germany surrendered to allied forces. Hitler’s long time mistress and wife of just two days, Eva Braun, also swallowed cyanide and even poisoned their dogs.

I won’t get all geeky on you and go into how Hitler rose to power, but you can learn more about the bastard here. I think we can all agree that this death was not something anyone cried over, but part of me wishes he would’ve died Bin Laden style and against his own will. Or maybe in a gas chamber—just a thought.

The Suez Canal is an artificial waterway in Egypt connecting the Red Sea with the Mediterranean....

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:00:00 -0400

The Suez Canal is an artificial waterway in Egypt connecting the Red Sea with the Mediterranean. Ground was broken for the canal by British and French engineers on this day in 1859. The canal was deemed necessary to provide transportation between Europe and Asia without having to go around Africa. Over the years, the canal has been lengthened and widened so it now sits at 120 miles long and 673 feet wide. Under international treaty, the canal may be used at anytime during war or peace. The canal helped to dramatically increase trade around the world and is partially responsible for the colonization of Africa; however, anytime you mess with mother nature, there are consequences. Species native to the Red Sea (which has a higher salt content than the Mediterranean) have started to invade the eastern Mediterranean and displace many of its native species. Marine biologists continually object to Egypt’s plans to possibly widen the canal.

Fun Fact: The Suez canal can hold larger ships and more traffic than that other famous canal in Panama.

Today in 1985, Coca-Cola made one of the worst (or best depending on what you believe) marketing...

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:10:00 -0400

Today in 1985, Coca-Cola made one of the worst (or best depending on what you believe) marketing decisions in its long history; they changed the formula to their successful soft drink. The public did not take to the new formula kindly, and New Coke was yanked from the shelves and replaced with the old formula, now dubbed ‘Coca-Cola Classic’, within three months.

The reintroduction of Coca Cola Classic brought a significant gain in sales and some believe that was the company’s intent all along — to make public outcry against the new coke huge and then once classic is put back on the shelves, people will be clamoring to get it.

I was three when this was happening, so I can’t tell you my personal view of the situation unless my My Little Pony somehow drank coke. I’ve always been more of a Pepsi/Dr. Pepper person anyway, and am probably the only person on the planet who likes Diet Squirt.

Among the many accomplishments of Pierre and Marie Curie is the first isolation of radium chloride...

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:48:00 -0400

Among the many accomplishments of Pierre and Marie Curie is the first isolation of radium chloride on this day in 1902. They would go on to win the Nobel Prize in 1903 for their accomplishments in the investigation of radioactivity, making Marie Curie the first women to ever win the award.

The earth alkaline metal, radium, doesn’t occur freely in nature, unlike uranium and polonium (also discovered my Marie and Pierre), so it was necessary to isolate it from pitchblende, a mineral. After refining volumes of pitchblende, Marie was able to isolate a one-tenth gram of radium chloride.

Why Marie Curie was a bada** chick every girl should know about:

• She is responsible for the word ‘radioactivity’. I’d venture to guess not many people can claim they coined a word.

• After Pierre was tragically killed in an accident, Marie pledged to continue their work. She eventually took over Pierre’s seat as the chair of physics at the Sorbonne in Paris, becoming the school’s first female professor. A grieving widow she was not.

• Isolated pure, metallic radium in 1910 earning her a second nobel peace prize and the honor of being the first person to have won two (take that, men!).

• Worked with radiology and saw radium as a possible cancer treatment.

• In 1918, The Radium Institute at the University of Paris began operating under Curie’s direction

• Her daughter, Irene, also won a Nobel Prize in 1935 for the discovery of artificial radioactivity.

Despite my disagreements with much of the Catholic church’s doctrine and my own feelings on...

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:48:00 -0400

Despite my disagreements with much of the Catholic church’s doctrine and my own feelings on religion (not today, soapbox), there is no denying the power and the beauty of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Italy. On this day in 1506, the first cornerstone was laid for the new church. I was lucky enough to see it while studying abroad, and from the breathtaking dome to the exquisite sculptures, paintings and light, absolutely nothing in the world compares. You could also call it one of the greatest museums in the world, since some of the greatest masters of the renaissance were responsible for its creation and architecture, including the one who liked pizza and used nunchucks (turtle power!).

Being the ultimate symbol of the Catholic faith and Christendom makes the history of St. Peter’s Basilica long and complicated, so I’ve included a handy dandy link here.

I am on vacation until April 17th but am planning on some awesome historical posts for your viewing...

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 13:06:21 -0400

I am on vacation until April 17th but am planning on some awesome historical posts for your viewing pleasure every Monday, Wednesday and Friday starting on the 19th. I am, however, pretty upset that I planned my vacation the same time as the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Mainly because I have an awesome tangent about the 1997 movie and Celine Dion. I guess I’ll have to save it for the 101st anniversary.

Now back to annoying my brother.

As tempted as I was to use this guy in my design, I decided I would not only be insulting a fellow...

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 22:09:42 -0400

As tempted as I was to use this guy in my design, I decided I would not only be insulting a fellow German, but also one of history’s greatest composers.

This day in 1800 saw the premiere of Beethoven’s first symphony in Vienna, Austria. Beethoven was known for his melodies, emotion, modulation (change from one key to another) and texture, and much like Justin Bieber today, his music was highly in demand. The First Symphony was described as “one of the most interesting concerts in a long time”, which doesn’t really seem like a compliment. You know, like when you go on a date and your friend asks you how it was and all you can say about the person (in a vanilla ice cream tone) is that they were “interesting”. But unlike most of my dates, Beethoven did lead an interesting (if somewhat tragic) life that you can read more about here.

On this day in 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, members of the American Communist Party, were...

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:38:00 -0400

On this day in 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, members of the American Communist Party, were convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage during a time of war. Two years later, they would become the first civilians executed for espionage in the history of the United States. The execution remains a highly controversial topic of our history, mainly because other spies who were also arrested and confessed, were not executed.

So what exactly did the Rosenbergs do to encourage the wrath of the American government? Julius was accused of acting as a courier and and recruiter for the Soviet Union. After his execution, it was confirmed that he had delivered information about the secret to the atomic bomb to the soviets. As for Ethel, over the years much doubt has been cast on the level of involvement she had in the conspiracy. Some believe she knew of her husband’s dealings but never had a hand in them.

I’ll be completely honest when I say that the first time I heard about Julius and Ethel was while watching one of my favorite movies, “You’ve Got Mail” (you can form your opinion about me based on that—it’s fine), but it’s a really interesting part of our history and the hysteria of the 1950s that you can read more about here.

Note: Birthday shout-out to my brother, Keith. Just remember, you will always be older (but definitely not wiser) than me.

Polio is a disease of the nervous system that can cause various levels of paralysis. In 1952, a...

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:38:00 -0400

Polio is a disease of the nervous system that can cause various levels of paralysis. In 1952, a shocking 58,000 new cases were reported in the United States, and the virus was easily transmitted, meaning epidemics were common. But on this day in 1953, Dr. Jonas Salk made the historic announcement that he had successfully tested a vaccine against polio.

The vaccine involves injecting a benign version of the virus into a healthy person (you usually receive it as a child), so their immune system can build up antibodies against future exposures to the virus. As you can probably discern from (maybe) not knowing anyone with polio under the age of 60 or so, the vaccine was successful. By 1957, only 6,000 cases of polio existed in the U.S., and today there are only a handful.

I actually just attended an event where a doctor talked about the success they are seeing with vaccines in cancer patients. Modern medicine never ceases to amaze me, and I’m very thankful we are no longer in the bloodletting (preformed until the end of the 19th century…yeesh) days of yore.

Fact (it’s hard to put ‘fun’ in front of ‘fact’ when talking about something like polio): Franklin D. Roosevelt is probably the most famous American who was afflicted with polio, but unlike many victims, he didn’t get the disease until he was well into adulthood at the age of 39.

I apologize for the lack of posts this week. I’ve been too busy enjoying the unseasonably warm...

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:29:15 -0400

I apologize for the lack of posts this week. I’ve been too busy enjoying the unseasonably warm Chicago weather and taking a break. See you on Monday!

The novel that “helped lay the groundwork for the civil war” was published on this day...

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 20:40:00 -0400

The novel that “helped lay the groundwork for the civil war” was published on this day in 1852. Written by abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe (girl power!), the novel realistically depicts the atrocities of slavery. Within just three years it became hugely popular and was the best selling novel of the 19th century. Over time the book has been criticized for its popularization of stereotypes about black people, but most still believe it was a valuable anti slavery tool.

I like to read books I had to read in middle/high school as an adult because A.) I was probably too busy checking out whatever cute boy was in my class to really pay attention to the lessons about the book’s significance, and B.) With a little more life experience classic books start to mean more to the reader. I mean, read 1984 as an adult. It will blow your mind (and yes, that was an inadvertent reference to a scene in the book).

On this day in 44 BC (we’re going waaaaayyy back, people), Julius Caesar, he of the much...

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:42:00 -0400

On this day in 44 BC (we’re going waaaaayyy back, people), Julius Caesar, he of the much copied haircut and dictator of the Roman Empire, was murdered in a plot by his senators. The plot was devised by Cassius Longinus and included Marcus Junius Brutus, whom Julius considered a son. The senators thought that by assassinating Caesar they would restore the constitutional government of the Republic.

To accomplish the task of killing Rome’s most formidable general and dictator, the senators came up with the very complicated plan of stabbing him to death with daggers at a session of the senate. Some sources say up to 60 men participated in the assassination; Julius sustained 23 stab wounds (meaning a lot of those men were ridiculously bad at aiming).

The term “Ides of March” did not come from the death of Julius, but is largely associated with it thanks to Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, which contains the famous phrase “beware the Ides of March”. Romans used the latin word ‘Ides’ to reference the middle of any month. According to a Roman philosopher, a seer warned Julius that he would be cut down before or on the Ides of March, but Julius laughed off the warning and went about his conquering business.

Honestly, I don’t know why anyone wanted to be Roman emperor or dictator since most were either stabbed, poisoned, or completely insane. I would have been a mill worker or something. Seems safer.

More at the History Channel.

It’s about time we learned more about astronomy! Some facts about Uranus (oh, please,...

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:08:00 -0400

It’s about time we learned more about astronomy! Some facts about Uranus (oh, please, let’s try to be mature adults):

• Discovered by Sir William Herschel, a British astronomer, technical expert, and composer, while he was gazing at the stars in his garden (man after my own heart).

• If you didn’t already get this from the image, it’s the seventh planet from the sun and has 8 rings.

• It takes 84 earth years for one rotation around the sun.

• Because of Uranus’s rotation, each pole gets 42 years of continuous sunlight and 42 years of continuous darkness.

• Considered an “ice giant” because its atmosphere is made up of “ices” like water, ammonia and methane.

• Coldest planetary atmosphere in the solar system.

• Has 27 moons which are named after characters from Shakespeare and the works of of Alexander Pope.

Learn all you want about Uranus (stop snickering) here.

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration

I immediately think of cookies when I hear Girl Scouts (nothing gets me more excited than processed...

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:43:00 -0400

I immediately think of cookies when I hear Girl Scouts (nothing gets me more excited than processed sweets and terrible carbohydrates…way to my heart, boys). But the Girl Scouts was not founded solely for the purpose of hawking delicious treats.

One hundred years ago today, the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A was founded in Savannah, Georgia by Juliette Gordon Low. Since its inception, Girl Scouts has sought to empower and teach values to girls, stressing the importance of citizenship, acceptance, and community involvement. The girls can earn badges for different activities such as learning first aid or helping the elderly. And their uniforms are pretty amazing, too.

I wasn’t a Girl Scout (I’ll be going to therapy for that one, mom), but I have enjoyed many a Thin Mint and will continue to do so. Happy Birthday!

Learn more about the Girl Scouts and their history here.