Modern
The White Hurricane of 1913: The Day the Great Lakes Swallowed a Fleet
November 9, 1913. Lake Huron. Somewhere beneath the black water, steel ships were disappearing. Above them, winds approaching ninety miles per hour drove snow and freezing spray across a lake that had become almost unrecognizable. Waves rose to heights associated with violent ocean storms, crashing across the decks of freighters built to haul thousands of tons of cargo. Visibility deteriorated to nothing… Water froze against exposed surfaces. Navigation became increasingly difficult. The wind shifted, and the waves grew larger. In the space of a few terrible hours, eight major freighters would be lost on Lake Huron alone.
By The Iron Lighthouse2 days ago in History
Trunk or Treat for Halloween started in churches
Halloween has evolved in many ways In decades past children dressed up for Halloween and knocked on doors in their neighborhoods. When someone answered they shouted "Trick or treat." Today you rarely see children going door to door thanks to COVID and also out of concern for safety. In our modern culture Trunk or Treat is popular and just like Christmas and Easter, it began in church.
By Cheryl E Preston5 days ago in History
From Greece to Lebanon: The Shock Doctrine at Work
Lebanon: A Nation in Crisis Lebanon, once described as the “Switzerland of the Middle East,” has experienced a succession of crises that have shaken not only its economy but also the relationship between society and the institutions meant to represent it. Since the financial collapse that began in 2019, the Lebanese pound has lost much of its value, access to bank deposits has been severely restricted, and inflation has transformed ordinary necessities into expenses that many families struggle to afford. The World Bank found that poverty had reached 44% in the areas covered by its 2022–23 household assessment, a striking indication of the deterioration in living conditions.
By Sergios Saropoulos6 days ago in History
Four Wheels, Two Mallets, and Absolutely No Common Sense...
Imagine attending a sporting event in 1912. You arrive at the fairgrounds expecting a pleasant afternoon, perhaps a horse race, maybe a baseball game. Something civilized. Instead, you discover four automobiles on a field, each carrying two men: a driver and a mallet-wielding partner. A large ball waits between them. The referee signals the start. The cars accelerate directly at each other. Within moments, someone is airborne, a vehicle overturns, and several thousand spectators have the time of their lives. Welcome to automobile polo.
By The Iron Lighthouse9 days ago in History
400 Years of Capital Punishment in America:
400 Years of Capital Punishment in America: Justice, Revenge, and the Price of a Life From colonial hangings and public spectacles to lethal injections, nitrogen gas, and firing squads, the American death penalty has spent four centuries evolving without ever escaping its most uncomfortable question: Can a government trusted to deliver justice also be trusted with the power to decide who deserves to die?
By Lilithea Adasia15 days ago in History
The Knights Who Came in the Night
Tulsa, Oklahoma - November 9, 1917. Seventeen men, most connected to the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), sat in police custody. Their organization’s opposition to the war and confrontational organizing had made them targets of suspicion. After appearing before a judge and facing questions that probed not just their alleged offenses but also their patriotism, they were loaded into automobiles, expecting a routine trip to jail.
By The Iron Lighthouse17 days ago in History
Freedom ain’t free baby
This food and this drank cost more than just money my love… I’ve been having this same thought for years now, but more heavily these recent months. Even though I’m black living in America (inherited oppression notwithstanding) I don’t realize how good I’ve got it…generationally speaking.
By Shaun Johnson18 days ago in History
The Writers Between the Frames...
The theater is dark. An orchestra plays somewhere beneath the screen as hundreds of faces stare toward a rectangle of flickering light, watching a young man cross an elegant drawing room toward the woman he loves. He stops. She turns. Something has happened between them; the audience can see it in her face, but there is no voice to explain it, no whispered confession, no trembling accusation, no clever line delivered at precisely the right moment. The screen goes black. Words appear. The audience laughs. Then the words vanish, the actors return, and the story moves on. The sentence might have occupied the screen for only a few seconds, but somebody had to write it. In the strange, rapidly evolving world of silent Hollywood, those words could matter enormously.
By The Iron Lighthouse23 days ago in History
100+ Fun Trivia Facts About West Virginia
This quick read presents a mix of fun facts and trivia about the state of West Virginia. Discover West Virginia’s nickname, geography, folklore, state colors, state songs, state bird, state flower, state motto, major cities, demographics, well-known residents, famous bridges, forests and rivers, economic data, historic firsts, and much more. If you’re a West Virginia trivia enthusiast, these fun facts are tailored just for you.
By Gregory DeVictor26 days ago in History
