History, sort of
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Conquered Today
It was this date, in 30BCE, that the Roman leader Octavian took control of Alexandria, Egypt, which after that was part of the Roman Republic. Octavian went on to take control of the entire Roman Empire, and for various reasons (Rome was very complicated), was also known as Gaius Julius Caesar (Octavian was adopted by… Continue reading
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The Eclipse of 585 BCE
Today is the day that Thales, an ancient Greek philosopher/mathematician/scientist (we don’t really have a good word for those ancient thinkers) correctly predicted a solar eclipse in 585 BCE. Since solar eclipses are physical, objective events that can be projected both backwards and forwards in time, today is the anniversary of an ancient date that… Continue reading
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“To the lighthouse”
During the reign of Ptolomy II, between about 280 and 247 BCE, the Ptolemaic Kingdom built the Lighthouse of Alexandria on Pharos, a little island in the Nile delta. Because of its location the lighthouse came to be called the Pharos of Alexandria. It was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and… Continue reading
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Jerkwater
If you watch cowboy movies, and sometimes other genres as well, you might hear about a “jerkwater town.” Such a town was a small, provincial, inconsequential village that nobody (who wasn’t, for example, hiding out after robbing the stagecoach) would ever want to visit. The term “jerkwater” is still in occasional use, and it’s applied… Continue reading
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Back in 1914
1914 was a remarkable year. Although World War I began then, which is notable but really can’t be considered a credit to its time, 1914 also saw the introduction of the first commercial airplane passenger service in the world — between Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida. That doesn’t sound like much today, particularly since those… Continue reading
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The steam versions had the best whistles
Even if you find these discussions hebetating, isn’t it better than being kept in a state of inscience, particularly in regard to the frequently-mixed-up words “then” and “than”? “Then,” as you might already know, has to do with things that happen in sequence. First your nose itches, then you sneeze. “Than” is for comparisons, like… Continue reading
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Not Exactly Eli
If you visit Yale University, you might view the portico of Davenport College, or even catch a glimpse of the official banner of the university’s president. If you do, you’ll see a yale. Not, mind you, a Yale — that would be a direct descendant of Elihu Yale, who was a governor of the British… Continue reading
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Tawdry
Around the year 750, the Venerable Bede wrote about a woman named Ethelreda. She had been the daughter of King Anna, who in spite of his name, was a king, not a queen. He was the king of East Anglia, which was pretty small as kingdoms go — it was only the size of what’s… Continue reading
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English is comical
Shakespeare, as most people know, added a great number of words and phrases to English. The same is true of some other esteemed writers, including John Milton and others. By “others”, of course, you’ll probably have guessed that I mean people like Billy De Beck. He was active in the first half of the 20th… Continue reading
About Me
I’m Pete Harbeson, a writer located near Boston, Massachusetts. In addition to writing my own content, I’ve learned to translate for my loquacious and opinionated pup Chocolate. I shouldn’t be surprised, but she mostly speaks in doggerel. You can find her contributions tagged with Chocolatiana.