History Schmistory: September 8. A Transparent Wonder!
Monday, September 8, 2025
1930: 3M introduces Scotch Tape to the world. And thus, the ‘poor-man’s facelift’ was born.
![By Fungkamseng (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or FAL], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Made_in_China_3M_Scotch_Sealing_Tape_Barcode_Yellow_Label_Price_Sticker.jpg)
By Fungkamseng (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or FAL], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: September 7. “There she is…”
Sunday, September 7, 2025
1921: the first Miss America Pageant is held in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Here we see the swimsuit competition…
![By Fred Hess & Son [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/800px-Miss_America_1953_swimsuit_competition.jpg)
By Fred Hess & Son [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: September 6. Girl Power!
Saturday, September 6, 2025
1870: Louisa Ann Swain of Laramie, Wyoming becomes the first woman to legally cast a vote in the US general elections. She musta got up reeeeeeeeealy early.
![By Bain News Service. Photographer unknown. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/799px-Rose-Sanderson-Votes-for-Women.jpeg)
By Bain News Service. Photographer unknown. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: September 5. Revolutionary Roads.
Friday, September 5, 2025
1793: The French National Convention initiates the Reign of Terror, which many mistake for a heavy metal music festival.
Speaking of which, you know what time it is!
History Schmistory: September 3. “Sooooo… what side where you on?”
Wednesday, September 3, 2025
1994: Russia and China formally agree to stop pointing nukes at each other.  All eyes turn to the Montagues and Capulets.
![By Sir John Gilbert [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Scene-1.jpg)
By Sir John Gilbert [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: September 2. Wait for it…
Tuesday, September 2, 2025
1901: Teddy Roosevelt utters his most famous phrase at a Minnesota State Fair; “speak softly and carry a big stick”. Unfortunately, he was actually teaching the crowd how to impersonate his grandmother.
![See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/492px-Theodore_Roosevelt_laughing.jpg)
See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: September 1. Where’s Leo?
Monday, September 1, 2025
1985: 73 years after the sinking of the Titanic, the ship’s remains are found by a joint French-US expedition. Women and children get the news first.
![By F.G.O. Stuart (1843-1923) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/800px-RMS_Titanic_3.jpg)
By F.G.O. Stuart (1843-1923) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: August 31. Zeppelin’s Zeppelin
Sunday, August 31, 2025
1895: German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin patents his navigable balloon. He soon explores the heavens in search of the elusive stairway.
![By Till Krech from Berlin, Germany (stairway to heaven Uploaded by perumalism) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/400px-Stairway_to_heaven_156690123.jpg)
By Till Krech from Berlin, Germany (stairway to heaven Uploaded by perumalism) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: August 30. “Vhaaaat?”
Saturday, August 30, 2025
1940: Nazi Germany re-assigns Romania’s Northern Transylvania territory to Hungary. They hold daytime meetings to avoid Dracula.
![By Screenshot from "Internet Archive" of the movie Dracula (1958) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Dracula_1958_c.jpg)
By Screenshot from “Internet Archive” of the movie Dracula (1958) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: August 29. Mafia Schmafia!
Friday, August 29, 2025
1991: Libero Grassi was a successful business man, a proud father and a well-loved human being throughout Sicily. When his fancy underwear business became a success, the mafia came calling to extort his profits. Instead of paying them off, he decided to go public with the incident, sending a scathing open letter to the Palermo daily newspaper with the heading, “Dear Extortionist”. He later appeared on national tv to further amplify the issue.
“Dear mafia, I challenge you”
Libero was not only standing up to the mafia, but also exposing a dispassionate  government which repeatedly turned a blind eye to fearful communities throughout Sicily. Twenty years ago today, Libero Grassi was gunned down while taking a stroll. He had even turned down police protection, almost as if he was ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good…
