History Schmistory: December 20. It’s a Challenging Afterlife.
Friday, December 20, 2024
1946: The popular Christmas film It’s a Wonderful Life is first released in New York City, and good ol’ Clarence finally gets his wings
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/It’s_A_Wonderful_Life.jpg [public domain]
History Schmistory: December 18. The Dynasty Formerly Known As…
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
1271: Kublai Khan renames his empire “Yuan” (å…ƒ yuán), officially marking the start of the Yuan Dynasty. He later renames his new visitor Marco Polo “Pompous Infectious,” But of course there’s no record of that either!
![Ladies and gentlemen... The Emperor! [public domain]](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/YuanEmperorAlbumKhubilaiPortrait.jpg)
Ladies and gentlemen… The Emperor!
[public domain]
History Schmistory: December 17. Straighten Up and Fly, Wright!
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
1903: The Wright Brothers, Wilbur and Orville make their first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The original Wright Flyer is now on display at the Smithsonian in Washington DC, apparently with Orville still clinging to it.
![RadioFan ] [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/800px-Wright_flyer_-_full.jpg)
RadioFan ] [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: December 16. “I rule.”
Monday, December 16, 2024
1431: Henry VI of England is crowned King of France at Notre Dame in Paris, making him the only historical figure worthy of a Shakespearian Trilogy.
Henry VI, unknown artist – National Portrait Gallery: NPG 2457. [public domain]
History Schmistory: December 15. Yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirate’s life for Marco?
Sunday, December 15, 2024
1973: The Pirates of the Caribbean water ride opens in Disneyland. Marco rides for two weeks straight. (But he’s still not a pirate!)
![DearCatastropheWaitress at English Wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/POTCWenches.jpg)
DearCatastropheWaitress at English Wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: December 14. Don’t be shy, Earth!
Saturday, December 14, 2024
1911: Journeyman Ronald Amundsen and his crew discover the South Pole, and get one step closer to answering the age-old question: Does our planet have a cute butt?Â
![By Kuno Lechner; cropped by H Debussy-Jones (talk) 08:31, 14 November 2009 (UTC) (Self-photographed) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Geographic_Southpole_crop.jpg)
By Kuno Lechner; cropped by H Debussy-Jones (talk) 08:31, 14 November 2009 (UTC) (Self-photographed) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: December 13. Off the Charts.
Friday, December 13, 2024
1577: Sir Francis Drake sets out from England on his voyage around the world. Judging by this portrait he looks pretty pleased with himself!
![Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/1590_or_later_Marcus_Gheeraerts_Sir_Francis_Drake_Buckland_Abbey_Devon.jpg)
Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: December 12. Is anybody out there?
Thursday, December 12, 2024
1901: Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal in Newfoundland. The Message? “What kind of name is gooey elbow macaroni?”
Leslie Ward [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: December 10. It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… a mouse?
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
1955: One of history’s greatest cartoon superheroes comes to television to save the day…Mighty Mouse!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Superraton.jpg
History Schmistory: December 9. These Woods Rock!
Monday, December 9, 2024
1962: The Petrified Forest National Park is established in Arizona. Local trees are too petrified to speak.
![By Kumar Appaiah [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Fossilized_wood_at_Petrified_Forest.jpg)
By Kumar Appaiah [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
