Historical
How a Drunk Driver Led to the Birth of Russia's Sputnik 1. Top Story - April 2021.
HAD IT NOT BEEN for a collision with a tree by a vodka-sodden driver on the outskirts of Moscow, Russia would not have put Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite, into orbit around the Earth when it did. Sadly, history does not record the driver’s name.
By Wilson da Silva5 years ago in FYI
Cheap or Free
There’s a certain sort of smell that certain spaces hold that I’ve come to associate with treasure. It’s a smell of disuse and age that lingers long after an item is reclaimed to its use. Chaos envelops the walls and isles of my favourite places. Don’t enter such spaces with a goal in mind or a tight schedule, you’ll quickly find yourself lost.
By Guillermo Jatzek5 years ago in FYI
Wampus Cat Origins
The wampus cat is an intriguing cryptid feline found in North American folklore particularly within the Appalachian Mountains and surrounding regions. It has multiple origin stories and serves as a unique mascot to a very small number of educational institutes such as Conway High in Arkansas. It may have even been involved in a secret government project gone awry in Alabama during World War II.
By Jake Thomas5 years ago in FYI
'I think this would be a good time for a beer!'
On a warm spring day, a hearse pulled from the small town of Warm Springs, GA, while the mournful sounds of an accordion played Dvorak's Going Home. A military escort led the vehicle down the roadway lined with soldiers as they watched in silence as the American flag-draped coffin was taken to the rail station. The train pulled out in the early morning, the windows of the last car of the train were down so that the thousands of people who gathered at the train tracks could watch the final time that Franklin D. Roosevelt would leave Georgia and head to Washington DC.
By Rose Loren Geer-Robbins5 years ago in FYI
Why Missing A Year Of School Isn’t The End Of The World?
It has been a turbulent year for the pupils of this country. This time last year, the experience of a national lockdown was still novel and exciting. Now, the children of Britain are wearily exiting their third lockdown, having spent a year yo-yoing in and out of school. The British government say that missing a whole year of education could be catastrophic for their educational development, but are they correct? There are many examples of famous people who have achieved massively in life while missing out on their education, but I will focus on just one.
By Niall James Bradley5 years ago in FYI
Benjamin Franklin’s 13 Life Virtues
Defining himself as "The youngest Son of the youngest Son for five Generations back," Benjamin Franklin was born in 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts. Throughout his life, Franklin would be known as a writer, printer, political philosopher, politician, Freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, humorist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat.
By Iulian Ionescu5 years ago in FYI
Somerset: some literary connections
Although the historical county of Somerset is associated in most people's minds with just two dominant figures in English literature, namely Jane Austen and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, there are several other notable writers for whom the county had particular significance. That said, Austen and Coleridge should be the starting point for any discussion of Somerset writers.
By John Welford5 years ago in FYI
HENRY VIII
The larger than life King, Henry VIII, was one of the most influential monarchs in English history. We remember him from our school days with such words as: Hampton Court, 6 wives, the originator of the Church of England --- and yet --- he must have had some good qualities? The second King from The House of Tudor, Henry VIII left his mark within the pages of history. His actual life story is quite an interesting one!
By Ruth Elizabeth Stiff5 years ago in FYI
