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Archive for Historical

Nov

Even History’s Greatest Figures Have Failed

Posted by: Tamahome Jenkins | Comments (2)

Here is an excellent video from RodMacbeth.com that I just had to share with you. It’s a short collection of historical figures who were told at some point in their life that they wouldn’t amount to anything. This video just proves that nobody can predict the future. So, the next time you fail, remember that a teacher once told Thomas Edison that he was too stupid to learn anything. Enjoy!

Thanks, Rod!

Categories : Origins

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Sep

50 Years of 50 States: Florida

Posted by: Tamahome Jenkins | Comments (0)

This entry is part 40 of 50 in the series 50 Years of 50 States

Nickname: The Sunshine State
Date Ratified: March 3, 1845 (27th)
Capital: Tallahassee

Map of Florida

Greater Miami is the only metropolitan area in the United States whose borders encompass two national parks.
St. Augustine, established in 1565, is the oldest European settlement in North America.
There are more lightning strikes per capita in Clearwater than anywhere else in the United States.
The world’s first scheduled passenger service airline flight was from St. Petersburg to Tampa.
Key West has the highest average temperature of any U.S. city.
Ybor City was once known as the Cigar Capital of the World with nearly 12,000 tabaqueros employed in 200 factories. At the industry’s peak, Ybor City produced an estimated 700 million cigars a year.
One of the only two naturally round lakes in the world is in DeFuniak Springs.
Florida is the only state with two rivers with the same name. There is a Withlacoochee River in north central Florida and a Withlacoochee River in central Florida, and they have nothing in common but the name.
The state flag of Florida was approved by referendum in 1900.

Flag of Florida

Although I was born in New Jersey, I was raised in Florida and consider the town of Deltona to be my hometown (which also happens to be the hometown of Twiggy the Water Skiing Squirrel.

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Categories : Origins

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Sep

50 Years of 50 States: Minnesota

Posted by: Tamahome Jenkins | Comments (0)

This entry is part 39 of 50 in the series 50 Years of 50 States

Nickname: The North Star State
Date Ratified: May 11, 1858 (32nd)
Capital: St. Paul

Map of Minnesota

Southdale Center, in Edina, was the first shopping mall in the United States. Today, the largest shopping mall in the U.S. is the Mall of America, in Bloomington.
Minnesota has the highest percentage of residents who exercise regularly.
Minneapolis is home to the Old Log Theater, the oldest continuously running theater in the U.S. The largest dinner theater in the country, Chanhassan Dinner Theater, is also located in Minneapolis.
The Hormel company made the first canned ham in Austin, MN in 1926. They also introduced Spam in 1937.
The Metrodome is the only facility to host a Super Bowl, a World Series and a NCAA Final Four Basketball Championship.
Tonka Trucks are manufactured in Minnetonka.
The state flag of Minnesota was adopted in 1957.

Flag of Minnesota

Categories : Origins

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Sep

50 Years of 50 States: Massachusetts

Posted by: Tamahome Jenkins | Comments (0)

This entry is part 38 of 50 in the series 50 Years of 50 States

Nickname: Bay State
Date Ratified: February 6, 1788 (6th)
Capital: Boston

Map of Massachusetts

Massachusetts was the first state to abolish slavery.
The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was the first all-Black regiment, though the officers were white.
Massachusetts was the first state to require municipalities to appoint a teacher or establish a grammar school with the passage of the Massachusetts Education Law of 1647. This mandate was later integrated into the state constitution in 1789.
Massachusetts is home to America’s oldest high school, Boston Latin School (founded 1635), America’s first publicly funded high school, Dedham, (founded 1643), oldest college, now called Harvard University (founded 1636), oldest incorporated preparatory school, Phillips Academy (founded 1778), first racially integrated high school (Lowell), and the oldest municipally supported free library, Boston Public Library (founded 1848).
Boston built the first subway system in the United States in 1897.
Lowell was America’s first planned industrial city, and as such is considered the birthplace of the U.S. Industrial Revolution.
In keeping with its progressive heritage, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legally recognize same-sex marriage. Massachusetts was also the first state to mandate health insurance for all residents.

Flag of Massachusetts

Categories : Origins

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Sep

50 Years of 50 States: New Jersey

Posted by: Tamahome Jenkins | Comments (1)

This entry is part 37 of 50 in the series 50 Years of 50 States

Nickname: Garden State
Date Joined: December 18th, 1787 (3rd)
Capital: Trenton

Map of New Jersey

In 1789, New Jersey became the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights.
Christie Street, in Menlo Park, was the first electrically lighted thoroughfare.
The first Miss America Pageant was held in Atlantic City in 1921.
The first drive-in movie was shown in Camden in 1933.
The Port Newark-Elizabeth Marine Terminal was the world’s first container port. Today, it is one of the world’s largest.
The first officially recorded baseball game in history was played in 1846 at the Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey, with the New York Base Ball Club defeating the New York Knickerbockers 23-1.
The first intercollegiate football game in history was played in New Brunswick, New Jersey on November 6, 1869, between Rutgers and Princeton. Rutgers won 6-4.
The Atlantic City Boardwalk was the world’s first, and to this day is the world’s longest (4 mi.).
The state flag of New Jersey has the emblem of the Great Seal of the State of New Jersey on it, and was adopted in 1896.

Flag of New Jersey

Oh Yeah, and I was born in New Jersey in 1981!

Categories : Origins

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Sep

50 Years of 50 States: Michigan

Posted by: Tamahome Jenkins | Comments (1)

This entry is part 35 of 50 in the series 50 Years of 50 States

Nickname: The Great Lakes State
Date Ratified: January 26, 1837 (26th)
Capital: Lansing

Map of Michigan

Michigan was the first state, and the first English-speaking government in the world, to abolish the death penalty (1846).
Michigan has over 1 million licensed hunters, more than any other state. Michigan also ranks first when it comes to boat registration.
The Packard Motor Car Company manufactured the first air-conditioned car in the world in 1939.
The Detroit Zoo was the first zoo in America to feature cageless, open exhibits.
Michigan is the only place in the world that has a floating post office. The J.W. Wescott II is the only boat that delivers mail to ships that are still underway, and has been doing so for 125 years.
Indian River is home to the Cross in the Woods, the largest crucifix in the world.
Michigan was the first state to guarantee every child the right to tax-paid high school education.
The first auto traffic tunnel between two nations was the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel which goes under the Detroit River.
The Michigan state flag was adopted in 1911.

Flag of Michigan

Categories : Origins

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Sep

50 Years of 50 States: Louisiana

Posted by: Tamahome Jenkins | Comments (0)

This entry is part 33 of 50 in the series 50 Years of 50 States

Nickname: Pelican State
Date Ratified: April 30, 1812 (18th)
Capital: Baton Rouge

Map of Louisiana

Caddo Lake was the first site of petroleum drilling over water in the world.
At 450 feet tall, Louisiana has the tallest state capitol building in the United States.
Louisiana is the only state that does not have counties. Instead, its political subdivisions are called parishes.
Louisiana is the only state with a large population of Cajuns, descendants of the Acadians who were driven out of Canada in the 18th century because they wouldn’t pledge allegiance to the King of England.
The Superdome is the worlds largest steel-constructed room that is unobstructed by posts.
At 24 miles long, the Lake Pontchartrain causeway is the world’s longest bridge over water in the world.
Louisiana is the only state that still refers to the Napoleonic Code in its state law.
The first American army to have African-American officers was the confederate Louisiana Native Guards. The Corps d’Afrique at Port Hudson was sworn into service on September 27, 1862.
The state flag of Louisiana, adopted in 2006, depicts a heraldic charge called a mother pelican wounding her breast to feed her young from the blood.