The term Devil’s Advocate is popularly used to describe any individual who is added to a conversation for the sake of argument. But did you know that this phrase had an interesting origin story? The title “devil’s advocate” was given in the Catholic Church. The Devil’s Advocate’s job was to argue against any candidate’s canonization. […]
The 1936 presidential election in the United States was the 38th quadrennial, held on Tuesday, November 3, 1936. During the Great Depression, incumbent Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated Republican Kansas, Governor Alf Landon. But did you know why this particular election is noted in history? The 1936 presidential election, in which Roosevelt received 98.49%
Dwight David Ike Eisenhower was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th President of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During WWII, he was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe and was promoted to the five-star rank of General of the Army. But did you know
President Ronald Reagan was a smoker who quit, allegedly after his brother developed voice box cancer. Smoking cessation can be one of the first signs of Alzheimer’s disease. But did you know how Ronald Reagan quit smoking? Ronald Reagan began eating Jelly Belly jellybeans to help him quit smoking and continued to do so throughout
On June 6th, 2,501 Americans and 1,913 Allies were among the 4,414 Allied casualties. Long believes the figure appears low because we’re used to seeing estimates of the total number of D-Day deaths, which includes fatalities, wounded, and missing. Did you know who was the First Soldier to step onto the beaches of Normandy during
The worst nuclear accident in history, the Chernobyl Nuclear disaster, occurred on April 25 and 26, 1986, in what is now northern Ukraine, when a reactor at a nuclear power plant exploded and burned. The incident, shrouded in secrecy, was a watershed moment in both the Cold War and the history of nuclear power. Scientists
The Dickin Medal is the highest honor that an animal can receive while serving in a military conflict. It is known as the Victoria Cross of the animals. It was established in 1943 by the PDSA’s founder, Maria Dickin CBE, to recognize outstanding acts of bravery or devotion to duty displayed by animals serving with
Albert Günther Göring was Hermann Göring’s younger brother, a German engineer and businessman, the head of the German Luftwaffe, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. Unlike his brother, Albert was anti-Nazi and assisted Jews and others persecuted in Nazi Germany. But did you know that Göring was never recognized for his contribution? Albert
The flooding of the Elbe and Rhine rivers in the Czech Republic and Germany has revealed some rocks engraved centuries ago during times of water stress. As Europe bakes this summer in record heat, droughts have caused water levels in rivers and lakes across the continent to plummet. Do you know what Hunger Stones are?
According to genome analysis of a bone discovered in a Siberian cave, a female who died around 90,000 years ago was half Neanderthal and half Denisovan. This is the first time scientists have identified an ancient person whose parents came from different human groups. Do you know the name of the only Hybrid hominin? Denny
