On this day 5,000,000 years ago spears were invented. Some say that they were the invention of Britney, but actually they were a craft project developed by chimpanzees in present day Tanzania. This country was known to them as Eyee-cheee-ee, but was pronounced “spear.” And that is how spears came to be.
Posts Tagged ‘history’

Where was I?
September 3, 2020I always wondered where my town was when the dinosaurs walked the earth, when the Rockies were built, when the sea covered the middle of North America, etc. This interactive map designed by a paleontologist answers those questions.
I could not get the interactive map to load, so go here to see where your city was 400 million years ago: https://dinosaurpictures.org/ancient-earth#240

What am I noting September 1
September 2, 2020
September 1 every year commemorates the life and work of the U.S.’s first female telephone operator, Emma M. Nutt.
Prior to Ms. Nutt’s hiring by the Edwin Holmes Telephone Despatch Company in Boston, Massachusetts on September 1, 1878, all telephone operators were men. Emma was employed for 33 years – often working 54 hour a week for a salary of $10 per month. She was also notable for having memorized all of the telephone numbers in the New England Telephone Company directory and for paving the way for women in her field.

Time capsule cat
August 12, 2020“Earlier this year, photographer Mathieu Stern discovered a time capsule dating back to the early 1900s in his family home. The 120-year-old box held a little girl’s cherished possessions, including a paper doll, seashell, and two glass plate negatives. Stern decided to develop the photographs using Cyanotype, one of the earliest printing processes that was prevalent well into the 20th century, and revealed images of the child’s pets. The photographer chronicled the entire endeavor in a video, which you can find on his YouTube and Instagram.”

What am I noting today?
July 28, 2020Today is recognized as Buffalo Soldier Day
The original Buffalo Soldiers were members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This nickname was given to the Black Cavalry by Native American tribes who fought in the Indian Wars. The term eventually became synonymous with all of the African-American regiments formed in 1866:
- 9th Cavalry Regiment
- 10th Cavalry Regiment
- 24th Infantry Regiment
- 25th Infantry Regiment
- Second 38th Infantry Regiment
Although several African-American regiments were raised during the Civil War as part of the Union Army (including the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and the many United States Colored Troops Regiments), the “Buffalo Soldiers” were established by Congress as the first peacetime all-black regiments in the regular U.S. Army.
On September 6, 2005, Mark Matthews, the oldest surviving Buffalo Soldier, died at the age of 111. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
-wikipedia
-painting by Ezra Tucker

Who’s your daddy?
July 20, 2020When told that he resembled his grandfather, photographer Drew Gardner launched into a project exploring families and history.
The photo above is of Hugo de Salis, the 4th great-grandson of Napoleon juxtaposed with the portrait of Napoleon by Jacques-Louis David. This ongoing project is titled, “The Descendants.”
Here are some more images from the series:
Helen Pankhurst, great grand-daughter of women’s rights activist, Emeline Pankhurst.
Frederick Douglass and Kenneth Morris, Douglass’s third great grand-son.
Irina Guicciardini Strozzi, the 15th great grand-daughter of Lisa del Giocondo. The Mona Lisa by Leonardo DaVinci.
Thomas Jefferson’s portrait by Rembrandt Peale and Shannon LaNier, Jefferson’s sixth great grand-son.

My quarantine mask
April 28, 2020Plague mask from the Deutisches Historisches Museum
It is tattoo Tuesday. . .

What am I celebrating today?
January 28, 2020Today is Up Helly Aa – a (sort of) Viking Festival marking the end of the Yule season – and also giving folks something to do during the bleak winter days. There is fire – and drinking – what could possibly go wrong?
Tattoo Tuesday . . .