Category: general history
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The Six Crew Members Who Deserted “La Bergere” in 1785
There are always stories behind the story. There are always stories hidden within the story. This is one of them. Let’s begin by thinking about how the headlines today often portray cruise ship horrors where passengers are stranded with non–working toilets, no hot water, no electricity, incompetent and non-responsive foreign crews and other such inconveniences…
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Julian’s Sophistic
The First Sophistic was in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE, including such Sophists as Gorgias, Protagoras, Isocrates and Antiphon. In the Second Sophistic of the early Roman Empire, the study and practice of classical Greek rhetoric and oratory was encouraged by the Patrician class in all the cities of the imperial provinces. Wealthy Plebeians…
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The New Orleans Bank Run of 1814
New Orleans merchants, planters, and other citizens rushed the Planter’s Bank, Bank of Orleans and Louisiana Bank in panic in mid April 1814, desperate to exchange their paper bank notes for specie (mostly gold and silver Spanish coins), but nearly all were refused, with the banks locking their doors early to avoid the hostile crowds.…
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Theodosia Burr Alston’s Letters on Behalf of Burr in Exile
Aaron Burr went into exile in Europe in 1808 following his acquittal in the trial for treason. At first he had high hopes of procuring funding for his interrupted Mexican expedition, but those were soon crushed when Spain and England became allies. Burr was forced to leave England, and with this began a lonely journey…
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Jean Laffite as a Father
According to The Journal of Jean Laffite, the famed privateer was the father of five children. He was married when he was seventeen to Christina Levine who bore him two sons and a daughter in close succession: Jean Antoine Laffite, Lucien Jean Laffite and Denise Jeanette Laffite. After Denise’s birth, Christina died, and Jean did…
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Are There Any Historic Stay At Home Dads?
Looking back on the recent history of the last thirty years there are no notable stay at home dads, with the exception of prominent celebrities. When I was in kindergarten I remember watching the movie Mr. Mom, which poked fun a Jack (Michael Keaton) trying to fill the role of a stay at home mom…
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The Serrano Indians And The Indian Rock Camp
Today most people do not think much about acorns, except to put these in the category as being beautiful objects to collect nature walks. Crafters might use acorns to create a fall or winter decorations, but how many people actually think about eating acorns? About three hundred years ago there were no grocery stores in…