![The Fall of Constantinople, By anonymus (Sotheby's) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://i0.wp.com/www.chuggnutt.com/images/fall-of-constantinople.jpg?fit=1568%2C1080&ssl=1)
Today, May 29, is the anniversary of the end of the Middle Ages. I know, I wouldn’t have thought you could pinpoint a time period like that so precisely, but this reasoning makes sense: On this day [in 1453] the city of Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Empire after being under siege for almost two… Continue reading The end of the Middle Ages
Tag: History
The best chicken article I’ve read in awhile.
Actually this might be the only chicken article I’ve read now that I think about it. It’s long but really good. Did you know the Egyptians “mastered the technique of artificial incubation”? I did not. Oh, and don’t forget, chickens are basically the descendants of dinosaurs which is awesome.
Top 10 books lost to time
Just ran across this Smithsonian.com article: The Top 10 Books Lost to Time. Neat read, rife with possibilities; every link I’ve seen pulls a quote from the #4 selection, Inventio Fortunata, which does have a bit of a Piri Reis-sounding mystery to it; but the “lost” Shakespeare work of Cardenio interests me more: Cardenio has… Continue reading Top 10 books lost to time
Rajneesh
The news on KTVZ tonight about the former Rajneesh land being sold caught my ear and got me reflecting a bit on that particular period of weirdness in Central Oregon history. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a “dark day” in Oregon history like the interviewee on the news did, but it… Continue reading Rajneesh
Killer Kangaroo!
Now, this story is just silly: Fanged killer kangaroo roamed Outback. Forget cute, cuddly marsupials. A team of Australian palaeontologists say they have found the fossilized remains of a fanged killer kangaroo and what they describe as a “demon duck of doom”. … The species found at the dig had “well muscled-in teeth, not for… Continue reading Killer Kangaroo!
’05 retrospective (historical)
Looking back on some of the historical events of 2005. For some reason, it seemed to me to be an interesting year for centennial events also. 2005: The Huygens probe landed on Titan (Saturn’s moon). One Pope died and a new Pope was selected. Deep Throat’s identity was revealed. Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of New… Continue reading ’05 retrospective (historical)
Bastille Day
Today is Bastille Day in France, their equivalent to our Fourth of July/Independence Day. The Wikipedia article I point to there has a pretty good overview. On 20 June [1789] the deputies of the Third Estate took the Tennis Court Oath (named after the place where they had gathered which was a place where an… Continue reading Bastille Day
55,000 year old trees at Yachats
This story from Bend.com last week reminded me of the Stumps posting I made a year ago. An Oregon State University oceanographer has discovered remnants of an ancient forest in a seaside cliff near Yachats, with exposed tree sections that have been dated at older than 55,000 years. Those trees, which apparently were flattened during… Continue reading 55,000 year old trees at Yachats
Historic photos of Pacific City
While researching something about Pacific City, Oregon, I came across the Pacific City Oregon Visitor’s Guide which has some links to a bunch of extremely neat historical photographs. I like Pacific City quite a lot, not just because of the Pelican Pub & Brewery, but also because it’s the quintessential small Oregon coast town (like… Continue reading Historic photos of Pacific City
Oregon’s birthday
Hey, I almost forgot: in addition to Valentine’s Day, today is also Oregon’s birthday: it was admitted into the Union on February 14, 1859, the 33rd state. Just random facts. Move along.