Month: March 2016

  • Eiffel Tower: Beating the Odds

    On this date in 1889, the Eiffel Tower opened. Here are some things you may not have known about the Paris landmark. It was constructed as the entrance to the 1889 World’s Fair and was designed and built by the company owned by Gustave Eiffel. The tower cost an estimated 6.5 million francs, of which…

  • Jeopardy: Answers and Questions

    On this date in 1964, “Jeopardy!” debuted on NBC. Here are some things you may not have known about the long-running game show. The original incarnation ran as part of NBC’s daytime schedule. It was hosted by Art Fleming with announcer Don Pardo. This version of the show ran for 11 seasons and 2,753 episodes…

  • Coca-Cola: The Real Thing Since 1886

    Today is the 130th anniversary of the creation of the first batch of Coca-Cola. Here are some things you may not know about the world’s most popular soft drink. John Pemberton, a former colonel in the Confederate Army, became addicted to morphine to ease the pain of battle injuries. He worked as a pharmacist and…

  • Washing Machines: Domestic Industrial Revolution

    On this date in 1797, Nathaniel Griggs of New Hampshire was granted the first American patent for a washing machine. Here are some things you may not have known about washing machines. Before the invention of washing machines, washing clothes by hand was a laborious and time-consuming undertaking. It consisted of transporting water by hand…

  • Archives: Typhoid Mary: Spreading Disease #history #podcasts #trivia

    Mary Mallon, also known as Typhoid Mary, was quarantined on March 27, 1915. Here are a few things you might not know about Typhoid Mary, the first person identified as a healthy carrier of typhoid fever: One: She worked as a cook for eight families in New York before her first quarantine, seven of the…

  • Archives: Sandra Day O’Connor: A Supreme Court Pioneer

    (Originally published March 26, 2015) March 26th marks the 85th birthday of former United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female jurist appointed to that position. Here are three things you might not know about Sandra Day O’Connor. One: She grew up on a cattle ranch near El Paso, Texas before attending…

  • Triangle Shirtwaist Fire: A Turning Point for Labor in America

    Today is the 105th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York City. Here are some things you may not have known about it. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was located on the eighth, ninth and 10th floors of the Asch Building in Greenwich Village at the corner of Green Street and Washington Place.…

  • Exxon Valdez: An Oil Spill Nightmare

    Today is the 27th anniversary of the grounding of the Exxon Valdez and subsequent oil spill. Here are some things you may not know about the environmental disaster. The supertanker was carrying about 55 million gallons of crude oil from Valdez, Alaska, to Long Beach, California. Valdez is the southern end of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.…

  • Elevators: Going Up!

    On this date in 1857, the first successful passenger elevator was installed in New York City by Elisha Otis. Here are some things you may not have known about elevators and Mr. Otis. Elisha Otis was born in Vermont in 1811. He worked as a craftsman, turning bedposts, building wagons and making dolls. He was…

  • Clint Malarchuk: A Gruesome Injury

    On this date in 1989, Clint Malarchuk, the goalie of the Buffalo Sabres, suffered one of the most horrific injuries in sports history. Here are some things you may not have known about Malarchuk, that night and the injury. Clint Malarchuk was born in Grande Prairie, Alberta in 1961. He made his National Hockey League…