Geography – Team Marco Polo

History Schmistory: October 18. Happy Alaska Day!

teammarcopolo — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 12:00:22 +0000

1867: The United States moves in with Alaska after purchasing the territory from RussiaÂ for 7.2 million clams. They live together for 92 years before finally making the relationship official in 1959. Meanwhile, Canada insists they are carrying Alaska’s baby.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Alaska_purchase.jpg

Are you super boring? This book is for you!

teammarcopolo — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 18:00:45 +0000

Check out the new book Maphead from the Jeopardy guy, Ken Jennings. You gotta love a guy who says his favorite thing as a kid was tearing open National Geographic so he could scope out the maps. The only person nerdier would be someone working on a travel show for kids, huh?

History Schmistory: August 2. Bay of Henry?

teammarcopolo — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 12:00:06 +0000

1610: Explorer Henry Hudson enters the bay later named after him, the Hudson Bay. Since his crew mutinied and left him for dead, an apology card was also in order. It’s in a bottle, floating out there somewhere. Sorry Hud!

By Neemster (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

History Schmistory, July 15: Roc-King Out!

teammarcopolo — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 12:00:31 +0000

1799 – The Rosetta Stone was found in the Egyptian village of Rosetta by French Captain Pierre-FranÃ§ois Bouchard during Napoleon’s Egyptian Campaign. It unfortunately did not give them the ability learn a new language online. It did however have three different languages written on it (Greek, Demotic & Hieroglyphic!)

Before internet was invented…

History Schmistory, July 14: Hooray for Bastille Day!

teammarcopolo — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 12:00:10 +0000

1789 Today is Bastille Day. The French Revolution began with the fall of Bastille. Aujourd’hui, nous celebrons notre liberte!

Magnifique
CC0 Public Domain

History Schmistory July 13: Cookin’ Up The Resolution

teammarcopolo — Sun, 13 Jul 2025 12:00:59 +0000

1772 – Captain James Cook began his 2nd voyage, this time to the South Seas. He commanded a ship called the Resolution & although was able to retire after this voyage, couldn’t resolve his need for adventure.

This cook is not burnt out yet!

History Schmistory, July 8: Bonjour, Paris!

teammarcopolo — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 12:00:56 +0000

951 – Paris was founded. At the time, it was occupied by the Germanic Franks. Thankfully they came up with an awesome name for the city — it could have been a bratwurst.

Paris sure used to occur a lot of Germs!

History Schmistory, July 9: Hear Yee, Hear Yee! Yo, LISTEN UP!

teammarcopolo — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 12:00:39 +0000

1776Â –Â Declaration of Independence was read to George Washington’s troops in New York. I am sure some must have wondered why they were still following the leader after they were told they were free. Â After all, they now had the unalienable right to life which war could take away.

Washington and Lafayette look over the troops at Valley Forge. [public domain]

History Schmistory, July 2: Baffled By Baffin!

teammarcopolo — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 12:00:59 +0000

1578Â –Â Martin Frobisher sighted Baffin Island. This is super great, however, it is the 5th largest island in the world & would slightly hard to miss!

Where’s Baffin? I can’t seem to find it. It should be called Waldo Island.

GO THERE! Easter has an Island?

teammarcopolo — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 04:44:08 +0000

Easter Island is named so because Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen landed there on Easter Sunday in 1722. That’s all. Natives actually call this mysterious and isolated island Rapa Nui. But, we still think it would be a great place to go for an Eater egg hunt!