History Schmistory: February 17. Orange you glad we’re a free state?
Friday, February 17, 2023
1854: The United Kingdom recognizes the independence of the Orange Free State, which would later become a part of the Union of South Africa. Today the province remains free from the tyranny of Oranges.
History Schmistory: December 14. Don’t be shy, Earth!
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
1911: Journeyman Ronald Amundsen and his crew discover the South Pole, and get one step closer to answering the age-old question: Does our planet have a cute butt?Â
![By Kuno Lechner; cropped by H Debussy-Jones (talk) 08:31, 14 November 2009 (UTC) (Self-photographed) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Geographic_Southpole_crop.jpg)
By Kuno Lechner; cropped by H Debussy-Jones (talk) 08:31, 14 November 2009 (UTC) (Self-photographed) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: October 18. Happy Alaska Day!
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
1867: The United States moves in with Alaska after purchasing the territory from Russia 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!
Tuesday, September 20, 2022
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: January 18. Alo-hoy!
Tuesday, January 18, 2022
1778: Famed explorer Captain James Cook serendipitously stumbles upon the “Sandwich Islands” (Hawaii.) On his second visit in 1779, he is killed by natives for sending back his pastrami on rye. Ironically during his time on the Islands Cook witnessed men being just that, cooked!
![John Webber [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/800px-Offering_before_Capt._Cook_in_the_Sandwich_Islands.jpg)
John Webber [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
