Happy Birthday, Jackie!
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Jacopo Peri, the original opera man, was born today in 1561. Play it again, Marco!
History Schmistory: August 20. Who brought the cannon?
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
1882: Piotr Ilich Tchaikovsky premiers the 1812 Overture in Moscow, with a section of real cannon blasting away during the finale. Six months later a cannonball falls out of the sky and kills Wagner. It was that awesome.
Don’t think you know it? Skip to 3:05….
History Schmistory: August 19. To go where no man would dare go before…
Monday, August 19, 2024
1960 – Sputnik Program: Sputnik 5  – the Soviet Union launches a satellite with 2 dogs, 40 mice, 2 rats and a variety of plants. The first animals to be launched into orbit and return safely. Not to take anything away from the first animals ever in space, fruit flies. Seriously. They did so well we sent them back a few years ago. Poor little guys…
![By Jack Dykinga, U.S. Department of Agriculture [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/800px-Female_Mexican_fruit_fly_insect.jpg)
By Jack Dykinga, U.S. Department of Agriculture [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
-We should give a shout to Laika, the original space dog, who unfortunately didn’t make it back. RIP widdle buddy!
![Laika Monument By Laika ac from USA (Laika) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Laika_ac_Laika_6982605741.jpg)
Laika Monument
By Laika ac from USA (Laika) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: August 18. Truth or Dare?
Sunday, August 18, 2024
1587: Virginia Dare, the first American child of English descent, is born. Sad news for the Truths, across the road, who are  two weeks overdue.
![Henry Howe [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/800px-Baptism_of_Virginia_Dare.jpeg)
Henry Howe [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: August 17. Moving stick-people? One please!
Saturday, August 17, 2024
1908: Fantasmagorie by Emile Cohl, debuts as the first animated film in history. Try it with your own soundtrack! … …Or don’t.
History Schmistory: August 16. Can you hear me now?
Friday, August 16, 2024
1858: The United States exchanges overseas greetings with the United Kingdom for the first time through the transatlantic telegraph cable.
![See page for author [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/800px-Atlantic_cable_Map.jpg)
See page for author [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
[Portrait of Wildman Whitehouse, 1856-1865, Maull and Polyblank, Science Museum, 1856-1865. Object No. 1980-2/50. © This image is available for use under the following license: CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0]
His complaint was it didn’t work fast enough, so he turned up the juice too high and fried the thing. Way to go, Wildman.
He tried to make it up to everybody with a communications device of his own…
No one was amused.
History Schmistory: August 15. I see ridiculous pants in your future…
Thursday, August 15, 2024
1519: Panama City is founded. A super great rock song is prognosticated shortly thereafter.
History Schmistory: August 11. Welcome to the 500 club! Someone will be with you shortly.
Sunday, August 11, 2024
1929. Babe Ruth becomes the first baseball player to hit 500 career home runs. Though most agree it’s because he was all hopped-up on hot dogs.
By National Photo Company [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: August 10. A Voyage to Reminder
Saturday, August 10, 2024
1519 – Ferdinand Magellan’s five ships set sail from Spain to circumnavigate the globe. Though Magellan was killed just before the final leg of the journey, the expedition was a success. Not only were they the first to encircle the globe, they were also the first to travel from the Atlantic into the Pacific Ocean, as well as the first to cross the Pacific.
And yet it’s this guy gets a holiday?!…
![Sebastiano del Piombo [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/498px-Christopher_Columbus.png)
Sebastiano del Piombo [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: August 9. No more Richard jokes!
Friday, August 9, 2024
![By Edmund S. Valtman [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/472px-Richard_Nixon_by_Edmund_S._Valtman_ppmsc.07955.jpg)
By Edmund S. Valtman [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
