History Schmistory: September 3. “Sooooo… what side where you on?”
Wednesday, September 3, 2025
1994: Russia and China formally agree to stop pointing nukes at each other.  All eyes turn to the Montagues and Capulets.
![By Sir John Gilbert [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Scene-1.jpg)
By Sir John Gilbert [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: September 2. Wait for it…
Tuesday, September 2, 2025
1901: Teddy Roosevelt utters his most famous phrase at a Minnesota State Fair; “speak softly and carry a big stick”. Unfortunately, he was actually teaching the crowd how to impersonate his grandmother.
![See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/492px-Theodore_Roosevelt_laughing.jpg)
See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: September 1. Where’s Leo?
Monday, September 1, 2025
1985: 73 years after the sinking of the Titanic, the ship’s remains are found by a joint French-US expedition. Women and children get the news first.
![By F.G.O. Stuart (1843-1923) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/800px-RMS_Titanic_3.jpg)
By F.G.O. Stuart (1843-1923) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: August 31. Zeppelin’s Zeppelin
Sunday, August 31, 2025
1895: German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin patents his navigable balloon. He soon explores the heavens in search of the elusive stairway.
![By Till Krech from Berlin, Germany (stairway to heaven Uploaded by perumalism) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/400px-Stairway_to_heaven_156690123.jpg)
By Till Krech from Berlin, Germany (stairway to heaven Uploaded by perumalism) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: August 30. “Vhaaaat?”
Saturday, August 30, 2025
1940: Nazi Germany re-assigns Romania’s Northern Transylvania territory to Hungary. They hold daytime meetings to avoid Dracula.
![By Screenshot from "Internet Archive" of the movie Dracula (1958) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Dracula_1958_c.jpg)
By Screenshot from “Internet Archive” of the movie Dracula (1958) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: August 29. Mafia Schmafia!
Friday, August 29, 2025
1991: Libero Grassi was a successful business man, a proud father and a well-loved human being throughout Sicily. When his fancy underwear business became a success, the mafia came calling to extort his profits. Instead of paying them off, he decided to go public with the incident, sending a scathing open letter to the Palermo daily newspaper with the heading, “Dear Extortionist”. He later appeared on national tv to further amplify the issue.
“Dear mafia, I challenge you”
Libero was not only standing up to the mafia, but also exposing a dispassionate  government which repeatedly turned a blind eye to fearful communities throughout Sicily. Twenty years ago today, Libero Grassi was gunned down while taking a stroll. He had even turned down police protection, almost as if he was ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good…
History Schmistory: August 28. Go get ’em Tommy!
Thursday, August 28, 2025
1830: Peter Cooper introduces Tom Thumb, the first American steam-powered locomotive, by racing it against a horse-drawn carriage. Horse claims he wasn’t ready and calls for a do-over.
![By The original uploader was Pottok at German Wikipedia (Transferred from de.wikipedia to Commons.) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Curly-horse.jpg)
By The original uploader was Pottok at German Wikipedia (Transferred from de.wikipedia to Commons.) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: August 27. Give peace a chance.
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
1928: The Kellogg-Briand Pact, also known as the World Peace Act, is signed by 15 countries including the US, UK, Italy, Germany, and Japan. Must have been a few loopholes I guess.
![By Mark Baker (Flickr: Stay Alive and Avoid Zombies) [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/Stay_Alive_and_Avoid_Zombies.png)
By Mark Baker (Flickr: Stay Alive and Avoid Zombies) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
History Schmistory: August 26. Well, let him out!
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
1819: Britain’s Prince Albert is born. Doctor uses can opener.
![By Alexisrael (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Prince_Albert_Cigarettes.jpg)
By Alexisrael (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
A Revolutionary Summer…
Monday, August 25, 2025
Arab Spring got you on edge? Here’s a Revolution that might sooner bring the edge down on you!
