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 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 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
History Schmistory: August 25. Life on the Moon?
Monday, August 25, 2025
1835: The New York Sun begins to perpetuate what later became known as the Great Moon Hoax, six articles written by a fictitious doctor who claimed that he viewed the moon through “an immense telescope of an entirely new principle” and discovered it was inhabited by, among other things, bat-people…
![See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.teammarcopolo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Great-Moon-Hoax-1835-New-York-Sun-lithograph-298px.jpg)
See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
The articles caused quite a stir, not seen again until another bat-like hoax hit the mainstream many moons later…
![By Vinya [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/2014/08/2007-Michael_Clayton-George_Clooney102824.jpg)
By Vinya [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
Tales of Tourists Walking Around Aimlessly: Florence, Italy
Saturday, August 23, 2025
Ah, beautiful Florence Italy. Nestled in the hills of Tuscany, this one time medieval colossus thrives today as a mecca for tourists, students, and artists. Home to Renaissance superstars such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Giotto, and Botticelli. Does the world’s next great artist walk these streets today, disguised as an unsuspecting tourist? Only posterity can know, next time on TALES OF TOURISTS WALKING AROUND AIMLESSLY!
Viral Marco: Euronerds rule!
Friday, March 28, 2025
More Paris travel tips from Euronerd, Steve Ricks!
