History Schmistory: September 3. “Sooooo… what side where you on?”
Friday, September 3, 2021
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?
Wednesday, September 1, 2021
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
Tuesday, August 31, 2021
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?”
Monday, August 30, 2021
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!
Sunday, August 29, 2021
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!
Saturday, August 28, 2021
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!
Thursday, August 26, 2021
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?
Wednesday, August 25, 2021
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
Viral Marco: Euronerds rule!
Sunday, March 28, 2021
More Paris travel tips from Euronerd, Steve Ricks!
History Schmistory: March 22. Hey! This doesn’t work on my Kindle!
Monday, March 22, 2021
1457. The Gutenberg Bible became the 1st printed book.
