Tag: History

A Super Moon, The Moon Bunny Lady & Apollo 11

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SuperMoon is scheduled to peak at 8:52AM EST Monday (and no, I’m not gonna set my alarm). This full moon will be not only the closest and brightest supermoon of 2016 but also the largest since 1948, and the full moon won’t come this close to Earth again until Nov. 25, 2034.

The moon rabbit in folklore is a rabbit that lives on the Moon, based on pareidolia that identifies the markings of the Moon as a rabbit. The story exists in many cultures, prominently in East Asian folklore and Aztec mythology. In East Asia, it is seen pounding in a mortar and pestle, but the contents of the mortar differ among Chinese, Japanese, and Korean folklore. In Chinese folklore, it is often portrayed as a companion of the Moon goddess Chang’e, constantly pounding the elixir of life for her; but in Japanese and Korean versions, it is pounding the ingredients for rice cake [Wiki].

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[Top image from here; Apollo 11 quotes documented here and here, recording from here ; PBF strip here.]

The 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month of 1918 – Armistice Day

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A suspension of hostilities was agreed to in 1918, yet it was not the end of The Great War. Appeasement without enforcement of sanctions led to unimaginable atrocities a few short years later.

May we never make that mistake again.

 

 

 

 

 

St. Pancras Hotel

St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London

St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, London. St. Pancras is the Patron Saint of Teenagers:

We have no reliable historical information about this martyr. Legend tells us he was born at the end of the third century and brought up by an uncle in Rome after the death of his parents. Both he and his uncle became Christians. Pancras was beheaded in 304 during Diocletian’s persecution. He was only 14 years old [via].

[Photo by Dan Hamilton, image found here.]

Jim Ignatowski’s Father

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Veterans of WWII re-acclimating to civilian life.

[Found here. The irreverent reference to Reverend Jim Ignatowski is a joke.]

Happy Columbo Day!

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The feat was both amazing and dangerous, especially given the limited technology of the time. The world was much larger than anyone had previously imagined, and relatively little had been recorded by seagoing cartographers. Much of what they compiled was inaccurate, but they were not completely in the dark.

They had the Martellus Map of 1489 [pictured above].

Cristoforo Colombo changed all that, and for that he should be remembered. He had big cojones, as did every sailor who joined him on his voyages into the unknown. I doubt that his financial supporters (including Queen Isabella of Spain) expected him to ever return from the first exploration, but he did, and he made several round-trip voyages after that, relying on seasonal trade winds.

Here’s to one of the greatest explorers in history.

Daniil Sihastrul’s Contribution To The World

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From Wiki:

Daniil Sihastrul (Romanian for “Daniel the Hesychast“) was a renowned Romanian Orthodox spiritual guide, advisor of Stephen the Great, and hegumen of Voroneț Monastery. Canonized by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 1992.
[…]
Daniil Sihastrul ignited a hermit movement in northern Moldova, having many novices in the woods surrounding Voroneț, as well as at the hermitages and monasteries in its surroundings. He encouraged Stephen the Great to fight for the defense of Christendom and to build holy places.

He has been considered a saint ever since his life time, being credited with healing the sick, exorcising demons, and removing suffering.

On first glance, it appears that St. Daniil was an eccentric loner who spent his life exorcising his mind from all thought in pursuit of purity of spirit for personal enlightenment, as that was apparently the aim of the Hesychasts. On the other hand, he was not a hermit full time, and used his stone temple as a place of refuge and contemplation. Given that he advised military strategist Stephen The Great, Daniil was well respected at the time (late 1400s AD).

Now what did Stephen The Great do? He stopped the Ottoman Empire warlords from overrunning Moldova, killing Christians and others indiscriminately, and from instituting islam and shari’ia law.

St. Stephen defeated Mehmet at a famous and decisive battle in a place called Vaslui (not far south of Iaṣi in the province of Moldova). Had he not done so, little would have stood between Mehmet and the Ukraine—and the obliteration of the rest of the Orthodox world. Mehmet met his match shortly after having sacked Constantinople. With the rest of the Balkan peninsula falling to Islam’s sword, Mehmet must have seemed unstoppable to Christians everywhere, yet none of the Western powers nor the Western Church would lift a finger against the Ottomans. Thus, Stephen stood more or less alone in defense of Christianity and his homeland [via].

Interesting times, indeed.

Oh, and here’s a photo of Deniis hawking his CDs. I’m not an historian, but it amazes me what one may find just by searching for the origin of an image.

[Images found here and via here.]

Flying Bum Flies

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A vessel said to be the world’s largest aircraft has left its hangar for the first time, in preparation for a test flight.

British company Hybrid Air Vehicles towed the Airlander 10 – nicknamed the Flying Bum – out of its hangar at the UK’s Cardington Airfield in the early hours of Saturday morning [via].

And Iowahawk wins at Twitter again:

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Independence Day 1906

Independence Day 1906

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Read it in its entirety, and then read it to your children.

 
 
 

Father Michael, Row The Boat Ashore

Michael Row The Boat Ashore Live

[Found here, and yes, we discussed it at length yesterday when you weren’t paying attention.]

1930 Zukunftsphantasien

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Space Station – Check.
Smart Phones – Check.
Steam Powered Dirigible from Australia via Tehran – Pending.

(Note that die Frauen trinken und Rauchen stumpft in the park next to the airstrip while keeping tabs on die Kinder.)

[Found here via here.]