Category Archives: History

History at all levels, not just not my past or nostalgic musings.

Hidden Figures: Worth Seeing

Posted on February 8, 2017 by Steve

Firstly, I thought it was weird that 20th Century Fox made this movie. Then I remembered how the crew at The Simpsons said Murdoch doesn’t really care what the entertainment division does, as long as its profitable, thus it can contradict his propaganda-hate … Continue reading →

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The Comedians by Kliph Nesteroff

Posted on February 4, 2017 by Steve

An awesome “Comedy History 101” book that covers all the bases on how stand-up became not just an art form but a dominant form of entertainment in the Twentieth Century. Nesteroff takes a chronological approach, explaining the evolutionary changes: Vaudeville (and Burlesque): these … Continue reading →

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New Star Wars shirt

Posted on January 5, 2017 by Steve

This awesome tribute to Star Wars and VJ-Day was purchased sadly right before Carrie Fisher died. It will be my personal memorial to her.

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White Trash… by Nancy Isenberg

Posted on November 27, 2016 by Steve

Given Trump’s success, this book’s timing couldn’t be any better since they were a major factor in the outcome and were lumped in with the “White Working Class.” For starters, when does the term White Trash really begin? As hinted by the … Continue reading →

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Farewell to McCormick Hall, aka the Beer Can

Posted on November 24, 2016 by Steve

This is very old news to any living in Milwaukee and/or more into keeping up with Marquette events. I found out recently through the alumni magazine. All I had to say was “It’s about time!” McCormick Hall was so crappy … Continue reading →

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Italian #44: Christopher Lee

Posted on October 31, 2016 by Steve

What? The consummate Englishman from all those Hammer Horror movies? Saruman the White? Count Dokku? Scaramanga? Yes, the towering actor was half Italian. His mother was Countess Estelle Marie Carandini di Sarzano, an Italian citizen who married an English army officer. … Continue reading →

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Italian #43: Giovanni Schiaparelli

Posted on October 19, 2016 by Steve

This year, my tribute to famous Italians has been heavy on the Science side, namely Astronomy but Dr. Schiaparelli is relevant due to the joint ESA-Russia Schiaparelli mission to Mars. Today is the day the probe makes its attempt to land … Continue reading →

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Washington: a Life by Ron Chernow

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Steve

My first book on a Quixotic Quest to read up on all 44 presidents. Since I read David McCullough’s opus on Harry Truman 20 years ago I have two down and 42 to go. I figure William Harrison and James Garfield will … Continue reading →

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Italian #42: Dr. Camillo Golgi

Posted on October 15, 2016 by Steve

In the spirit of all those Nobel prizes being awarded, I decided to look up who was the first Italian to receive one and it was this gentleman; it was for Medicine. Golgi was considered the greatest neuroscientist and biologist of … Continue reading →

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Italian #41: Joe Barbera

Posted on October 8, 2016 by Steve

Joe’s name may sound familiar to anyone over 35 because he was half of the prolific cartoon empire Hanna-Barbera. For about thirty years, these two dominated Saturday mornings with their animated shows. I readily admit many were formulaic and just … Continue reading →

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Italian #40: Guido d’Arezzo

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Steve

Guido d’Arezzo is the person given the credit for inventing modern music notation that is widely followed. His two most famous creations are the staff, aka the five bars the notes are written on so you know which notes they are. … Continue reading →

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Italian #39: Maria Gaetana Agnesi

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Steve

Although Maria never made any breakthrough or major contribution to math, she was the first European woman to publish a textbook (what they would call a handbook then) which focused on differential and integral calculus. I have little idea what … Continue reading →

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Italian #38: Giuseppe Piazzi

Posted on October 2, 2016 by Steve

With all the news about Rosetta landing on a comet after 12 years in space, I wanted to kick off with the person who discovered the largest asteroid in our solar system, or maybe it’s a dwarf planet now…Ceres. Back when I … Continue reading →

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A belated kickoff to Italian Heritage month!

Posted on October 2, 2016 by Steve

This year, the banner is courteous of my friend Mark M who recently spent his honeymoon in Italy. It’s a sign for an HVAC company he spotted. Are they relatives? Maybe. The odds of people with our surname being related … Continue reading →

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RIP Garry Marshall

Posted on August 7, 2016 by Steve

Another posthumous obituary to a person who helped ABC TV dominate in the Seventies with Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy. Of course a younger generation recalls him for directing the awful “modern” My Fair Lady flick Pretty Woman which made Julia Roberts … Continue reading →

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