Secession and the Civil War deeply divided the Mexican Americans of Texas (Tejanos). Accusations of subversion and disloyalty before the war resulted in a reluctance by many of them to become involved…
Category: Tips Trivia and Tidbits
The Pilgrims Left Europe Because They Feared Their Children Would Become Too Dutch
The myth: The Pilgrims escaped the religious intolerance of Europe to establish freedom in the New World. The truth: Frustrated with the Church of England the future Pilgrims left England for Amsterdam,…
Artist Vincent Van Gogh Suffered a Nervous Breakdown After Being Rejected by a Woman
In June of 1873, Vincent van Gogh worked a the Groupil Gallery in London. There, he fell in love with English culture and with his landlady’s daughter, Eugenie Loyer. When she rejected…
The Largest Battle Fought in World War II Involved 600,000 Americans
The Battle of the Bulge was the largest battle fought by the Americans in World War Two. There were 600,000 American troops involved in the battle. The Americans lost 81,000 men while…
The Early Origin of Best Man at a Wedding Comes From Scotland and Germany
An early origin of best man at a wedding comes from Germany and Scotland. According to legend, villages and clans used to raid each other to gain brides. When there weren’t any…
Geronimo Was a Fierce Warrior Who Later Appeared in Fairs
Geronimo was born in 1829 in New Mexico. He was originally named Goyathlay, which means “One Who Yawns.” On March 5, 1858, Mexican soldiers killed his mother, wife and three children in…
Whistler’s Model Didn’t Show Up So He Painted His Mom
“This artwork is a portrait of James McNeill Whistler’s mother, Anna McNeill Whistler while they were in London in 1871. It was said that James’ model was not able to commit to…
Saying “God Bless You” After a Person Sneezes Goes Back to Ancient Times
Saying ‘God bless you’ after a person sneezes goes back to ancient times. Back then, it was said because people believed that the soul left the body when a person sneezed and…
Me Tarzan, You Jane… But Where Did All the Monkeys Come from?
Monkeys don’t naturally occur in the United States. The closest they get is Mexico, where you might see spider monkeys and howler monkeys in and around the Yucatan. But the population of…
Get The Credit Cards Out – The U.S. Marshals Are Selling A Lot Gold, Silver and Coins
WASHINGTON D.C.– The U.S. Marshals Service has a lot of gold and silver bullion along with coins, diamonds, fine jewelry and watches that they want to unload at an auction on Saturday. You…
Eventually, the Sun Will Consume the Earth
One million Earths could fit inside the Sun: “If a hollow Sun was filled up with spherical Earths then around 960,000 would fit inside. On the other hand if these Earths were…
More Law Enforcement Incidents Resulting in Police Fatalities Occur on Thursdays
“The deadliest day in law enforcement history was September 11, 2001, when 72 officers were killed while responding to the terrorist attacks on America.” “During the past ten years, more incidents that…